Subjects: Writing # of scales 1
Grade(s) Not specified # Scale length 5
Expository writing is meant to inform first--but often to entertain as well. The skillful expository writer draws on information form his or her own experience, and from other sources, too--books, films, interviews, etc.--integrating, synthesizing and making connections that might not be apparent to everyone, and then reshaping the whole to give it meaning and relevance for a particular audience. Thus, an expository essay on the life of the sea slug written for curious first graders will be transformed totally when reworked into an essay for experienced marine biologists. From the most successful expository writing, the reader learns something new and has no trouble paying attention. Basic information (the who, what, when, where, why or how of the subject) is enlivened by fitting examples or anecdotes. The writer shows enough knowledge of the topic to choose information in an order that makes it both knowledgeable and confident encourages a kind of trust on the part of the reader, who feels in good hands taking the writer's word of how things are.
3 Solid and trustworthy, but general. Misses the nuances.Competently presented. Leaves reader hungry for juicy tidbits. Not fully sifted--some sand with the pearls. Leaves some questions for another day.Hits the high points. Development sparing to modest.Overview.Matter-of-fact.Doesn't dig. Ground level perspective. Functionally informative.Clear, but simple. Reaffirms what reader know/suspected. Garden-variety information.Answers basic questions.