NARRATOR: Hi, this is Gabby, and you are listening to my podcast What’s Up with Waldo?
Waldo is my pet rat. He is incredibly smart and—thanks to me—well trained. I’m working on writing an explanatory essay about how to train a pet rat. An explanatory essay is a type of informative text. Like training a pet, writing an explanatory essay requires some planning.
An explanatory text is exactly what it sounds like: it’s an essay that explains how to do something. Usually, an explanatory essay focuses on the steps in a process. I want to write about how I train Waldo. For example,
Waldo will come when I call his name. I plan to start my essay by introducing myself—and Waldo—and my purpose for writing.
Next, I think about how to present the information in a logical way. I’m writing about a process, so the most logical way is to discuss the steps in the order that I do them. For example, in training a pet rat, the first step is to get your pet’s attention, which I do with treats and positive feedback. Yes!
Another way to help readers is to use formatting, such as headings, graphics, and multimedia. I think it makes sense to number my steps. I’ll also include photos that show what I do at each step in the training process with Waldo.
I want to end with a strong conclusion. In a conclusion, you sum up all the ideas you presented in your essay. You also can use your conclusion to make a final connection with your readers. In my case, I might encourage my audience members to consider adopting and training a pet rat of their own.
I reread my draft and make revisions. I make sure that I haven’t overlooked any steps in the process and that the steps are in a logical order. I also make sure that I use transitions to show connections between the steps, and I use language that is precise and accurate. Now I am ready to publish my essay!
Writing an explanatory essay takes some planning and some thought—but, like training the world’s smartest rat, it’s totally worth it! Thanks for listening, everybody!
summerize in 3-4 sentences
In this podcast episode, Gabby introduces her pet rat, Waldo, and discusses her plans to write an explanatory essay on how to train a pet rat. She explains that an explanatory essay focuses on explaining a process with logical steps. Gabby shares her ideas on how to present the information effectively, including using formatting and graphics, and concludes with the importance of revising and publishing the essay.
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Gabby discusses her plans to write an explanatory essay on training her pet rat, Waldo. She explains that an explanatory essay focuses on the steps in a process and shares her ideas on presenting the information effectively, including the use of formatting and graphics. Gabby emphasizes the importance of revising the essay before publishing it.
A STUDENT sits in an armchair. She has a newspaper on her lap.
STUDENT: Look! This is called a newspaper. They still exist! I actually like reading them better. I know, I know, I’m old school but I used to like watching my grandfather sit at the dining room table, reading the whole thing while he sipped his cup of coffee in the morning. He always let me read the funny pages.
STUDENT: No updates, though. Regardless, if it’s paper or a website, everyone reads the beginning of the article on the front page. But how many people actually turn the page to read the rest? News writers know that they need to introduce the main ideas at the beginning of the article, in the introduction. Hold on, let me give you an example.
STUDENT: Oh, here. A big winter storm caused major problems all day long for people in the Dayton area. Okay, that’s the introduction. Now, let’s see if the later sentences support the main ideas in the introduction.
STUDENT: It says here that there was more than a foot of snow. Yes, it supports the idea that there was a big winter storm. It also says that hundreds of people lost power and lots of drivers were stuck on roads. It sounds like it caused major problems all day long. A paragraph can also have an introduction. The introduction previews the ideas in the rest of the paragraph. Sometimes this is called a topic sentence. For example, let’s look at a paragraph from the editorial.
STUDENT: Ah, here. It starts with, there are two reasons we should build a nature center in our town. This lets the readers know that the rest of the paragraph will be about the reasons for the nature center. The next two sentences each give a different reason for the nature center. Got all of that? Good.
STUDENT: Hey, where are the funny pages?! Grandpa!
Fade to black and a copyright notice appears on screen, which reads:
Copyright 2020 Pearson Online and Blended Learning K–12 USA. All rights reserved.
THE END.
summerize in 3 sentences
In this scene, a student talks about her fondness for reading newspapers and recalls her grandfather reading them. She explains the importance of introducing the main ideas in the introduction of an article and discusses the role of topic sentences in paragraphs. The scene ends with a humorous remark about missing the funny pages.
A STUDENT sits at a table covered in note cards. She looks frustrated.
LEARNING COACH: Oh, I know that look.
STUDENT: I’m trying to organize these ideas for an essay. It’s so frustrating.
LEARNING COACH: Well, don’t worry. Let’s just take a look at what you’ve got. What is the essay about?
STUDENT: The benefits of sports. I’m trying to group them into categories.
LEARNING COACH: Oh, that sounds good. Show me some.
STUDENT: I have some on the social benefits of sports.
The STUDENT picks up some of the note cards as she talks.
STUDENT: Like, you can learn how to work well with others.
LEARNING COACH: Mm-hmm. I like that! What else you got?
STUDENT: I also have some physical benefits. Like, exercise builds muscle.
LEARNING COACH: Oh, that’s a nice one.
STUDENT: This one’s also on the physical benefits. You will get healthier. I basically made these note cards and I just summarized each idea in a word or two on the back.
LEARNING COACH: Summaries are a good start. So, there seem to be two groups that fit your ideas, social benefits and physical benefits. Organizing the ideas based on these two categories may help you get organized.
STUDENT: Good idea. So, you can make new friends and you can learn to work well with others go into the social benefits group.
The LEARNING COACH picks up a few note cards.
LEARNING COACH: And you can place the other two ideas, exercise builds muscle and you will get healthier in the physical benefits group.
LEARNING COACH: So, let’s start dividing these up in their corresponding groups. So, where do teamwork and friendship go?
Copyright 2020 Pearson Online & Blended Learning K–12 USA. All rights reserved
STUDENT: Into the social benefits group?
LEARNING COACH: That is correct! And where do the cards, mood and health go?
STUDENT: Into the physical benefits group.
LEARNING COACH: Yes. There we go. Okay, so, these categories could even be turned into headings in the text so readers understand what the section will be about.
STUDENT: Perfect. I’ll use the headings social benefits and physical benefits in my essay. Now that we’ve organized the concepts and ideas, I’ll get started writing!
LEARNING COACH: That’s the spirit!
STUDENT: We make a good team.
Fade to black and a copyright notice appears on screen, which reads:
Copyright 2020 Pearson Online and Blended Learning K–12 USA. All rights reserved.
THE END.
summerize in 3-4 sentences