Basic structure for a Five  paragraph Essay
A well executed 3-page paper should not have more than five (or less than four) paragraphs. In a five-paragraph essay, framework sentences provide the basic structure for the essay. Here is an outline of the framework sentences: 

1. The first sentence in the first paragraph is your topic sentence. 

2. The last sentence in the first paragraph is your thesis sentence. The essay's main idea (argument) is given in the thesis statement (sentence) at the end of the introduction paragraph. 

3. The first sentence in the first body paragraph. Repeat a key supporting idea from your thesis statement.

 4. The first sentence in the second body paragraph. Repeat a key supporting idea from your thesis statement.

 5. The first sentence in the third body paragraph. Repeat a key supporting idea from your thesis statement. 

6. The first sentence in the conclusion usually summarizes or restates your thesis. 

If you need more direction, try using the Owl at Purdue resource I have provided in this module. It has both a sample paper (with step by step instructions) and a sample works cited with many detailed instructions on writing papers.
Critical Thought/Research Paper (15% of Final Grade) 

Here are some guidelines on your Critical Thought/Research Papers:
1. Your critical thought papers must have a cover page indicating the course, instructor, your name, date, and topic. Also, a separate Bibliography (a works cited) is required. 2. You must use the MLA (Modern Language Association) style to write this paper. This reference is particularly important for quotations and your list of sources. Absolutely no plagiarism will be tolerated in this class. I will provide a link for an MLA guide in the critical thought paper module. 3. Each paper should consist of three or more double-spaced pages with one-inch margins (in #12 font size). Cover pages and reference pages do not count toward the total number of pages in this assignment. 4. Though I am more concerned with how well you cover the subject, I will pay attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. 5. In this critical thought paper, you must make an argument about a Supreme Court case (the list of approved cases is located at the bottom of these guidelines). You should identify and explain the decision of the court, and then provide your own argument about the outcome of the case. Avoid summarizing the case at length, you are not writing a book report but evaluating the court's decision (and the impact of that decision). Since this assignment is short, be concise in your analysis (it is advisable to take only one position in a paper of this length). Avoid long quotes or quoting general material. 6. Do preliminary research to ensure that you can find sufficient sources to support your paper (you should have at least three collegiate level sources and in-text citations to support and develop your argument). 

Requires to use lone star library website to use the sources library id # 2 313660082730 2