INTRODUCTION (2 - 50 minute classes)

TEACHERS NOTES

1. Show the title of the text: The Bionic Ear: How Sound Travels. (See post titled: The Bionic Ear). Make sure to cover the rest of the article on an overhead.

2. Encourage students to predict what the article will be about, and predict what form of writing they may be about to read is.

3. Good place to develop the first characteristic of explanatory writing (TITLE).

4. Ask students to brainstorm some ideas they have about how sound travels from their background knowledge and knowledge from science class.

5. Show the rest of the article. Ask students to scan the article and predict the content based on the features of the text, specialized vocabulary, illustrations, and introductory information.

6. Reread the introductory paragraph with the class. Work with them to point out the main idea of the text and which sentence in the introductory paragraph gives you this information. Use read, pause, think, and ask questions about the text to help readers find this information.

7. Provide students with focus questions, such as the following:
A-What are the main ideas?
B-How has the writer organized them?
C-How does the writer support the main idea?
D-What is the writers view point?
E-Is this a useful source of information?

8. When doing the above with the class, use markers to highlight these important sections on the overhead.

9. Continue creating a big chart that outlines the characteristics of explanatory text. (See post titled: Chracteristics of Explanatory Text).

10. Handout the Explanatory Writing Checklist and a copy of the text to students. (See post titled: Explanatory Text Checklist).

11. Have students work in groups of two (or three).

12. Have students highlight the main idea.

13. Next have students use the checklist to locate proof of each characteristic if it exists. They can highlight, underline or use the text to write on to prove that each of the characteristics is there or not.

The Bionic Ear: How Sound Travels

Checklist for Explanatory Writing

Explanatory Text Rubric

Tips for Reading Explanatory Text

The Heart

How Planes Fly

How Do We Get Bread?

HOW DO WE GET BREAD?


Bread ranks as the world’s most widely eaten food. We know that bread is a staple of our diet, but do we know how many workers play a role in its production?

Wheat is the most common grain used to make bread. It covers more of the Earth’s surface than any other crop. To grow wheat, farmers must have seed, which is bought from a grain store merchant.

To plant the wheat, farmer break up the soil with a machine called a spring tooth harrow. A tractor drawn machine called a drill then furrows into the soil to plant the seeds.

Following the harvest, truck drivers carry the grain to storage towers called silos, where it is graded by wheat merchants before sending it on to the mill.

When the crop is ready to harvest, usually thirty to sixty days later, a combine harvester is used to cut the stalks and separate the kernels from the rest of the plant.

At the mill, millers grind the wheat through computer operated metal rollers to make a powdery substance called flour. The flour is then bagged and sold to warehouses.

How are Mummies Made?

HOW ARE MUMMIES MADE?

The Egyptians believe that there is life after death and they think you need your body to go to this after life. So they mummify the body.

Firstly the body is placed on a table and the embalmer cuts a slit in either side of the body. This is to take out the internal organs such as the stomach, liver intestines and brain which are removed by a large steel hook through the nose. These are removed because they hold moisture which causes rotting. The heart is left in because the Egyptians think it controls the body.

Once the body is empty linen is put in to cover the inside of the body to suck up all of the remaining moisture. Now they cover the body with salt called natron and leave it for forty days to dry. Next, the linen is removed and the body is filled with sand, sawdust and spice, so the body will keep its shape.

Now the wrapping starts which requires up to 140m of linen. First, the neck and head are wrapped with thin strips of linen, then the fingers and toes. Next, the main body parts are wrapped. Amulets are placed between the wrappings to ward of evil.

Once the body is fully wrapped the Egyptians put a book of spells in the dead person’s hands. This is done because he is thought to need it in the after life.

Last, the body is placed in a tomb to rest until it is ready for the after life.

Mummification is a very expensive process so only the wealthy could do it.

How to Use a Tape Dispenser

How to Use a Tape Dispenser


To use a tape dispenser is unbelievably easy. It is a wonderful and simple mechanism that holds a roll of tape and dispenses it in quantities of your liking.

The contraption is built up of various parts that make it serviceable. Some of the main parts are the jagged metal razor, the plastic body of the dispenser, and the plastic axle in the middle of the body. There is also the foamy grip pad underneath the tape dispenser, which prevents it from sliding and scratching the surface it has been placed on. Some tape dispensers also have sand in the plastic body at the bottom to help weigh it down so it will not slide.

The dispenser is a simple gadget to use. Firstly, the end of the tape should already be stretched onto the razor teeth, so take hold of the sticky tape and tug it gently towards you until it is the length that you require. Be careful not to pull it too hard so you end up with too much tape, and try to avoid cutting your fingers on the metal teeth. Next, pull the tape against the razor in a swift, downwards motion, hence cutting the measure of tape in a straight line. As a result, you can now cut approximate lengths of tape for your work.

As you may or may not already know, a tape dispenser isn’t dependent on electricity or batteries, so it can work anytime, day or night. They are used worldwide in offices, shops, schools, homes, and companies and serve themselves as reliable working equipment. They’re cheap and can be bought from stationary equipment store and warehouses for their ideal uses. The extracted tape from the tape roll can be used to stick objects together, wrap a present, hold a piece of paper or an item to a surface, or to even hold items down.

As the world leaps farther into the technology and science of the future, clever effective equipment such as a tape dispenser will surely stay the simple ingenious tool it has for many more generations.

Scotch tape was invented in 1930 by banjo playing 3M engineer Richard Drew. Scotch tape was the world's first transparent cellophane adhesive tape. Richard Drew also invented the first masking tape in 1925, a two-inch-wide tan paper tape with a pressure sensitive adhesive backing.
A tape dispenser is an object that holds a roll of tape and has a mechanism on one end to easily shear the tape. Dispensers vary widely based on the tape they dispense. Abundant and most common, clear tape dispensers (like those used in an office or at home) are commonly made of plastic, and may be disposable. Other dispensers are stationary and may have sophisticated features to control tape usage and improve ergonomics

Possible Explanatory Topics

Possible Explanatory Topics

• Why it snows
• Why volcanoes erupt
• How a sundial works
• Why some animals become extinct
• How a bird uses its beak
• How to do long division
• why a boat floats
• How text messaging works
• How pollution effects the environment
• How baseball is played
• How a light bulb works
• How a pencil works
• Why it rains
• Why we need ladybugs
• What makes a tidal wave
• Why we don't see a full moon every night
• Why mars is called the red planet
• How a bicycle works
• Why magnets work
• How to tell which way is north
• How the digestive system works
• The life cycle of a planot or animal

Sample Templates for Explanatory Writing

SAMPLE TEMPLATES for EXPLANATORY WRITING


Sample Template #1

I want to explain why…
There are several reasons for this. The main reason is…
Another reason is …
In addition, …
So now you can see why …


Sample Template #2

There are so many explanations why …
One explanation is that …
The evidence for this is …
An alternative explanation is …
This explanation is based on …
Of the two explanations, I think the most likely is …

Characteristics of Explanatory Writing

Characteristics of Explanatory Writing

Explanatory writing usually consists of:


· A title that clearly indicates what is being written about. Using the words how or why in the title helps to alert the reader to the kind of writing that follows.

· A first paragraph that introduces the subject to the reader and draws the reader in by stating that what follows will answer questions the reader might have.

· Writing and illustrations that are organized and that explain the how or why and might include information on when and where, depending on the topic of the piece of writing.

· Text that is written in the present tense and that uses time connectives (then, next, after).

· Charts, diagrams, illustrations, or a flow chart, if they help to clarify the explanation.

· An ending that may directly address the reader (e.g., if you), and that usually refers to the intention expressed in the opening statement.

Student Checklist

Student Checklist for Explanatory Writing

Features of Explanation Writing
Self Assessment

1. Does it have a title to tell you what the writing is about?
   
2. Is there a general opening statement?
   
3. Is it written in a series of logical steps?
   
4. Do the steps continue until the explanation is complete?
   
5. Is it written in the present tense?
   
6. Does it use time connectives?
   e.g. then, next, after a while, etc.
   
7. Are there diagrams or illustrations to help with the explanation?
   
8. Does my explanation is easy to follow and makes sense?