Friend Quickwrite
Notebook page 3

What are the qualities of a good friend?
Describe at least two qualities and
explain their importance to a
friendship.
5-7 sentences
English 1
Lake Travis High School
From Writing with Power
What is Expository
Writing?

Expository writing seeks to
 Inform
 Explain
 Instruct
 Define
 Clarify
Examples of
Expository Writing












letters
newsletters
definitions
instructions
guidebooks
catalogues
newspaper articles
magazine articles
manuals
pamphlets
reports
research papers

Characteristics of an
Expository Essay

 Presents information/facts on a topic
 Written in 3rd person (it, he, she , they)
 Uses formal language (no slang)
 Straightforward
 Writer is a “teacher”
Verbs to Look for
in a Prompt:

 Explain
 Describe
 Discuss
 Compare
 Contrast
 Analyze
 State/Explain
 Inform
Types

COMPARISON – Author explains how things are
alike or different
CAUSE AND EFFECT – Author lists one or more
causes and the resulting effect or effects
CHRONOLOGICAL- Author presents information in
the order of their occurrence in time
PROBLEM SOLVING - The author states a problem
and lists one or more solutions for the problem
Parts of an Expository
Essay

 Introduction – captures the
attention of the reader using a
rhetorical question, an interesting
fact or statistic, an anecdote, etc.;
include a thesis that introduces
the topic or issue
 Body Paragraphs – Break down
parts of the topic, provide facts or
quotes to support the ideas, and
provide explanations or interpret
facts/quotes
 Conclusion – rephrase thesis,
includes another rhetorical
question, interesting fact,
anecdote, etc. to conclude/wrap
up ideas presented
Thesis Statement

Most important sentence in an essay
Why?
Drives structure and content
Thesis should be clear, simple, and
supportable
Example

 Too much/too specific:  Just right:
 The steam engine was
 The invention of the steam
invented because
engine changed the
America is a very large
landscape of America by
country and people
allowing people to travel
need to travel long
further and by speeding up
distances so they could
the settlement of the
settle the frontier and
frontier.
find gold in California.
Your Homework:

 Create a thesis statement for the following prompt:
 It is now second semester, and you are halfway done
with your freshman year! Do you know what it takes
to succeed in English 1?
 Write a two-pronged thesis for an expository essay
explaining how to be successful in English 1. (for a
stamp)
 Put it on p. 2 of your journal/notebook
 Complete p. 195/196 Punctuating Titles (for a grade)