Writing to InformStrategies and Structures

Unity/CoherenceA short paper can’t possibly give all available information and perspectives on one topic. If you try to cover every fact, your essay will feel scattered. Find a focus and stick with it.

What am I trying to teach readers about?

How can I break that topic down into sub-topics?

Which sub-topics do I want to / have time to focus on?

Which sub-topics will my research cover adequately?

Which sub-topics would fit well together?

Generating Sub-Topics

Vampires in Slavic

Folklore

...and burial practices

...and disease epidemics

...and Christianity

...and foreign invasions

Choosing Sub-Topics to Focus on

...and burial practices

...and disease epidemics

The writer has chosen two sub-topics that are easy to connect (because they both tie vampire lore to death in Slavic cultures). This writer also has enough sources about burial and disease to cover both sub-topics fully.

Vampires in Slavic Folklore

OrganizationThere are several different ways to guide your readers through your literature review and exploration. Each method involves breaking the topic down into parts, and putting those parts in an order that makes sense.

●Kinds/Types●Times when...●Main ideas/supporting details ●Pros/cons●Cause/effect●Similarities/Differences●Problem/Solution●Chronological order●Observations/examples

Choosing an Organizational Structure: Two ExamplesSlavic Vampires and Death(organized by types)A. Vampires created by disease

a. Anecdoteb. Diseases associated with

vampirismc. Source 1d. Source 2

B. Vampires created by improper burial a. Slavic burial customsb. Reasons for corpse

becoming vampirec. Source 3d. Source 4

Slavic Vampires and Death(organized by chronology)A. Early pagan origins

a. Pagan burial superstitionsb. Source 1c. Source 2

B. Vampires after spread of Christianity a. Changes in burial practicesb. Source 3c. Source 4

C. Vampires after 1800sa. Common diseasesb. Novelsc. Films

Supporting each Sub-TopicDevelop each sub-topic with evidence and examples from your primary and scholarly sources. This will help give substance to your literature review and final exploration.

Consider the needs of your audience●What would they find important and interesting to know? ●What context do they need in order to follow the scholarly

conversation?●What key terms or unknown words will you need to define for them?●In what order should you arrange the evidence? (background first,

more specific info later)●Include enough text support (one example isn’t enough!)●Include different types of text support (lists, facts, stories, quotes,

etc.)

Don’t ForgetYou can also teach readers information through text features:● Bold words● Section headings● Illustrations● Captions● Side bars● Charts, graphs, timelines,

etc.

But don’t overdo the graphics to pad out your length. Only your text counts toward your final page count.

Other SourcesWhat is an Exploratory Essay?https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/728/01/ http://www.westerntc.edu/writingcenter/pdf/handbook/TypesOfWriting/InformativeWriting.pdf

Organizing an Exploratory Essay: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/728/02/

Sample Informative Essays:http://www.westerntc.edu/writingcenter/informative.asp

Adapted from:Battista J. (2012) A State-of-the-Art New Unit on Information Writing: Tools for Assessing Information Writing Alongside New Unit Plans, Mini-lessons, and Expectations. Jerry Maraia. Teachers College. Retrieved from: http://prezi.com/avhbtd4-mvd2/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share