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Expository writing

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EXPOSITORY WRITING Effective writers use informational writing to inform, explain and report. What do you think expository writing looks like? What do you think the ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Expository writing


1
Expository writing
  • Effective writers use informational writing to
    inform, explain and report.

2
KWL
  • What do you think expository writing looks like?
    What do you think the purpose of expository
    writing is? Have you ever practiced this style
    before?

3
How-to Essays in Everyday Life
Pg. 210
What do you think was the first step of getting
this balloon off the ground? Where might you
find more information on the subject?
How to instructions are one of the most important
types of writing that you encounter in your daily
life. They help make it easier to use a wide
range of items. When was the last time that you
came across instructional writing?
4
What is a How-to Essay?
Exposition is writing that informs or explains
A how-to essay is a short, focused piece of
expository writing that explains how to do or
make something. The writer breaks the process
down into a series of logical steps and explains
them in the order in which the reader should do
them. The key features of an effective how-to
essay are
  • A focused topic that can be fully explained in
    the length of an essay.
  • Clear explanations of any terms or materials that
    may be unfamiliar to readers.
  • A series of logical steps explained in
    chronological, or time, order.
  • Charts, illustrations, and diagrams as necessary
    to make complicated procedures understandable.

5
The Expository Essay
6
Types of How to Essays
  • Following are some of the how-to essays you might
    write
  • How to do something (how to fly a kite)
  • How to make something (how to make a kite)
  • How to improve a skill (How to steer a kite)
  • How to achieve a desired effect (How to do a
    desired trick with a kite)

7
Explain it to a Martian. . .
  • BRUSHING YOUR TEETH
  • ARRANGE THESE STEPS IN ORDER
  • Rinse toothbrush
  • Remove toothbrush from holder
  • Wet toothbrush
  • Rinse mouth
  • Brush teeth
  • Put toothpaste on toothbrush
  • Put toothbrush in holder

(2,3,6,5,4,1,7)
8
Follow Steps in a Sequence
Keeping things in the correct order is always
helpful, but in how-to essays, it is critical.
Whether baking a cake or programming a VCR,
doing things out of order can result in failure.
In a how-to essay, the use of the transition
words provides cues for the reader as to the
sequence of steps.
9
The great Peanut Butter and Jelly Experiment
  • It is your turn to begin an expository essay with
    the explanation of how to make a peanut butter
    and jelly sandwich. Remember, specifics and
    detailed instruction. Before you begin, pair
    share with a partner about the best place to
    start, and what steps should be considered.

10
How-to Essay
  • "In a very real sense, the writer writes in order
    to teach himself, to understand
    himself." Alfred Kazin, American literary
    critic and historian

You encounter how-to instructions often in your
daily lifein instruction booklets, recipes, or
lists of directions, just to name a few examples.
In a how-to essay, you explain how to do or make
something. You break the process down into
logical steps and arrange those steps in the
right order for your reader to follow. A
successful how-to essay should explain its topic
fully arrange steps in proper chronological order
provide clear explanations of any terms or
materials that may be unfamiliar to readers
include charts, illustrations, or diagrams as
necessary to clarify complicated procedures
11
Considering Your Audience
  • How-to essays have a clearly defined purpose to
    explain the steps of a process or provide help in
    using a product. However, they can have many
    different audiences, or potential readers.
    Identify your audience and consider how it will
    affect your use of language and choice of
    details.

12
Complete an Audience Profile
To help you identify and address the needs of
your audience, create an audience profile, a note
card with information about your audience that
you can refer back to as you write. Following
are questions to consider in creating your
audience profile
  • Knowledge Level How much does my audience know
    about the topic? Do they need a little or a lot
    of information? What terms will I need to
    define?
  • Age What is the age of my audience? If you are
    writing for younger children, use simple
    vocabulary. If you are writing for adult
    readers, use more sophisticated terms.
  • Skill Set What skills do my readers have? Does
    my audience understand the basic skills required
    for the process I am explaining? Should I review
    those skills as well as cover the specific steps
    of the procedure?

13
Drafting
SHAPING YOUR WRITING
Before you begin writing, organize your details.
Because most how-to essays describe a process
that takes place over time, chronological order
is often the most effective organization.
PROVIDING ELABORATION
Whether you are writing a letter of complaint or
a short story, the details and explanations you
include can improve your writing. Add facts,
descriptions, and details to help readers imagine
the action or understand the ideas you present.
The SEE method is one of many strategies that can
help you strengthen your writing.
14
The SEE Method
Using the SEE Method  You strengthen your writing
by providing greater depth of information when
you use the SEE methodStatement, Extension,
Elaboration. Start with a statement of the main
idea. Then, write an extension by restating or
explaining the first sentence. Elaborate further
by providing even more detail about the main
idea. Think of the SEE method as a way to shed
more light on your subject
15
APPLYING THE DRAFTING STRATEGIES
  • Write an interest-grabbing lead for a description
    of a busy train station.
  • Complete the sentences below. Then, using the SEE
    method, elaborate on each one.
  • My favorite season is __?__.
  • __?__ played an important role in history.
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