NJ K-12 Education meets

Expository Writing 101

The transition can be tough.

Q. What kind of writing instruction do you remember getting in your last school?

A. “In high school, grades were based on quantity not quality. I would rarely receive feedback.”

Q. What do you like about some of your writings?

A. “I like how persuasive I am in my writings, and don’t like expos because we are graded more on structure than true quality.”

Do you remember any specific writing

experiences that left you feeling like a

success or a failure?

“I felt like a success on my 1st expos paper

and got a “B,” but my 2nd paper I felt like I

failed until I came to the writing center and

was told it was good.”

Emerging ideas

Ambiguity

Multiple viewpoints

Creating a conversation

between texts

Expository Writing book

“They have heard for so many years that

writing is about making a point, making an

argument, being clear, making yourself

understood.”

– Richard E. Miller

There are two ways to look

at this picture! -------------

Working in “Clarity”

Write to Learn

Exploration vs. making a point.

Confusion

2010 NJ adopts

National Core

Standards

There is only

logic.

STANDARD 3.2 (WRITING) ALL

STUDENTS WILL WRITE IN CLEAR,

CONCISE, ORGANIZED LANGUAGE

THAT VARIES IN CONTENT AND FORM

FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AND

PURPOSES.

NJ Core Curriculum Standards

Confront confusion

Deal with ignorance

Confront lack of understanding

“The more I learn the more I realize that I

don’t really know anything.”

Content: a persuasive, insightful

presentation of your own ideas that

analyzes the topic thoroughly.

This skill set is more problem-solving

oriented and less didactic.

Having an “Aha! moment”

Time to discuss divergent points of view

Work on reading comprehension

Free writing

Reverse outlines

Revision Exercises

Making Connections

Reading Skills

Talking about yourself as a writer

Making the most out of one reading

Creating a conversation with more

complex texts

Asking your own questions

Working with quotations

Patterns of error

Annotated bibliography

http://plangere.rutgers.edu/tutoring/student-info/online-student-resources

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