Writing Workshop Minilesson: Expository Writing part 1

Types of Writing

There are six primary genres in writing:

·         Narrative

·         Informative

·         Explanatory

·         Persuasive

·         Argumentative

·         Poetic

Narrative writing tells a story. It has characters, setting, and conflict. It can be fiction or nonfiction. Prose or poetry. Some types would be novels, novellas, short stories, autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, personal narratives, literary nonfiction, and narrative poems.

Informative writing gives information. Newspaper articles, textbooks, encyclopedias, and food labels are types of educational writing

Explanatory writing explains a process or how to do something. Recipes, instructions, and directions are examples of explanatory writing.

Persuasive writing tries to make someone do something or feel a certain way. Commercials, some political speeches, call to action writing are just some examples of persuasive writing.

Argumentative writing makes a claim and argues that claim. Arguments are one side of an issue even if the counter argument is present in the piece of text. Debates, letters to the editor, and editorials are examples of argumentative text.

Poetic writing is any writing that isn’t prose or narrative writing. Song lyrics, ballads, sonnets, and haikus are examples of poetic writing.

This school year, you will write all of the types of writing. I will go over each of these types of writing in more detail later on in mini-lessons. You will read different texts from each of the different genres.

Expository Writing is informative writing. Expository exposes information to the reader. Expository/informative writing include writing the research paper and writing friendly letters.

The following steps will help you write in the expository mode:

·         State your main idea.

·         Develop your main idea by listing essential facts in order.

·         Direct your writing to a particular audience.

Writing Functional Texts

You may need to do business writing to request information or complain about a product or service. You will write letters giving information about yourself.

Criteria: Standards for Business Writing

Successful business writing should

·         Be courteous.

·         Use language that is appropriate for its audience.

·         State the purpose clearly in the opening sentences of the paragraph.

·         Have a formal tone and not contain slang or sentence fragments.

·         Use precise words.

·         Present only essential information.

·         Present details in a logical order.

·         Conclude with a summary of important points.

When writing any functional text, think about and use these ideas in your writing.