Informative/Explanatory Writing

1. Informative/Explanatory Writing Common Core Georgia Performance Standard (CCGPS) • ELACC7W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (DOK 4) • a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. (DOK 4) • b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. (DOK 3) • c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. (DOK 2) • d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. (DOK 2) • e. Establish and maintain a formal style. (DOK 4) • f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.(DOK 3)

2. Informative/Explanatory Writing You will often need to write informative or explanatory texts. As you probably guess, the purpose of informative writing (also called expository writing) is to explain a topic. This kind of essay can be about anything. Look at these titles of example informative writing. “How to Hit a Homer in Baseball” “ The Secret Lives of Ferrets” “Why Astronauts Visit Space” “Cooking for One” From these examples, you can see that informative writing give information. It helps you learn more about the world. You can find expository writing in many places. Here are some examples: • Newspapers Cookbooks Menus • Magazines Instructional manuals Food labels • Internet School textbooks Product brochures

3. Informative/Explanatory Writing Just as you do for persuasive writing, you need to provide relevant evidence in informative writing. Here, this evidence does not really support a claim. But it helps readers to understand your topic. Include relevant facts, concrete details, expert quotations, and other examples to make your descriptions complete and clear. In addition, be sure to use precise language and specific vocabulary to your subject. Be sure to a include strong conclusion to sum up your ideas and leave the reader with a final thought.

4. In informative writing, you can explain how something works. You can also tell why an event happened. Or you may simply give facts about a topic. There are all purposes of informative essays, and each type may require a different kind of organization. Organization- organizing your ideas is the first step. These are called organizational patterns. Organization- organizing your ideas is the first step. These are called organizational patterns. • Chronological order- starts with the first event, followed by the second event, then the third event and so on. • Sequential order- this pattern is perfect for describing how to do something or get somewhere. • Compare and contrast- you can make a strong case by comparing your position with similar ideas that are proved. Or you can contrast your position with its opposite, pointing out differences to show why your position is better. This is a form of persuasive and expository writing. • Cause and effect – you can write about your favorite class in school. You would probably explain the causes for liking the subject. You can use transitions to make the causes and effects clear. Cause and effect can be based to organize an expository essay. • Order of importance- all the points should be relevant to the topic. You can place the most important idea in the first body of the paragraph, and then follow it with the less-important ideas mentioned in other paragraphs. Ore you can build up to the most important point, placing it in the last body of the paragraph. This patter works well for any type of essay.

5. Informative/Explanatory Writing Transitional Words Transitional words or phrases link ideas from one sentence to another. They also link ideas between paragraphs. They help the essay “stick together.” Without these transitional words and phrases, the writing becomes less interesting or even less understandable. Some transitional words are: like, similarly, just as, however, on the other hand, yet, but Classification When classifying items, they are grouped by some sort of characteristic. Example: You may have used classification in your science class such as animals being Classified as vertebrates or invertebrates. Definition You may think of definition as only a short statement in a dictionary, but another type is more like an essay. The dictionary definition is short but the essay can discuss literal meaning of a word or idea and special qualities that distinguish if from other things.

6. Informative/Explanatory Writing Support Reader Understanding There are several creative ways to help readers understand your formative writing. These include formatting, graphics, and multimedia. As you know from reading, informative texts include formatting to help you understand the text better. Formatting draws your eye and help you see where certain information is located. When you write, you can use these features.

7. Informative/Explanatory Writing Support Reader Understanding Formatting Features Title- can tell a great deal about the topic of the text. Informative materials usually have titles that tell exactly what the articles are about. Headings- act as the titles of sections in a text. The major heading is usually the document’s title. All sections that may have headings and even subheadings to identify smaller portions of those sections.

8. Informative/Explanatory Writing Support Reader Understanding Information presented as type of picture is called a graphic. Graphics, including graphic organizers, allow a reader to examine information at a glance. Because graphics provide information visually, they are often used in magazines, newspapers, advertisements, and on the internet. Other graphics include outlines, schedules, flow charts, and tree diagrams.

9. Informative/Explanatory Writing Support Reader Understanding Graphs- show large amount of information in small space. Graphs often use numbers to represent data. Maps- show the geographic location or setting of a certain event or trend. Maps can be as detailed or as general as needed. Tables- shows data arranged in rows and columns. This helps the reader find and compare the information. The rows of a table go across; the columns of a table go up and down. Timelines- help organize ideas and events into chronological order so that one event follows another in a time sequence. They are useful graphic aids for showing historical information or biographical information about people.

10. Informative/Explanatory Writing Support Reader Understanding Writing that is published online also can have multimedia components. Say that you write a report about how ants work together in a community. You publish it to your classroom webpage. What night you include to help readers understand the text about the act activities? A picture if ants and their anthill would be helpful. But online, you can include even more visual information. A video of ants actually going about their daily tasks would be a great addition for reader comprehension. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=55BAD883-445F-443E-B817-E152C90C6ED7

11. Informative/Explanatory Writing Let’s Practice Activity Look through the editorial sections of newspapers and magazines. Find three letters or articles that interest you. For each one, write a response that agrees or disagrees with the author’s point of view. If you agree, be sure to add your own evidence and a specific reason why you are adding your voice to the argument. If you disagree, make sure you acknowledge and refute the opposing claim.