Mrs. Henderson Lake Travis High School From Writing with Power

  Definition : presents information or offers an explanation  Analytical writing - analyzes or takes apart a subject  Example – A newspapers sportswriter reviews the highlights of a local team’s championship season  Example – A student writes a report about the importance of studying to help improve grades What is Expository Writing?

  Introduction – captures the attention of the reader using a rhetorical question, an interesting fact or statistic, an anecdote, etc.; include a thesis that introduces the topic or issue  Body Paragraphs – Break down parts of the topic, provide facts or quotes to support the ideas, and provide explanations or interpret facts/quotes  Conclusion – rephrase thesis, includes another rhetorical question, interesting fact, anecdote, etc. to conclude/wrap up ideas presented Parts of an Expository Essay

  Once you know your topic, gather information so you can clearly explain it to your reader. Use brainstorming, freewriting, or researching to find details.  Type of Details Used in Expository Writing Gathering Information Facts and examplesAnalogiesSimilarities ReasonsIncidentsDifferences Steps in a processDefinitionsCauses and effects

  As you gather information, a main idea for your essay will begin to emerge, which will develop into your thesis statement.  Steps for developing a thesis:  Look over the information you have gathered.  Express the main idea you plan to convey.  Select the details you will use to support your main idea.  Check that the thesis takes into account all of the information you selected to include in your essay. Developing a Thesis

  To decide which ideas and details to include in your essay, evaluate the information for relevance by asking yourself the following questions:  Is it appropriate for my purpose in writing?  Does it relate directly to my thesis?  Will it help me support or prove my thesis? Evaluating Information for Relevance

 Types of Order Organizing Your Essay Chronological OrderInformation is presented in the order in which it occurred Spatial OrderInformation is given according to location Order of ImportanceInformation is given in order of importance, interest, size, or degree Developmental OrderInformation of equal importance is arranged to lead up to a conclusion Comparison/ContrastInformation is arranged to point out similarities and differences

  Use Roman numerals for topics  Use capital letters for subtopics and indent them under the topic  Use numbers for supporting points and indent them under the subtopic. If you use supporting points, include at least two of them.  Use lowercase letters for any other details and indent them under the supporting points to which they refer. If you use supporting details, include at least two of them. Making an Outline

 I.Main Topic A.Subtopic 1.Supporting point 2.Supporting Point B.Subtopic 1.Supporting point 2.Supporting Point II.Main Topic A.Subtopic 1.Supporting point 2.Supporting Point B.Subtopic 1.Supporting point 2.Supporting Point Example of an Outline

  Provide an attention-getter  Anecdote  Background information  Example  Startling statistic about topic  Quote an expert  Include a thesis statement – makes the main idea of the essay clear to readers; covers all main ideas included in essay Introduction

  Topic Sentence – statement about a topic related to thesis stated as something true/factual (no opinions)  Supporting Information – examples or facts supporting the topic sentence  Explanation – explains the examples or facts to show their relevance to the topic  Example : Friends are the most important relationships contributing to youth happiness. In a recent poll, 80% of youth expressed that friendship was important to them. This overwhelming number shows that most young people feel that having people close to them, such as friends, directly affects how they feel. Happiness is directly linked to the people who surround a person. Body Paragraphs

  Summarize the body of the essay.  Restate the thesis in new words.  Draw a conclusion based on the body of the essay.  Write a memorable clincher sentence (use the same strategies as the attention-getter). Conclusion

  Think of an appropriate title.  A good title suggests the main idea of your essay and capture the attention of your audience. Drafting a Title

 ElaboratingAdd supporting details such as facts, examples, and incidents to boost the development of your ideas DeletingCut out needless words and phrases and ideas that do not relate to your thesis statement or are repetitive SubstitutingIf a word is overused or overly general, substitute a fresher, more specific and vivid word RearrangingIf a better organizational structure occurs to you, rearrange the parts of your composition, redoing or adding transitions as needed. If you need more sentence variety, rearrange the parts of the sentence so your sentences have a variety of beginnings. Revision Strategies