Transcript Expository Writing - Mount Logan Middle School

Expository Writing
Jigsaw Reading
• Who is the intended audience for your article? In
other words, which group of people is it directed to?
• How is the information presented? (layout)
• What style is the article written in? (interview, list,
collection of facts, How-To article, Question &
Answer)
• What do you notice about the writing style? What
makes the writing different than the writing in a
story or book?
• What is the purpose of the article? Why did the
author write it? (example: to entertain, to inform, to
inspire, etc.)
Zine Brainstorming Session
• 1: Everyone introduce themselves to the rest of
the group and say how long you have been
involved in the interest that you will write about
and how you got interested in it.
• 2: As a group, you need to give everyone an
assignment. You need:
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-Someone to design the front cover
-Someone to design the back cover
-Someone to write the table of contents
-Someone to be editor (2-3 people can be)
Zine Brainstorming Session, Cont.
• Make a list as a group of the kinds of articles you
could put in your zine. Some suggestions are:
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Interview
How-To
Q&A
List
Collection of Facts
Review of a Product/Book/Movie
Spotlight on a Product/Player/Actor/Author, etc.
Spotlight on a Place
Top 5/Top 10
Introductions Vs. Thesis Statements
• What is an introduction?
▫ An introduction is a “hook” that gets your reader
interested in what you’re writing about. It also starts
your reader thinking about the topic that you will be
discussing.
▫ What are some good techniques to get your reader
interested?
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An interesting fact
A quote from a famous person, story, song, etc.
A question
A short, funny story
A sensory-rich description (that uses lots of imagery)
Introduction Vs. Thesis Statement
• What is a thesis statement?
▫ A thesis statement tells the reader the purpose for
the article—in other words, it tells him/her what
will be contained in the article.
 For example, “This article will outline the basic rules
for playing lacrosse.”
Introductions Vs. Thesis Statements
• What is the difference between an introduction
and a thesis statement?
• Time to practice: identify where the introduction
is and where the thesis statement is.
▫ April is here, with its crisp, breezy days and
inevitable parent-teacher conferences. You might
not be able to control the weather, but with these
hints, you can totally rock your conference
progress report in a snap and get on your teacher’s
good side. Read on, smarty pants!
Time to Practice
• Write an introduction to a new student coming
into our class for the first time. How would you
get him/her excited to come here? What would
your article be about (thesis)?
Checklist
• By the end of the period, you need to have:
▫ Your introduction/thesis for your article
▫ Your outline for your article
 For an interview, this would mean the questions you’re going to ask,
who you’re going to interview, and when you’re going to interview
them
 For a list, this would include a basic summary of all the different points
you came up with. For example, if you’re doing a list of the Top 5
sports teams, you need to write down the names of all the teams you’ll
be including
 For a product spotlight, this would mean writing the type of product
you’re spotlighting and then writing down 3-5 main points that you’ll
be including in the article
 For a how-to article, this would mean that you’ve written down what all
the different steps are going to be
 For a Q & A, this would mean that you’ve written down all the
questions that you will be addressing