Writing the Expository Essay:
Teacher Notes
The purpose of this unit is to help you a) know and practice what is expected
in an expository essay and b) know and practice specific tips for the STAAR test.
This packet is meant to guide your thinking through a process. This packet is meant
to be delivered through interaction with the teacher and classmates, as well as
some individual practice.
Expository writing explains your thinking in a clear and complete way.
Expository = Explain
Break down the word: Expository comes from expose. To expose something means
to show it. Expository writing means to show your thinking.
Keys to Good Expository Writing:
1. Good paragraph organization
2. Thorough (complete) development of ideas
3. Control of language usage
Tip: For basic expository writing, you can be undecided about a topic, but you must
explain both or all sides of your thinking. You cannot explain one side and then say
that you are not sure. If you are not sure about the topic, explain both sides.
Persuasive writing takes a stand on one side. Expository writing does not have to.
Lesson 1: Understanding the Prompt
Tips for reading (and understanding) the prompt:
1. Read the “Write” portion of the prompt first. The prompt will be presented
with a “Read” part first, a “Think” part second and a “Write” part third, but
you can choose to read the “Write” part first. Don’t forget to read the other
parts, but it might help you understand more if you start with the “Write”
part and focus on the assignment.
2. Highlight the words in the “Write” part so that you know exactly what to do.
3. Ask for the prompt to be read aloud.
4. Use a dictionary to help you understand words.
5. Ask for clarification of the prompt, if possible.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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Let’s look at an example prompt from a real STAAR-EOC test:
Example STAAR-EOC English 1 Expository Prompt
READ the information in the box below.
In 1955 medical researcher Jonas Salk introduced an effective polio vaccine. At
the time polio was considered the biggest threat to public health, yet Salk
refused to profit by patenting the vaccine because he was more concerned with
preventing disease than with personal gain.
Although many people work to benefit themselves, some people choose to put
others first. Think carefully about this statement.
Write an essay explaining whether people should be more concerned about others
than about themselves.
Be sure to—
clearly state your thesis
organize and develop your ideas effectively
choose your words carefully
edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and sentences
Turn and Talk: Why do you think the state created the prompts this way? Does a
Read-Think-Write prompt help you? How or how not?
Turn and Talk: Why does the state give you the reminders of “Be sure to…”?
Turn and Talk: What could you write about that would fit this prompt?
Note: Student groups could put their answers to these questions on a poster paper
and present to the class, if so desired.
Lesson 2: Scoring STAAR Essays
STAAR Scoring: Your essay will be read by two test readers who will grade it with a
number between 1 and 4. The two numbers will be added together and that is your
essay score. For example, if two test graders both give you a 2, then your score is
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a 4. If one test grader gives you a 2 and one test grader gives you a 3, then your
score is 5. This is for essays only. Short answers/OERs are graded differently.
So what is the top possible score of both graders together?
Example Essays
Let’s see some example essays that were written by Texas students and
graded by STAAR graders. These essays were written to the prompt you just read.
We will refer to these essays for the next several lessons.
Example Essay A:
Thinking about others before you is a nice thing to
think of, but if you think of yourself first it makes you
feel isolated. Caring about others before you isn’t a bad
thing, but thinking about yourself isn’t bad either.
To me I think of others before me. Some people
have the good life, others don’t. I’ll rather put myself in
danger than others being in danger as well. I’m only
one person but risking myself could save more than
one life. When your in a room where there seems to be
a fire some people will think of themselves while others
think of the rest. The doctor could risk himself of
getting polio but he could save hundreds of lifes that
currently have polio. To me people that think of
themselves before others are selfish and maybe
greedy, but others that think of others are kind people.
Handwritten version 25 lines.
What would you score this essay? Remember, you can give it a 1, 2, 3 or 4.
I score this essay with a _______.
What parts of the essay affected your decision? Why did you score it that way?
I scored it this way because ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
Example Essay B:
Humanity has a funny way of contradicting itself
sometimes. All children are taught to share and put
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others’ needs before our own. Somewhere down the
line we realize that the very people who preach these
things to us don’t follow their own rules. It is very
important in society today to remember the bigger
picture, which often includes doing things to help
others with no benefit to yourself.
People use each other for personal gain all the time.
A glorified outlook on this way of life is all around us. In
media people are more concerned with which
Hollywood star is going out with which millionaire
rather than the thousands of people dying of hunger in
third world countries. As consumers we see this life and
wish to be like that.
Doing something for monitary gain is just like money
itself: easily expendable and transient. But doing
something to help others leads to emotional or moral
gain. The memmories and feelings you get from helping
others won’t ever go away. It’s worth something to
you. Worth more than money ever could be.
Handwritten version 22 lines.
What would you score this essay? Remember, you can give it a 1, 2, 3 or 4.
I score this essay with a _______.
What parts of the essay affected your decision? Why did you score it that way?
I scored it this way because ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
Analysis Questions: Turn and Talk
Which essay used better paragraph organization? Explain.
Which essay more completely developed an idea? Explain.
Which essay showed a greater control and knowledge of language? Explain.
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State Results
The state grader gave Example Essay A a score of 2. The state grader gave
Example Essay B a score of 4.
Turn and Talk: Do these scores surprise you? Why or why not?
Lesson 3: My Expository Essay Writing
What makes good paragraph organization?
An essay will usually have at least 3 paragraphs: an Introduction, a Body, and a
Conclusion. The introduction will include the overall thesis. The body paragraph(s)
will have a topic sentence that connects to the thesis and the development of the
ideas. The conclusion paragraph will summarize or explain an overall importance.
That’s a lot. Let’s break it down!
Essays always have an Introduction, Body and Conclusion.
Good so far?
You already know thesis from OER/Short Answer practice. An essay is like an
extended or longer version. The thesis is the overall point you are trying to make
about the prompt or question.
Look at the following 2 sentences from Example Essay B. Which one is the thesis?
Humanity has a funny way of contradicting itself sometimes.
It is very important in society today to remember the bigger picture,
which often includes doing things to help others with no benefit to
yourself.
Which one makes a point that relates to the prompt? That one is the thesis. It tells
us what the overall essay will be about. Remember: there are many ways to write a
thesis that answers the question or connects to the prompt.
Turn and Talk: Tell a neighbor why a thesis is important in an essay.
A thesis is important in an essay because ___________________________.
Ready for more?
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In a STAAR essay, your introduction may be only your thesis statement. In most
essays, an introduction would have more information, but STAAR limits your space
and your time, so you need to get to your point quickly.
Why would I add more in my introduction?
If you have a neat idea to quickly hook your reader’s attention, then you may want
to start with that and then give your thesis. A good attention grabber shows your
creativity, analysis, and control of language. If done poorly, it wastes space and
time. Practice a few hooks for each essay, and then choose whether it helps you.
Example Essay B begins with an ironic statement about humanity. It catches the
reader’s attention. Example Essay A tries to state a thesis but when it adds more
sentences, it ends up being confusing.
Turn and Talk: Explain which essay’s introduction helped more and why.
Moving on to the Body
The body needs development. Just like you work out to stay healthy and develop
muscles, your essay body paragraph needs to be healthy and have muscles too.
How do I give a paragraph muscles?
Let’s think about OERs/Short Answers again. With those, you give evidence and
analysis to explain yourself. This is one way of developing a body paragraph.
But I am not writing about a text this time—where do I find evidence?
There are many ways to develop a body paragraph and you may choose to combine
several ways together. You can develop a body paragraph of an expository essay
with examples from real life. You can add definitions of complex ideas. You can
make comparisons and contrasts—that means explain situations that are the same
or are different. These are just a few ways.
Let’s review: Some ways to develop a body paragraph:
Examples from real life situations
Definitions of complex ideas
Comparisons
Contrasts
Combination of all the above
How did Example Essay A develop its body paragraph? How did Example Essay B
develop its body paragraph?
Turn and Talk: Which Example Essay had better development and why?
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Ready for it all to be over?
Conclusions end the essay by giving a sense of importance and completeness to the
idea. Look at the conclusions of each Example Essay.
In Example Essay A, could the writer go on writing another paragraph? Or does it
feel finished?
In Example Essay B, could the writer go on writing another paragraph? Or does it
feel finished?
You want to finish, not just end or run out of lines. A good conclusion makes the
essay and your thoughts feel complete.
Which conclusion better shows the importance or completeness of the topic?
Turn and Talk: Which conclusion is better? Why?
So does spelling count? What about grammar?
Yes, your control of language counts, but remember it is part of the overall
message. If you make errors and they do not take away from the overall message
you are communicating, you can still receive a high rating. The idea is that your
language choices and use should add to the overall essay meaning and
presentation.
•
•
•
Good word choice
– Clear and specific
– Fits purpose and tone
– Contributes to overall quality
Sentences
– Purposeful, controlled, varied
Good spelling, capitalization, grammar, usage and sentence boundaries
Turn and Talk: Why is language control important?
Lesson 4: Practice and Application
In the next few lessons, the teacher will model good thinking and good writing and
then students will practice. The “teacher” prompt and the “student” prompt will be
different, but the strategies will be the same.
Step One: Understanding the Prompt
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Let’s look at a new prompt and break it down. Remember, I’m sharing my thinking
for this one, but then you will do the next one on your own.
TEACHER PROMPT:
Read the information in the box below.
Jane Austen (1775-1817) and Franz Kafka (1883-1924) are considered great
writers. Their books continue to sell, and they are widely read and studied in
schools everywhere. Neither of them, however, received much recognition
while they were alive.
Should people do things only to be recognized? Think carefully about this
question.
Write an essay explaining whether a person must always be acknowledged in order
to have accomplished something.
TEACHER THINK-ALOUD: Understanding the Prompt
Ok, I’ll use my Tips.
Tip: Highlight what you have to write about.
Tip: Use the think to help you understand the write: what word in the think
statement would probably help you understand the word acknowledged as used in
the write assignment?
Tip: Use the read part to help you think deeper. The read part will usually be an
example of some sort.
Still confused? Let’s look in the dictionary. Stop! Remember, this is my
prompt: I did it for you. 
Definition of ACKNOWLEDGED: generally recognized, accepted, or admitted
What does that mean in this prompt though? If someone is acknowledged, then
they are famous.
While in the dictionary, let’s be sure about accomplished too.
Definition of ACCOMPLISHED: a : proficient as the result of practice or training <an
accomplished dancer>; also : skillfully done or produced <an accomplished film> b
: having many social accomplishments
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Tip: Restate the writing assignment so you understand it.
As is: Write an essay explaining whether a person must always be acknowledged
in order to have accomplished something.
My Rewrite: Write an essay explaining whether a person must always be
recognized or accepted or famous in order to have skillfully done something.
Does this help you understand?
If you are still confused, talk to your teacher and neighbors in class. During the real
STAAR test, you won’t have the opportunity to talk to a classmate, but all students
may ask for the monitor to read the prompt aloud. That sometimes can help.
Students new to this country can also ask for clarification of the prompt.
Truth: As you learn English, you may come across a prompt that you do not fully
understand. It is frustrating. Do not give up though. You may feel unsure, but write
about what you think the prompt is asking. If you can make sure, then do so. But if
you cannot, just do your best to write about what you think the prompt is asking.
Now look at your practice prompt. Use your tips and do the exercises.
STUDENT PRACTICE PROMPT
READ the information in the box below.
For centuries scientists have used animals to test medical procedures and
medicines that they hope might be used to help people fight disease. Now many
companies also test their cosmetic and household cleaning products on animals to
study the effects of the products.
Though humans now have many health and household products because of testing
on animals, many animals suffered and died because of this testing. Think carefully
about this statement.
Write an essay explaining whether human benefit should overrule any damage or
destruction to animals.
What tips can you use to understand the prompt?
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TEACHER MODEL: Pre-writing: Planning my ideas
Lists are great ways to come up with ideas. Lists help us figure out what we already
know about a topic. Let’s make lists to help us plan.
1. List different ways people can be recognized or acknowledged
Paycheck
Awards
Newspapers
Other people saying thanks, good job
2. List different things people can skillfully do. (List activities that require skill.)
Writing books (it says so in the read section)
Playing an instrument or singing
Playing sports
Just doing your job
Talking with and listening to others
Always review the writing assignment:
Must you be acknowledged in order to be accomplished?
Think: Should people do things only to be recognized?
What would be another reason to do something other than recognition?
List possible other reasons for doing something.
Health
It feels good
It helps someone
It helps the person doing it
It’s just the right thing to do
Turn and Talk: Why is it helpful to think about what you already know about a
topic? How does it help you write a better essay?
Note to share during THINK ALOUD: lists would not always be this neat and orderly.
These lists are neat so they can be shared. The important thing is to think—and
hold onto your thinking so you don’t forget an important idea!
STUDENT PRACTICE PROMPT:
What lists can you make to help you think? (List Ideas: products tested, animals
used for testing, health problems that might be helped)
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Step Two: Plan your development
TEACHER THINK ALOUD:
Let’s review: Some ways to develop a body paragraph:
Examples from real life situations
Definitions of complex ideas
Comparisons
Contrasts
Combination of all the above
Here are some of the questions I asked myself:
Who are some people who do skillful things? Do they do them for recognition
or money? Would they do them anyway?
Did Jane Austen write books for recognition or money? It says in the read
section that she did not receive much recognition while she was alive.
Would Oprah do things even if she did not get recognition or money?
Would my teacher(s) do things even if not recognized or given money?
Would I do something even if no one knew?
Some people won’t do anything unless they think they are getting something
out of it. Sometimes it seems like the wrong people get the attention.
Some people would do things regardless, but if someone does something
nice, they should be recognized. It helps us all in a way.
The idea that intrigues me is the fairness of it all—how some people do great
things with little or no acknowledgement while others do hardly anything and
get a lot.
STUDENT PRACTICE PROMPT
What are some facts, examples and details you can use to show your thinking?
TEACHER THINK ALOUD
Tip: Restate the prompt as a question. Your answer to the question is your thesis.
Must a person always be recognized in order to have accomplished something?
My Thesis: A person does not have to be acknowledged in order to
accomplish something, but it is sometimes good to do so.
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What if I’m still not sure?
That’s ok. Remember: You can explain both sides if you want. You do not have to
take a side, but you must explain yourself completely.
STUDENT PRACTICE PROMPT
Restate student prompt as a question:
__________________________________________________________________
Student Thesis:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Step Three: Drafting/Getting Started
TEACHER THINK ALOUD: Earlier, we said an introduction could be just my thesis.
For my drafting, I am going to go with that…and then if I have time, I can try to
improve it later.
Now I start my body…for this, let’s write at the same time. You start with your
thesis—if you have a great introduction idea, jot it down, otherwise, go into your
body. We’ll write and then I’ll show you a few revision tips.
STUDENTS DRAFT on their own practice paper.
Teacher Model Rough Draft:
A person does not have to be acknowledged in order to accomplish
something, but it is sometimes good to do so.
Take Black History month when we learn about and acknowledge
people who invented things, people who ran their own businesses and people
who taught others, among a lot of other people. None of these people for the
most part got the acknowledgement they deserve. We should acknowledge
them so we can see that our society is better because of them. This
acknowledgement is for them and us. By acknowledging them, we are
inspired, encouraged, and lifted up. We know we live in a better world—a
world where people do act to benefit others. Because we know what others
have done, we are more able to believe in ourselves. But their
accomplishments were great regardless of the potential benefits of
acknowledgment.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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Some people only do things to be famous. Sometimes, they get
acknowledgement without doing anything at all. I’m glad one of my favorite
singers won the Grammy award, but really, what did she do? She didn’t mop
floors everyday at a school to afford to send her son to medical school so
that he could cure cancer. Who really accomplished something? Who really
deserves acknowledgement? I know it is hard to write a song, but it is even
harder to mop floors everyday for your whole life. It’s ok to cheer for our
singers, but we also need to cheer for our mothers, and other “unsung”
heroes.
I don’t know if we’ll ever be fair about it in this country—there’s too
much money, too much fame, too much celebrity mixed up in really
meaningless accomplishments. To start with, we need to separate the ideas
of acknowledgement and accomplishment. It would be great if
acknowledgement could always match the accomplishment, but they don’t
always work together like they should.
This is my draft, written on my practice pages—thoughts?
What is good about it?
It addresses the writing task.
It has good paragraph organization.
It uses examples and details to develop ideas.
What needs work?
It
It
It
It
could have higher level vocabulary
is sometimes repetitive.
could use paragraph transitions.
is too long—309 words.
If students have not already finished their draft, this is the time to do so.
Step Four: Revision
Tip: Write your first draft with words you know well. Then look for places you can
increase the level of vocabulary. Sometimes reworking the sentence in a more
complex way can also improve the overall impression. Again, worry about this in
revision, if you have time—don’t let it complicate your drafting. Let those ideas
flow!
Where could I add more sophisticated vocabulary or sentence structure?
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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Tip: Try to write 10-12 words per line. If you use 26 lines with 10 words per line,
that gives you 260 words to explain your thoughts. It is not necessary to fill every
line, but it is necessary to completely develop your thinking.
How can I cut my length?
Tip: Use transitions to help ideas flow. Transitions can be of 2 types: 1) Transition
words or phrases that introduce new ideas or 2) Synonyms or phrases that rename
an idea in order to take it deeper into development.
Where could I employ better transition to help flow and decrease repetition?
TEACHER THINK ALOUD: Check out my draft and revision ideas:
A person does not have to be acknowledged in order to accomplish
something, but it is sometimes good to do so.
Take Black History month when we learn about and acknowledge
people who invented things, people who ran their own businesses and people
who taught others, among a lot of other people. None of these people for the
most part got the acknowledgement they deserve. We should acknowledge
them so we can see that our society is better because of them. This
acknowledgement is for them and us. By acknowledging them, we are
inspired, encouraged, and lifted up. We know we live in a better world—a
world where people do act to benefit others. Because we know what others
have done, we are more able to believe in ourselves. But their
accomplishments were great regardless of the potential benefits of
acknowledgment.
Comment [a1]: I could rewrite my thesis and/or
my introduction—I could use benefit instead of
good and I could put in something about fairness—
since that is what interests me about the topic
Comment [a2]: In this case, learn about means
acknowledge—I can just take it out.
Comment [a3]: I could cut all this and just say:
inventors, businesspeople, educators, etc.
Comment [a4]: I can combine this idea with the
previous sentence.
Comment [a5]: I could use a creative phrase like:
shine the light on
Comment [a6]: I can emphasize this point by
doing a “not only…but also” construction showing
greater control of the language
Comment [a7]: Recognizing or making them
known
Comment [a8]: All these really mean the same
thing—sometimes there is a point to repeat and
sometimes there is not—I need the space so I’ll just
use inspired
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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So from here, I have the following revisions:
There are benefits from and reasons to acknowledge each other’s accomplishments, but
some people do things only to get that acknowledgement while other people don’t get
recognition they deserve: the problem arises with fairness.
Take Black History month when we learn about inventors, businessmen, educators, etc.,
who for the most part were not given the acknowledgement they deserve. It is right to shine the
light on them so all can see how our society is better because of them. This acknowledgement is
not only for them, but also for us. By making their contributions known, we are inspired. We
know we live in a better world—a world where people do act to benefit others. Because we
know what others have done, we are more able to believe in ourselves. But their
accomplishments were great regardless of the potential benefits of acknowledgment.
Teacher continues:
Some people only do things to be famous. Sometimes, they get
acknowledgement without doing anything at all. I’m glad one of my favorite
singers won the Grammy award, but really, what did she do? She didn’t mop
floors everyday at a school to afford to send her son to medical school so
that he could cure cancer. Who really accomplished something? Who really
deserves acknowledgement? I know it is hard to write a song, but it is even
harder to mop floors everyday for your whole life. It’s ok to cheer for our
singers, but we also need to cheer for our mothers, and other “unsung”
heroes.
I don’t know if we’ll ever be fair about it in this country—there’s too
much money, too much fame, too much celebrity mixed up in really
meaningless accomplishments. To start with, we need to separate the ideas
of acknowledgement and accomplishment. It would be great if
acknowledgement could always match the accomplishment, but they don’t
always work together like they should.
Comment [a10]: I can cut this sentence—the
idea is explained elsewhere—it saves me space.
Comment [a11]: I could get rid of this for
space—I like it but the idea has been expressed.
Comment [a12]: If I get rid of the details in the
last sentence, then I can combine sentences to
show greater control of the language.
Comment [a13]: Now I need to reword this
part…
So here is how the rest ended up:
In contrast, some people only do things to be famous. Sometimes, they get
acknowledgement without doing anything at all. I’m glad one of my favorite singers won the
Grammy award, but really, what did she do? She didn’t mop floors everyday at a school to
afford to send her son to medical school so that he could cure cancer. Who really accomplished
something? Who really deserves acknowledgement? It’s ok to cheer for our singers, but we also
need to cheer for our mothers, and other “unsung” heroes.
I don’t know if we’ll ever be fair about it in this country, but to start with, we need to
separate the ideas of acknowledgement and accomplishment. They’re great together, but they
don’t always work together like they should.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
Comment [a9]: I need a transition phrase: am I
continuing an idea, adding another or giving an
opposite idea? I’m giving an opposite—so I will use:
In contrast…
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STUDENTS REVISE THEIR DRAFTS.
After students have had time to revise their drafts, they can share their revision
ideas with others at their table, or do a similar think aloud with the large group.
TEACHER THINK ALOUD: Here is the final draft of the essay:
There are benefits from and reasons to acknowledge each other’s accomplishments, but
some people do things only to get that acknowledgement while other people don’t get
recognition they deserve: the problem arises with fairness.
Take Black History month when we learn about inventors, businessmen, educators, etc.,
who for the most part were not given the acknowledgement they deserve. It is right to shine the
light on them so all can see how our society is better because of them. This acknowledgement is
for them, but also for us. By making their contributions known, we are inspired. We know we
live in a better world—a world where people do act to benefit others. Because we know what
others have done, we are more able to believe in ourselves. But their accomplishments were
great regardless of the potential benefits of acknowledgment.
In contrast, some people only do things to be famous. Sometimes, they get
acknowledgement without doing anything at all. I’m glad one of my favorite singers won the
Grammy award, but really, what did she do? She didn’t mop floors everyday at a school to
afford to send her son to medical school so that he could cure cancer. Who really accomplished
something? Who really deserves acknowledgement? It’s ok to cheer for our singers, but we also
need to cheer for our mothers, and other “unsung” heroes.
I don’t know if we’ll ever be fair about it in this country, but to start with, we need to
separate the ideas of acknowledgement and accomplishment. They’re great together, but they
don’t always work together like they should.
Length: 266 words—I can write small and fit it in the 26 lines (in fact, 24).
Repetition and Transitions: Everything flows, meaning is clear, nothing unnecessary
Language Control: My vocabulary and sentence structure indicate high levels of
language knowledge and control.
Special Note: Do you ever feel discouraged when you see a teacher’s essay? If
you do, consider this…the teacher went through school, went through college and
has taught many students over many years—shouldn’t he or she write well? There
are two important things to remember: 1) Many years ago, he or she started in the
same place as you, and 2) He or she has practiced A LOT! So do not be discouraged
that a teacher (or another classmate) can write well. Instead, be encouraged that
with practice and good strategies, you too can write well.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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Editing
Tip: Check your work for capital letters, punctuation, spelling and grammar/usage.
Check subject-verb agreement, pronouns, plurals and word order—these are often
the areas that show control or no control.
Editing vs. Revising
•
•
•
Revising improves the ideas
– Reorganizes, adds, deletes, rewords
Editing improves the mechanics
– CUPS (Capitalization, usage, punctuation, spelling)
They can both add clarity to your essay
Editing Change:
– The problem was with fairness.
• (wrong verb tense)
– The problem are with fairness.
• (wrong subject-verb agreement)
– The problem is with fairness. (correct!)
Revising Change:
– The problem is with fairness. (“is” is boring)
– The problem arises with fairness. (better!)
Students share their drafts.
Sharing Idea: Begin with 1 to 1 sharing. They pick the better of the two that they
want to work with. They meet with another pair. The pairs share and give further
feedback, and pick one they want to move on with. The group of four exchanges
with another group of four and gives feedback. They pick the one they nominate for
a class essay. This should be from 3-7 essays overall nominated for class essay.
Post on the wall and do a gallery walk with sticky note feedback from groups of four
(or do a stay and stray—one member of the nominating group will tell the new
group why they nominated the essay and then move on leaving one “new” person
behind to explain to the next group). Then have a final voting on the class essay.
Everyone should be able to explain what makes it good.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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Here is my essay on the 26-line page:
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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STAAR-EOC Test Realities
Writing the STAAR Expository Essay:
1. In your ANSWER DOCUMENT, you have 26 lines to write on for each
essay. You must write your essay on the correct page of lines so that it is
graded.
2. In your TESTING BOOKLET, you have 2 ½ pages for practice and drafting
space. You can work there, but the essay needs to be written in your answer
document before your test is picked up for the day.
Suggestions for Writing the STAAR Expository Essay:
1. To show good paragraph organization, indent your new paragraphs. To
indent means you start the new paragraph about ¼ to ½ inch (about 1cm to
1.5 cm) inside the edge of the paper.
2. Do not skip lines. Start on the top line and use all the lines until you are
done. Remember to show when you have begun a new paragraph.
3. Try to write 10-12 words per line. If you use 26 lines with 10 words per line,
that gives you 260 words to explain your thoughts. It is not necessary to fill
every line, but it is necessary to completely develop your thinking.
STAAR Timing Tips: You have four hours to write 3 compositions and answer 20
multiple choice questions (10 for editing and 10 for revising). How can you break
down your time? The following are suggestions—make a plan that works for you!
Write your time plan in your test book and keep checking the clock to make
sure you are within your plan.
Save an hour for the multiple choice; this leaves 3 hours—roughly 1 hour
for each composition (English I will have narrative and expository writing
prompts—2 of one of them and 1 of the other kind—you won’t know till the
day of the test). Students new to the country will have more time, but
should still make a plan to use their time wisely.
Within the hour for each composition—take 10-15 minutes to plan your
work, 20-25 minutes to draft, 10 to revise and 15 to copy a final draft onto
the answer document.
If you plan, then drafting will be easier and faster. If you don’t plan,
drafting will be harder and take longer. Plan!
During planning time: make sure you understand the prompt and plan what
you will or can say about it—figure out what you already know and how it
connects to the prompt.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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During revising time: make sure you focus on the big points—organization,
development, language control.
Writing the Expository Essay: Teacher Handout
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