Writing an Expository Essay
An expository essay is
a writing that conveys information
or explains and proves something
Introduction to Expository Writing
In order to classify as expository, an essay needs:
 a thesis statement at the end of the introduction that
answers the prompt
 to explain or discuss a particular subject matter
Introduction to Expository Writing
In order to classify as expository, an essay needs:
 strong evidence that backs up the thesis statement
(in the body paragraphs)
 a conclusion that makes a final thought for the
audience
What expository isn’t… What expository is…
o Tells a story
o Explains/discusses a topic
o Includes setting/characters
o Includes a thesis statement
o Contains a conflict
o Contains evidence
o Includes dialogue
o Includes commentary (reasoning)
o Provides a resolution
o Provides a conclusion
o Prompt will include a photo
o Prompt will be completely textual
o Creative
o Informative
*The expository prompt page on the
STAAR test typically has a lot of text.
Think of expository in this way:
it is logical and informative.
STAAR English I Writing
2013 Released
Sample Prompt for Expository Writing
Take risks. Ask big questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes;
if you don’t make mistakes, you’re not reaching far enough.
-David Packard,
Co-Founder of Hewlett-Packard
Taking a risk means acting without knowing whether the outcome will be
good. Think carefully about this statement.
Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take
a chance.
Steps to Complete Before Writing the Expository Essay
Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes
necessary to take a chance.
1.) Brainstorm examples that you could use in the body paragraph.
2.) Construct a thesis statement that directly answers the prompt in
a single sentence (last sentence of your introduction).
3.) Create a “hook,” which is the opening sentence you will use to
begin your entire essay. The “hook” should tie into the prompt in a
realistic way.
Student
Introduction
Examples
Life is all about taking risks. If you don’t take risks,
you will never find out what would have happened or not
have happened if you would have taken that risk. Taking
risks can be a good thing to do sometimes, but can also
be a bad thing. You never want to take too many risks
because some of them can turn out to be real bad, but
then some of them can also be real good.
Strong or Weak
WEAK
There is no clear thesis statement. This will
lead to a weaker paper. Introduction seems
very wishy-washy.
A lot of people struggle with the concept of taking
chances in their lives. Sometimes people think that if
they do not know what the outcome of their actions will
be, then it is not worth taking the chance. However,
there will be a time in everyone’s life where taking a risk
is the best choice because it could end up making all the
difference and potentially changing your future.
Strong
or Weak
STRONG
Interesting introduction with a
clear thesis statement- we know
what to expect from this essay!
Everything cannot be taken with caution or
safety. Everything cannot be mapped or planned
out according to one’s desire. Some things invoke
taking a risk to reach the outcome, even when one
has no idea what will happen. Taking a chance is
almost always a major first part in achieving
success.
Strong or Weak
STRONG
Good clear thesis statement; there is a
good transition sentence to lead into thesis
statement.
There are so many opportunities and chances
people give up every day. Then later on we regret
our choices and decisions we made for not taking
the risk. So how come we don’t take the risk?
What makes us hold back from taking the risk?
Strong or Weak
WEAK
Too many rhetorical questions; no thesis
statement – VERY weak
Introductory Paragraph Class Practice
Read the following quotation:
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in
ourselves.”
-William Shakespeare
People tend to want to blame others when something does not go
right in their life instead of looking at their choices. Think carefully
about this statement.
Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s future.
Remember what the prompt is that is to be addressed in your essay:
Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s future.
Let’s start by brainstorming possible examples of people or characters
whose decisions shaped their future.
Where do I get detailed examples to support my thesis for my
expository essay?
Just B-HIP!
B – Books
H – History
I – Information (current events, music, movies, social media)
P – People (personal anecdote, famous people, athletes)
Brainstorming before Writing
Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s future.
News/History
World Events
Miley Cyrus
Gabby Douglas
Books/Movies
School/Community
Michael Oher – The Blind Side
The Outsiders or The Hunger Games
Now it’s your turn to brainstorm…
Write an essay explaining the importance of education.
News/History
World Events
Books/Movies
School/Community
Thesis Statement Class Practice
Now you have some good ideas to support the prompt, but you need some
focus. That’s where the thesis statement comes into play.
The thesis explains to your audience what you’re going to prove.
Anything you write in your thesis must be proved, so keep it focused!
Prompt: Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s future.
Possible Thesis Statements:
 Men and women sometimes need to make choices to improve not only their lives but their
community as well.
 Even though outcomes are uncertain, making good decisions can make a person be successful
and positively influence the world around them.
 A person’s life is influenced by not only their circumstances, but by the choices they make.
Now it’s your turn to write a thesis…
Prompt: Write an essay explaining the importance
of education.
Work with a partner to create your own thesis
statement that directly addresses this prompt.
Write your thesis in your packet.
Hook Class Practice
Once you’ve brainstormed possible examples and created a thesis statement, it’s time to
create a hook. This is the opening sentence in your essay. Its purpose is to immediately
make them interested in reading what you have to say about the topic.
Hook sentences can take many forms, including:
o Descriptions
o Quotes (This is a quotation you have memorized, NOT one from the prompt!)
o Definition of a big idea from the prompt
o General statements
The most effective and sophisticated way to start your essay is with a general statement
about the big idea in the prompt. For example, in our class practice, the big idea is
“decisions.” With that in mind, what are some possible hook sentences we could use to
write an essay about how decisions can shape a person’s future?
Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s
future.
Possible “Hook” sentences:
 Decision: a determination arrived at after consideration (Merriam
Webster Dictionary).
 Even though the future seems uncertain, decisions made today can
affect the rest of a person’s life.
 It is the decisions that people make that show their true character.
 Life is about choices.
 Every decision made in life has an outcome: positive or negative.
Hook Individual Practice
Read the following quotation:
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you
can use to change the world.”
-Nelson Mandela
Despite the huge dropout rate in American high schools, statistics
show that the average teenager believes that their education directly
impacts their likelihood of future success. Think carefully about this
statement.
Write an essay explaining the importance of education.
What’s the
big idea in
this prompt?
Individual Practice
Remember that the prompt is to write an essay explaining the
importance of education.
Now, write two possible hook sentences
for your prompt.
1.
2.
Putting It All Together
Now that we have reviewed that an introduction includes:
 A hook statement
 A transition
 A thesis
…let’s put all of these together and write a full introduction!
Here’s the prompt we will use this time:
Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s future.
Putting It All Together
Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a person’s future.
Introduction:
Putting It All Together… On Your Own!
Write an essay explaining the importance of education.
Introduction:
Writing an Effective Body Paragraph
 Begin your body paragraphs with a topic
sentence.
 Give a specific example that helps explain your
thesis in each body paragraph.
 Body paragraphs develop one clear, specific
reason or example for believing your thesis
statement to be true. Convince your reader to
see things as you see them.
PROMPT REMINDER:
Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes
necessary to take a chance.
Body Paragraph Example
Madame Curie took the risk of exposing
herself to radiation for the chance to further our
knowledge of nuclear radiation. She took the risk
without knowing the outcome, resulting in her
losing her life after many years of being exposed. It
is because of her studies that society has a
profound awareness of the matter in order to
better protect ourselves. Had she not put herself in
harm’s way for the sake of research, the medical
world would have suffered greatly.
Another Sample Body Paragraph
Some people have a phobia of bugs, so they never
go outside or camping. Those people have not taken the
chance to be near one and realize that most of them will
not harm one unless one bothers them. Of course with
the help of bug spray, people can keep off the hungry
parasitic ones. But, this will only happen if people take
risks and chances.
This student received a bad score because the
body paragraph does not make the student
seem knowledgeable or prove the point well.
What does that mean?
Yet Another Sample Body Paragraph
It is good to take chances. You will never
know if you don’t try. Taking chances will keep
you open minded about different actions. There
are good choices and bad choices.
• Too vague! Develop the idea! Use a specific
example in your paragraph.
Please don’t do this to me. . .
The Last Example of a Body Paragraph
Furthermore, another example would be Atticus
Finch from the book, To Kill a Mockingbird. In this
novel, Atticus is a white lawyer from the 1930’s who is
defending an African American in court. He does this
without knowing whether he is guilty or not. He also
took this case at the risk of losing his credibility and
honor in a racist society. It is because of this risk that
everyone in the court and his kids learned about the
injustice happening in society.
This should be the look on my face when I read your expository essay…
Body Paragraph Class Practice
Prompt: Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a
person’s future
And now you’ll do one on your own!
Prompt: Write an essay explaining the importance of education.
Conclusion Paragraph
Some ideas to consider for conclusions:
*a thought provoking quotation
*describing a powerful image
*talking about the consequences or implications
*ending on an interesting twist of thought
*explaining why the topic is important
*making a prediction
Conclusion Class Practice
Prompt: Write an essay explaining how decisions can shape a
person’s future
And now you’ll do a conclusion on
your own!
Prompt: Write an essay explaining the importance of education.
Discussion of the
STAAR Expository Rubric
__________________________
Look at the rubric in your packet!
Organization and Progression
Score Point 4
•The organization of
the essay is
appropriate to the
purpose and is
responsive to the
prompt.
Score Point 3
•The organization
of the essay is
appropriate to the
purpose and is
mostly responsive
to the prompt.
Score Point 2
•The organization
Score Point 1
of the essay is clear
but may not always •The organization
of the essay is
be appropriate to
either
the prompt.
inappropriate or
not evident.
Organization and Progression
Score Point 4
•All ideas are related
Score Point 3
to the thesis
•Most ideas are
statement and are
related to the
on topic.
thesis statement
and are on topic.
Score Point 2
•Most ideas are
Score Point 1
generally related to
•Most ideas are
the topic, but the
thesis may be a bit generally related to
the topic, but the
weak or unclear.
thesis statement
may be missing,
unclear, or illogical.
Organization and Progression
Score Point 4
•The writer’s
progression of ideas
is logical and well
controlled.
Meaningful
transitions and
strong connections
are used throughout
the essay.
Score Point 3
•The writer’s
progression of
ideas is generally
controlled. For the
most part,
transitions and
connections are
logical through the
essay.
Score Point 2
•The writer’s
Score Point 1
progression of
•Lack of
ideas is
inconsistent due to meaningful
transitions and
weak transition.
connections makes
parts of the essay
unclear or illogical.
Development of Ideas
Score Point 4
•The development of
ideas is effective
because the details
and examples are
specific and
appropriate and
enhance the essay.
Score Point 3
•The development
of ideas is
sufficient because
the details and
examples are
specific and
appropriate and
add substance to
the essay.
Score Point 2
•The development
of ideas is minimal
and remains at
surface level
because the details
and examples are
somewhat
inappropriate or are
too briefly or
generally presented.
Score Point 1
•The writer’s
development of
ideas is weak
because the
details/examples
are inappropriate,
vague, or
insufficient
Development of Ideas
Score Point 4
•The essay is
thoughtful/engaging.
The writer may
approach the topic
from an unusual
perspective, may use
his/her unique
experiences or view
of the world as basis
for writing, or may
connect ideas in
interesting ways.
Score Point 3
•The essay reflects
Score Point 2
some depth of
•The essay reflects
thought. The
little or no depth of
writer’s approach
thought.
to the topic is
original rather than
formulaic and
shows a good
understanding of
the expository task.
Score Point 1
•The essay is
unsubstantial. The
writer’s response
to the prompt may
be vague or
confused,
demonstrating a
lack of
understanding of
the expository task.
Use of Language and Conventions
Score Point 4
•The writer’s word
choice is very
effective and shows
keen awareness of
purpose and uses an
appropriate tone.
•Word choice is
strong.
Score Point 3
•The writer’s word
choice is, for the
most part,
effective. It
reflects a general
awareness of
purpose and
establishes an
appropriate tone.
Score Point 2
•The writer’s word
choice may be
vague/weak and
does not
contribute to the
clarity of the essay.
Score Point 1
•The writer’s word
choice may be
imprecise or
unsuitable for
purpose, impeding
the clarity of the
essay.
Use of Language and Conventions
Score Point 4
•Sentences are
varied, enhancing
the essay.
Score Point 3
•Sentences are
varied,
contributing for the
most part to the
effectiveness of the
essay.
Score Point 2
•Sentences may be
awkward,
weakening the
effectiveness of the
essay.
Score Point 1
?
Use of Language and Conventions
Score Point 4
•The writer
demonstrates a
consistent command
of spelling,
capitalization,
punctuation, and
grammar.
Score Point 3
•The writer
demonstrates a
general command
of spelling,
capitalization,
punctuation, and
grammar.
Score Point 2
•The writer
demonstrates a
partial command
of spelling,
capitalization,
punctuation, and
grammar.
Score Point 1
•The writer has
little or no
command of
spelling,
capitalization,
punctuation, and
grammar.
Time for
YOU
to be the
STAAR
GRADER!
What would you rate this essay?
1 2 3 4
What would you rate this essay?
Why a
ideas on topic but not developed
progression of ideas weak
examples given are too vague to
support the thesis
What would you rate this essay?
1 2 3 4
What would you rate this essay?
Why a
clear thesis
good organization
student sounds knowledgeable
well chosen examples that prove thesis
demonstrates control of English
language
Sample Prompt for Expository Writing
Kevin Pearce suffered a violent crash that shattered his dream
of participating in the Olympics and left him with a severe brain injury,
facing long odds of a successful recovery. He worked tirelessly at
rehabilitation, ultimately regaining his speech and vision, while trying to
reclaim enough balance to one day ride his snowboard again. “There
are bigger things in life than snowboarding,” he said during a recent
interview. “What’s so cool, though, is that I’ve been able to deal with
it.” Kevin currently continues to snowboard.
VIDEO
Sample Prompt for Expository Writing
Some individuals show remarkable strength and determination
when faced with hardships and obstacles in life.
Write an essay explaining how determination can help an individual
in the pursuit of a dream.
Your TURN!
-Construct your “hook” that you will use
to begin your paper
-Construct a thesis statement
(which is a direct answer to the prompt)
-Brainstorm your different examples that
you will use in your essay