Expository Essay What I Have Learned

Summary
An expository essay is an essay that is written to inform. This essay will inform your audience,
your classmates, about what you have learned in EN 090, Principles of Communication.
Goals
Self-assess our learning
Practice clustering as a prewriting
Practice outlining as a way to add unity to an essay
Develop an appropriate thesis statement
Support topic sentences with evidence
Revise for errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics
Steps (It may help to cross these off as you complete each step.)
1. Narrow your topic to three things that have been the most important lessons for you.
2. Complete a prewriting exercise for your topic.
3. Use the Formal Outline Template to create a working outline for your essay.
4. Plan the evidence to use to complete your outline and support your topic sentences.
5. Type your outline using the digital Formal Outline Template.
6. Draft a paper based on the outline. Bring a typed Rough Draft to class on Revision Day.
7. Revise (to improve) your Rough Draft based on the in-class Revision Worksheet
changes, then . . .
8. Prepare a typed draft of your Expository Essay in APA Style, including a title page,
header, references page, in-text citations, and formatting requirements.
9. Submit your paper to SafeAssign and print the report. Print the Print Version of the
report.
10. On the Final Typed Draft, underline your topic sentences and your thesis and essay map
in both the introduction and conclusion.
11. Be sure to give your essay a creative and descriptive title separate from the assignment
title.
12. If you are unsure about how to format your essay in APA format, review the guidelines
on Blackboard and the APA 6th Edition Tip Sheet.
13. Check the requirements on the checklist and staple it to the top of your paper.
Draft Due:
I will collect your Prewriting, Typed Outline, Typed Rough Draft with
Changes, the in-class Revision Worksheet, SafeAssign Report, and the
400-600 word Final Typed Draft on the due date. Please staple them all together
with the essay cover sheet on top before coming to class. Make it professional-looking,
please: no binders, folders or paperclips.
Papers must be on time, meet the word count, and be submitted with a SafeAssign
Report in order to be graded.

Writers Name________________________________
Submission Date ________________________________
Submission Time ________________________________
Essay Word Count ________________________________

Expository Essay What I Have Learned

Requirement (pts)
Prewriting (10)
I used prewriting (clustering, listing, or freewriting) and divergent thinking to help plan my ideas and
narrow my topic.
Outline (10)
I typed an outline using the Formal Outline Template.
Each topic sentence on the outline is stated as a complete sentence.
Typed Rough Draft (10)
My classmate and I made a minimum of 10 obvious edits and revisions on a Typed Rough Draft in
an effort to improve the essay.
Revision Worksheet (10)
I included one fully completed Revision Worksheet.
Typed Draft (50)
I typed the draft in Times New Roman 12 point font with 1 margins and consistent double-spacing.
I included a complete APA header and a title page.
I included a creative title separate from the assignment title (topic + tone).
I underlined the thesis statement and essay map in both the introduction and conclusion.
I underlined each topic sentence.
I supported my topic sentences with an adequate amount of evidence.

I made fewer than 5 errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

Academic Honesty (10)
I have included a Print Version of my SafeAssign report.
My SafeAssign report shows less than 15% source content.

Writers Name __________________________ Word Count ________________ Grade _____________

Late paper? __________ SafeAssign Deductions __________ Neatness deductions __________

Expository
Essay
Meets the
Partially Meets
Does Not Meet
Development by
Points
Requirement
the Requirement the Requirement
Division
and
Writers
Name
__________________________ Word Count ________________ Grade _____________
Classification
Prewriting
(10)__________ SafeAssign Deductions __________ Neatness deductions __________
Late paper?
I used prewriting
The student
(clustering, listing,
demonstrates
The student lists
The prewriting is
or freewriting) and
adequate
minimal ideas in
missing or
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divergent thinking
divergent thinking
the prewriting
includes less than
to help plan my
in the prewriting
exercise.
10 ideas.
ideas and narrow
exercise.
my topic.
The outline is not
Outline (10)
The outline
complete or the
The outline is
I typed an outline
template has been
outline is not on
missing or
5/2.5/0
using the Formal
typed &
the outline
handwritten.
Outline Template.
completed.
template.
One of the topic
Two or more of
Each topic
Each topic
sentences listed
the topic
sentence on the
sentence listed on
on the outline is
sentences on the
outline is stated as
the outline is a
5/2.5/0
incomplete or
outline are
a complete
grammatically
grammatically
incomplete or
sentence.
correct sentence.
incorrect.
incorrect.
Typed Rough
Draft (10)
My classmate and
The student
I made a minimum
The student
The student
shows 4 or fewer
of 10 obvious
shows 10 or more
shows 5 10
changes, or 5 -10
edits and
revisions and
revisions and
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edits, not
revisions on a
changes on a
changes on a
revisions, on the
Typed Rough
typed rough draft.
typed rough draft.
rough draft.
Draft in an effort to
improve the
essay.
The student
includes a
Revision
The student
The student
worksheet only
Worksheet (10)
includes a
includes a revision
minimally
Has the student
worksheet only
worksheet
completed by a
included one fully
partially
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completed by a
peer or the
completed
completed by a
class peer and the
student. The
Revision
peer or the
student.
worksheet has not
Worksheet?
student.
been completed
by a class peer.
Typed Draft (50)
I typed the draft in
Times New
There are no
There are two or
There is one error
Roman 12 point
errors in font,
more errors in
with font, margins,
5/2.5/0
font with 1
margins, or
font, margin, or
or spacing.
margins and
spacing.
spacing.
consistent doublespacing.
I included a
There are no
There are 1 or 2
There are 3 or
complete APA
errors on the title
errors on the title
more errors on the
header, running
page, in the
page, in the
title page, in the
5/2.5/0
head, title, and a
running head, or
running head, or
running head, or
title page.
with the title.
with the title
with the title.
I included a
creative title
separate from the
assignment title
(topic + tone).

The title is
sparkly and
explains the
papers topic +
tone.

The title explains

the papers topic

The title is the

same as the
assignment title or
is missing from
the paper.

I underlined the
thesis statement

The student

The student

The student does

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