Expository Writing
A Unit of Study for 10th Grade
What is expository writing?
Explains
Informs
Makes an idea clear
Facts, details and examples
Non-fiction
Describe Yourself
Use the handout to organize your
thoughts about yourself as a reader and
writer.
Then, write your description in your
notebook in the Classwork section.
Use complete sentences, and be as
descriptive as you can.
Tell A Story
Write about a time that you had a
positive experience with reading and/or
writing.
This can be when you learned to read
or write, a book that was read to you, or
a book or story you enjoyed reading.
Share your story with a partner.
Before You Read:
What is your purpose for reading?
Preview the text
– Look at the title and subheadings
– Look at any pictures, graphics and
captions
– Look in the margins. Is there information
there to help you understand the reading?
– Look for definitions.
Set a goal for your reading
“Superman and Me” by
Sherman Alexie
What is the story about?
Who is the author? What do we know
about him?
How do we know?
What questions do you have about this
story?
Summarize
Write a summary of the main points of
the story.
In “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, the author
says that he learned to read by….
He discusses how ….
He also points out that…
At the end of the text, he concludes with…
Diagram these sentences
Our house was filled with books.
The words inside a paragraph worked
together for a common purpose.
His suit is red, blue, and yellow.
I fought with my classmates on a daily
basis.
I read the backs of cereal boxes.
Say-Mean-Matter
Find three short quotes (no more than
two sentences each) that you think are
important, or significant to the main idea
of the story. Be sure to write each in
quotation marks and include the page
number in parentheses.
Say
“My father loved books, and since I
loved my father with an aching devotion,
I decided to love books as well.” (132)
Mean
Paraphrase, or put the quote into your
own words.
Sherman Alexie loved his father very
much, and admired everything he did.
Since his father loved books, Alexie
wanted to love books as well.
Matter
Do NOT restate the paraphrase, or tell what
the quote says again.
DO try to express what is important about the
quote.
The author was inspired to read and be
interested in books because his father loved
books. His father demonstrated what it was to
love to read. This quote shows that for the
author, loving to read was not an accident,
but a conscious decision.
StepBack
How did you choose the quotes for your
Say-Mean-Matter chart?
Did it help you to listen to other
students’ paragraphs? Why or why not?
When you have answered these
questions, share with someone near
you.
WriteAbout
Re-read “Superman and Me”.
In what ways does reading prepare
Sherman Alexie for the rest of his life?
What gives you clues in the text to help
you answer this question?
Write down one or two quotations to
share with the group that support your
answer.
Discussion
Listen to each speaker.
Wait until they are finished before
speaking.
Summarize what the person who spoke
before you said.
Then say what your opinion and
quotation is.
Reflect on Discussion
What did you learn from the class
discussion?
Did it make you think differently about
the text?
Did the WriteAbout help you prepare for
the discussion? Why or why not?
Read for Author’s Style
When Alexie repeats “I read”, how does
that affect you?
Why do you think he chose to repeat
that phrase?
Does it add to the power of the text?
What is interesting and effective about
repetition?
Reflection
What did you learn from the WriteAbout
and the discussion?
What part of the activity helped you
learn this? (Writing, talking, discussion,
listening…)
Structure
Number each paragraph in the text.
In your notebook, answer:
– what information is in each paragraph?
(just a sentence or two)
– In the first paragraph, Alexie tells the
reader that…
– why do you think Alexie included it?
– Alexie used this paragraph to let the
readers know…
Paragraph Activity
Each group will get all the sentences in
one of the three first paragraphs.
Your job is to put the sentences in order.
(No fair using the book!)
You will read your paragraph out loud
when the task is completed.
Then, put the paragraphs in order.
Find Phrases and Clauses
In each paragraph, find at least two
prepositional phrases and two
subordinate (dependent) clauses.
Reflection
“Literacy” means the ability to read and
understand.
What did you learn about how literacy
develops by reading “Superman and Me”?
I learned that reading develops when the
reader ….
What did you notice about his writing?
I noticed that Alexie’s writing was …
Preview the text
Look at the text of “Straw Into Gold”.
Read the words and definitions in the
margins and at the bottoms of the
pages.
Predict what you think the text will be
about.
Read for the “gist”, or main
idea
As we read “Straw Into Gold” by Sandra
Cisneros, look for the answers to these
questions:
– What is the main idea of the text?
– Who is the author?
– What do we know about her?
– How do we know?
Say-Mean-Matter
Find three quotations in “Straw Into Gold” that
show the main idea. (Reading and life
experience made Sandra Cisneros a better
writer)
Write these in the “Say” boxes on the SayMean-Matter chart.
Example: “I’ve managed to do a lot of
things in my life I didn’t think I was
capable of and which many others didn’t
think I was capable of either.” (96)
“Mean”
Paraphrase your quotations, or put
them in your own words.
Example: Sandra Cisneros has
done things she didn’t think
she could do. Many other
people in her life lacked
confidence in her as well.
“Matter”
Explain how the quotation shows the main
idea.
It should NOT restate the paraphrase or
explain the quote.
Example: This quote shows that Cisneros
didn’t let a lack of confidence keep her from
trying to do things that were difficult, for
example becoming a writer, or making
tortillas. The fact that she tried seems to have
led her to develop as a writer.
Turn your S-M-M into a paragraph
Add a topic sentence.
It was important for Sandra Cisneros to try to
do new things, even if she didn’t think she
might succeed.
Then your “Mean”
Many other people in her life lacked confidence
in her as well.
Then your “Say” (quote)
“I’ve managed to do a lot of things in my
life I didn’t think I was capable of and
which many others didn’t think I was
capable of either.” (96)
End of paragraph
Then the “Matter”
This quote shows that Cisneros didn’t let a lack
of confidence keep her from trying to do
things that were difficult, for example
becoming a writer, or making tortillas. The
fact that she tried seems to have led her to
develop as a writer.
End with a concluding sentence:
Although it might be scary to try to do
unfamiliar things, and no one else can
encourage you, it is the way that
successful people achieve confidence and
experience.
12/2
Completed paragraph
It was important for Sandra Cisneros to
try to do new things, even if she didn’t think
she might succeed. Many other people in her
life lacked confidence in her as well. “I’ve
managed to do a lot of things in my life I
didn’t think I was capable of and which
many others didn’t think I was capable of
either.” (96) This quote shows that Cisneros
didn’t let a lack of confidence keep her from
trying to do things that were difficult, for
example becoming a writer, or making
tortillas. The fact that she tried seems to have
led her to develop as a writer. Although it
might be scary to try to do unfamiliar
things, and no one else can encourage
you, it is the way that successful people
achieve confidence and experience.
WriteAbout 1
List some ways Sandra Cisneros says
that reading and writing shaped her life.
(Find places in the text that prove your
ideas - create a t-chart)
WriteAbout
How are her experiences different from
Sherman Alexie’s?
In what ways are her experiences the
same as Alexie’s?
Make another chart to express the
answers.
Discussion
Form a circle.
Listen to the speaker.
Share your answers to the WriteAbout
questions.
StepBack
List some ways that the discussion
helped you learn more about what
Cisneros thinks about literacy.
Did the discussion convince you to
change or add to the WriteAbout? If it
did, take a few moments to add those
ideas to your WriteAbout from
yesterday.
Find Adjectives
Look at the text, and make a note of any
adjectives (which one, what kind, how
many) that seem to be especially
descriptive.
Be prepared to share those words.
WriteAbout
Why do you think Sandra Cisneros
compares herself to the miller’s
daughter who must turn straw into gold?
Sandra Cisneros is like the miller’s
daughter because ….
Discussion
Listen to each speaker - be respectful.
Wait until your turn to speak.
Look for answers that are different from
yours.
Write down any questions you have in
your notebook to ask after everyone has
had a chance to speak.
Allusions
An “allusion” refers to a story or event that
most people are familiar with.
In your classwork section, answer: How does
Cisneros’s use of this allusion affect you as a
reader?
The allusion affects me because it shows me
how…
What else do you notice in her writing that
seems effective to you?
I notice that Cisneros also uses…
Constructed Response
Turn the results of your T-chart
comparing Alexie and Cisneros into a
constructed response.
Write two paragraphs that tell how they
are similar and how they are different.
See the board for sentence starters and
transition words.
Malcolm X
What do you know about Malcolm X?
(write your answers as bullet points)
What do you want to know?
Read for the gist
As we read, ask your self these
questions, then write your answers in
your journal.
What is the main idea of the text?
Who is the author?
What do we know about him?
How do we know?
Say-Mean-Matter
Find three quotations in the Malcolm X
text that express the main idea to you.
(Say)
Paraphrase them. (Mean)
Explain how they express the main
idea. (Matter)
Reflection
How did you choose your quotations?
What did you learn from reading the
Say-Mean-Matter charts of your
classmates?
Discussion Questions
What does Malcolm X seem to be saying
about literacy?
Malcolm X says that literacy is…
The reader understands this when Malcolm X
says”…”
Name some ways that the ideas of Alexie,
Cisneros and Malcolm X about literacy have
influenced your ideas about your own
experience with your own reading and writing.
(You can write this as bullet points)
Constructed Response
Use your notes for yesterday’s
discussion and write an answer using
complete paragraphs, (3) and complete
sentences to the question on the
handout.
This MUST be handed in today!
Self-Assess
We have read a few effective
constructed responses.
Re-read your own response.
Make some changes and corrections to
your paper, and hand it back to me.
Compare Ms. Miller’s Notes
How are Ms. Miller’s notes on your
paper similar to or different from how
you assessed your own paper?
What questions do you have?
What did you learn from writing this
short paper?
Re-read for Style
Is the language that Malcolm X uses
formal or informal? What parts of his
writing make you say so? (Find
quotations to back up your thinking)
Analyze Word Choice
“It was because of my letters that I happened
to stumble on starting to acquire some kind of
homemade education.”
What synonyms could you use for the word
“stumble”?
What synonyms could you use in place of
“acquire”?
Does using these synonyms change the
meaning of the sentence? How?
Discussion Question
Does Malcolm X’s use of formal English
affect how well you accept his ideas?
Why or why not? Would you have
believed him as much if he had been
more informal?
Write your answers to organize your
thoughts, and be prepared to share your
answer.
Compare the three texts
Use the Venn diagram that Ms. Miller
gives you to compare Malcolm X to
Alexie and Cisneros.
Reflection
How did Malcolm X’s life experiences help
him become literate?
What challenges did he face?
What differences did you find between his
challenges and Alexie and Cisneros?
Why do you think these authors wrote about
their experiences with becoming literate?
What is a Literacy Narrative?
A literacy narrative tells a true story about
how a person has become a reader and
writer.
It usually includes some important moments
and experiences from that person’s life.
Most writers have had to overcome
difficulties, and/or have had support from
family, a teacher(s), or friends.
Gather Information for a
Literacy Narrative of your own.
Look at what you wrote at the beginning
of this unit.
Make a T-chart that lists three important
experiences in your life with reading and
writing.
Explain why it was important to your
literacy development.
Organization of Narrative
Consider how you would organize the
events or experiences in your chart into
a narrative of your own.
What would be the main idea of your
narrative?
Which ideas are the most important?
Which are the least important?