Using Model Texts

• There is no end to the pieces of expository writing you can bring into your classroom. Newspapers, magazines and non-fiction books are just some of the potential examples. Many blogs about new technical products -- even video games -- can be successful model texts.
  
  Asking students to read and analyze these texts before asking them to produce their own expository essays can demystify the genre. Students can work alone, in pairs or in small groups to decide which texts are the most useful, give brief summaries of the content, or decide how they would have approached the material differently.
  
  

Taking Small Steps

• As Creighton Abrams said, "When eating an elephant, take one bite at a time." Since students can be overwhelmed by the process of writing an expository essay, they may be more comfortable learning a little at a time. For example, introducing the idea of an expository essay and showing them some examples one day, then helping them through the prewriting and research portions, and, finally, asking them to do outlines and begin writing their papers.
  
  

Multigenre Writing

• While there are some students who truly enjoy expository writing, we, as educators, know those students are the minority in most classes. Giving students the opportunity to do more than just write an essay can help them find something in which they're interested. For example, allowing students to provide an illustration (whether using a computer program or physically creating the picture) related to the essay can encourage the more artistic students to look forward to the final part of the assignment. If you have access to a computer lab, you could allow them to each make a comic strip to pair with their essays, using the free website stripgenerator.com.
  
  

Writing for Publication

• Asking students to write expository pieces relevant to the school, student body or community provides them an opportunity to start with a topic in which they're invested and do both primary and secondary research. After writing, revising and completing their essays, you can help them publish their work. Whether you bind the articles together as a small book, create a class newsletter (if the pieces are short enough), or post them on a page within the school website, students will have an opportunity to "show off" their work.
  
  If you teach a similar assignment each term, you can show your students previous work so they know what you expect -- and so they know the end product really will be published. Since writing about various local issues encourages them to choose timely topics, you won't have to worry about students being too influenced by previous students' articles.