Expository Writing And how you can do it… easily !

What NOT to do.

What is an expository essay? Explains (think: Exp ository Exp lains) Give facts Presents details List ideas in logical order or correct sequence

Literacy Exam Reading Prompts Hot Springs appeals to visitors with diverse ideas about recreation. Describe two sources of the area’s appeal. Provide a detail or example from this passage to support each source’s description. Describe a conflict presented in the passage. Explain how the conflict is resolved. Provide two examples from the passage to support your response. Look at the last line of the poem. Explain a difference or similarity between the endings of each poem. Include details from both poems to support your response.

Literacy Exam Writing Prompts To help you look for a job, your school counselor suggested that you write an explanation of the skills that would make you to be successful in a job. Before you write, think about the skills that would be helpful in a job. What are those skills? How would those skills help you? Now write about the skills that will help you be successful in a job. Give enough detail so that your counselor will understand. A new student has asked you if your community is a good place for teenagers. You decide to write the student discussing your community. Before you write, think about what kinds of recreation and entertainment your community offers. Are there interesting activities for people your age. Why do you think your community is or is not a good place for teenagers. Now write the new student explaining whether your community is a good place for teenagers. Give reasons and enough detail so that the new student will understand.

Selecting a Topic A state senator has a plan that would require all students to perform one week of community service before they graduate from high school. The community service could be, for example, cleaning a part, volunteering at a day care center, or tutoring younger students. You decide to write a letter to the senator expressing your opinion about the plan. Should students be required to volunteer in the community before they graduate? Why do you think they way you do about the plan? Give specific reasons for your opinion and support your reasons with clear examples and evidence. Your assignment is to write an essay on the topic, Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why? Think about the following: who has made the most difference in your life? What has that person done that made an impact on you? Why do you think the way you do? Be sure to name your person and explain how this person affected your life. Use specific details and clear reasons. Choose a topic from below for the topic of your essay:

First things first: Finding a Focus Once you selected a topic, the first step in forming a comprehensible, well-written essay is to find a focus. This is the heart of your paper. What is the main idea of your essay? What major reasons, facts, details will you use to support the main idea? Using the prompt you just selected, write a rough these statement that presents your main idea and some facts you will use to support it.

Brainstorming & Prewriting Power Outline Lists Venn Diagram Web What other strategies work for you?

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline How will you answer your prompt? What are the reasons, facts, and details you need to include in your essay? Introduction 1 st Body Paragraph 2 nd Body Paragraph 3 rd Body Paragraph Conclusion

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline: why do it? When you block out an essay, you are drawing a picture of your essay to help you plan ahead. Each block = a paragraph. Blocking out an essay actually saves you time because you’ll already have an idea of what you’ll write about and how long it will be going in to each paragraph. Introduction 1 st Body Paragraph 2 nd Body Paragraph 3 rd Body Paragraph Conclusion

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline Example My essay: my hero, Rosie the Riveter Introduction Inception & history Real-life Rosies Enduring Legacy Conclusion

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline=Body Paragraphs Fill in the blocks with the E’s: evidence, explanations, examples, experiences, events, elaboration, everyday life, effective illustrations, expert opinions 1 st body paragraph evidence example elaboration explanation experiences evidence 2 nd body paragraph 3 rd body paragraph everyday life events effective illustrations

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline = Paragraphs My essay: my hero, Rosie the Riveter Inception & history Real-life Rosies Enduring Legacy Men left Women worked in plants Rosie became a symbol Rose Monroe Geraldine Doyle Mary Keefe Opened workforce to women Symbol of economic power Reminder of women’s contributions

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline = Paragraphs Now add the E’s, evidence, examples, explanations, etc., to your block outline 1 st body paragraph evidence example elaboration explanation experiences evidence 2 nd body paragraph 3 rd body paragraph everyday life events effective illustrations

refining the Thesis Statement Your thesis statement should state your topic and what you are going to be saying about your topic. Not so great: Power Number Statement There are three things I want to tell you about my hero. Better idea? Occasion Position Statement Occasion: reason for writing Position: what you plan to prove or explain Example: Even though there are many genres of music to listen to, classic rock is the best.

refining the Thesis Statement Change these thesis statements from Power Number Statements to Occasion Position Statements. (This may require you to add and delete information.) 1. I visited three different countries, Germany, France, and England, while in Europe. 2. There are three major differences between my junior high and Southside. 3. I learned three important lessons during my first week at Southside. Your turn! Write an Occasion Position Statement for your essay.

What should go in the Introductory Paragraph ? Grab the reader’s attention. Let the reader know what you’re going to talk about. Tell a story. Use humor. SHOW, don’t tell!

Example Introductory Paragraph A beautiful American woman rolls up the sleeve of her dark blue work shirt to reveal a muscular bicep. The red bandana covers her brown hair, except for the front curl that manages to escape. She grits her jaw, and her calm, cool eyes stare decidedly out of the picture. Her determined look isn’t mean but shows that she won’t back down from her difficult task. She is Rosie the Riveter, and Introduction Show, don’t tell Thesis statement since 1944 she has encouraged women with her enduring words, “We can do it!” When male workers left the factories for World War II, Rosie the Riveter became a cultural icon based on real-life working women, and she continues to inspire women today.

What should go in the Introductory Paragraph ? Grab the reader’s attention. Let the reader know what you’re going to talk about. Tell a story. Use humor. SHOW, don’t tell! Your turn! Write an Introductory Paragraph for your essay.

Body Paragraphs Using the block outline you made earlier for your essay, to create the body paragraphs for your essay. Don’t forget transition words and topic sentences for each paragraph. 1 st body paragraph evidence example elaboration explanation experiences evidence 2 nd body paragraph 3 rd body paragraph everyday life events effective illustrations

Transitions Transitions are words or phrases that connect ideas and introduce topics. Examples: First, Second, Third Additionally Consequently Such as Although However

Brainstorming & Prewriting: Block Outline = Paragraphs My essay: my hero, Rosie the Riveter Inception & history Real-life Rosies Enduring Legacy Men left Women worked in plants Rosie became a symbol Rose Monroe Geraldine Doyle Mary Keefe Opened workforce to women Symbol of economic power Reminder of women’s contributions

Example Body Paragraph 1 Women played a vital role in supporting the war effort during the 1940’s. When American entered World War II in 1941, thousands of men left the manufacturing plants of the Midwest for the trenches of Europe. Women replaced male workers who were absent in order to maintain the production of munitions, materials, and ships that were vital for the war effort. “Rosie the Riveter” became a symbol representing the over six million women who left their homes to work in sometimes grueling conditions in factories. Inception & history Men left Women worked in plants Rosie became a symbol

Example Body Paragraph 2 Although the name Rosie the Riveter is not based on a single, actual woman, there were many women on whom the figure could have been based. The idea of Rosie the Riveter was probably inspired by Rose Monroe, who worked as a riveter at an aircraft factory. She starred in a promotional film about the war effort and was featured in a Real-life Rosies Rose Monroe Geraldine Doyle Mary Keefe poster campaign. The inspiration for the woman on the “We Can Do It” poster was Geraldine Doyle, a Michigan factory worker. The connection between the idea of Rosie the Riveter and the now famous poster was solidified when Norman Rockwell used the name for his May 1943 cover of The Saturday Evening Post, which depicted a different female factory worker, Mary Keefe.

Example Body Paragraph 3 Still, Rosie the Riveter continues to encourage and inspire women in the western world. In the 1940’s, the image of Rosie, who convinced women it was their patriotic duty to work in factories, forever opened up the workforce for women. Now that women are a staple of working society, the character is representative of women’s economic power for the future. She will forever be a symbol that reminds society that women have contributed at every level to keep America strong and successful. Enduring Legacy Opened workforce to women Symbol of economic power Reminder of women’s contributions

Conclusion Restate the Thesis Restate main points Summarize Convince Encourage Challenge Persuade Introduction 1 st Body Paragraph 2 nd Body Paragraph 3 rd Body Paragraph Conclusion

Conclusion Finally, even though Rosie the Riveter is over 60 years old, her message is as powerful today as it was when it first appeared in propaganda. Based on real women, she inspired others to enter the workforce, and women have not left since. While in the 1940’s she symbolized the courageous women who traded in their comfortable homes for harsh factories, today she symbolizes the power of change. She still encourages women and men of all ages with her lasting words, “We Can Do It!” Conclusion Restate the main ideas Summarize

Summary Identify the prompt Find your Focus Plan your essay with an outline Grab interest in the beginning Build your paragraphs with explanations, examples, and evidence that support the topic sentence or key idea Summarize your ideas in your conclusion Reread your essay to improve and clarify your ideas