Common Core Standards
Grade 7
Writing W.7.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
As students should know, there's more to writing than just persuasive essays. In fact, most of the stuff we read every day isn't persuasive but explanatory. But what makes a good informative/explanatory essay? According to the Common Core, these are the things it should have:
1. A clear and organized writing style. One thing that's different from sixth grade is that an essay's introduction explicitly needs to highlight some of the points the essay will be talking about.
2. An adequate amount of things (but not too many!) to back up the essay's main points. Examples are like chocolate—one piece is just sad, three to five makes for a great time, and anything more than that leads to diabetes.
3. Words such as "but," "therefore," and "similarly" to smooth things along. We'd rather not have to deal with any potholes during a road trip through an explanatory essay.
4. The right vocabulary for the job. Trying to apply biology-related words to physics is like trying to screw in a lightbulb using power tools.
5. Formal language. Slang is the Wild West of the English language, and if anywhere during that road trip students are tempted to stop in the Wild West for too long, make them move along.
6. Some final conclusion thing that really hammers home the point of the whole essay.
And that's it. Not too hard for the students, right?
Standard Components
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.A
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.B
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.C
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.D
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.E
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.F
Example 1
Here's a lesson to use when students are reading, well, anything!
Have students follow the process of creating a five paragraph essay based on the overall themes and ideas they found present in their readings.
Aligned Resources
- Teaching A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Follow the Thread
- Teaching A Wrinkle in Time: Famous Kids Traveling in Threes (or Fours)
- Teaching A Little Princess: Follow the Leader
- Teaching Maniac Magee: Pizza Problems—Too Many to Count
- Teaching Moon Over Manifest: Sliding Through History
- Teaching The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963: Let's Do the Time Warp
- Teaching Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Integration In Our Nation
- Teaching Out of the Dust: Art Imitates Life
- Teaching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Only in Dreams
- Teaching When You Reach Me: Mysteries of Science
- Teaching Flowers for Algernon: The Final Report
- Teaching Hatchet: Biology 101
- Teaching A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Nickeled & Dimed
- Teaching A Wrinkle in Time: Right Brain Versus Left Brain
- Teaching Number the Stars: Friends, Danes, Countrymen…
- Teaching Bridge to Terabithia: Building Bridges
- Teaching The Fault in Our Stars: The Sword of Damocles
- Teaching The Fault in Our Stars: SomeThemes Going on Here
- Teaching Monster: Who Am I?
- Teaching Freak the Mighty: Becoming Freak
- Teaching Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: T.J.'s Downward Spiral
- Teaching The View from Saturday: Getting To Know a Turtle (Almost)
- Teaching The Westing Game: A Puzzle Mystery: Share the Wealth: Pair with an Heir
- Teaching Ella Enchanted: Orphan vs. Orphan
- Teaching A Little Princess: What Happens to Them?
- Teaching The Cay: If the Setting Could Talk
- Teaching Hatchet: What's The Big Deal in Hatchet?: Determining the Climax
- Teaching The View from Saturday: Too Many Narrators? What's Your Point of View?
- Teaching The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963: The Byron Files
- Teaching Where the Red Fern Grows: The 411 on Billy's Way of Life
- Teaching A Wrinkle in Time: The Quotable Mrs. Who
- Online Community, Culture, and Citizenship: The Ties That Bind: How To Be A Good Online Citizen
- Online Community, Culture, and Citizenship: E-Organizing for A Better World: Internet Activism
- Internet Privacy and Security: Keeping It Real (Secret): Creating Strong Passwords and Avoiding Tricks
- Teaching Moon Over Manifest: HistoryBusters