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. Write your thesis.

2. Identify one personal example that

supports your thesis and proves your

point.

3. How does your personal example

prove your thesis? Explain.

4. Identify a current event or historical

example that supports your thesis and

proves your point.

5. 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. There was new technology last year

in 2010 and it was the new iPad.

2. The MP3 player had an effect on

everyday life.

3. Technology helps all of us get

through everyday life.

4. Cell phones have advantages and

disadvantages, both at the same

time.

V. Thesis Statement Analysis

5. The digital e-reader reduces the

amount of paper needed to produce

a book and makes reading material

more readily available to people.

6. It is because of technology that we

have become a lazy society.

7. 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. 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.

9. 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.