Writing to Explain Why

1. Writing to Explain Why

2. Writing to Explanation Why • Explanations are common in schools. Teachers explain in several different ways: defining, reviewing, demonstrating, clarifying, etc. When you explain something in writing, you too are teaching---trying to make something easier to understand. Keep this in mind when you begin writing an explanation. The suggestions that follow should help.

3. Prompt: • Everyone has a favorite food. Think about something that you like to eat more than anything else. Tell about your favorite food and give reasons why you like it so much.

4. Example

5. Tracy Conn January 22, 2010 Expository My Favorite Main Dish The most popular main dish around our house is my homemade spinach lasagna. There are several reasons this meal is so well liked. The first reason, this meal is good is because it is healthy. I tried the recipe out after finding it in a magazine because it was low fat and low calories. Instead of meat it had spinach, cottage cheese, and low-fat cheese. It also used canned stewed tomatoes with Italian spices between the layers. In addition, to being healthy it is easy to fix. You don’t have to boil the noodles before you bake the lasagna. It can be microwaved for twenty-five minutes or baked in the oven for an hour. It can be put together is a little as 20 minutes and can feed six to eight adults. Last and most important, it is popular with my family. My son always requests that I fix it when he brings friends to the house. My twenty-eight years old daughter, Robin, made me send a copy of the recipe to her when she moved out of the house. Also if you ask my husband, who is a picky eater, what he would like for a special occasion it is always mom’s lasagna. My spinach lasagna is the favorite entre at our house. The kids like it, it is easy to prepare, and it is healthy. What more could you ask for?

6. Lesson Plan – Day 1 • Brainstorm – what are some of your favorite foods?

7. Organize • Decide which of these foods you like more than the others. Write your choice in the large box of the Multi-Flow Map. • Think of the reasons that cause you to like this food so much. • Write your reasons for liking this food in the smaller boxes.

8. Sequence for Writing • I need to decide which three reasons are my best reasons. • Then I will write the reasons in order of importance on my Flow Map. • Now I need to write an opening sentence that tells my choice and my reasons.

9. Lesson Plan Day 2 • Think Aloud • Explain Your Reasons • Under each box on the Flow Map I need to explain what I mean or give an example.

10. Add Transition Words of Logic • Now I need to decide on the best transition words to use before I write each of my reasons. • Write the transition words on top of each of the small boxes of the Flow Map.

11. Closing Sentence • My closing sentence should tell my choice and my reasons.

12. Orally Rehearse • Get together with two or three other students and tell what you are going to write using your Flow Map.

13. Lesson Plan – Day 3 • Write your story using your Flow Map.

14. Revise/Edit Revise and edit your “Writing to Explain Why” piece. Your writing should: • Target a specific audience and purpose. • Organize clear ideas into a meaningful sequence. • Be written in appropriate format. • Be edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.

15. Publish • Remember that published is “perfect”. • Rewrite your final copy in your best handwriting. • Pay attention to conventions.

16. Prompt: Explain what you do when you go to the cafeteria. • Brainstorm – think about the steps for going to the cafeteria. Write the “cafeteria steps” in the center of the circle map. In the outside circle think what you do when you go to the cafeteria and after you arrive.

17. Sequence for Writing • You need to select your steps for going to the cafeteria. • Write your steps in order of importance on your flow map. • Now you need an opening paragraph to tell why this is worth know about.

18. Add Explanations and Examples • Under each box on the Flow Map you need to explain what you mean and give an example of what you mean.

19. Add Transition Words of Logic • Decide on good words and phrases that could be used to move your reader from one example (step) to the next. Write these words or phrases on top of the boxes of the Flow map.

20. Closing Paragraph • Your closing paragraph should be at least two sentences. It should tell your choice and restate your reasons for the choice.

21. Orally Rehearse • Get together with two or three other students and tell what you are going to write using your Flow Map.

22. Draft • Write your explanation “How To” draft using your Flow Map.

23. Revise/Edit Revise and edit your “How To” piece. Your writing should: • Target a specific audience and purpose. • Organize clear ideas into a meaningful sequence. • Be written in appropriate format. • Be edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.

24. Publish • Remember that published is “perfect”. • Rewrite your final copy in your best handwriting. • Pay attention to conventions.