Developing expository essay

1. EXPOSITORY ESSAY
PROCESS
PRE WRITING STAGES

2. The essay process
 Choosing a topic and narrowing it down.
 Generating ideas
 Organizing ideas into a plan / outline
 Writing the first draft
 Getting feedback from a peer or the instructor
 Revising and editing the draft
 Writing the final draft
PRE-WRITING
STAGES

3. Example
“eating habits”
“changes in eating habits”
“the trend of eating healthy food”
“organic food”
“organic food industry”
“two problems of organic food industry in Turkey”
Stage 1: norrowing down a topic

4.  Brainstorming
 Freewriting
 Clustering (Mindmapping)
 Journalist’s Questions
What / Where /Who /Why /When /How
Stage 2: Generating Ideas

5. Writing the Thesis Statement
 The thesis statement should be expressed in a complete
sentence.
 The idea in the thesis statement should not be too narrow or
too broad.
 The thesis statement should express an opinion, answer,
attitude, or an idea; it should not simply announce the topic.
 The thesis statement should not be factual; it should not
express a fact. It should be a statement that someone could
disagree with. Therefore, it is a statement that needs to be
explained or supported.
 A thesis statement should express only one idea toward one
topic; if it contains two or more ideas, the essay runs the risk of
lacking unity and coherence.
Stage 3: Outline

6. Body I:
Topic Sentence: One of the most beneficial TV programs for children is documentaries.
A. (major 1) Documentaries on National Geographic
a. (minor 1) teaches appreciation of life
b. (minor 2) promotes the importance of conservation of the planet.
B. (major 2) Documentaries on History Channel
a. (minor 1) teaches history in an appealing way
b. (minor 2) introduces civilizations that are not in the curriculum
Body II:
Topic Sentence: In addition to documentaries, children's programs have a positive influence
on children’s development.
A. (major 1) prepare preschool kids to school
a. (minor 1) teach alphabet, colors, animals
b. (minor 2) raise social awareness praising friendship and sharing
B. (major 2) encourage creativity
a. (minor 1) encourage painting
b. (minor 2) promote musical intelligence
Thesis Statement:
The two main types of TV programs that are beneficial for children are documentaries
and history channels because they bring positive influence on children’s development.
Stage 3Sample Outline for an Expository Essay

7. IMPORTANT REMINDER
 Keep in mind that an outline should be
prepared BEFORE writing the first draft,
because it is a skeleton that helps one in the
writing process. It is like a detailed plan one
makes before writing the essay.
Stage 3: Outline

8. Principles of an Effective Outline: Parallelism
Body I:
A. Topic Sentence: One of the most beneficial TV
programs for children is documentaries
1. (major 1) Documentaries on National Geographic
a. (minor 1) teaches appreciation of life
b. (minor 2) promotes the importance of
conservation of the planet.
2. (major 2) Documentaries on History Channel
a. (minor 1) teaches history in an appealing
way
b. (minor 2) introduces civilizations that are
not in the curriculum
Stage 3: Outline

9. Principles of an Effective Outline: Coordination
Body I:
A. Topic Sentence: One of the most beneficial TV
programs for children is documentaries
1. (major 1) Documentaries on National Geographic
a. (minor 1) teaches appreciation of life
b. (minor 2) promotes the importance of
conservation of the planet.
2. (major 2) Documentaries on History Channel
a. (minor 1) teaches history in an appealing
way
b. (minor 2) introduces civilizations that are
not in the curriculum
Stage 3: Outline

10. Principles of an Effective Outline: Subordination
A. Topic Sentence: One of the most beneficial TV
programs for children is documentaries
1. (major 1) Documentaries on National
Geographic
a. (minor 1) teaches appreciation of life
b. (minor 2) promotes the importance of
conservation of the planet.
2. (major 2) Documentaries on History Channel
a. (minor 1) teaches history in an
appealing way
b. (minor 2) introduces civilizations that are
not in the curriculum
B. Topic Sentence: Children’s programs have a
positive influence on children’s development.
Stage 3: Outline

11. Principles of an Effective Outline: Division
A. Topic Sentence: One of the most beneficial TV
programs for children is documentaries
1. (major 1) Documentaries on National
Geographic
a. (minor 1) teaches appreciation of life
b. (minor 2) promotes the importance of
conservation of the planet.
2. (major 2) Documentaries on History Channel
a. (minor 1) teaches history in an
appealing way
b. (minor 2) introduces civilizations that are
not in the curriculum
B. Topic Sentence: Children’s programs have a
positive influence on children’s development.
Stage 3: Outline