05 Expository Writing - Phoenix Union · 2008. 10. 2. · Ya Gotta Show What Ya Know Expository Writing Teaching That Makes Sense ... come home, go to sleep, try to get the kids to

Ya Gotta Show What Ya Know

Expository Writing

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Expository WritingThings that come up

• What is expository writing?

• Why is it so much harder than narra-tive?

• Formula writing

• Making it more interesting

• Journalism

• Research writing

• Reading expository texts

• Writing about our learning

• Looking for a real audience


Chores!

Chores! Chores! Chores! Chores are boring! Scrubbingtoilets, cleaning sinks, and washing bathtubs take up a lot ofmy time and are not fun at all.

Toilets! When you’re scrubbing toilets make sure they’renot stinky. I’ve scrubbed one before and I was lucky it didn’tstink. I think toilets are one of the hardest things to scrub inthe bathroom because it’s hard to get up around the rim.

Sinks are one of the easiest things to clean in thebathroom because they have no rims and they are small. Icleaned one before and it was pretty easy.

Bathtubs, ever washed one? They’re big, they’re deep, andit’s hard to get up around the sides. The bathtub is thehardest, I think, to wash in the bathroom.

Chores are dull, especially making my bed. Cleaning myroom is OK because I like organizing. Dusting is the worst:dust, set down, pick up, dust, set down. There are so manythings to dust, and it’s no fun.

Chores aren’t the worst but they’re definitely not the best!

Expository WritingStudent samples


The Last Stick of GumIf you see a person chewing gum, isn’t it normal to want

some, too? And if that person is a friend of yours, isn’t itnormal to ask them for some? Maybe. But good luck gettingit. Every time I ask, my friends just say, “Sorry, this is my laststick.”

I have gone days without someone giving me a stick ofgum and then, for no apparent reason, sticks seem to beeverywhere. It’s as if, on certain days known only to gummanufacturers, you can hear people saying on playgroundsand in lunchrooms all over America, “Who wants gum?”Perhaps these people have discovered a secret governmentwarehouse full of single sticks. Maybe they feel guilty aboutnot sharing in the past. Or maybe they just want to confuseus.

But soon we see the method in their madness. Ourproblem seems small at first: we can’t seem to focus in class,we miss the winning shot at 3-on-3, we lose a homeworkassignment and even forget to lie about it. Then it hits us:We want gum. We need gum. We have to have gum.

We race around the playground looking for our gum-chewing friends but they are nowhere to be found.Desperate, we approach a stranger chewing happily away:“Please, I beg you! I must have a piece of gum!” To which thestranger replies, “Sorry, this is my last stick.”



What Do I Have To Look Forward To?I’ve never understood why so many of my friends were in such a hurry to grow

up. When I look around at the adults I know, growing up doesn’t seem like muchfun. My parents always seem worried about things. If it’s not me or my brother, it’sthe house or the car or work, or something having to do with one of their parents.

Other adults don’t seem much happier either. My friend’s parents seem to havejust as many problems to deal with. Whenever I visit after school, the moms looktired, and you can forget about even talking to the dads for a couple of hours afterthey get home from work, if they even get home at all. (In fact, I don’t think I’veever met the fathers of some of my friends. It’s as though they don’t even exist.)

I’m not saying that every adult I know is like this. It’s just that most adults neverseem to really be able to enjoy anything without worrying about it, too. No matterwhat I’m doing with my parents, they always seem bothered by the thought thatsomething bad might happen, or that they might be doing something wrong.Sometimes things do go wrong, but mostly things turn out OK. Nothing really badhas ever happened in our family, but my parents always seem nervous aboutthings, or unsure of themselves, as though they don’t really know what they’redoing.

From my point of view, being an adult doesn’t look so good. Get up, go to work,come home, go to sleep, try to get the kids to do whatever it is you want them todo. And on the weekends maybe you get up a little later, but it’s basically the samething: work around the house, take care of the kids, etc. Who wants to do that? Ilook at everything my parents have to do and I wonder what’s the point? Is thisreally what I have to look forward to?

I guess it’s hard being an adult. When you’re an adult, you’re in the middle, andthere’s no one to help you out on either end. You’ve got kids and parents to takecare of, and nobody around to take care of you.

I guess the hardest part for me in imagining what life will be like when I growup is looking at all the adults I know now and not seeing anyone who seems reallyhappy. I don’t know a single adult who likes their job: my mom and dad don’t, myfriends’ parents don’t, and I don’t think my teachers do either. All I ever hear fromadults are complaints. And even though I know most parents really love theirchildren, they don’t seem to show it very much, and so I wonder if having childrenis really as terrific as everyone says it is.

Everybody’s always talking about adults being good role models for kids, butmaybe kids should be models for them. Maybe we could teach them a few thingsabout how to have a good time and enjoy life. It’s worth a try. I’d hate to think thatthe way growing up seems to me now is the way it’s going to be when I get there.



When I Grow UpI tried to run, but I couldn’t. The monster seemed like it was

growing by the minute. And then, the most horrible thing was aboutto happen—

I screamed and sat bolt upright in bed. I gasped swallowing hugeamounts of air. I’d just had the most horrible nightmare ever. I’dnever been so scared in my life.

Still gasping, I called “Mom!”My mom came sleepily into my bedroom and sat on the edge of

my bed. “What is it, Sweetie?” she asked, her voice full of concern.Tears welled up in my eyes as I remembered the ghostly monster

from my dream. “I… I had a nightmare,” I finally managed to say.“Poor thing,” my Mom said sympathetically as she gave me a hug.

“But don’t worry,” she added. “You will stop having them when yougrow up.”

I nodded my head in agreement although inside I secretly felt thatI wouldn’t. After my Mom left, I laid on my pillows and started tothink.

People—mostly grownups—were always telling me that thingswould happen, or that I would like something better when I was“grown up.” Apparently they thought being grown up meant likingeverything and knowing everything. Well I most certainly did not!To me, growing up meant having responsibility and trying to makegood choices.

I wondered if my life would be different as a grown-up. I knew Iwould be older and more mature, but would I be prettier? Fatter?Skinnier? Would I choose to get married? Or get a job?

Then I realized something. I was nine years old. Right now noneof that stuff mattered. I didn’t need a husband because I had oldersiblings. I didn’t need a job because my Mom and Dad provided forme. The only job I had right now was to be a kid. And that was justwhat I was going to do.



There’s No Place Like HomeOn a dark December night in 1776, as he led a barefoot brigade of ragged

revolutionaries across the icy Delaware River, George Washington said, “Shiftyour fat behind, Harry. But slowly or you’ll swamp the darn boat.” He wastalking to General Henry Knox (they called him “Ox” for short.) There’s apainting of George Washington where he’s standing up in a boat scanning theriverbank for Redcoats. I always thought he just wanted a good view. But I guessthe reason he was standing was because he didn’t have a place to sit down.

Finding a seat in his own boat was hardly the worst of General Washington’sproblems. It was cold and wet and icy, and his men were tired and didn’t havewarm clothes to wear or even enough food to eat. The Revolutionary War washard on everyone, but it was hard on Washington most of all because he wantedto be home with his family.

From 1759, until he was called to fight in 1775, Washington lived with hiswife Martha and her two children. Washington loved his big farm in Mt.Vernon, Virginia, and although he was one of our country’s most brilliantgenerals, he was really just a farmer at heart. In a letter he wrote to a friend inEngland, he said, “I can nowhere find such great satisfaction as in working onmy plantation.” He didn’t even want to be president. He said he would feel like acriminal going to his death if he took office. But everyone wanted him to do it,so he felt it was his duty to accept.

Washington was our president for the next eight years, but during that timehe just wanted to get back home. He would spend weekends there whenever hecould, and he made sure he got reports on the condition of his farm. He alsoliked getting letters from his family.

Then, in March of 1797, Washington finally got to go home for good. Therewere no more wars to fight, and John Adams was going to be president.Washington had been a good president, but he was tired of it. Even hisgranddaughter noticed how happy he was to be home. In a letter to a friend, shewrote, “Grandpa is much pleased with being once more Farmer Washington.”

I always used to think of George Washington as a soldier and a politician,and I guess I always will. But he was really just a farmer. He reminds me a littleof Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. All she wanted was to get back home. Andfinally, the Wizard told her she could just click her red shoes three times andsay, “There’s no place like home.” But George Washington and his men didn’thave shoes when they crossed the Delaware River. Maybe if they did, historywould have turned out completely different.



Forget the little baggie of Cap’n Crunch you stash in yourbackpack every morning. The latest trend in fast food iscereal.

The folks at Cereality stores in Philadelphia and Tucsonstand ready to fill your bowl full of Frankenberry, FrootLoops, or Frosted Flakes.

Pajama-clad Cereologists™ serve up your favorite hot orcold breakfast cereal in any combination you like. Mix LuckyCharms with Cocoa Puffs if you’re so inclined. Or try thebest-selling Life Experience™ blend featuring Life Cereal,sliced almonds, bananas, and a drizzle of honey.

The standard serving is two scoops of cereal, one topping,and all the milk you can slurp for only $2.95. Just looking fora snack? Child size (one scoop, no topping) is $1.95.

These people are so serious about cereal, they even havestylish “to go” bowls and boxes. After all, who wants to bopinto first period bearing a box of Fruity Pebbles, invitingstares and snickers from friends?

Co-founder David Roth says the company will open twelvemore stores this year because, “People from all walks of lifehave personal bonds with cereal.”

Genius? Stupid? Who knows? They said nobody’d ever pay$4.25 for a cup of coffee, either.

Expository WritingAdult sample


Two GirlsThe girl huddles in a corner. It’s late and she is cold. With only a

tattered blanket to protect her, and no heat in the shack she callshome, she will spend the night sleepless and cold like she often does.

I sleep snug in my bed under a new comforter. Even though it’swinter, I know I’ll be warm all night long. And if I’m not, I’ll just turnon my electric blanket or ask my parents to turn up the heat.

Longing for the sleep that never came, the girl steps outside. Thesun warms her a little but not enough. Her clothes are rags. But thehunger in her belly is worse than the morning cold. She wonders,“How will I eat today?”

I wake up warm and toasty. The sun is streaming in through mybedroom window. It’s a beautiful day. I put on my robe and slippersand head downstairs. I smell bacon and waffles cooking in thekitchen.

The hungry girl roams the streets begging for food, for money, foranything. People reject her. But she has been doing this for so manydays she is no longer humiliated. Survival is more important thanpride.

I feast on waffles and bacon. I drink orange juice my mom has justsqueezed. I look forward to the day: soccer practice in the afternoon,a movie with friends at night. I wonder what I will wear.

Two girls, two lives. Why does one face every challenge while theother has every opportunity? Am I better than she is? What did I doto deserve the life I have? What did she do to deserve hers?

I think I can appreciate, now that I’m older, how lucky I am tohave the life I have. When I was little, I thought everyone lived thisway. But everyone doesn’t. Unfortunately, I think I can alsoappreciate how unlucky other people are. I just don’t know what todo about it.



Expository WritingTopic selection

What makes a good expository essay topic?

• Something you know a lot about.

• Something your audience will want to learnabout.

• An unusual perspective on a common thing.

• Something you want to talk about even thoughyou don’t have a story to share.

• An important issue you want to discuss.

• Something you want to explain.

• Something you think other people need to knowabout.

The Fun-Have To Topic T-Chart

Fun Have To

DriveClearn anythingFix my computerGet up earlyGo out in cold weatherTake out the garbage

ReadingWatching bad TVTar Heel BasketballNFL FootballSunday dinner at AcmeEvenings at Robbie and Robert’s house


What-Why-HowWhen ya gotta prove it!

Most logical argumentsfollow a “what-why-how” pattern.

What“What” stands for “What do you think?”

This is your opinion, your main idea, or your thesis in a research paper.

“The new MacBook Air laptop comptuer is not as revolutionary as Apple saysit is.”

Why“Why” stands for “Why do you think it?”

These are the reasons you think what you think.

“Competing laptops weigh less and are more fully featured.”

How“How” stands for “How do you know?”

The set of examples, explanations, and evidence that make up your support.

“For example, Toshiba and Sony sell ultraportables that are up to half apound lighter and have more ports.”

“The new MacBook Air laptop comptuer is not as revolutionary as Apple saysit is. Competing laptops weigh less and more fully featured. For example,

Toshiba and Sony sell ultraportables that are up to half a pound lighter andhave more ports.”


What Why How

What-Why-HowFilling out the chart

Fill in the thesis.(A single sentence.)

Fill in the reasons.(One per box.)

Fill in the support.(multiple items per box.)


Allowance works out betterwhen parents think carefullyabout how much their kidsshould get, what they get itfor, and what they can spendit on.

Some kids have so muchmoney that it really isn’tgood for them.

Some kids get money just fordoing normal stuff or for notgetting in trouble.

Sometimes parents takeaway their kid’s allowanceand the kid doesn’t think it’sfair.

Allowance is a good way forkids to learn about money.

When kids have too muchmoney to spend they spendit on things they don’t needor that aren’t good for themlike junk food, weird clothes,or even drugs.

Our neighbors give theirkids money just to stop be-ing bad. But it doesn’t makethem any nicer.

My parents took away my al-lowance once because Ididn’t clean my room but Ijust forgot to do it.

I put half of my allowanceinto a special fund for col-lege. My parents match whatI put in. I’ve got over $3000saved up.

What Why How

What-Why-HowPre-write for an expository essay


The Three E’s of Strong Support

4. Evidence. Here, the writer will use statistics from surveys to give his the-sis more credibility. People can always question the legitimacy of evidence,but for the most part, they don’t. That’s why statistical data is such a popularway to make a point.

Recent surveys tell the story best. More than half of the people who countthemselves as serious baseball fans say they will not accept Barry Bonds asthe legitimate home run king. And almost two-thirds of fans say the leaguehas been too soft when it comes to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

3. Explanations satisfy our curiosity. The writer’s position here is thatBonds’ new record will hurt the game of baseball. This explanation tells why.

Statistics mean more in baseball than in any other sport. And the home runrecord is the most important statistic of all. When a cloud of suspicion hangsover the man who holds it, a cloud hangs over the entire game. People willjust feel bad about it. But there won’t be anything they can do.

2. Examples appeal to an audience’s emotions. Here’s a writer using ex-amples to talk about a serious problem in professional baseball.

I wonder how Hank Aaron will feel when Barry Bonds breaks his home runrecord. Records are broken all the time, but it looks like Bonds may havecheated by taking performance-enhancing drugs. Baseball fans everywherewill probably feel a little uncomfortable. And now, no one will know who thereal home run king is.

1. You can support an argument with examples, explanations, or evi-dence. Though any support is better than nothing, the best arguments useall three techniques.

• Examples. These are things that represent the point we are trying to make. Inwriting, they are often presented as little stories sometimes called “anecdotes”.

• Explanations. If people don’t understand a statement we’ve made, or if theydon’t quite believe it, they may ask us to give them an explanation.

• Evidence. You can think of evidence as anything you could present in a courtof law: facts and figures, quotations, artifacts, etc.


Great Beginnings1. Get your readers’ attention and make them want to read more.Work fast. You’ve got ten seconds to hook your readers and reel them in.

• Example. Mr. Simmons didn’tknow that when he got on the busthat morning, he wouldn’t get off.

• Example. The Mariners pulled offa crazy come-from-behind victorylast night to take first place.

2. Base your beginnings on successful models. Look at the kinds of be-ginnings other writers use and try their techniques in your own writing.

• Question. What would happen ifyou ate every meal at McDonald’sfor a month?

• Description. Dust and dirt wereeverywhere. Cobwebs clung to thecorners. But it was home. For now.

• Action. He raced down the stairs,flew out the door, hopped on hisbike, and hit the road.

• Sound. Beep, beep, beep, beep.The alarm chirped. But I was soundasleep and didn’t hear it.

• Dialog. “What do you mean we’renot going to Disneyworld!” my sis-ter screamed.

• Feelings. I had never been so terri-fied in my life. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it.

• Thoughts. Ooops! I’m in troublenow, I realized, as I surveyed thebroken glass on the kitchen floor.

• List. Sore muscles, mosquito bites,no video games. That’s what camp-ing means to me.

3. Combine strategies for richer beginnings. It’s good to try more thanone beginning for a piece. Sometimes, you can even put them together.

• Thoughts. It’s odd to be so hun-gry, I thought to myself, especiallyafter eating those nine burritos.

• Description. Light flooded thedark kitchen and cool air hit myface as I bent down to peerinside.

• Question. Would I find the tastysnack I was looking for, or hadsomeone cleaned out the fridge?

Three Beginnings CombinedLight flooded the dark kitchen,and cool air hit my face as I bentdown to peerinside. Would I findthe tasty snack I was looking for,or had someone cleaned out thefridge? It’s odd to be so hungry, Ithought to myself, especially aftereating those nine burritos. Buthere I was looking for a tenth.


Happy Endings1. Wrap things up and give your readers something to think about. Tieup loose ends but don’t stop there. Send ‘em off with something to chew on.

• Example. It took a while to con-vince Grandpa that his hearing aidhadn’t been stolen by pirates. Butwe never did figure out what to dowith all that jello.

• Example. As this season of Mari-ner miracles comes to a close,there’s just one question on every-one’s mind: Can they do it againnext year?

2. Base your endings on successful models. Look at the kinds of endingsother writers use and try their techniques in your own writing.

• Question. Why didn’t I think itthrough more carefully? When willI ever learn my lesson?

• Description. Dead quiet. Nobodysaid a word. We just listened to thesound of the rain and wondered.

• Remember. If you’re ever in thatsituation again, just remember: It’sthe green wire not the red wire.

• Future. We don’t know when we’llrun out of oil. But we know we’llrun out some day—and soon.

• Feelings. He was laughing so hardI thought he’d fall over. And every-one else was laughing, too.

• Advice. Flu season is right aroundthe corner. So get your shot beforeit gets you.

• Lesson. The guy who said “Slowand steady makes the grade” prob-ably wasn’t working on deadline.

• Do. Take a few minutes at the endof each day and think of all thegood things in your life.

3. Don’t go back, go beyond. Don’t restate your beginning at the end,your reader already read it! Instead, take your reader just a little bit further.

Ending. I felt then as I do today that Imissed something in my father. Hewas a hard man to understand. And aneven harder man to love. But when Ithink about missing the value of a gifthe gave me, I wonder what other giftsI missed. And how valuable they mightbe if I could find them now.

Beginning. My father never had muchmoney but he loved giving gifts. As aboy, I imagined him spending his lastpennies on treasures just for me. As Igrew up, I realized that the joy he tookin gift giving had little to do with sacri-fice. But my sense of him as a gener-ous man never diminished.


What-Why-How TM

2. Use the What-Why-How strategy for expository and persuasivewriting. Essays, essay questions, editorials, research papers, recommenda-tions, anything that requires you to sustain a logical argument.

Driving is becoming aless desirable means ofgetting around.

This is the main idea orthesis. Stating it as a sin-gle complete sentence willhelp your piece stay clearand focused.

It’s expensive. • High gas prices.• Insurance and repairs.• New cars cost big $$$.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHY DO YOU THINK IT? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

It’s dangerous. • More cars on the road.• Drivers on cell phones.• Accidents I’ve had.

It’s bad for the environ-ment.

• Pollutes the air.• Uses natural resources.• More roads to build.

1. Most logical arguments follow a “what-why-how” pattern. It’s allabout what you think, why you think it, and how you know you’re right.

• “What” stands for “What do you think?” This isyour opinion, your main idea, or your thesis in aresearch paper.

• “Why” stands for “Why do you think it?”These are the reasons you think what you think.

• “How” stands for “How do you know?” This isthe set of examples, explanations, and evidencethat make up your support.

What do you think?The Nintendo Wii is the

best new game console.

Why do you think it?It’s more popular than

XBox 360 or PS3.

How do you know?It’s sold more units thanXBox and PS3 combined.

3. Focus on the “How” column and the “Three Es of Strong Support.”Use a combination of examples, explanations, and evidence.

• Examples. A story, anexperience from yourlife or someone else’s.

• Explanations. Addingdetail to a reason. A“why for a why.”

• Evidence. Facts andfigures, statistical data,quotes, artifacts, etc.


Eddie’s parents seem a lit-tle strange. They don’t re-act to their son’s unusualability the way I think nor-mal parents would act.

They speak in clichés. Theysound like people on a car-toon or in a sitcom. Theydon’t seem very smart or re-sponsible.

“Boy’s gotta stretch out, learnwhat he can do,” said his fa-ther. “I just worry that he’llhurt himself, you know,bump into the ceiling or gethis eye poked out by a bird, Idon’t know...,” said his mother.

and

... his father vetoed the idea.“It’s not like anything’s wrongwith him, and I don’t wanthim getting a complex aboutit.”

Eddie had always been able to fly, but it wasn’t until his fifth birthday partythat he realized that it would turn out to be a bit of a social problem. Until thatembarrassing day on the Johnson’s lawn, Eddie’s parents had treated his air-borne peculiarity as something of a childish whim. “Boy’s gotta stretch out,learn what he can do,” said his father. “I just worry that he’ll hurt himself, youknow, bump into the ceiling or get his eye poked out by a bird, I don’t know...,”said his mother. For the young Eddie, flying was just another discovery about hisdeveloping body, like learning that he could reach out his arm and ring the bellon his cradle railing, or finding that he loved the taste of peas. The first time hisparents came into the nursery and found Eddie hovering a foot or two off thefloor it came as a bit of a shock. But, after all, parents are forever discoveringspecial little things about their children. Eddie’s mother thought that perhapsthey should take their son to see a specialist, but his father vetoed the idea. “It’snot like anything’s wrong with him, and I don’t want him getting a complexabout it.”

(Inference) (Reasons) (Evidence from the Text)

Thinking with WWHSupporting an inference from a story

What Why How

Every inference or prediction can be stated using the What-Why-How struc-ture. The “How” column should contain the relevant evidence from the text.


With all the talk about Global Warming, most people think the GreenhouseEffect is something bad that has to be stopped. But it actually has a positive side.Without it, the Earth wouldn’t be warm enough for us to live. Because some ofthe sun’s energy is trapped in the atmosphere, the average temperature is a com-fortable 60 degrees. Without the Greenhouse Effect, the average temperaturewould drop to a chilly three degrees below zero. The problem is that human ac-tivity puts additional carbon dioxide and other so-called “Greenhouse Gases”into the air. These gases trap additional energy and the temperature goes up. Inthe 20th century, the Earth’s temperature rose more than one degree. Thatdoesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough to cause extreme weather, rising sealevels, and the melting of the polar ice cap.

Reading with WWHSifting through a science text

It keeps the Earth warm.

Extra carbon dioxide andother gases cause tempera-tures to rise too high.

The Greenhouse Effectis both positive andnegative.

• Avg temperature is 60 de-grees.• Without the Greenhouse Ef-fect it would be -3.

• One degree in 20th century.• Bad weather.• High sea levels.• Melting polar ice.

What Why How

Every “statement of proof” in math or science can be organized using aWhat-Why-How pattern. In science, the “How” column contains experimen-tal evidence or other data. In math, the “How” column contains a reworking

of the solution by other means or a check of the original calculations.


Cancel that gymnastics class, mom and dad. And think twiceabout those evening karate lessons. Signing your kids up for every-thing under the sun may seem like a smart move. But chances are,little Johnny and Janey are over-scheduled.

In a recent study, researchers at the University of Minnesota ana-lyzed how kids spend their time and discovered that today’s young-sters are significantly busier—as much as 57% busier in some cases—than their parents were at the same age a generation ago.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting kids out of thehouse to burn off energy. It’s also great for kids to try new activitiesand learn new skills. But today’s parents tend to overdo it.

Raising an active and engaged child may seem like good parent-ing. But many parents put too much structure on kids’ activities.And kids miss out on unstructured play as a result. “Play is a key ele-ment in how children learn about themselves and the world,” said Dr.Martin Applebaum, noted child psychologist, in his recent book en-titled The Health of America’s Children.

Play helps children grow intellectually and socially. But kids todayare so busy, many have only a few hours a week to partake of this es-sential activity. More importantly, Applebaum says, “If we don’t re-store some balance to our children’s lives, we may see future increas-es in mental health issues like depression and obsessive-compulsivedisorder.”

There’s no doubt that children benefit from structured activities.But when we fill every hour of their lives with an endless string ofcommitments, we may be taking something from them they’ll neverget back: their childhood.

Reading with WWHAnalyzing a persuasive argument

Read the article all the way through first. Then, identify the main idea orthesis statement for the entire argument. Fill in “why” and “how” details

after that. Some statements won’t have complete support. Is that OK?


TOPIC: Watching TarHeel BasketballSUBTOPICS: 1. Getting the gear; 2. Making the food; 3. Arranging the room;

4. Coaching the team

Making the food.Getting the gear. Kettle corn for me.Seasoned regular pop-corn for Margot.Large glass of Wink forboth of us.Sometimes Margotsets up the cooler.

The sweatshirts.The mascots.The #1 hand.The scowling head.

Idea-DetailsPre-writing an expository essay

Idea Details Idea Details

Coaching the team.Arranging the room. Margot paces aroundthe livingroom.Ursa barks at the TVand rips up a toy.I remain calm in case Ihave to treat an injury.

Chair and couch.Pillows and blankets.Setting up the sound onthe stereo.Setting up the picture onthe TV.


I knew my wife was a UNC Tar Heel fan when I met her.But I had no idea what that meant. I had no idea it meantwearing official sweatshirts—home colors for her, visitor’scolors for me. Or holding tight to two stuffed mascots dur-ing tense moments. Or wagging a “We’re #1!” hand when wemade a great play. Or donning the scowling head of Ramses,the battering ram, even though it makes whoever wears itlook like an idiot.


Idea-DetailsRevising weak writing to make it stronger

My VacationI took a vacation. I got to see some interesting

things. I ate some good food. I had a lot of fun. Ihope I get to go back.

I gI gI gI gI got tot tot tot tot to so so so so seeeeee se se se se some in-ome in-ome in-ome in-ome in-tttttererererereeeeesting tsting tsting tsting tsting thinghinghinghinghingsssss.....

(What kinds of things?Why were they interest-ing? What was the mostinteresting thing?)

I tI tI tI tI tooooook a vok a vok a vok a vok a vacacacacacaaaaation.tion.tion.tion.tion.

(Where did you go?How did you get there?Who went with you?How long did youstay? Why did you gothere?)

The Biltmore Mansionand the Biltmore Es-tate.The winners of the Na-tional GingerbreadBaking Contest.The fanciest Mc-Donald’s I’ve ever seen.The scenery in thewestern part of NorthCarolina.

My wife and I spentthree days in Asheville,North CarolinaIt was about a four-hour drive.We went because mywife had always want-ed to see the famousBiltmore Mansion atChristmas time.


I had a lot fI had a lot fI had a lot fI had a lot fI had a lot fun.un.un.un.un.

(Why was it fun? Whatwas the most fun?)

I aI aI aI aI attttte se se se se some gome gome gome gome gooooooooood fd fd fd fd fooooooooood.d.d.d.d.

(What kind of food?Was it good? Was it ex-pensive? What restau-rants did you go to?)

It was very relaxed.We slept in late andstayed up late, too.Visiting the BiltmoreMansion was very in-teresting.We went to Waynes-ville where I bought alife-sized stuffed BlackLab because it lookedjust like our dog, Ursa.

We stopped for lunchin Winston-Salem at apopular restaurantcalled “Sweet Pota-toes.”We had a tasty vege-tarian lunch in down-town Asheville.We bought sweetsnacks to take back toour hotel.


Adding details when we write is just likeasking questions when we read.


Idea-Details1. Use the Idea-Details strategy for note taking. Most textbooks are or-ganized into short sections of ideas and supporting details:

Plants, algae, and even some bacteria use a process called photosynthesis toconvert sunlight into energy. Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. In the firststage, light-dependent reactions capture the energy of light and use it tomake high-energy carrier molecules called ATP that are used in the secondstage. During the second stage, the light-independent reactions, sometimescalled dark reactions, use the high-energy ATP molecules to capture carbondioxide and create the beginnings of carbohydrates.

Two stages of photosynthesis. 1. Light-dependent reactions uselight to make molecules of ATP forthe second stage.

2. Light-independent or dark reac-tions use ATP molecules to cap-ture carbon dioxide and begin toproduce carbohydrates.

IDEA DETAILS

Even though both armies lost nearly the same number of men, the Uniongained the most from the battle because it kept Lee from invading the Northand kept Britain and France from supporting the South. It also gave Lincolnthe chance to introduce the Emancipation Proclamation.

2. Use the Idea-Details strategy for constructed responses. Here, thewriter is answering the question, “Who won The Battle of Antietam?”

The Union won the Battle of Anti-etam even though both armies lostthe nearly same number of men.

Kept Lee from invading the North.

Kept Britain and France from sup-porting the South.

Gave Lincoln a chance to intro-duce the Emancipation Proclama-tion.

IDEA DETAILS

TM


The Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly to end its 100-day strike against Hollywood producers. The guild did not vote on thecontract negotiated over the weekend, but the lopsided vote suggeststhat it will be approved. (AP in BusinessWeek.com) Los Angeles Devel-opment Corp. economist Jack Kyser said the total cost of the strike toL.A. will top $3 billion. Meanwhile, some experts said the writers’ gainscould be short-lived, as studios use the strike as an excuse to cut bud-gets and shows.

Writer’s Strike Ends

The Writers Guild voted to endit’s strike.

New contract expected to be ap-proved soon.

Cost of strike to exceed $3 billion.

Writers’ gains may be undercut asstudios cut budgets and shows.

Idea Details

SOURCE: THE WEEK

Idea-DetailsA generic strategy for organizing information

Voters in more than 20 American states went to the polls on Super Tues-day to choose their presidential favourites. On the Democratic side, HillaryClinton chalked up solid wins in big states such as California, Massachusetts,New Jersey and New York. Barack Obama, her rival, won more states overalland did well in the South. With most of the Democratic delegates shared outproportionally, the party’s nominating process seemed to be far from over.

After Super Tuesday, the Demo-cratic race is still close.

People in 20 states voted on Su-per Tuesday.Clinton won big states like CA,MA, NJ, and NYObama won more states and didwell in the South

Idea Details

Super Tuesday Results

SOURCE: THE WEEK


Kalamazoo, a medium-sized post-industrial city inMichigan, shares the problems of countless such othersacross America. Its population is shrinking and its pov-erty rate hovers around 30%. But in November 2005 itreceived good news: in an effort to revitalise the city,anonymous donors would pay the college tuition fees ofevery graduate from Kalamazoo’s public schools.

The so-called “Kalamazoo Promise” made nationalheadlines, a change for a city used to insisting that itsname isn’t a joke. Some 80 towns and districts have con-tacted Kalamazoo to learn about the promise—and afew have even copied it.

The program’s central premise is that investing inhuman capital helps to ensure a town’s economic future.The offer of free education, Kalamazoo enthusiastshope, will retain middle-class residents and attract newones, tighten the housing market and help the city tolure businesses that are keen to take advantage of a newskilled workforce. This attention to the labour supply,says Tim Bartik, an economist at Kalamazoo’s UpjohnInstitute, is a markedly different approach from themore usual one of tax incentives.

Reading with Idea-DetailsReducing and restructuring generic information

SOURCE: THE ECONOMIST


Principle #2: The topic is narrow and manageableMost research has a very narrow focus. There aren’t many people writing com-prehensive histories of Europe or complete biographies of famous people. Thereason for this is the time involved. It takes years, even decades, to write the his-tory of an entire country or the biography of a famous person. And most schoolkids don’t have that kind of time on their hands. Finding an appropriately narrowtopic takes a bit of work. It might even take several days. But this is time wellspent because if you settle on a topic that is too broad, it is likely that your re-search will take too long, and that your writing will be of poor quality.

The Six Principles of ResearchGuidelines for better reports and projects

Principle #1: The researcher is an expert in the fieldWe don’t ask dentists to research industrial manufacturing methods, we don’t askaccountants to study the human genome, and we don’t ask graphic artists fortheir analysis of the economy. Researchers research the things they know best.You may not feel like a true expert in anything. But you do have specific knowl-edge in many areas: things you like, things you do for fun, things you are interest-ed in, etc. Your home and family situations may also be helpful. When doing re-search in school, you don’t have to be the best expert in the world, you just haveto know more about something than your audience does.

Principle #3: The research answers specific questionsThe best research answers very specific questions, sometimes only one. Howdoes a drug inhibit the spread of cancer? How can a company reduce the cost of aproduct? What were the causes of The Great Depression? How do I create teach-ing materials that help kids remember what they learn? How do I build an interac-tive website? Etc. We may even come up with questions that lead the research in aslightly different direction. That’s just fine. In fact, the very best questioningsometimes redefines the research project entirely. Answering specific questions isthe goal of all research. So principle #3 is the most important principle to follow.


Principle #4: The audience is well definedResearch wouldn’t be done if someone wasn’t interested in it. Knowing who thatsomeone is, and the nature of their interest, helps researchers focus their effortson the right questions and the best presentation of the answers. In most cases,you’ll be doing your research for your peers. But you may come up with differentaudiences like your family or other people in your community.

The Six Principles of ResearchGuidelines for better reports and projects

Principle #6: Presentation matches purposeTo reach their audience most effectively, researchers use a variety of methods topresent their results. Sometimes results are written in papers. But often they arepresented in some kind of talk with handouts, slides, or other props. Sometimesresearchers express their results in working models. It’s appropriate to present re-search in written form when we need to reach people who cannot hear us speakor who may need to use our written word as evidence to support their own re-search. We may reach our audience more effectively, however, if we make an oralpresentation. If we intend our research to prove a particular point, or solve a tan-gible problem, we may want to present a model of some kind. Presenting our re-search on the Internet is a great way to reach larger audiences and to display ourresults in an interactive format. How you decide to present your results will influ-ence the information you gather and the way you organize it for your audience.

Principle #5: Neither author nor audience knows the resultResearchers don’t research questions they already know the answers to. Nor dothey research things their audience already knows. If you presented somethingyou already knew, no research would be involved. If the information you present-ed was already known to your audience, there would be no need to present it.This just means that you may need to do a little research on your audience beforeyou get too far into researching your topic. Ask people what they know alreadyabout your topic and what they would like to know next.


Topic Equations

2. Interest + Subject = Topic. Use the Topic Equations chart to connectyour interests to the subject you are studying.

1. Identify different areas of interest. Use the Like-Fun-Care About-Inter-ested In chart to make lists.

TM

THINGS YOU LIKE THINGS YOU DO FOR FUN

THINGS YOU CARE ABOUT THINGS YOU’RE INTERESTED IN

• Money• Clothes• Pizza

• Music• Movies• Video Games

• Baseball• The Mall• Internet

• Shopping• Party• Watch TV

• Family• Friends• My Dog

• My Community• People being treated fairly

• Computers• Cars• Math

• College• Getting a part-time job

Baseball Civil WarSports during the period;baseball as a popular pas-time during the war.

INTEREST SUBJECT TOPIC

Money Civil WarStandard of living; purchas-ing power of families; typesof money; taxes.

Part-Time Job Civil WarEmployment rates; job op-portunities for young peo-ple; wages; careers.

College Civil WarCollege opportunities; ad-missions process; costs;fields of study; trades.

Music Civil WarPopular music of the peri-od; famous performers;music as a business.


A Swarm of PaparazziCelebrities have long been hounded by photographers, but in the age of Britney, Lindsay, and Paris,

the hunt has escalated into blood sport. Why have the paparazzi become so aggressive?

Why are some photographers called paparazzi?The term has its origins in the 1960 Fellini film La DolceVita, which featured an unsavory photographer named Pa-parazzo—a dialect word for an irksome, buzzing mosquito.For decades, a few dozen paparazzi have made a livingswarming around A-list hotspots in Los Angeles, NewYork, and London, waiting for a big star to show up. Theythen sell their photos—the more candid and embarrassing,the better—to supermarket tabloids, celebrity magazines,and photo agencies. But as the market for celebrity photoshas exploded over the past decade, a more aggressive sub-set, known as “stalkerazzi,” has evolved. They hunt the fa-mous wherever they go, by foot, by car, and even by heli-copter. After Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in1997 while being chased by paparazzi, there were calls fornew laws to bar such pursuits. But the outcry faded, andsince then, the paparazzi have gotten even more aggressive.

What tactics do they use?Paparazzi work a lot like private detectives, developing anetwork of informants, and plotting out the day-to-daymovements of their quarry. One paparazzo posed as a rela-tive of Michael Douglas to gain access to the hospital atwhich his son was born. Another camped out near JenniferAniston’s home and used a telephoto lens to shoot picturesthrough her window, capturing a topless shot. Now thattheir aggressive tactics have gotten them barred from theclubs and restaurants that the rich and famous frequent,paparazzi have been known to set off fire alarms to force anevacuation to the street, where they can photograph theirtargets. Paparazzi also have taken to pursuing celebrities incars, whether they’re having a night out on the town orheaded to the supermarket.

How common are such chases?In the last few years, there have been dozens of incidents.Lindsay Lohan suffered cuts and bruises when a paparazzocrashed into her car after she made a sudden U-turn. Scar-lett Johansson sideswiped another car while fleeing swarmsof paparazzi who had chased her for an hour. A paparazzointentionally bumped into Catherine Zeta-Jones to forceher out of her vehicle. Just last month, four paparazzi werearrested and charged with reckless driving while chasingBritney Spears.

Why is the paparazzi corps growing?It’s a simple matter of supply and demand. Celebrity-ori-ented magazines such as People and Us Weekly are morepopular than ever, while newer gossip Web sites such asTMZ.com are drawing millions of users. These gossip-hun-gry publications get larger audiences when they can deliver,

say, a photo of a drunken Lohan or the first picture show-ing Angelina Jolie looking pregnant. As a result, paparazzican charge more for such photos, and the promise of richeshas attracted more people to the field. Ten years ago, therewere a handful of celebrity photo agencies in L.A. andabout 25 paparazzi trolling the streets. Today, there areabout 200 paparazzi in L.A. and dozens more in New York.

How much do they charge?A garden-variety picture of Jerry Seinfeld sipping a latte atStarbucks may sell for a few hundred dollars. But a world-wide exclusive of a huge star in the right circumstances canyield tens of thousands of dollars or more. A shot of Lohanpassed out in her car after leaving a bar went for $100,000.Paris Hilton’s 2006 arrest (in handcuffs) sold for $150,000.Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s first kiss captured on filmwent for $300,000. Britney Spears images are now in suchdemand that she has fueled an entire cottage industry.

Is there anything wrong with all this?Aside from the obvious moral issues, there is a legitimatepublic-safety concern. As paparazzi chases through thestreets of Los Angeles become more common, police sayboth the pursuers and pursued tend to ignore speed limitsand other traffic laws—risking not only their own lives butalso those of innocent bystanders. Citing safety, Hollywoodactors are lobbying for laws barring paparazzi from follow-ing them around. But paparazzi say the safety issue is asmokescreen, and that celebrities simply resent that otherpeople get to make money off their images. “They say it’ssafety, but the real reason is they want to have control,” saysRandy Bauer, who owns a celebrity photo agency in L.A.“They figure if they are going to have their face out there,they want a piece of the action.”

Shouldn’t stars control their own images?The courts have repeatedly held that public figures have avery limited right to privacy. So once celebrities venture outinto public, free-press guarantees make it perfectly legal forphotographers to take their picture. “If you’re getting paid$20 million a movie,” says Us Weekly editor in chief JaniceMin, “you have to accept the fact that you’re a public com-modity.” Still, it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for celeb-rities who cannot pick up their kids at school, or run outfor a quart of milk in their sweatpants, without beingswarmed by paparazzi shouting insults and hunting for theleast flattering image. “They want incendiary reactions,”says publicist Michael Levine, who has represented DemiMoore and other stars. “Why be a real journalist when youcan call Alec Baldwin a moron and get a good photo of himsmashing your head? SOURCE: THE WEEK


The Five Facts of FictionPutting the story into history

Points of Fact

• Kids spend more time studying fiction than they dostudying any other single thing in the curriculum.

• Kids study fiction every year they’re in school.

• Kids watch incredible amounts of fictionalized televisionand movies.

• We do almost nothing in school to leverage this knowl-edge and experience across the curriculum.

Questions of Fiction

What’s the difference between fact and fiction?

How do we know a made-up story about someone isn’t true?

How do we know a true story about someone isn’t made up?

As a reader, how is following a character in a storydifferent from following a person in a biography?

As a writer, how is describing the life story of a fictional characterdifferent from describing the life story of a person from history?


The Five Facts of FictionTM

4. Fiction is all about how characters change. How did Lincoln change?

Lincoln changed in his attitude toward slavery. Early in his life, he seemed will-ing to accept the idea of slavery existing in the Southern states. But by themiddle of the war, he came to regard ending slavery as not only an importantpolitical act, but as an important moral act as well.

3. Fiction is all about how characters get or don’t get what they want.Did Lincoln get what he wanted?

Yes and no. The North won the Civil War and brought the South back into theUnion by force. Lincoln oversaw the passage of the 13th Amendment to theConstitution outlawing slavery. But he was assassinated by John Wilkes Boothearly in his second term and so he did not get to oversee the important, andin many ways flawed, administration of Reconstruction as the country at-tempted to put itself back together.

2. Fiction is all about what characters want. What did Lincoln want inhis life more than anything else?

Lincoln wanted to rise in politics as far as he could. But once he became presi-dent, his personal goals gave way to his obligation to a war-torn country.When the Civil War broke out at the beginning of his presidency, he wanted tohold the country together. Later on, he added to this goal the ideal of endingslavery.

1. Fiction is all about characters. In biography, we focus on one person.Here, we’ll look at Abraham Lincoln as though he was a character in a novel.

Lincoln was hard working and practical. He persevered through failure in hiscareer and tragedy in his family. Though he achieved many things, he neverseemed happy. He may have suffered from depression. But that didn’t stophim from being one of our greatest presidents.

5. Fiction is all about a world an author creates. What kind of a worlddid Lincoln live in?

Lincoln lived through the most turbulent time in our nation’s history. It was aworld where people who shared many common values and circumstancesbecame bitterly divided over an issue that had festered for almost 200 years.

© Copyright 1995-2005 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. This document may be copied and distributed as long as all of the following conditions are met: (1) It is reproduced in its entiretyincluding this notice; (2) It is used for non-commercial purposes only; (3) It is not modified in any way other than reduction, enlargement, or binding. For more, visit www.ttms.org. 187

www.ttms.orgTeaching That Makes Sense

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The best way to teach is the way that makes sensefor you, your kids, and your community.

Training That Makes SenseIf You’re Looking for Something Different (and Better), You’ve Come to the Right Place!

In-Service WorkshopsNobody needs to spend another day sitting in a badchair listening to ivy-covered theorists and arrogantpolicy wonks who’ve never spent a day in a classroom.Or motivational speakers whose prime motivation is totell you how cool they are and how you can be just likethem if you’ll only buy their book or change your atti-tude. We’re different. We promise. We get people firedup. We know how to make school easier for teachersand better for kids. We know what works; we knowwhat matters; we know when to shut up and go home.

Model TeachingYou can’t trust anyone who doesn’t have chalk on theirhands. Teaching doesn’t happen in workshops; it hap-pens in classrooms. And that’s where we like to be. Wewalk our talk. And we’ll be happy to walk into yourroom so you can see the strategies we talk about firsthand with your own students. And we’re not talkingabout well-rehearsed, pre-scripted lessons with onlythe “good” kids in attendance. We’ll teach any class,any subject, any grade, any time. And we’ll stickaround to talk with you about it after we’re done.

Leadership CoachingEver tried to lose weight? Quit smoking? Give up yourfavorite TV show because they moved it to the nightyou have your bowling league? Change is hard. Andchange in our schools is even harder. That’s why wethink no one should go it alone. If you’re struggling tolead people who don’t want to go anywhere, if you’restriving for results but ruining relationships, if you’restuck between what you know is right and a systemthat sometimes seems wrong, we can help you get theclarity and confidence you need to move forward.

Follow-Up SupportTraining without follow-up is like buying a plane tick-et and skipping the flight: you make plans, block time,and spend money, but don’t go anywhere. Most train-ing produces no result. Why? Because most peopledon’t feel comfortable checking in with their col-leagues to see who’s using new ideas. We do. We sendmaterials. We keep you up to date on the best resourc-es. We connect you with other professionals. We answeryour e-mails and return your calls. And we do it forfree so you never have to worry about your budget.

For more information, contact us at [email protected]





The best way to teach is the way that makes sensefor you, your kids, and your community.

Model TeachingDemonstrating the Practices We Use in Your Classrooms with Your Students

Seeing is BelievingMost new techniques don’t work very well. And eventhe best ideas can be hard to implement when the onlyexposure we get to them is a few minutes in a work-shop. To know that something new is worth trying, youhave to know that it works. And that means seeing itwork in your own classroom with your own kids.

Any Class, Any Grade, Any SubjectWe love to teach. So invite us into your room to seehow we do it. We’ll work with kids of all abilities in allgrade levels and subject areas. In many cases, we caneven step into your current plans and help you withspecific lessons. Just tell us what you’d like to see andwe’ll do our best to demonstrate it for you.

Observe and DebriefYou’re welcome to bring in as many observers as youlike. And after you’re seen the demonstration, we’ll behappy to meet privately with you to answer any ques-tions you may have about what we did and why we didit. Bring in your entire grade level team or department.Ask administrators and parents to join the discussion.

SchedulingDepending on your schedule, we can usually see asmany as six classes a day. Ideally, we like to have atleast 45 minutes to teach and 10-15 minutes betweenclasses so that we can make notes about what hap-pened or answer quick questions from observers. For-mal debriefing sessions typically last 20-30 minutes.

Class SizeWhile we typically work with 20-30 students at a time,we are happy to accommodate larger groups. We caneven take double-size classes if students can crowdcomfortably into the room and still have space towork. If doubling up will allow more teachers to ob-serve, we’re happy to make the necessary adjustments.

VideotapingYou are welcome to videotape any of our model teach-ing sessions. In fact, we encourage it. If you like, wecan even sit down with you to review the tape after thefact. The combination of workshop training, class-room observation, and videotape review is a great wayto support teachers who are implementing new ideas.





Description of ServicesTeaching That Makes Sense offers a wide variety of services to meet the needs of education-related organi-zations large and small, assisting schools and their teachers, students and their parents, and business andcommunity members as well. We focus on practical solutions to common problems delivered with uncom-promising value.

Professional Development WorkshopsWe offer professional development workshops specializing in reading, writing, math, as-sessment, and test preparation for teachers for both in-service and pre-service teachers atgrades K-12. The content of our workshops focuses on research-based best practice tech-niques and proven practical strategies that can be implemented effectively with a mini-mum of preparation or materials.

Model Teaching in ClassroomsFor most people, the best way to learn about new teaching techniques is to watch someoneuse them in their own classroom with their own kids. We are excited to work in any class-room at any grade level and in any subject area to demonstrate the strategies and tech-niques we present in our workshops.

Test PreparationWe have specific tools and techniques that can be used to improve student performance onhigh stakes testing. Test preparation typically involves a combination of professional devel-opment workshops and a specific course of classroom visits where we take students througha multi-day program of test taking strategies.

Curriculum DevelopmentWe are happy to assist you in the development of high quality standards-based curriculum.We can create original materials for you or, in many cases, simply supply you with curric-ulum we have already created.

Program EvaluationIn the face of increased accountability and pressure for results, every school faces toughdecisions when it comes to evaluating the success of existing programs and the potential ofnew adoptions. Let us help you with responsible recommendations and independent in-sights that will guide you toward increased student achievement and fiscal efficiency.



Services, cont.Administrative CoachingWhenever change is called for, leadership is required. The leader’s role is to guide otherstoward the goal. But who guides the leader? Leaders need support, too, just like everyoneelse. We provide effective individualized and small group coaching for successful organiza-tional change.

Technology Planning and ImplementationWe offer a complete array of enterprise and desktop technology services including softwaredevelopment, website design, database systems, content management, and Internet host-ing. We pride ourselves on a responsible and cost-effective approach tailored to the uniquetechnological needs of educational organizations.

Summer InstitutesFor schools and districts seeking a comprehensive approach to professional developmenttraining, we offer Teaching That Makes Sense Summer Professional Development Insti-tutes. These 1-4 week institutes provide teachers with a variety of workshop offerings tai-lored specifically to their needs at an affordable per participant price.

Parent EducationWe have a short program of workshops for parents in the areas of reading, writing, math,and assessment. The goal of these offerings is to promote better understanding betweenparents and teachers, and to help parents support their children more effectively at home.

Our StandardsIt seems there are standards for everything in education today, so we thought we’d share ours with you, too.

• Quality: We use the best models and strategies. We always do good work and constantly seek to dobetter. We are thorough; we know that how we do one thing is how we do everything; we attend tothe little details that make a big difference.

• Professionalism: We are well studied and well practiced; we know what we’re doing and won’ttake on projects outside of our areas of expertise. We provide consistent and reliable performanceon demand regardless of the situation or external circumstances.

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