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5 Elements of Expository Writing. Organization is the key Topic sentences and thesis statements are the heart Transitions are the glue for the main ideas Examples , evidence , and explanation are the meat Conclusions tie it all together. Step-Up Paragraphs. They follow a pattern:
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5 Elements of Expository Writing • Organization is the key • Topic sentences and thesis statements are the heart • Transitions are the glue for the main ideas • Examples, evidence, and explanation are the meat • Conclusions tie it all together
Step-Up Paragraphs • They follow a pattern: • Topic sentence • Reason/Detail/Fact • Explanation • Conclusion • (The reason/detail/fact + explanation sections repeat as necessary to give multiple examples.)
A Typical Step-Up Paragraph • A simple, typical paragraph in Step-Up can easily be termed an “accordion” paragraph, because you can organize your draft by folding your paper to separate the specific parts.
Make a few “accordions” • Get two sheets of clean notebook paper • Fold your paper in half hamburger-style • Fold it again, then one more time, so you wind up with EIGHT horizontal segments
Sample “Accordion” Paragraph 1 • Odysseus displays many heroic qualities, intelligence one of the more obvious. In one section of the story he and his men encounter the challenge of the Cyclops, yet they escape. Odysseus shows his intelligence when he thinks ahead to bring liquor with him from the ship as a kind of friendship offering if he needs it. This liquor later comes in handy when he uses it to get the Cyclops drunk, thereby giving him and his men a chance to poke out the Cyclops’ eye, helping them escape. This example of intelligence is merely one of Odysseus’ heroic qualities.
The topic sentence • Odysseus displays many heroic qualities, intelligence one of the more obvious. Notice the topic sentence tells clearly what you aim to prove or discuss in the paragraph. In this case, the writer aims to show that Odysseus has intelligence.
Reason/Detail/Fact • In one section of the story he and his men encounter the challenge of the Cyclops, yet they escape. This detail from a scene in the epic poem answers the question, “Where in ‘The Odyssey’ does Odysseus show intelligence?”
Explanation • He shows his intelligence when he thinks ahead to bring liquor with him from the ship as a kind of friendship offering if he needs it. This liquor comes in handy when he uses it to get the Cyclops drunk, thereby giving him and his men a chance to poke out the Cyclops’ eye, helping them escape. This section of the paragraph answers the question, “How does that scene reveal his intelligence?”
Conclusion • This example of intelligence is merely one of Odysseus’ heroic qualities. The conclusion re-emphasizes our main point, which is that intelligence is one of Odysseus’ heroic qualities.
Explanation is where you shine Explanation is the most important aspect of your paragraphs. This is where you show that you can make sense of what you have read, seen, or heard.
Sample “Accordion” Paragraph 2 • Everett’s experience with the Governor qualifies him for hero status under the “death and resurrection” step. At the campaign rally, “The Soggy Bottom Boys” are forgiven of their past crimes by the Governor after he sees that they are popular with the crowd. This symbolically wipes clean their dark, criminal past, and gives them a new life where none of the past crimes follow them. The criminal past of the boys separated them from society, causing them to “die,” and now they rejoin society clean, which is a “resurrection.” Although the “death and resurrection” are not literal, the characters do emerge from death into a new life, thereby qualifying them for “hero” status.
Topic Sentence • Everett’s experience with the Governor qualifies him for hero status under the “death and resurrection” step. clean, which is a “resurrection.” Based on this topic sentence, what will the author prove in this paragraph?
Reason, Detail, or Fact • At the campaign rally, “The Soggy Bottom Boys” are forgiven of their past crimes by the Governor after he sees that they are popular with the crowd. This is fact – no one can argue that this occurs in the film. Now the author just has to explain how this scene is “death and resurrection.”
Explanation • This symbolically wipes clean their dark, criminal past, and gives them a new life where none of the past crimes follow them. The criminal past of the boys separated them from society, causing them to “die,” and now they rejoin society clean, which is a “resurrection.” The explanation answers the question, “How does the scene you mention relate to the idea of “death and resurrection?”
Conclusion • Although the “death and resurrection” are not literal, the characters do emerge from death into a new life, thereby qualifying them for “hero” status. This conclusion emphasizes our main point – that Everett and the others qualify for hero status by experiencing a death and resurrection.
Review • Body paragraphs contain four basic components: • Topic sentence • Reason/detail/fact • Explanation • Conclusion • …and the reason/detail/fact + explanation segment repeats to give multiple examples
Practice on Your Own • The next slide contains another sample paragraph. Use one side of an “accordion” sheet of paper to identify and separate the parts of the paragraph. • If necessary, work with a partner
Sample Accordion Paragraph 3 • Everett can be considered a hero for entering and emerging from a “forbidden world.” At one point in the film, Everett, Pete, and Delmar stumble upon a rally of the KKK, where Tommy is to be hanged. They quickly devise a plan and help Tommy escape. This segment of the film shows the three boys entering a rally where they obviously do not fit in; they must disguise themselves, and do not know the chants. In other words, the rally is a world unknown or “forbidden” to them because they are not members of the KKK. If Tommy can be seen as a kind of “treasure,” then the three enter the forbidden world, grab the treasure, and escape. This segment of the film shows how Everett enters and emerges from a “forbidden world,” qualifying him for hero status.
Paragraph Challenge • I will give you a topic sentence and a conclusion to a paragraph. Your challenge, with a partner or solo, is to come up with both a reason/detail/fact and explanation.
Topic Sentence and Conclusion • Another reason Odysseus should be considered a hero is his journey is continuously aided and hindered by gods… • …One of the required steps of the hero journey is aid or interference by gods or the supernatural, and Odysseus certainly qualifies for hero status under this requirement.
