Informative Essays

Explain it to me- How do you explain something to someone who has no knowledge of a topic? Topic- Tie a shoe Explain the task for a partner and have him or her try to complete it

The Power of Information When giving information, think carefully about the following items: Know who your audience is! Choice of ideas- which ideas are most important to include in writing? What evidence will you use to support your ideas? How will you organize the information? Are there any unfamiliar terms that you will need to define for your audience? (you have to assume they don’t know anything about your topic)

Key traits for informative writing Recognizing Key traits of any informative text can help you evaluate both others’ writing and your own.

Key Traits Controlling Idea- Also known as your thesis This is a statement where the writer states the main idea of what he/she wants the audience to learn about the topic

Key Traits Clear Organization- An effective informational text has- A concise introduction Logical presentation of ideas Transition words Strong concluding section

Key traits – “TEDS” In each body paragraph: 1. Topic sentence 2. Evidence- You must use evidence to support your thesis. Evidence can be facts, statistics, concrete details, quotations, graphs, etc.. 3. Defense- For every piece of evidence, you must be able to explain how it supports your thesis **You must explain/defend your evidence!! 4. Summary sentence

Key traits Precise Language- Choose your words carefully. You must be able to deliver accurate, helpful information to your readers- Use precise nouns, vivid verbs, and specific modifiers to clearly communicate ideas and engage readers.

Key traits Precise Language Examples Nouns- dog, smell, flower, Instead, use- Poodle, burnt toast, daffodil Adjectives- cold, fast, big, Instead, use- frigid, speedy, enormous, Verbs- walk, talk, wait, laugh Instead, use- saunter, blabber, linger, chuckle