A New Way of Looking at Expository Writing

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Hi friends



I missed you last week... I am so happy to be writing another blog post. 
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If you read the title, you would know that it is all about the exciting world of 
EXPOSITORY WRITING. 
Yay! 😊😊
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"Baking a cake is so easy but yet some persons still manage to make mistakes and mess it up. I am going to show you some simple steps to follow to have your cake nice and moist."

I'm sure you have read similar pieces or maybe you yourself have had to a write similar piece. Just know that you are not alone. This is called expository writing. 

- Expository Writing is writing that exposes facts. Unlike Narrative Writing, it is more educational and used  for explanation.  

- Some characteristics of expository writing are: 
→ focus on a single topic 
→ introduce the topic, state the focus and grab the attention of the readers
→ present information using topic sentences, supporting details and specific details in the body 
→ make smooth transitions between paragraphs 
→ summarize ideas in the conclusion 

There are many ways that writers organize non-fiction writing. There are known as expository text structures. The table below summarizes them perfectly. 



As you can see... Students can write about other things than how to make lemonade or how to bake a cake. That is just one aspect of expository writing. 

There are many different types of expository writing but I am just going to mention a few below. 
→ "All About...." Books: booklets on non-fiction topics 
→ Collaborative Reports: each student works on a different section and then compile to create one. 
→ Alphabet Books: using the letters of the alphabet to organize information 
→ Essays: explaining and analyzing information that can be personal, national or international issues.  

Remember: 
Expository Writing is not about your personal opinions so avoid using "I" or "you". 
Your piece should consist of at least five paragraphs: Introduction 
                                                                                                Three Body Paragraphs 
                                                                                                Conclusion

I challenge you, the next time students are engaged in expository writing, choose one of the topics below and have them write on it
➤ If you had to be an animal, which one would you be and why
➤ Explain a situation where you had a problem and had to find a solution 
➤ Explain the causes and the effect of land pollution 
➤ Compare and contrast a plant cell and an animal cell







Comments

  1. Zoe ClarkeNovember 15, 2021 at 9:40 AM

    Onida, another excellent blog post. Indeed, expository writing is primarily concerned with facts, because what good is reading an article or even a book without reading factual information? The several types of expository writing you described will certainly benefit me when I return to the classroom. These exercises will be highly engaging, and I believe they will be a success to my students in the classroom. You offered some quite interesting expository writing topics. I'm certain I'll use them throughout my teaching practicum.

    ReplyDelete
  2. WilliamsDecember 2, 2021 at 10:05 AM

    Onida, I can say that I needed this blog post. It was inspiring. I too was stuck on giving students exposition pieces that required them to go through the process of doing something or making something... Guilty! This post has inspired me to move away from that and into giving students more exciting pieces for expository writing. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 10, 2021 at 3:19 PM

    I must admit that I too was stuck on giving students process pieces to write. This post helped me to understand that there are many different ways that students can engage in Exposition. Maybe by trying different ways, students will be more excited about writing the expository pieces. If I were to choose from the list of topics at the end of the post, I would probably choose the first one and I would definitely be a lion - fierce and strong.
    -P. Hodge

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kathlyn HobsonDecember 10, 2021 at 7:46 PM

    Excellent blog Onida. I like the fact that you mention the types of expository writing. Sometimes as teachers, students are not given the types to choose from instead the students are given what type to do. I think students should be given the different types within the classroom to choose from instead of a selective few

    ReplyDelete

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