It’s Monday afternoon, your informative five-paragraph essay on your favorite animal is due Friday, and you haven’t even started. Don’t worry, I’m here to help! Follow these simple steps to draft the first version of your essay. Once you finish your draft read over it and make any needed changes. Don’t stop there! Have a parent, relative, or friend read over your work. This is an important step because your writing must make sense to others. While your essay may “sound” right to you, it may not be the best way to word it for someone else. Finally, make any edits suggested by your reviewer. BAM you have an informative essay ready to be turned in! Show
Where do I start? First, you will have to be familiar with what style your essay needs to be written in: informative, persuasive, or argumentative. Your teacher will determine which essay style is required. For the sake of this example we will focus on informative writing. So, what is an informative essay? It is an academic paper that’s written with the main purpose of informing the audience about an object, person, event, or phenomenon. Meaning, this type of essay requires you to gather information about your topic. Your goal is to answer the prompt question by explaining the topic in detail. Second, you must be familiar with your writing prompt. For today’s example the prompt is as follows: Of all the animals wild or domesticated, write about your favorite. Include interesting facts about this animal in your essay. Ask yourself, what is your favorite animal. I know that seems simple but the point is that you want to write about something that is interesting to YOU. It will make writing your paper less of a chore. For today’s example I’ll be writing about the platypus. If you’re a Disney lover you may be familiar with Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb! Next, you must determine three reasons why this is your favorite animal. This step may require you to do some research on your animal. During your research ask yourself, what are 3 interesting facts about this animal that some people may not know? Remember, this is an informative essay, so your goal is to teach your reader about your topic. But how do I “research”? The research step is fun and can be easy if you know where to look! This is the part that helps you to learn things about your topic—things that you might not have known before. As you find your information be sure to copy the links to where you found the information online or the title and page number of the book that holds the information that you will be using in your paper. How do I know if I can trust this source? This first rule in research is to never use wikipedia.com because it can be edited by any person on the internet. So, if you are using the internet to search for information use the library’s very own information databases by going to mytpl.org/reference. Once you are on the library’s reference page select “database by The purpose of an informative essay is to educate others on a certain topic. Typically, these essays will answer one of the five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Of course, they can also answer "how," indicating how to do something. Informative essays must never express your opinion or try to convince others to take a certain action or stance. That role is expressly reserved for persuasive essays. Of course, if your informative essay is interesting enough, it may move readers to learn more about the subject, but they'll have to come to that on their own, thanks to the wealth of interesting information you present. Read our examples of informative essays and learn more about choosing a topic and how to write an informative essay to help you get started. Structure of an Informative EssayThe basic structure of an informative essay is very simple. It needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. These are known more formally as the introduction, body, and conclusion, respectively. The IntroductionThe beginning, otherwise known as the introduction, is your opportunity to present your thesis statement and grab the attention of the reader. Your thesis statement must be one sentence, making it very clear what the reader will be informed about. The introduction can be anywhere from a paragraph to a page, depending on the requirements and circumstances. Use this opportunity to introduce the main idea, provide any pertinent definitions, and briefly describe what will be covered. Above all else, the introduction must clearly state what readers are about to explore. Be sure to steer clear of any evidence of your opinion on the topic. Below, you'll find two informative essay introduction examples to help you brainstorm your own ideas. Sample Introduction #1: This essay discusses the topic of donating blood.
Sample Introduction #2: This essay explores the history of Ireland from the perspective of its iconic castles.
The BodyThe middle, otherwise known as the body, is your opportunity to expound upon the thesis statement and grab the attention of the audience with solid facts, statistics, statements, and other supporting details. The body will be several paragraphs long, comprising the bulk of the essay. This is where you'll provide further details about the main idea. Be sure you delve deeply into every area previously outlined in the introduction. The ConclusionThe end, otherwise known as the conclusion, is your opportunity to summarize the essay in a paragraph or two. It should spur the reader to want to learn more about the topic. Be sure to reiterate the thesis statement clearly. In your introduction, you may have laid out what would be covered in the essay. Offer a sentence or two reiterating what was learned about those topic areas. After that, offer up a few closing remarks that gloss over the most important elements. End on a high note, encouraging your readers to learn more or contemplate the most important elements of your essay. You may even pose a rhetorical question. Below, you'll find two sample conclusions to help you brainstorm your own ideas. Sample Conclusion #1: This concludes the essay example above on the topic of donating blood. Note how it emphasizes the simplicity of the process.
Sample Conclusion #2: This conclusion to the Ireland essay example reiterates the "ferocity of its people."
Sample Informative EssayIn the sample below, note a few things as you read. Try to keep an eye out for the thesis statement in the first paragraph. Then, note the transition words in two of the body paragraphs. They are, "Also in line with safety…" and "In terms of fun…" Finally, in-text citations will vary, based on your teacher's style guide, so be sure to double-check those. Download the PDF version below the essay to keep as a handy reminder. The title of the following essay is "How to Travel Solo Successfully."
View & Download PDF Subject MatterHave you been tasked with writing an informative essay? If the topic is open, the first thing you must ask yourself is, "What interests me the most?" This will make the task far less laborious. Take something you're already knowledgeable about and share it with the world, citing other sources and stating current facts and statistics. This is your chance to add to others' viewpoints on a subject as long as you don't include your own opinions. Allow them to analyze the data, perhaps in a cause and effect layout. Or, you can educate them on how to do something, create something, or solve a problem. Here are some examples of informative essay topics to get your creative juices flowing:
Example Essay TitlesWhile your introduction must be carefully crafted in order to reel readers in, your essay title is the first thing they encounter, and it needs to be enticing. Formulate a clear title, indicating what's about to be discussed. Find a way to invite others to want to learn more. Remember to follow these rules for capitalization in titles. Here are some possible titles for inspiration:
Essay Writing StepsMost of the work on an informative essay is done before you actually sit down to type.
How do you start a informative body paragraph?A topic sentence: A topic sentence, or key sentence, is the first sentence of your paragraph that prepares your audience for the information to come. Each body paragraph should have its own topic sentence outlining the ensuing ideas.
What should a body paragraph in an informative essay include?The body of your informative essay should develop on the opinions that were presented in your introduction. Body paragraphs consist of distinct opinions that develop or support the essay. Each paragraph should feature a different opinion to back your main thesis statement.
What are the 5 steps to writing a body paragraph?Follow these steps below to write good body paragraphs.. Step 1: Develop a Topic Sentence.. Step 2: Provide Evidence to Support your Topic Sentence and Overall Argument.. Step 3: Add your Own Analysis and Interpretation.. Step 4: Conclude.. Step 5: Revise and Proofread.. What is body in informative essay?The Body. The middle, otherwise known as the body, is your opportunity to expound upon the thesis statement and grab the attention of the audience with solid facts, statistics, statements, and other supporting details. The body will be several paragraphs long, comprising the bulk of the essay.
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