Schaffer is a structured five-sentence paragraph method for essay writing, consisting of a thematic sentence, concrete detail sentence, two commentary sentences, and a concluding sentence. It is taught in American schools and requires third-person present tense writing. Created by Jane Schaffer, it helps students structure paragraphs and learn essay writing basics.
Paragraph Schaffer is a method of creating a highly structured five-sentence paragraph for writing essays and papers. It contains a thematic sentence, followed by a concrete detail sentence and two commentary sentences. The paragraph then ends with a concluding sentence. It is taught in most schools across America to students of nearly all writing levels as a foundation for essay writing.
A topic sentence indicates the main point of the paragraph. It works like a mini thesis statement with a clear opinion and subject. While not necessarily an argumentative paragraph, an air of disagreement or argument should be present.
Concrete Detail Sentences (CD), validate the topic sentence with clear facts and evidence and should contain some detail. Quotations, citations, and other reliable sources are often encouraged. When writing about something based on fiction, a book expert is acceptable. It is not uncommon for the CD to begin with an appropriate transition phrase such as “for example.”
There are always two sentences of commentary (CM), which are based on the thoughts and opinions of the writer. They are used to make inferences, analyses, intuitions or interpretations of the concrete detail. These sentences may also assist in processing what was said on the CD, as long as you continue to support what was said. Most people see them as an opportunity to add color to the paragraph.
The final sentence is the concluding sentence or closing comment. It summarizes all that has been said and can briefly demonstrate how the point was proved. A good closing sentence also helps you move from one paragraph to the next by providing a clue as to what the next paragraph is about.
A Schaffer paragraph also has other guidelines for a writer to follow. The paragraph must always be written in the third person. Unlike many other writing styles that require paragraphs to be in the past tense, the Schaffer paragraph is written in the present tense. Also, while this type of paragraph is usually only five sentences, on rare occasions they may contain more as long as the additional sentences are more concrete detail and two additional sentences of comment.
This writing method was created by San Diego English teacher Jane Schaffer. She developed the Schaffer paragraph as a way to help teachers show students of various writing skill levels how to structure paragraphs within an essay and the basics of essay writing. Many schools in America now teach the Schaffer paragraph to middle school children. Students in their later grades, however, are usually not required to use the method due to the limitations of the technique.
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