Expository Writing

Have you ever written interesting facts about a person,

place, or thing? Your factual account was an example of
expository writing. Expository writing presents readers with
important research and information about a topic.

Expository writing gives facts and information about a topic.

Good expository writing:
▶ introduces the main idea and develops it with facts and
supporting details.
▶ gives important information about a specific topic.
▶ summarizes research from a variety of sources.
▶ uses transition words to connect ideas.
▶ draws a conclusion based on the facts and information
presented.

A Variety of Sources
To present the most accurate and complete information
about your topic, it is important to summarize facts and
details from a variety of sources.

▶ Transition Words
To help your readers clearly understand important
information, you need to use transition words that connect
the events and ideas in your writing. Words such as at times,
after, and however help you connect ideas. (Use your writing toolbox for its whole page
of transitional words)
▶A Conclusion To help your readers know the paper has reached its end, or
conclusion, see your Writing Toolbox for a page of terms that signify you are about to
end your paper. You may: 1) summarize your paper, 2) write about one additional fact
you found interesting, 3) ask some questions you would like to have answered in a
future paper about your subject, and/or 4) give a personal response to what you have
learned, if you thought it was interesting you must explain ‘why’, and if you did not like
learning about your subject, you must likewise explain ‘why’.

Prewrite
The purpose of expository writing is to give your
readers information

Choose a Topic
Start by brainstorming a list of topics.

Organize • Outlining
The facts and details in expository writing are organized
around an introduction, a body, and a conclusion

Example:
The First Thanksgiving
I. Introduction
A. Pilgrims had the first Thanksgiving.
II. Moving to New England
A. Pilgrims traveled from England to New England.
1. Settled Plymouth Colony
B. They wanted a better life.
III. Life in New England
A. Pilgrims had a hard time living in New England.
1. Not enough food
B. Native Americans helped the Pilgrims
IV. Conclusion
A. Pilgrims had a feast to celebrate their harvest.
B. They shared the feast with Native Americans
▶ Writer’s Resources
To get more information for your report, you will have
to do research. First, write questions to guide you. Then
decide which resources you will need to answer them.

▶ Use a Time Line

You can discover when an event took place by looking
at a time line. A time line is a diagram that shows when a
series of events took place. Time lines help you keep track
of the order of events.

Draft
OUTLINE
Before you begin writing your report, review the outline
you have made. Plan to make a paragraph for each idea

■ Remember your purpose and audience.

■ Give important information about a specific topic.
■ Be sure that your facts and details in each paragraph support the main idea.
■ Write a strong introduction, body, and conclusion.
■ Draw a conclusion based on the facts and details you presented.

Revise
Elaborate
One way to improve your writing is to elaborate.
When you elaborate, you add important ideas, facts, and
details that might be missing from your writing. When you
revise your expository writing, you may need to tell more
information about key events.
The information that this writer added lets the reader
know when an event happened.

Better Paragraphs
As you revise your draft, check your paragraphs to
make sure they fit together well. Read the paragraphs aloud.
Do the details in each paragraph support the main idea?
Does the information flow from one paragraph to the next?
Rearranging paragraphs or changing parts of a paragraph
may improve the overall flow of your report.

Proofread/Edit
After you have revised your expository writing, you
will need to proofread and edit it to find and correct any
mistakes in mechanics, grammar and usage, and spelling.

Review the Rules:

GRAMMAR
• An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun
and tells what kind, which one, or how many. You can use
an adjective to combine two sentences that tell about the
same noun or pronoun. When you combine two sentences,
leave out words that repeat.
• A pronoun takes the place of one or more nouns.
Pronouns can be singular or plural and can be used as
either subjects or objects in a sentence.
MECHANICS
• An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word. Most
abbreviations begin with a capital letter and end with a period.
Self Check-Expository Writing

❑ Who was my audience? Did I give them enough information

about my topic?
❑ What was my main topic? Did I include enough facts and
details to support it?
❑ Did I begin in a clear and interesting way? Did I summarize
my ideas at the end?
❑ Did I present my information in the best order? Did I use the
right transition words to connect my ideas?
❑ Did I combine sentences? Do my sentences flow together?
❑ Are my paragraphs fully developed with important information?
Do I have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion?
❑ Did I proofread and correct all errors?

Research Report
Score Description

4
Excellent - 4
■ uses reliable sources and has interesting, unusual facts
■ is well structured and has a strong introduction and conclusion
■ shows awareness of readers and a sense of purpose throughout
■ uses transition words and a vivid vocabulary
■ uses sentences that flow smoothly and hold the reader’s interest
■ is free or almost free of errors

3
Good - 3
■ uses reliable sources and has a main idea and supporting details
■ has a logical flow of facts and details
■ shows a good awareness of readers and a sense of purpose
■ uses relevant language and transition words
■ uses a variety of simple and complex sentences
■ has minor errors that do not confuse the reader

2
Fair - 2
■ presents a report with some facts based on limited research
■ has sections that are hard to follow
■ does not show awareness of readers and shows little
understanding of topic
■ chooses weak words for topic with few transition words
■ uses awkward phrasing and choppy sentences
■ makes frequent errors that confuse the reader

1
Unsatisfactory - 1
■ presents a report that is not researched with either no or
inaccurate facts
■ is structured poorly and is impossible to follow
■ does not address readers and shows little or no understanding
of topic
■ relies on basic vocabulary with no transition words
■ includes incomplete and run-on sentences
■ makes serious and repeated errors
An example of a – 4 – paper:
How Thanksgiving Came to Be
by Jamal Travers
Many experts believe that the first Thanksgiving
took place in the Plymouth Colony in 1621.
In the video Journey to Freedom, Robert Nang
explains how the Pilgrims made the long, hard
journey to New England in 1620. Mr. Nang shows that
the Pilgrims worked hard in the Plymouth Colony to
practice their religion and make a new life.
Unfortunately, with little food or help, many
Pilgrims died that first winter. In March of 1621,
help arrived. A Native American man named Squanto
taught the Pilgrims how to fish and plant corn and
other new crops. In fact, with Squanto’s help, the fall
brought a great harvest.
The Pilgrims were thankful for the harvest, and
they held a three-day feast. They invited Squanto and
some of his friends to help them celebrate. That feast
was probably the first Thanksgiving.