On the STAAR/EOC, you will write TWO EXPOSITORY ESSAYS. These will be worth 26% of your score. It is very important to do well on your essays!!

Expository writing means to EXPLAIN or INFORM. You are NOT telling a fictional story or trying to persuade your reader.

Think EXPository=EXPlain. Explain WHAT YOU THINK and WHY

YOU THINK IT. Your essay must be 26 lines or less.

Read the information in the box below.

Jane Austen (1775–1817) and Franz Kafka (1883–1924) are considered great writers. Their books continue to sell, and they are widely read and studied in schools everywhere. Neither of them, however, received much recognition while they were alive. Should people do things only to be recognized? Think carefully about this question.

Write an essay explaining whether a person must always be acknowledged in order to have accomplished something.Be sure to — clearly state your thesisorganize and develop your ideas effectively choose your words carefully edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling

Focus on the part of the prompt that says “write.”

The “Write” part is what your essay should be about. The Read and Think parts are just to get you thinking about the topic (in this case, the topics are recognition and accomplishment).

Your expository essays should have three - four paragraphs: an introduction, one - two body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

To write your introduction, you need a HOOK and a THESIS STATEMENT.

Begin your essay with a HOOK that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to keep reading.

The next few slides will be examples of types of hooks that you could use.

1. Dialogue: Quotes from the characters in the story put the reader immediately into the action. This could also be quotes from famous people that are somehow related to the prompt. Example: “What if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” (Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. Little Brown Publishers, 2005.)

2. Thought-provoking Question: Asking a question to get the reader’s attention focused on a

topic. DO NOT use the “Have you ever… well I have…” lead. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS ONE.

Example: Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth? (Avi. Nothing But The Truth. Avon, 1991.)

3. Assertion: Explain how you feel about the issue you are going

to discuss in your story. Example: Mountain biking is more enjoyable than going to the mall or playing video games.

4. Shocking Statement: Something that catches the reader off-guard. Example: Spiderman is going to be our substitute teacher tomorrow!

5. Sensory Details: Use the five senses to make the reader feel

like they’re inside the story. Example: As I stumbled into the kitchen, the smell of home-made cookies made my mouth water and I thought, “Mmm…my favorite.”

6. Magic 3: A series of three related ideas Example: As I sat there looking into her beautiful brown eyes, I thought to myself, “What if my hair is messed up? What if there’s food between my teeth? What if I say something stupid?”

7. Specific Details for Effect: Show don’t tell

Example: As I stepped out onto the stage, my heart was beating a thousand miles a minute, my palms were sweaty, my pulse was racing, and my hands trembled.

8. Humorous Statement: A clever comment Example: Normally when Andy Pearce plays the drums, it sounds like a traffic accident between several large vehicles travelling at high speeds in opposite directions. (Klass,David. You Don’t Know Me: A Novel. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2001.)

9. Philosophical Statement: An insightful comment

Example: Sometimes in life you find that even adults make mistakes.

10. Mystery Statement: A statement that arouses curiosity

Example: Five minutes before she died, Grace Cahill changed her will. (Riordan, Rick. The Maze of Bones. Scholastic, 2008.)

Onomatopoeia: Example: Plop! Jeremy dropped his pet frog into the pool, and all the girls screamed in unison!

Middle of Action:

Example: The spaghetti bowl crashed to the ground in a million pieces, and my family sat silently looking at it… then they turned to me…

Famous Quote: Example: “The opposite of love is not hate but indifference.” (Elie Wiesel) I realized the truth of this quote when…

Idiom:

Example: “You’re barking up the wrong tree,” my grandma insisted, as I begged her for a fourth helping of her delicious apple pie.

Narrowed Topic:

Example: I rubbed the brown raised bumps of the football as we got set to begin our first game of the season.

The past in the present:

Example: It’s April 10th, 1912 and the Titanic is about to set sail from England to America on its maiden voyage.

Full circle conclusion:

Start with the ending Repetition Devices:

Example: Soap, Soap, Soap, Don’t forget the soap! Flashback:

Example: “Are you alright, Mr. Frank?” (Goodrich, Frances. The Diary of Anne Frank. Dramatist Play Service, Inc., 1986.)

DO NOT USE THESE HOOKS!!!:

Have you ever… well I have… One day… Once upon a time… Hello, my name is… My story is about… I am going to tell you about…

You also need a THESIS STATEMENT in your introduction.

The thesis statement is like the main idea of your paper.

The thesis statement tells your reader WHAT YOU THINK about the topic, and the rest of your paper tells them WHY YOU THINK THAT (support).

A thesis statement is a complete sentence that contains one main idea. This idea controls the content of the entire essay. A thesis statement that contains subpoints also helps a reader know how the essay will be organized.

Look at the introductory paragraph on the next slide. See if you can identify the thesis statement and subpoints.

When I was young, I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher someday. When I played, I would often gather my dolls together and pretend to teach them how to do math problems or how to read a book. As I grew older, my desire to become an ESL teacher became clearer as I did some volunteer teaching overseas and in the United States. As I look back on my reasons for becoming a teacher, there are three reasons that stand out. They are: my love for the English language, my innate interest in how people learn, and my desire to help other people.

When I was young, I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher someday. When I played, I would often gather my dolls together and pretend to teach them how to do math problems or how to read a book. As I grew older, my desire to become an ESL teacher became clearer as I did some volunteer teaching overseas and in the United States. As I look back on my reasons for becoming a teacher, there are three reasons that stand out. They are: my love for the English language, my innate interest in how people learn, and my desire to help other people.

Since the thesis statement is the main

statement for the entire essay, it should express a complete thought and be a complete sentence. The thesis statement is asserting an opinion or

idea, so it should not be a question. Look at the examples to see how they can be made into thesis statements.

In thesis statements, you should avoid using statements like, “This essay will discuss…” or

“I’m going to write about…”. Try to write a thesis statement that captures your reader’s attention without announcing your main topic

and stating the obvious. Look at the examples that follow.

In this essay, I am going to discuss the effects of long-term drug abuse.

Good or bad?

This essay will discuss some ways teachers can fight teenage drug abuse.

Good or bad?

Your thesis statement should come after your hook in your introduction.

It should be the main idea of your essay (with subpoints).

Thesis statement=WHAT YOU THINK, rest of essay=WHY YOU THINK THAT.

Your entire essay should support your thesis!!!

You will need TWO body paragraphs.

Start with a topic sentence: a general statement about the topic of that paragraph that tells the reader what he or she will learn in that paragraph.

The topic sentence will always support the thesis statement.

After your topic sentence, you need to add supporting details/commentary.

Your commentary/support should be at least THREE sentences.

Make sure you use transitions in your body paragraphs so the reader doesn’t feel like you’re jumping around between topics.

Transition words can include: during, after, later, similarly, finally, likewise, in addition, in the same way, however, in contrast, in the end, as, while, therefore, as a result, consequently, since, thus, in fact, for example, also, likewise, in comparison, and both.

If you are having trouble thinking of how to develop your body paragraphs…

Some ways to develop a body paragraph:

Examples from real life situations Definitions of complex ideas Comparisons Contrasts Combination of all the above

Your conclusion (your final paragraph) should have a reworded thesis and a re-hook.

Take your thesis from your introduction and put it into different words.

Then, you need to re-hook your reader so they leave the essay interested, not bored.