LESSON FOUR: Writing Essays
LESSON DESCRIPTION
Students write multi-paragraph expository essays that include details, facts, and examples from various sources.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS
W3C The student will write expository paragraphs (including compare/contrast and cause and effect) with supporting details and concluding sentences.
LESSON MATERIALS
§ Sources of literature
§ Supplies
o Samples of expository paragraphs: My Messy House and Cheetahs
o Transparency with examples of well-written expository text
§ Handouts provided
o Samples of Expository Paragraphs: My Messy House and Cheetahs.
§ Words to know
o cause
o compare
o concluding sentences
o contrast
o effect
o expository
o supporting details
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Assessment Scoring Guide
Given a prompt, students complete a Pre-Writing graphic organizer and use the information to write an expository essay.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
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Info
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Expository essays purpose is to explain an idea or teach a process rather than tell a story, describe something, or argue a point of view. Forms of expository writing may include cause and effect essays, comparison and contrast essays, problem and solution essays, and how-to instructions. However, there are many other types of expository essays. Model and discuss examples of well-written expository essays using overhead transparencies. Model and discuss a completed Pre-Writing graphic organizer to explain how to plan for an essay. |
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Questions for Students
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Why would writing a well-written expository essay prove challenging? What suggestions would you give a person who wishes to write an effective essay? What steps are involved in the writing process? Why is each step an important part of the process? |
1. Students review a completed essay handout and discuss the information developed from the Pre-Writing graphic organizer. Model the Writing Scoring guide to identify the reasons the essays are well-written.
2. Given a copy of a well-written expository essay, students work in groups to evaluate the paper using colored pencils to identify the various elements on the Writing Scoring guide. Students rate the essay for each element. Share results with the class.
Process for teaching students how to use a Pre-Writing graphic organizer to plan for an expository essay
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Step 1 |
Present students with a writing prompt that will:
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Step 2 |
Promote thinking about a topic by asking students to brainstorm ideas (alone or in a group) related to the topic or prompt.
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Step 3 |
Present students with a Pre-Writing graphic organizer. Students to create a topic sentence; a broad statement that will capture the main idea (point) to be made by the essay. This idea will control the content of the essay and will act as a focus for writing. Students write their idea for the essay’s Topic Sentence in the introductory paragraph in this sentence.
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Step 4 |
Students identify three ideas (or points) they want to address in their essay. These ideas must support (or develop) the essay’s topic sentence. Students decide the order for these ideas. Students convert these ideas into topic sentences for the paragraph contained in the body of the essay. Write topic sentences for each of the paragraph contained in the body of the essay.
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Step 5 |
Students start with the first paragraph of the body (paragraph two) and add at least three ideas to support the topic sentence.
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Step 6 |
Students write fully developed paragraphs by adding further elaboration for each supporting sentence contained within the paragraph. The elaboration might be further explanation, a detail, and/or an example.
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Step 7 |
Students return to the introductory paragraph and add an idea for an “attention getter” which may be a rhetorical question, a quote, a short scenario, an astounding fact, etc. Still working on the introductory paragraph, students add ideas for the overview which will be a statement/statements related to the main points addressed.
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Step 8 |
Students write an idea for a concluding paragraph. First, students need to come up with an idea to restate the essay’s topic sentence. Students develop ideas for reminding readers of the three or more main points discussed in the essay. Students come up with an idea for a memorable closing sentence.
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Step 9 |
Students provide a “catchy” title that captures the essence of the essay.
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Note: this process is designed to use with the Pre-Writing graphic organizer. Other processes may be used as well as other types of pre-writing graphic organizers.
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Questions for Students
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Why are these essays considered well-written? Why is it important to plan before writing? Do you see the relationship between the pre-writing plan and the final written essay? What can be done to each of the essays to make them better quality? |