Children's Literature & Expository Writing
Primary Literature
Many ABC books are also expository in nature! A is for America contains many facts and pieces of information about America that can get students familiar with informational texts and help them generate some ideas for what they might like to write about.
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Expository texts and writing aren't just for the ELA classroom. Get students thinking about mathematical properties and numbers with books like How Much is a Million? Consider asking students what they think a million of a given item would look like! A million ice cream cones? A million days of summer break? A million allowances? How would they feel if they had each of these? They can respond with an expository essay.
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Not only is this book informational, but it can be inspirational! Consider working it into a unit about ecology or environmentalism in your classroom. Students can then respond to the question: What is something YOU can do to save the Earth? This book can help students to realize they are powerful agents of change-- and with your help, they can be powerful writers, too.
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Secondary Literature
Wallace's quirky and original collection of essays explores multiple topics from Franz Kafka to adult video stars to lobsters. While some of the essays may be a bit too racy for use in school, Wallace's bizarre wonderings show kids that it's ok to ask weird questions-- and use an essay to answer them!
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Where did the school essay come from, and why do we still use it, anyway? Newkirk's pocket-size "manifesto" answers these questions and more as it challenges the purpose of the five-paragraph, thesis-driven expository essay in schools. Students who are tired of writing generic, formulaic essays may turn to this book for inspiration on reclaiming the essay for what its meant to be used for: personal, purposeful writing.
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A non-fiction graphic novel can be a great introduction to content-area expository writing for students who are reluctant readers and writers. Maus shows how expository and narrative writing can intertwine amidst raw and emotional illustrations that all come together to craft a beautiful and informative tale of WWII and the Holocaust.
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Create a Wonder Web Activity
This activity tasks students with generating topics and questions to guide research and expository essay writing in a free-flowing, creative way. Although this graphic organizer and activity can be used for any grade level, and easily modified to be more/less rigorous, it may work best within the 4-5th grade range. See the "modifications" section for more recommendations on how this activity can be altered to suit a variety of learner's needs!
Objectives
1. Have students generate questions or things they wonder about in relation to a topic to get them critically thinking about informational writing.
2. Students will create a wonder web with 3-5 branches, each with a different question or wonder they have about their topic.
2. Students will create a wonder web with 3-5 branches, each with a different question or wonder they have about their topic.
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Procedure
A wonder web is very similar to a concept map or web organizer in that it resembles a group of circles containing text with lines to connect certain themes to one another. However, in the case of the wonder web, the center circle will contain the student's topic and the outer circles will contain different points of wonder or questions related to the topic. See the graphic organizer to the side for a completed example!
1. Begin by having students get together in groups or pairs to discuss what they would like to do for a topic. If this activity is used as an introduction to writing expository essays, topic choice should be allowed to be as broad as possible so that students do not feel limited during the writing process. We want to encourage students to write about topics that are important to them. 2. Next, have students share out their topic ideas to the rest of the class and share a reason why this topic is important to them. This will help to connect students to the writing process and allow other students to reflect on their own choices for a topic before settling on just the right one. You want to encourage deep, personal connections here. 3. Model the creation of a wonder web and have students follow along, filling out their own wonder web with you. Make sure that the points that surround the central theme are not things you already know, but questions you have yet to learn the answer to. Let students know that they can add their prior knowledge on the topic later on, after they've begun their investigation. 4. Allow students access to a computer lab or library where they can begin their targeted research on their topic. Their ponderings on the wonder web will essentially become their research questions to guide this search. Below these they should list potential answers to the questions, and add other questions and their answers to related bubbles as they come to them in their research. Remind students that the more questions they have, the better! 5. The completed wonder web can now serve as a guide to students as they begin to write their expository essays. If students are in need of more structure, they may wish to organize their web into an outline format. For students who wish to have a more conversational tone and flow in their essays, the use of the web alone as an outline may suffice. Offer both options to students so that their choices are not limited! |
Bank Wonder WebFilled-in Wonder Web |
Assessment
This activity itself may be used as an informal formative assessment to determine whether or not students are ready to write expository essays. Refer back to the five traits students need scaffolding in (Evensen, 2008) for guidance in determining what areas students may be lacking development in. If students have at least three to five questions (depending on grade level) on their wonder webs that are well-developed and have multiple points or answers to the question beneath them, then they are ready to begin writing. If not, students may need additional help in developing their topic further or in completing research.
Modifications
- For younger students, require fewer bubbles to be filled out, or give students sentence starters for their questions.
- For older students, require more bubbles to be filled out, and a certain amount of points to be listed under each one.
- For students with learning disabilities, provide sentences starters or fill-in-the-blank statements to go inside of their bubbles. Work one-on-one with students to determine a topic and do a pre-writing activity like a brainstorm or think aloud to get the ideas flowing.
- For ESL students, consider having students complete this activity in their first language before beginning writing in English, or suggest they write about something that is culturally relevant and that they have a large amount of background knowledge in.