Chapter 21:
Explaining a Process
Name: ________________________
Class Period: ___________
Unit Learning Goal: _____________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Prewriting: Explaining a Process
Choose a Topic (pp. 545-6)



Instructions can either tell how to __________ something or how to _______ something.
Our instructions will focus on something you ______!
The topic you decide to write about should be something you know how to do
_____________________________________.
What is your topic? ___________________________________________________
Reflect on Your Audience and Purpose (p. 547)

You should write for readers who________ know how to do the activity you have picked
but want to __________.
Who is your audience? _________________________________________________


You are writing for a very specific reason: to ________ someone how to _____ something.
To make the instructions effective, make them as ________ and _________ as possible.
What is your purpose? _________________________________________________
Think like a Beginner
Try to remember what it was like when you were learning this activity. What was confusing or
difficult for you as a beginner? Your reader will feel the same way!
What special vocabulary goes with your topic?
(Consider words or names your reader may not be familiar with.)
How can you make the meaning of these vocabulary words clear to a beginner?
What parts of this activity are easier to show than to tell?
What parts or special words of this activity are difficult to explain?
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Organize Your Instructions
DIRECTIONS: Complete this graphic organizer to put your instructions in order. Be specific with
your list of details. You may include additional steps & explanations on a separate paper.
The body paragraphs will include your materials and steps.
You should have a minimum of 3 body paragraphs, but no more than 4 body paragraphs.
Topic:
Materials:
Step One:
Explanation:
Step Two:
Explanation:
Step Three:
Explanation:
Step Four:
Explanation:
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Writing: Drafting Your Instructions
DIRECTIONS Outline your paper or make notes, using the following organizer. After
you have completed the organizer below, use it to write your first draft as instructed in
Your Turn 7.
INTRODUCTION
Interesting opening:
Statement of topic:
Reason for learning:
BODY
Materials:
STEP 1 explanation (with relevant details):
STEP 2 explanation (with relevant details):
STEP 3 explanation (with relevant details):
CONCLUSION
Restatement of reason for learning:
Advice for doing activity or process:
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
NAME ____________________
CRITICAL THINKING MINI-LESSON
Relevant and Irrelevant Details
DIRECTIONS The following instructions explain how to start a housesitting
business. Each sentence is followed by a pair of brackets. Write R in the brackets
if the sentence contains a relevant detail. Write I if it contains an irrelevant
detail.
One way to earn money in the summer is to take care of plants or pets for
neighbors who are on vacation. [ ] I housesat when my neighbors went hiking in
the Rocky Mountains for two weeks last summer. [ ] Before your neighbors
leave, visit their home and make notes about the plants or animals that will need
your care. [ ] Some plants may not need to be watered every day. [ ] For
example, cactuses need water only occasionally. [ ] I don’t like cats, so I won’t
take jobs from people who have them. [ ] Also, talk to your neighbors about how
frequently you should visit while they are gone. [ ] Don’t be afraid to charge a
little more money if you have to visit more than once a day. [ ] A pet-sitter once
charged my family seven dollars per visit to check our dog. [ ] Finally, arrange a
time to pick up a spare key, and make sure that it works—you don’t want to be
locked out of a job! [ ]
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Prepositional Phrases
Directions Fill in the notes from the PowerPoint on prepositions.
Identifying prepositional phrases
Prepositional phrases gives us information about _______________,
_______________ , and circumstances.
Examples:
Place :
_______________
Time: _______________
A prepositional phrase contains
 A _______________
 Example: _______________
 A _______________ or pronoun (object of preposition)
 Example: _______________
 Any modifiers of the object
 Example: _______________
Prepositional phrases can be lined up, side by side, to add even more
__________ to writing.
Ex. _______________ the sun, _____________the course of a year
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Practice: Underline the prepositional phrase and box the
preposition. Then circle the what information the prepositional
phrases adds for the sentence.
1.
Look to the right as you enter the room.
PLACE (Where?)
2.
TIME(When?)
SITUATION (What kind?)
Beside the door was a pedestal holding a large vase of flowers.
PLACE (Where?)
TIME(When?)
SITUATION (What kind?)
3.
Nina decided to save the story for next month’s issue of the
newsletter.
PLACE (Where?)
TIME(When?)
SITUATION (What kind?)
Adding detail with prepositional phrases
To make your sentences more detailed as the following questions:
 Where?
 Example: _______________
 When?
 Example: _______________
 How?
 Example: _______________
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
On your own: Inserting words to combine sentences
1. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Directions Read pages 557-8 in your textbook. Fill in the notes below.
Prepositional Phrases
 Some transitional phrases are _____________________ phrases.
 A prepositional phrase consists of a ________________ followed by a
__________ or a _________ and any modifiers of the noun or
pronoun.
 Prepositional phrases help you improve the _______________, or
connectedness, of your instructions by showing how all of your ideas
__________ to one another.
Read the example revision.
How did adding a prepositional phrase improve the instructions?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Commas with Introductory Prepositional Phrases
 You need a ___________ after _____ or more introductory
prepositional phrases.
 Use a __________ after a _________ introductory prepositional
phrase only if you need the comma to avoid confusing your reader.
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Prepositional Phrases PRACTICE!
DIRECTIONS Revise the following passages by adding prepositional phrases as
transitions.
 Choose prepositions from the list below.
 Add prepositional phrases to the passages to connect ideas and improve the
instructions.
 After you have completed this exercise, revise your instructions by adding
transitional prepositional phrases as directed in Your Turn 8.
about
after
at
before
during
from
in
inside
near
of
on
to
under
until
with
PASSAGE A Exercising is good for you. Do some stretching to warm your
muscles. Start slowly. Find a comfortable pace. Increase your pace only when you
feel ready. Relax your mind, but pay attention. When you are tired, slow down.
Stretch again to cool your muscles.
PASSAGE B A scrapbook is a good place to keep your memories. It is a good
idea to arrange your “scraps.” Lay out your photos and other keepsakes. Try
several different arrangements. When you find the layout you like best, use a little
paste or glue. Next, place the item flat and smooth it down. Leave room to write
captions. Write your name and the date.
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Revising Practice: Instructions
DIRECTIONS Below is an early draft of a set of instructions.
 Revise the instructions to make them more effective, using the guidelines on
page 555.
 Look for problems with the introduction, the order of steps, and the
conclusion.
Yard clippings and leaves also make good composting material. Toss in any
vegetable or fruit scraps, but no meat or dairy products, which will attract
animals. To get started, use a wooden box or a purchased composting container.
Occasionally add some water to keep the pile moist. Toss the pile with a pitchfork
to make the compost turn more quickly. When you can feel the heat coming from
the compost pile, you know the garbage is decaying. Sometimes you can even see
steam rising. In five to seven months, when the compost material looks like soil,
add it to your garden. Dig it into the soil and mix well.
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
Revising: Instructions
DIRECTIONS Use this chart to help you improve your instructions.
QUESTIONS
1. Does the introduction
clearly identify the
activity or process?
2. Does the introduction
give the reader a
reason to learn the
activity or process?
3. Do the steps show a
logical progression of
ideas?
4. Do any steps need
additional
explanation?
5. Are all details relevant
to the instructions?
6. Does the conclusion
restate the reason for
learning the process
and end with advice?
DO THIS
CHANGES YOU
MADE
 Put a star next to the
statement that identifies
the activity or process.
 Underline the reason
for learning the activity
or process.
 Number the steps.
 Highlight the
explanation that follows
each step.
 Write an R by relevant
details and an I by
irrelevant ones.
 Put a check mark next
to the restatement.
 Underline the advice
with a wavy line.
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
PEER- AND SELF-EVALUATION FORM
Revising: Evaluating Instructions
DIRECTIONS Use the following questions to evaluate your instructions or that
of one of your classmates.
 Answer the questions.
 Rate the parts of the instructions. The lowest score is 1, and the highest is 4.
 Make at least three suggestions for improving the instructions.
1. How clearly does the introduction state
what the activity or process is?
2. How does the introduction interest the
reader in learning the activity or process?
3. How clear is the sequence of steps?
4. How well are the steps explained?
5. Are any details not relevant? If so, which
ones?
6. How well does the conclusion restate the
reason for learning this process and give
additional advice?
Rating 1 2 3 4
Suggestion:
Rating 1 2 3 4
Suggestion:
Rating 1 2 3 4
Suggestion:
Rating 1 2 3 4
Suggestion:
Rating 1 2 3 4
Suggestion:
Rating 1 2 3 4
Suggestion:
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CH. 22 EXPLAINING A PROCESS
ENGLISH 7
Name: _____________________ Period: ______ Date: ____________________
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