MiniLessonIdeasforExpositoryWriting

ExpositoryWheredoIbegin?
(From3 5Writing:FocusingonOrganizationandProgressiontoMoveWriters,
ContinuousImprovementConference2016)
ManylessonideastakenfromB oxesandBullets,PersonalandPersuasiveEssaysbyLucyCalkins

AnchorChart:W hatisexpositorywriting?( Whatdostudentsknowfromthestart?Addtothechartasnew

learningoccurs.)
Thoughtsaboutsomekeyacademicvocabularytoinclude:topicsentence,centralidea,
facts/supportingsentences,concludingstatements,audience,purpose.

Theanchorchartmightinclude:
WhatisExpositoryWriting?
Explainssomethingorsharesinformation
Focusesonatopic
Containsfacts,details,examples,and
explanations
Containsaconclusion

ItmaybenecessarytoreviewthecharacteristicsofNarrativeWritingandcomparethistoExpositoryWriting.

DiscussGoalsasaWriter UseSTAARrubricanddistrictcreatedrubricforsettingclearwriting
expectations.
FocusandCoherencetoexplain:topicsentence,centralidea,supportingsentences
Organizationmakesureeachparagraphandsentenceleadstonext,concludingstatement
DevelopmentofIdeassupportideaswithfacts,details,andexplanationswithw hen,w hy,andh
ow
Voiceselectwordsandphrasesthatengagethereaderandhearyouonapersonallevel
Conventionscheckgrammarandsentencestructureaswellasspelling,capitalization,and
punctuation

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ShareExemplarWriting L ookatinitialstructureofessay.Discusswithstudentswhatmakesthispiecework.
AddadditionalnoticingstoAnchorChart,WhatisExpositoryWriting?
Note:Continuetoshareexemplarwritingsamplesfrequently.Collectthemfromyourstudents,oryoucanfind
scoredwritingsampleswithcommentsontheTEAwebsiteat
http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/writing/

Prewriting:GatheringIdeasStudentsmusthavetimetogatherideastoreferbacktoagainandagainfor
quickwrites/flashdrafts.Theseareseedideasthatcanbedevelopedintofullpiecesofwriting.Gathering
ideasmaytaketheformoftcharts,lists,orwebs.(See4thGradeMiniLessons:S ignificant
People/Places/EventsLists,T heBestTimes!TheWorstTimes!,W ritingAboutanArtifact,B
rainstorming
Boxes,M yAuthorityList,P
ocketofPictureTopics,L istsfromtheElementaryCurriculumWebsite.Otherideas:
lessonslearned,thingsthatmakeyoulaugh/cry,somethingyoulearnedatschool,favoritesubject,favorite
activity,etc.)

MiningOurWritingWecantjustgathertheideasanddonothingwiththem.Studentsneedtohavetimeto
gobacktotheirlists,webs,tchartstom
inetheirwritingforideastheywanttodevelopfurther.Thisneedsto
beapartofthewritingprocess.Youneedtoexplicitlyshowhowyouasawritergobacktoyourideasand
minethemfortopicsyouwanttowriteabout.Studentsshouldbeproficientatnarrowingtheirfocus(choosing
atopic)butwillneedsupportinwaystocollectinformationandformulatequestionstofurthertheirthinking.

DevelopingaStrongCentralIdea:S haredWriting Studentsmayneedyoutoshowhowyoudevelopa

centralidea.Demonstratethefollowing:
1. Find a territory or idea within your topic.
2. Review and collect relevant examples, ideas, information, and stories that could perhaps go into your essay.
3. Then, ask yourself, What do I really want to say about this topic?
4. Reach for the exact words and say the idea as a sentence. Think, Is this the general idea I want to explore?
5. Once, you have centered on an idea, try saying it again a bit differently. Do this until it feels exactly right and true.
Explainthatthec entralideaaffectsalloftheotherpartsofthepaper,soitiswritteninthecenterofthepaper.
(Seebelow.)Ineachofthethreequadrants,thestudentswriteasentencethatsupportsthecentralideaand
thenaddsfacts,e xplanation,e xamples,ord etailsthatFEEDthesupportingsentence.Theyareessentially
elaboratingon,ortellingmoreabout,thefirstsentenceinthisbox.

Writeasentencetosupportthecentralidea.FEEDthe Writeasentencetosupportthecentralidea.FEEDthe
supportingsentencewithoneormoreofthefollowing: supportingsentencewithoneormoreofthefollowing:
Facts Facts
Explanation Explanation
Example Example
Details Details

Establishacentralideainatopicsentenceandrecordithere.

Writeasentencetosupportthecentralidea.FEEDthe Write a concluding statement that refers back to the

supportingsentencewithoneormoreofthefollowing: central idea without repeating the topic sentence.
Facts
Explanation
Example
Details
Itisimportantthatstudentsreadthesupportingsentencesandthecentralideatoensurethesupporting
sentencesactuallydosupportthecentralidea.Theymayfindtheyneedtorevisetheircentralideaortheir
supportingsentences.Thefinalquadrantcontainsaconcludingstatement.Encouragethestudenttoexpress
thecentralideasoftheessayindifferentwords.(Afterallofthisisdone,thenthestudentcanbegindrafting.)

VerbalRehearsal Anotherpartofagoodwritingsystemishavingstudentsusev erbalrehearsal collecting

yourideasandthoughtsacrossyourfingersanddiggingdeeperfordetailsandevidencetosupporttheir
reasons.Usingpartners,studentssitsidebyside,orkneetokneetosharetheirideas.Youmightbeginwitha
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topiceverybodyknowslikeicecream.YourcentralideaisIloveicecreamShowstudentsachartwiththe
centralideaIloveicecreamwrittenatthetop.Add3bulletsunderthebox.Havestudentscomeupwith
reasonstheyloveicecream.Studentssharewiththeirpartnerastheywalktheirideasacrosstheirfingers.
(Model)Writingisthinkingonpaper.Collectingtheirideasandthoughtsacrosstheirfingersanddigging
deeperfordetailsandevidencetosupportreasonscanbedoneorallybeforewritingbegins.Asstudentsshare
theirideas,addthemtothebulletsonthechartasshownbelow.
Iloveicecream.
Iloveicecreambecauseyoucanadddifferenttoppings.
Iloveicecreambecausetherearesomanyflavors.
Iloveicecreambecauseitsrefreshingonahotday.
Studentswillpracticewritingonebodyparagraphoftheiressaybysharingitorallywithapartner.Theywill
comeupwith3detailsorevidencetosupportthefirstreason,Iloveicecreambecauseyoucanadddifferent
toppings.(Thefirstonemaybedonetogetherasawholeclass.)
Iloveicecream.
OnereasonIloveicecreamisbecauseyoucanadddifferenttoppings.F orexample,youcan
addchocolatesauceorbutterscotchsauce.Youcana lsoaddchocolatechips,nuts,and
sprinkles.ThetoppingsareareasonwhyIloveicecream.
Asstudentsworkwithapartner,listenintothewordstheyareusing.Commendthosewhoareusingwords
suchasfo
rexample,a lso,inaddition,etc.

EssayStructure H elpingstudentswiththestructureofanexplanatory/expositoryessaywillhelpwiththe
organizationandc ohesivenessoftheessayasawhole.YoumightuseBoxesandBullets(seebelow)toshow
studentsastructurethatworks.(NOTE:Structuredoesnotmeanformula.)
Iloveicecream.
OnereasonIloveicecreamisb ecauseyoucanadddifferenttoppings.
evidence/details
AnotherreasonIloveicecreamisb ecausetherearesomanyflavors.
evidence/details
MostofallIloveicecreamb
ecauseitsrefreshingonahotday.
evidence/details

MovingUpandDowntheLadderofAbstraction Studentsneedtounderstandthemovesawriter
makeshowtheygofrombigideatodetail,bigideatodetail,bigideatodetail.Theyneedtohavetimetopush
theirthinkingaboutatopic,waystostaylongerwithatopic.Theyneedto
learntohaveaconversationwiththemselves.Theteachermaywantto
displayananchorchartthatshowswaystheycanpushtheirthinking
aboutatopic.(Seeexampleontheright.)

FlashDraftsAfterpracticingtheentireessaywithapartner,students
shouldbeabletowritea10minuteessayusingthecentralidea,the
reasons,andtheevidence/detailsforeachreason.(Purposeofaflash
draft:Studentsneedtobeabletowritefreely,gettheirideasonpaperto
buildwritingfluency.Collectabaselineessayearlyinthisgenretoknow
wherestudentsare,sothatyoucanbettersupporttheirlearningneedsin
conferringandwhenplanningyourminilessons.)

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PlanningforIndependentEssayWritingFrameouressay(useBoxesand
Bullets)
Theteachermighthavestudentswritetheirboxesandbulletsonastickynote.The
teachercollectsthenotesandlooksthemovertoseewhichstudentsareontrack
andwhichmightneedtomeetwiththeteacher.
Itisbesttomeetwithstudentsbeforetheygettoofaralongintheprocessofwriting
theiressay.Itwillhelprelievefrustrationforstudentsaswellastheteacherifthe
confusionsaretakencareofearlyinthewritingprocess.

Examplesofstickynotes(BoxesandBullets)thatmightrequireaconferencewiththe
teacher:
My mom is my best friend My mom is my best friend
because she is a good cook because she buys me things
because she dresses well now that I am older
because she works hard at her job when I am at home


Reasons do not support/match central idea. Reasons are not parallel.

My dad is my best friend and my mentor My mom is my best friend

because she is fun
because I have a good time with her
because she listens to me
Central idea is two-pronged. Writer would
need to prove both parts and gather
reasons to support both. Reasons are overlapping.

ShowMe Studentsneedpracticeinwritingthedetails,facts,explanationsfortheirreasons.Showmew hen,
why,and/orh owtimetocomposeministoriesassupportthatareangledtosupporttheircentralidea.They
needtimeandpracticefindingthespecificsthatbringtheirpieceofwritingtolife.

OrganizationisKey Welearnthepatternofsuccessthroughexposuretorealtextsandouranalytical
discussionofthem.Genreandformareguideposts,notaruleorformulabutapatternofsuccessthatmight
behelpfulincommunicatingwithreaders.Graphicorganizersmayhelpstudents.(Seebelow.)Somethingsto
considerwhenorganizingideas:evaluatingstrengthofeachreasontoensurealogicalorder,decidingif
strongerreasongoesfirstorlast,extendingideas(pushtheirthinking).

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ReadAnotherExampleThisisadraftthatLucyCalkinswroteaboutherfather.

OrganizingforDrafting Organizationiskeybeforewritingacohesivedraft!!Studentslookattheirgraphic
organizerandthinkabouttheirorganization.

BuildingaCohesiveDraftTransitionsarewordsorphrasesatthebeginningofsentencesthathelptomove
thewritingforwardortohelpputinformationinsequence(progression).Transitionwordshelporganizeand
glueorcementthedifferentsectionsoftheessaytogether.Eachtimewecometoanewsectionoftheessay,
weusetransitionwordstoletreadersknowthatitisanewsection.

Transitionsareusedwhenmovingfromonereason/exampletoanotherORwhenaddingonwithinan
example/reason.Anchorchartswithtransitionsmaybedisplayedforstudents.












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RevisingforPowerfulBeginningsMinilessonsonp owerfulbeginningsmayneedtobetaughtfor
explanatoryessays.Inexpository/explanatorywritingforSTAAR,studentscannottaketoolongtointroduce
theirideas.With26lines,theywillneedtogetinandthengoonwiththerestoftheiressay.

RevisingforThoughtfulEndingsMinilessonsonthoughtfulendingswillneedtobetaughtforexplanatory
essays.Theendingsshouldleavethereaderwithafinalthoughtthatmovesthemforwardandgrowsfresh,
new,interestingthinking.Theendingmay1)connecttheendtothebeginning,2)givethereaderafinal
thought,3)connecttothereader,or4)endwithasurprise.

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RevisingRemindersOncestudentshavewrittentheirfirstdrafts,itistimetorevisetheiressays.The
revisingquestionsforeachwritingtrait(below)mighthelpguidestudentsastheyrevise.Thesemayalsobe
thefocusforawholeclassminilessonoraoneononeconferencewithstudents.

OrganizationIsmycentralideaclear?Areallofmyideasstronglyrelatedtomycentralidea?
FocusandCoherenceIsmysupportinginformationfocused?Isitinalogicalorder?DoIhave
sentencetosentenceconnectionsthathelptheessayflow?HaveIincludedenoughsupporting
information?
DevelopmentofIdeasHowcanIsupportmyideaswithstrongexamples?Aremyfacts,details,and
explanationsspecificandwellchosen?
VoiceHaveIincludedinterestingfactsandideasanddescribedtheminanengagingway?DoIuse
purposefulandprecisewordsthatshowIcareaboutmytopic?

WhenlookingatO rganizationa ndF

ocusandCoherence,studentsmayneedtoremovethestructuresthey
usedinthebeginningsuchasMyfirstreason,Mysecondreason,Anotherreason,etc.Theseareokayfor
studentstousetokeeptheessayorganizedbutneedtoberemovedorchangedduringtherevisionprocess.

MoreRevisingHerearesomeotherideasforstudentstothinkaboutastheyreviseandasteachersconfer.

EditingQuestions(Conventions)HaveIcheckedforappropriatespelling,capitalization,punctuation,
grammarandusage?

ConferringwithStudentsFeedbackshouldbegiventostudentsallalongtheway.ResearchbyJohnHattie
(VisibleLearning,2008)andothersshowsthatoneofthemethodsofteachingthatacceleratesalearners
progressmorethanalmostanythingistheprovisionoffeedback.Iflearnersreceivefeedbackthatcontains
bothacknowledgementofwhatthatlearnerhasbeguntodothatreallyworksandsuggestionsfornextsteps
towardanambitiousbutaccessiblegoal,thenlearnersprogressindramaticways.Inwritinginstruction,
onetooneconferencesandsmallgroupinstructionprovidecrucialopportunitiesfortheteachertoo fferstrong,
individualizedfeedbackandinstruction.

Providingfeedbackandinstructiontostudentsrequiresthattheteachermakestimetoreadstudentworkand
talkindividuallyorinsmallgroupstolearners.Sothefirstchallengeisnotnecessarilyfiguringoutwhattosay
inaconferenceorasmallgroupitisfiguringouthowtoscaffoldandbuildstudentindependencesothat
responsiveteachingisevenpossible.