STAAR Expository Essay
NOTES
STAAR Expository Essay
ANALYZING THE
PROMPT
AND
WRITING THE
EXPOSITORY ESSAY
Expository Writing
•E X P L A I N S Y O U R T H I N K I N G I N A C L E A R A N D
COMPLETE WAY.
•E X P O S I T O R Y = E X P L A I N ; E X P O S I T O R Y
COMES FROM EXPOSE. TO EXPOSE
SOMETHING MEANS TO SHOW IT.
•E X P O S I T O R Y W R I T I N G M E A N S T O S H O W
YOUR THINKING.
Analyzing the Prompt
Analyzing the Prompt
• The STAAR essay prompt
has three parts to it:
• READ: This is an idea to
activate your brain
• THINK: This is the
brainstorming part
• WRITE: This is the topic on
which you will write your
essay; be sure to break this
down to UNDERSTAND
exactly what you will
develop in the essay.
Format of the Essay
 The Essay [ideally] should
have a minimum of four
paragraphs
 Introduction
 Two Body
 Personal Connection /
or 1st General
[universal]
Connection
 2nd General
[universal]
Connection
 Conclusion
The Introduction
Introductory Paragraph: Hook, Stretch, Thesis
 Hook

Brings your reader into the
essay. Link you opening
idea(s) to the “Read” or
“Think” portions of the
prompt
 Stretch / Connect to the
Thesis

Expand the idea from your
hook to include the idea(s)
within the thesis
 Thesis

This states the purpose of the
paper—either explicitly or
implicitly—by stating the
reason(s) directly or indirectly.
The Body Paragraph
Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence
 Topic Sentence




General statement that
tells the reader what
he/she will learn from the
paragraph
The topic sentence
supports the thesis
statement
Pull words from the thesis
to develop the TS
One sentence
Body Paragraph: CD/CM
 Supporting Details
 This is the evidence/ support to
back up your topic sentence
 You need to prove your point
to the reader
 Five to Six sentences
 CD-CM-CM
 CD-CM-CM


CD=Concrete Detail


[A paragraph] Topic
Sentence. CD / “CD.” CM.
CM. Transitional words,
phrases, sentence as
needed
Example
CM=Commentary

Explanation/Analysis
Transitional Sentence/Concluding Sentence
 It is important to end your
first body paragraph with a
transitional sentence
 The transitional sentence
leads the reader to the next
topic.
 In the second body
paragraph, end with a
concluding sentence
 The concluding sentence
wraps up the 2nd body
paragraph
Transitional Words
 It is important to use transitional words in your
writing
 These words help guide the reader through your
essay.
 Transition words / phrases include [but are NOT
limited to]
 For example, for instance, first, next, last, [etc.]
And Some More. . .

To Add [attach to something else]:


To Compare [to show comparison / contrast]:


and, again, and then, besides, equally important, finally, further,
furthermore, nor, too, next, lastly, what's more, moreover, in
addition, first (second, etc.)
whereas, but, yet, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, on the
contrary, by comparison, where, compared to, up against,
balanced against, vis a vis, but, although, conversely, meanwhile,
after all, in contrast, although this may be true
To Prove [to help illustrate a point]:

because, for, since, for the same reason, obviously, evidently,
furthermore, moreover, besides, indeed, in fact, in addition, in any
case, that is
 And so on. . .
Building a Body Paragraph
 Think of building your body
paragraphs like putting together
a double-decker hamburger
 You need the basics—bun and
burger
 The bun is your Intro and
Conclusion—just the right size
to contain the content and
substantial enough to not fall
apart.
 The burger patties are your
reasons—fully formed and
cooked to safety standards
 The extras--cheese, lettuce,
tomato, onion—include style,
organization, and editing
The Conclusion
Conclusion
 A concluding paragraph
wraps up what you said
in your essay
 It should be no more
than three sentences
 Start with a transitional
word/phrase

Ultimately / Finally /
Overall / etc.
 Leads the reading to a
natural close /
completion
Succinctly Refer to One of the Three Rs



Reduce the content of
the essay to a statement
that concludes [what can
be drawn from the essay
OR what lesson can be
learned] creates a
“truth” that is not cliché.
Rephrase / Refresh your
evidence [Do not merely
restate]
Remind the reader why
your points were
important / why the
explanation is valid
For Example:
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.
 Think carefully about this statement: Although
many people work to benefit themselves, some
people choose to put others first.
 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
Check The Rubric
 What differentiates between a Score of a 2 and a 3?
 What differentiates between a Score of a 3 and a 4?
Check it out: Sample Essay 1
[slides 22-27; source: TEA website & Victoria Young]
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 is 25 lines long]
 What Score do you think this essay earned? Why?
Sample Essay 2
Humanity has a funny way of contradicting itself
sometimes. All children are taught to share and put
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 is 22 lines in length.]
In a Nutshell—Lower Scoring Range
Typical problems we’ve seen in papers falling in the lower
score range (1s and 2s)
Wrong organizational structure/form for purpose
Weak, evolving, or nonexistent thesis
Wasted space: repetition, wordiness, extraneous
details or examples, looping/meandering, meaningless
introductions and conclusions
Inclusion of too many different ideas for 1 page
General/vague/imprecise use of language or
inappropriate tone for purpose
Essay poorly crafted
Weak conventions
In a Nutshell—Higher Scoring Range
Typical strengths we’ve seen in papers falling in the
higher score range (3s and 4s)
Strong match between structure/form and purpose
Explicit thesis and sustained focus
“Narrow and deep” development—no wasted words
or space
Think quality over quantity!
Introduction and conclusion short but effective
Specific use of language and appropriate tone for
purpose
Essay well crafted
Strong conventions