Prewriting for the Explanatory Essay

by

Humanities

To successfully complete your Unit 4 assignment, complete the following steps:

  1. Examine the List of Approved Articles for Writing, and identify an article relevant to your life and goals (use “The Argument Culture” by Deborah Tannen, page 302 from The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, 11th edition).
  2. . This article may pertain to your academic program and interests, your current or future career and goals, or one of your personal passions.
  3. Read the article several times, taking careful notes on the article’s structure, concepts, and presentation of facts. Narrow to a single topic that sparks your interest in that article.
  4. Begin your research. Please be sure that references used meet the important requirement of being scholarly and peer-reviewed by other experts in the field.
  5. Choose two forms of prewriting from the following: freewriting, mapping, listing, brainstorming, and directed questioning.
    Fully execute your two chosen techniques, with the goal of explaining your article’s topics to your reader, based on the points made in the article and on your own understanding of the article and topics.
    • Remember, this is your opportunity to explore different ways of potentially approaching this essay. Prewriting is a way to expand your thinking and record your initial ideas. You are not committing to a clear plan at this point.
  6. Compose your prewriting for the Explanatory Essay as your assignment for this unit. Include the following:
    • The author and title of your chosen article.
    • Your full and complete application of the two prewriting methods you performed.
    • A statement of the organizational structure (illustration, chronological order, process analysis, or causal analysis) you will apply, and why you feel this structure will be effective to explain your article of choice and its topics.
    • For instructions and examples related to in-text citation and end referencing of articles from your book, please refer to the Explanatory Essay Sample, linked in the Resources
  7. When you have finished your prewriting, submit the assignment as a Word document.

Explanatory Essay Sample included