Composing Expository WritingDay 1

Prompt: Everyone has a favorite holiday. Think about the holiday you enjoy more than any other one. Tell what your favorite holiday is and explain why.

Christmas

Christmas plays

helping needy people

cold weather

•Teacher models focusing on prompt.

•Teacher brainstorms reasons for this choice.

•Students complete their own Circle Maps.

family gatherings

Christmas decorations

delicious food

trees andtinsel

Composing Expository WritingDay 1

Just the sound of “Jingle Bells triggers happy thoughts in my head! Christmas has to be my favorite holiday. There are several reasons why this is true—relatives visit from far away places, we eat lots of food, and I receive presents.

family

gatherings

delicious food

numerous

presents

•Teacher models selecting three best reasons from the Circle Map and placing on the Flow Map.•Students select three best reasons from their Circle Maps and place on their Flow Maps.•Teacher models opening paragraph.•Students write their opening paragraphs.

Composing in Expository WritingDay 1

Just the sound of “Jingle Bells” triggers happy thoughts in my head! Christmas has to be my favorite holiday. There are several reasons why this is true—relatives visit from far away places, we eat lots of food, and I receive presents.

familygatherings

delicious food

numerouspresents

•Teacher models adding at least 2 details for each reason (explanations and examples).

•Students add at least 2 details to their Flow Maps.

relatives fromfar away places—Pennsylvania

grandparents,cousins, and uncles visitwith us

lots andlots of food

aromas from turkey,dressing, green beans,red velvet cake

piled high under Christmastree

bike, cd’s, tennisshoes, cd player,books

Composing in Expository WritingDay 2

Just the sound of “Jingle Bells” triggers happy thoughts in my head!! Christmas has to be my favorite holiday. There are several reasons why this is true—relatives visit from far away places, we eat lots of food, and I receive presents.

family gatherings

delicious

foodnumerous presents

FurthermoreThe most significant

Christmas is indeed the best holiday of the year. Family gatherings, delicious food, and numerous presents put a smile on everyone’s face. What a meaningful time of year for young and old alike.

•Teacher models “think aloud”.

•Students do “think alouds”.

•Teacher adds transition words/ phrases.•Students add transition words/ phrases.

•Teacher models closing paragraph.

•Students add closing paragraphs.

•Students work in pairs to orally rehearse their essays using their Flow Maps.

My initial reason

relatives from

far away places—Pennsylvania

grandparents,cousins, and uncles visitwith us

lots andlots of food

aromas from turkey,dressing, greenbeans,red velvet cake

piled high under Christmastree

bike, cd’s, tennisshoes, cd player,books

Composing Expository WritingDay 3 - Taking it off the map

Just the sound of “Jingle Bells” triggers happy thoughts in my head! Christmas has to be my favorite holiday. There are several reasons why this is true—relatives visit from far away places, we eat lots of food, and I receive presents.

family gatherings

numerous presents

Christmas is indeed the best holiday of the year. Family gatherings, delicious food, and numerous presents put a smile on everyone’s face. What a meaningful time of year for young and old alike!

•Teacher models circling each part of the map in a different color.

•Students circle each part of their maps in a different color.

My initial reason Furthermore

delicious food

The most significant

relatives fromfar away places—Pennsylvania

grandparents,cousins, and uncles visitwith us

lots andlots of food

aromas from turkey,dressing, greenbeans,red velvet cake

piled high under Christmastree

bike, cd’s,tennis shoes, cd player,books

My initial reason is that Christmas is the one holiday of the year when my relatives gather for special moments together. Relatives from far-away places, like Pennsylvania, come to our house for the Christmas celebration. Last year, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins visited for three days, and we enjoyed our fun times and discussions together.

Furthermore, Christmas is a time for filling our stomachs with delicious foods. Food at Christmas is not regular food; no, it seems to be so special, like the hands of my mother were given a new talent on that day. The smells from roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, green beans, and red velvet cake reach out and pull us into the kitchen. My mouth waters at the thought!

The most significant reason why I love Christmas is because of the presents people receive at this memorable time of year. I mean every year the gifts are piled high under our tree, and everyone gets excited. I never know whether I will receive a book, tennis shoes, cd’s, a cd player, or a bike. I also like to give gifts as much as I enjoy receiving them.

Christmas is indeed the best holiday of the year. Family gatherings, delicious food, and presents put a smile on everyone’s face. What a meaningful time of year for young and old alike.

Just the sound of “Jingle Bells” triggers happy thoughts in my head!Christmas has to be my favorite holiday. There are several reasons why this is true—relatives visit from far away places, we eat lots of food, and I receive presents.