Purpose: Grades 2-5; ESL; Special Education Scaffolding Students will use this planner to organize information to write a 5-paragraph research animal essay. This activity can be used in conjunction with a unit on animals/animal habitats/animal types/ecosystems, or a variety of other related topics. This writing guide will help students in their writing plans by allowing them to organize the information into paragraphs. The checklist can be used along with the planner, or you could provide a diff