The Expository Essay
Oh, and STAAR… That, too
I. The Expository Essay
The expository essay will ask
that you explain something.
You will need to have
A clear thesis
Supporting details that directly
relate to thesis
Clear organization
Effective development of ideas
II. Expository Essay STAAR
Prompt #1
Read the information below
In 1955 medical researcher Jonas Salk introduced an effective
polio vaccine. At the time polio was considered the biggest
threat to public health, yet Salk refused to profit by patenting
the vaccine because he was more concerned with preventing
disease than with personal gain.
Although many people work to benefit themselves, some people
choose to put others first. Think carefully about this statement.
Write an essay explaining whether people should be more
concerned about others than about themselves.
Be sure to –
Clearly state your thesis.
Organize and develop your ideas effectively.
Choose your words carefully.
Edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling.
II. Expository Essay STAAR
Prompt #2
Read the information below.
The digital audio player, also known as the MP3 player, first
became available to the general public in 1996. Unlike the
compact disc player, this technology did not require that music
be stored on separate discs. MP3 players have now become
the dominant medium for listening to music.
Think about the new technologies that people use in everyday
life.
Write an essay explaining the effect of one new technology on
people’s lives.
Be sure to –
Clearly state your thesis.
Organize and develop your ideas effectively.
Choose your words carefully.
Edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling.
III. How to Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Write your thesis.
Identify one personal example that
supports your thesis and proves your
point.
How does your personal example
prove your thesis? Explain.
Identify a current event or historical
example that supports your thesis and
proves your point.
How does the current event/ historical
example prove your thesis? Explain.
IV. Essay Structure
Four total paragraphs
Introduction (keep it brief, and end
with your thesis!)
Body Paragraph #1 (personal
example in support of thesis)
Body Paragraph #2 (current event/
historical example in support of
thesis)
Conclusion (1-2 sentences to bring
your essay to a close)
IV. Essay Structure
Body Paragraphs
Use five to eight sentences to
develop your idea in each body
paragraph.
Indent each paragraph, but only
use a small indent in order to save
space for yourself.
Make sure that both your personal
example and your current event/
historical example are SPECIFIC.
IV. Essay Structure
Miscellaneous
You MAY use first-person since you will
be using a personal example.
HOWEVER, do not use phrases like “I
think” or “I believe.”
DO NOT use “you.”
DO NOT make your personal example
into a narrative. You aren’t telling a
story; you’re simply referencing
something in your own experience to
support your thesis.
DO NOT make up your personal
example.
V. Thesis Statement Analysis
1.
2.
3.
4.
There was new technology last year
in 2010 and it was the new iPad.
The MP3 player had an effect on
everyday life.
Technology helps all of us get
through everyday life.
Cell phones have advantages and
disadvantages, both at the same
time.
V. Thesis Statement Analysis
5.
6.
7.
The digital e-reader reduces the
amount of paper needed to produce
a book and makes reading material
more readily available to people.
It is because of technology that we
have become a lazy society.
Gaming systems such as
Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360
cause many people to waste hours
of time each week sitting in front of
a TV.
V. Thesis Statement Analysis
8.
9.
The effect of the cell phone on
humans is negative because it
causes them to lose their focus on
more important both in their life and
to disconnect more with people
around them.
Computers enhance people’s lives
by expanding communication,
providing education, and offering
entertainment.
VI. Let’s Score! Sample
Response #1
E-books revolutionize the way we use literature by
making permanent online copies of books, making books
easier to access, and covering a larger selection of books
than a local library would.
Many civilizations throughout history have had vast
libraries of literature with valuable knowledge of their culture.
However, many historians cannot access these collections
because many have been ruined through natural disasters or
by human hand, such as libraries being burned down. These
civilizations did not have permanent and indestructible
versions of their texts such as we do today. We can now rest
assured knowing that future generations can see digital
copies of our own books by simply downloading them off the
internet.
E-books have helped me on several occasions. We
were studying a novel in school a couple of years ago, and
VI. Let’s Score! Sample
Response #1
my class was assigned an essay over the novel. I did not
have the novel with me when it was assigned, and the local
library did not have it either. Thankfully, an online copy of the
book was available. I could finish my assignment
confidentally with a copy of the book on my computer. Not
only was it easily accessible, it was readily available even
when the library did not have it.
E-books have changed the way we use literature. All
texts and novels can be permanently saved, easily accessed
and unanimous browsed through the power of the E-book.
VI. Let’s Score! Sample
Response #2
Today, technology continues to reach higher levels know
one thought could be reached before. These new ideas and
inventions can have a huge impact on peoples lives.
Now that sounds far fetched, but the reality is that peoples
lives can change completely because of one button or click.
For instance, with the elderly. Most old people tend to slip
or fall at one point or another, and what if no one is home
and they cant get up? Well, technology has allowed seniors
to get help without moving. They have a button around there
neck and when pushed a ambulense comes almost imeditly.
This could be the diffrence between life and death for some
people!
But with this technology people wont have to worry about
there parents in a retirement home. Or seniors can have the
freedom they want and deserve.
So lives can be changed by technology from little things to
big things.
VI. Let’s Score! Sample
Response #3
Smartphones today come equipped with enough
features to be considered personal computers. As they have
advanced, smartphones have become both more affordable
and more powerful. Smartphones have enabled people to
stay connected via internet anywhere through data service
and choose from hundreds of thousands of apps for nearly
anything the user wants, thereby making smartphones as
integral a part of many people’s lives as their laptop or
desktop.
First, smartphones come bundled with data packages
that link people to the web anytime, anywhere. No longer
does one have to be at home on their desktop to reply to
emails or check a social networking website. With
smartphones, people have instant access to all their web
accounts no matter where they are. This enables an office
worker to immediately respond to his boss’s request while on
VI. Let’s Score! Sample
Response #3
lunch break and for a lost driver to get new driving directions
in just a few moments. Students can look up information
while on the way to school, and parents can instantly check
the lowest price of any item while shopping. Furthermore,
having internet access anywhere enables many more
applications to be utilized to their full potential, allowing the
user even greater capabilities.
There are hundreds of thousands of these applications
available no matter which operating system a phone utilizes.
These applications can take advantage of a phone’s GPS,
internet, or simply the app’s own abilities to provide even
more capabilities for the user. With apps, people can
customize their smartphones to reflect what is most important
to them. Office workers can create changes to a document
that is instantly synchronized to the office where someone
else can be working on the same document.
VI. Let’s Score! Sample
Response #3
Students can download videos and tutorials to explain any
concepts they don’t understand. No matter what a user
wants, an app has probably been made to fit the user’s
specifics. Even if an app does not exist yet, the user can
even program it himself!
Smartphones can connect people online regardless of
place and enable the uses to customize their phones with
apps.