Expository Writing: 8th Grade Writing Assessment Performance Levels

1. Expository Writing: What you need to know now, and what you need to know for the 8th grade writing assessment

2. Performance Levels Does Not Meet • Limited focus on the assigned topic or genre • May lack an introduction or a conclusion • Controlling idea may be unclear (thesis statement) or may not address the assigned genre • Development of the topic is minimal

3. Supporting ideas are listed rather than developed • Transitions may be lacking • Little awareness of audience or reader concerns • Word choice and sentences are simple and/or repetitive • Frequent errors in sentence formation, usage, and mechanics • Brevity of the response limits competency

4. Meets the Standard • Writing samples are generally focused • Clear introduction, body, and conclusion • Expository compositions have a controlling idea that explains or describes the assigned topic • Supporting ideas are relevant and developed with some examples and details, but some parts of the paper may be more developed than others

5. Ideas are presented in a clear sequence • Some transitions are used • Some variation in sentence length and structure • Writer’s voice is clear and shows awareness of the audience • Sentence formation, usage, and mechanics are generally correct, and errors do not interfere with meaning • Text is of sufficient length to demonstrate effective writing skills

6. Exceeds the Standard • Writing samples that exceed the standard are consistently focused on the assigned topic, genre, and audience • Effective introduction, body, and conclusion • A clear controlling idea that fully explains or describes the assigned topic • Supporting details are relevant and fully elaborated with specific examples and details that address the reader concerns

7. Varied transitional elements are used to connect ideas • The writer’s voice is distinctive, and the writer demonstrates sustained attention to the audience in the introduction, body, and conclusion • Errors are minor and infrequent • The text is of sufficient length to demonstrate effective writing skills in a variety of contexts

8. Defining Expository Writing • Expository writing: Writing that enhances the reader’s understanding of a topic by instructing, explaining, clarifying, describing, or examining a subject or concept.

9. Method Provides: • Facts • Statistics • Descriptive details • Comparison/contrast • Analysis • Evaluation • Definition • Humor • Personal anecdotes

10. So, What Exactly Is Expository Writing? An effective expository composition… • Establishes a clear controlling idea • Uses clear, complete descriptions and/or explanations to develop the controlling idea • Contains an appropriate organizational strategy for the purpose of explanation, description, comparison and contrast, or problem and solution

11. Fully develops the controlling idea with specific details and examples • Blends personal experience and knowledge to inform the reader about the topic • Uses a lively writing voice that develops the reader’s interest • Uses engaging language and varied sentences • Introduces the reader to the topic, fully develops the topic, and provides a sense of closure

12. May contain a short narrative in the introduction to engage the audience • Contains correct sentences, usage, grammar, and spelling that make the writer’s ideas understandable

13. What Expository Writing Is Not • Copying words or information from the writing topic • A list of facts, a story, and/or personal anecdotes that are unrelated to the topic • A response in which ideas are not presented in logical order • A single paragraph • Formulaic writing or a repetitive, standard five paragraph formula that overshadows the information instead of explaining it

14. An encyclopedic coverage of facts or an abundance of facts that are unrelated to the topic • Flat, uninteresting writing • An essay that contains imprecise language and little sentence variety • Writing that provides information without introducing, developing, and/or concluding the topic • Writing that consists entirely of a story that does not inform the audience about the topic

15. Incorrect sentences, usage, grammar, and spelling that distracts the reader from the writer’s ideas

16. Sample Expository Topic Writing Situation: Your class has been given the opportunity to design a brand new television show for children. It could be a news show, a talk show, a game show, a cartoon, or any kind of show you want for children.

17. Sample Expository Writing Topic Directions for Writing: Write a report to be read to your class in which you explain your idea for the new children’s television show. Be sure to include specific details so that your classmates will understand what the new show will be like.

18. What to Avoid • The writer announces his or her thesis and three supporting ideas in the opening paragraph (introduction) • The writer restates one supporting idea to begin each of the three body paragraphs • The writer repeats or restates his/her controlling idea and three supporting points in the final paragraph

19. Entire sentences may be copied verbatim from the introduction, used as topic sentences in each of the body paragraphs, and repeated in the conclusion

20. Effective Organization Strategy One Introduction Descriptive Information Conclusion

21. Strategy Two --Introduction --Description of events in chronological order --Conclusion

22. Strategy Three --Introduction --Comparison/Contrast --Conclusion

23. Language Choice

24. Last thoughts: • Revise, revise, revise! Revision does not mean checking for spelling, punctuation, capitalization. It means to reread your writing. It means to ask yourself questions such as, “Have I used vivid adjectives and adverbs?” and “Have I used specific nouns and verbs that give a vivid picture to my reader?” • Writing is a process. Your first draft should not be your last draft!

25. Brainstorming is important. It gives you the structure for your writing. You don’t want to digress or repeat yourself! “Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.” -- Thomas Edison You have to work hard to create a great piece of writing!