Question: I am teaching some students how to write a 5-paragraph essay. Their writing is coming together, but when it comes to conclusions, they get lost. They have difficulty assembling the ideas for a conclusion. I can show them a list of ideal features, show them sample conclusions, and give them a list of types of conclusions, but I'd really like to give them a process or some steps that they can follow to help them to construct their ideas.

* Nearly all of the student's essays are persuasive, e.g.: "The school should build a new recreational center"; "More money should be spent on improving roads"; or "Hiking is a great activity."

Are there any steps my students can follow which will help them to think through what they could possibly say in the conclusion?

Answer: 
Different schools have different methods (for example, some insist that the last line of the introduction must be the thesis statement), but I learned that a "conclusion" is essentially reiterating the essay. So they summarize each paragraph in one or two sentences, and that's the conclusion. 

From the old saw about speeches with introductions and conclusions: "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em, tell 'em, and then tell 'em what you told 'em."
In the concluding paragraph you should include the following:

1. An allusion to the pattern used in the introductory paragraph.
2. A restatement of the thesis statement, using some of the original language or language that "echoes" the original language. (The restatement, however, must not be a duplicate thesis statement.)
3. A summary of the three main points from the body of the paper.
4. A final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end. (This final statement may be a "call to action" in an persuasive paper.)