Objective: Students will spend the period(s) writing an explanatory essay or letter. The essay will be turned in by the end of the period on Friday so feedback can be delivered next week. 

Prompts: Please choose one of the following, and write an explanatory essay (or letter) that seeks to fully explain what the prompt asks. 

1. Food & Diet: What is your ideal diet? Write an essay that explains which foods make you feel healthy, active and happy What is your ideal grocery list? What are your favorite deserts and treats? Do you think it is important to have a balance between treats and nutrition? 
2. Ideal Home & Community: When you think about your ideal future, where do you see yourself living? Do you live in the city? Country? Do you drive? Do you work? If you work, do you work from home?  Please write an essay that explains the home and community that will bring you happiness.
3. Principles of Wilderness Survival: What It Means To Be Human (Physically) – When you click on this link, you will be transported to an mp3 file recorded by wilderness survival expert Tim Smith of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft organization. Please take notes on his lecture. He will cover the fundamental elements of what it takes to keep the human body going in an emergency survival situation. Please:
   1. Take detailed notes about what you need to know, what you need to do, and what you need to have to survival a difficult situation.
   2. Please listen to this lecture using headphones. You may work at your own pace. 
   3. This will take just under an hour.
   4. Write an essay focusing on what you need to KNOW, DO, and CARRY in a survival situation.
4. Worse Than War: Watch and study (please take notes) on a very important documentary called Worse Than War, which focuses on the history and psychology of genocide. When you finish, please write an explanatory paper explaining the main points of the film. What is the author’s central message?
5. Read A Book: Select a book from the list below. Write a letter (addressed to Tim) explaining which book you chose to read, what drew you to make this choice, what the book is about, and your reactions and feelings about your selection.
   1. Night by Elie Wiesel
   2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
   3. A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
   4. Other
6. Choose Your Own Adventure: Choose something that you want to research. Dive in. Scour the internet for information, sources, anything. YouTube, websites, podcasts, books, etc.
   1. Take very complete notes on each resource you find related to your topic. Record the source (write down the URL and title of resource) and take notes on the following:
      1. Information presented (main ideas, key points and concepts)
      2. Your evaluation of quality
         1. Positive Aspects
         2. Negative Aspects
   2. Write a formal/informal letter to Tim explaining the following:
      1. Your chosen topic: a statement and description of your particular focuses and interests.
      2. How seriously you are taking this… are in you truly interested, or barely skating by and want some help with knowing the bare minimum requirements?
      3. Your motivations for choosing said topic.
      4. How you conducted research and what resources you used:
         1. Books
         2. Articles
         3. Websites
         4. Videos
         5. Prior knowledge
      5. Your satisfaction with your research.
         1. Quality of sources?
         2. Lingering questions?
         3. Frustrations?
         4. Want to know more, but don’t know how/where to find it?
         5. Unanswerable questions?

***GUIDING INFORMATION***

What is the Purpose of an Explanatory Essay?

The purpose of an explanatory essay is to explain a topic in a straightforward manner. Without being complicated and artsy, explanatory essays present a fair and simple analysis of a topic based on facts—with no references to the writer’s opinions or emotions. The writer is simply explaining whatever the prompt requires.

A typical explanatory writing prompt will use the words “explain” or “define,” such as in, “Write an essay explaining how the computer has changed the lives of students.” Notice there is no instruction to form an opinion or argument on whether or not computers have changed students’ lives. The prompt asks the writer to “explain,” plain and simple. 

The Five-Step Writing Process for Expository Essays

Explanatory writing is a life skill. More than any other type of writing, explanatory writing is a daily requirement of most careers because people often have to explain things clearly to co-workers, customers, family and friends. 

We must understand that, for school, an explanatory essay is usually composed of five paragraphs. The introductory paragraph contains the thesis or main idea. The next three paragraphs, or body of the essay, provide details in support of the thesis and explain whatever the prompt is asking. The concluding paragraph restates the main idea and ties together the major points of essay. Here are tips for each part of the essay structure and writing process:

1. Prewriting for the Expository Essay

In the prewriting phase of writing an expository essay, students should take time to brainstorm about the topic and main idea. Next, do research and take notes. Create an outline showing the information to be presented in each paragraph, organized in a logical sequence.

2. Drafting the Expository Essay

When creating the initial draft of an expository essay, consider the following suggestions:

• The most important sentence in the introductory paragraph is the topic sentence, which states the thesis or main idea of the essay. The thesis should be clearly stated without giving an opinion or taking a position. A good thesis is well defined, with a manageable scope that can be adequately addressed within a five-paragraph essay.
• Each of the three body paragraphs should cover a separate point that develops the essay’s thesis. The sentences of each paragraph should offer facts and examples in support of the paragraph’s topic.
  The concluding paragraph should reinforce the thesis and the main supporting ideas. Do not introduce new material in the conclusion.
• Since an expository essay discusses an event, situation, or the views of others, and not a personal experience, students should write in the third person (“he,” “she,” or “it”), and avoid “I” or “you” sentences.

3. Revising the Expository Essay

In the revision phase, students review, modify, and reorganize their work with the goal of making it the best it can be. Keep these considerations in mind:

• Does the essay give an unbiased analysis that unfolds logically, using relevant facts and examples?
• Has the information been clearly and effectively communicated to the reader?
• Is the word choice precise?
• Do the transitions between sentences and paragraphs help the reader’s understanding?
• Does the concluding paragraph communicate the value and meaning of the thesis and key supporting ideas?

4. Editing the Expository Essay

Next, proofread and correct errors in grammar and mechanics, and edit to improve style and clarity. While an expository essay should be clear and concise, it can also be lively and engaging. Having a friend read the essay helps writers edit with a fresh perspective.

5. Publishing the Expository Essay

Sharing an expository essay with the rest of the class can be both exciting and intimidating. Remember, there isn’t a writer on earth who isn’t sensitive about his or her own work. The important thing is to learn from the experience and use the feedback to make the next piece better.