English VII Unit 3 – Writing Project

Expository Essay Project Description and Criteria

Expository Essay Project

Description and Criteria

Objective
The objective of this project is to be able to convey in written form a five paragraph expository essay and in spoken form
an oral presentation in which the author explores an aspect of the relationship between technology and his or her field of
study based on research.

Introduction
The primary means for written expression in academia is the essay. One common form of essay is an expository essay,
which is defined by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (2013) as “a genre of essay that requires the student to
investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and
concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause
and effect, etc.”i

The idea of writing an expository essay is to present in written form an explanation of an aspect of your field of study that
relates to technology. This explanation will be the result of research and personal exploration that implements some of
the broad concepts addressed in the Technology unit, particularly the developing role of technology in our lives. The
essay will also demonstrate the effective use of a thesis statement, evidentiary support, connectors, citation and
bibliography.

The idea of additionally giving an oral presentation is to share your exploration of a topic in your field of study for peer
discussion.

Final Product
1. A five paragraph expository essay that includes:
 an introductory paragraph that introduces and contextualizes the topic and presents a strong, clear thesis
statement
 three body paragraphs that present evidentiary support
 a concluding paragraph that reviews the evidence and draws conclusions in light of the evidence presented

2. A three to five minute oral presentation that follows the basic structure of the essay.

Grading Criteria
Expository essays will be assessed in the following areas:
 content
Each essay should contain:
 an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement
 three body paragraphs with supporting ideas and examples
 a concluding paragraph
 citation of information from other sources
 clarity of the thesis statement
 clarity of the supporting ideas and examples
 relation of the supporting ideas and examples with the thesis
 coherence and tone
 exploration of the topic relating technology and your field of study
 general vocabulary, particularly terms related to technology and to your field of study
 grammar, particularly the use of connectors
 correct citation of information from other sources
 Oral presentations will be assessed in the following areas:
 clarity of the thesis statement
 clarity of the supporting ideas and examples
 relation of the supporting ideas and examples with the thesis
 coherence and tone
 exploration of the topic relating technology and your field of study
 general vocabulary, particularly terms related to technology and to your field of study
 fluency
 pronunciation
 grammar use
 audience participation

The Writing Process

Class 1- HW- research- find five articles to use as evidentiary support in your essay
enter information in the bibliographic information worksheet

Brainstorming- answer questions about the connection between technology and your field of study
construct a strong thesis statement for your essay
write an outline of the essay
complete the outline of the expository essay
research- find five articles to use as evidentiary support in your essay
enter information in the bibliographic information

Writing- start writing the introductory paragraph

complete a draft of the expository essay
citation and bibliography

Peer Assessment- with checklist to assess and give feedback to a partner

HW- prepare for oral presentation

Writing- work on final draft of expository essay

Class 6- oral presentation

HW- Writing- work on final draft of expository essay

Class 7-oral presentation

HW- Writing- work on final draft of expository essay

Class 1 of unit 4- turn in final version of expository essay

i
Baker, Jack, et al. (2013) “Expository Essays,” Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Published March 11 th. Retrieved
June 25th, 2014. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/02/