Explanatory Writing — Skinny¶

Standard: 9-10.W.3 — Write to inform an audience and to explain complex information by creating a clear thesis and providing supporting claims, details, and evidence from a variety of relevant and reliable sources Applies across: All studios — writing to explain a historical event, a literary analysis, or a research finding Integrated with: W.2 (organization), W.6 (process), IR.1–5 (research), R.9 (informational text analysis) NDSBL Target: 3.0 score Estimated Time: 60–90 minutes (includes drafting) Subject: ELA — Writing

What You Need to Know (Score 2.0)¶

Explanatory writing (also called "informational" or "expository" writing) explains something to an audience that doesn't already know it. The goal is not to persuade — it's to make something complex clear. At the 2.0 level, you can write an explanation that covers the basic facts. At the 3.0 level, you can write one that genuinely teaches the reader something complex.

Thesis: The controlling idea of your explanatory piece — what you're explaining and your specific angle on it. Not just a topic ("The Industrial Revolution") but a specific, informative claim ("The Industrial Revolution started in England because of a specific combination of coal resources, labor supply, patent law, and colonial markets — not simply because England was more innovative").
Supporting Claim: A specific sub-point that supports and develops your thesis. An explanatory essay typically has 2–3 supporting claims, each with its own evidence.
Evidence: Facts, examples, statistics, quotations, or expert analysis that support your claims. Evidence should be from relevant and reliable sources.
Relevant Source: A source that actually addresses your topic — not just vaguely related.
Reliable Source: A source that is accurate, credible, and trustworthy — expert, peer-reviewed, or with verifiable facts.
Explanation vs. Argument: Explanatory writing explains how or why something is the case. Argument writing tries to persuade someone to accept a contested position. In explanatory writing, you're not defending a contested claim — you're making complex information accessible.
Integration: Weaving evidence smoothly into your writing, not just dumping quotes. Quote integration requires: introducing the quote (who said it?), presenting the quote (exact words), and explaining it (what does it mean and why does it matter for your claim?).
Clarity: The quality of being easy to understand despite the complexity of the subject. Clarity is the primary goal of explanatory writing.

Basic Processes: - [ ] Write a thesis that announces both the topic AND your specific explanatory angle — not just the topic alone. - [ ] Identify evidence from at least two different sources. - [ ] Introduce a quote with a signal phrase (who is speaking and why their voice matters). - [ ] Follow a quote with an explanation of what it means and how it supports your claim. - [ ] Use transitional phrases to connect claims and show how your explanation develops.

A student who can score a 2.0: A student who can write a paragraph explaining the causes of the French Revolution with some factual evidence — but whose thesis just states the topic ("I will explain the causes of the French Revolution") rather than offering a specific explanatory claim, and who drops quotes without explaining their connection to the argument.

The Standard (Score 3.0)¶

9-10.W.3 — Write to inform and explain complex information with a clear thesis, supporting claims, evidence from a variety of relevant and reliable sources

To meet this standard, your explanatory writing must teach the reader something they didn't know before, using a clear structure, a specific thesis, and integrated evidence from multiple sources.

3.0 Example: A student writing about the Black Death explains not just what it was and when it happened, but why it had such long-lasting social consequences. The thesis: "The Black Death's most significant consequence was not the death toll itself, but the labor shortage it created — which shifted bargaining power to surviving peasants and accelerated the end of feudal serfdom." Supporting claims: (1) pre-plague social conditions — serfs had no bargaining power; (2) the plague's demographic impact — 30–50% mortality rates; (3) the specific mechanism — lords needed labor, surviving serfs could demand better terms; (4) the long-term result — wages rose, serfdom declined across Western Europe. Evidence is integrated from at least two sources, each introduced and explained. The thesis is specific enough to teach the reader something, not just cover the topic.

The Difference: A 2.0 student writes an explanation of the Black Death covering what it was, where it spread, and how many people died. A 3.0 student writes an explanation with a specific explanatory thesis — explaining a mechanism or consequence — supported by evidence from multiple sources, each properly integrated and explained.

Going Further (Score 4.0)¶

To reach a 4.0, your explanatory writing must address complexity, nuance, and competing explanations — acknowledging what is contested or uncertain while still producing a clear, organized explanation.

Transfer Tasks: 1. Explaining complexity: Choose a historical topic where the "obvious" explanation is incomplete or oversimplified (Rome's fall, WWI's causes, the Depression's origins). Write an explanation that presents the fuller, more complex picture without losing clarity. 2. Explaining an opposing view: Some explanatory writing needs to explain why reasonable people disagree — not just what the facts are. Write a 2–3 paragraph explanation of why historians disagree about one historical question. 3. Source integration challenge: Find three sources on the same topic that have different emphases or angles. Write a paragraph that integrates information from all three — weaving them together rather than presenting them sequentially.

4.0 Example: A student writing about why the Haitian Revolution succeeded when other slave revolts failed writes a thesis that acknowledges uncertainty: "While historians debate the relative importance of ideology, military strategy, and disease in the Haitian Revolution's success, the decisive factor appears to have been the combination of yellow fever killing French troops and the revolutionary leadership's ability to unify former enemies under a clear political goal — not any single cause alone." The essay then explains each factor, integrates evidence from multiple sources, and acknowledges where the historical evidence is contested.

Reading Library Texts as Models¶

These texts are exemplary W.3 models — they explain complex ideas clearly: - MLK — Letter from Birmingham Jail — Sections explaining the distinction between just and unjust laws are W.3 models: thesis → specific criteria → examples → explanation - Common Sense — Thomas Paine — Paine's explanation of why hereditary monarchy is irrational is a W.3 model: thesis → logical steps → examples → conclusion - Wollstonecraft — Vindication — Her explanation of how education creates the inferiority she observes is W.3: thesis → mechanism → evidence → implication

Demonstration of Learning — Choose One¶

How will you show you know this standard? Pick one mode.

#	Mode	What You Do for This Specific Standard
1	Written Assessment	Write a 3–4 paragraph explanatory piece on a topic connected to your current studio. Include: a thesis that makes a specific explanatory claim, 2 supporting claims with evidence, at least one properly integrated quote, and a brief conclusion.
2	Extended Writing	Write a 400–500 word explanatory essay explaining a complex historical event, mechanism, or concept from your studio. Your thesis should explain a mechanism or consequence, not just introduce a topic. Use at least two different sources.
3	Verbal Conversation	Record yourself explaining something complex clearly (2–3 minutes). Show: a clear opening statement of what you're explaining (like a thesis), organized supporting explanations, and integrated evidence at least twice.
4	Visual/Creative	Create an explanatory visual (infographic, diagram, or annotated map) that explains a complex idea from your studio. Include a clear title statement (like a thesis), labeled supporting information with sources, and an explanatory note for each major claim.
5	Multimedia/Performance	Create a 2–3 minute explanatory video on a complex topic from your studio. Imagine your audience is smart but doesn't know anything about this topic. Show: a clear opening claim, organized explanation, at least two pieces of evidence.
6	Portfolio Annotation	Select a previous explanatory piece. Write a 150-word reflection: Does your thesis make a specific explanatory claim or just introduce a topic? Is your evidence introduced, quoted, and explained — or just dropped? What would you revise?

Scale Tasks¶

[ ] 2.0 task: Write a thesis for an explanatory piece that states both a topic AND a specific explanatory angle (not just "I will explain X" but "X happened because Y and Z").
[ ] 3.0 task: Write a body paragraph with: a supporting claim, at least two pieces of evidence from different sources, and an explanation of how the evidence supports the claim. Check: Is each quote introduced? Is each quote explained after?
[ ] 4.0 task: Write a paragraph explaining a topic where historians or experts disagree. Explain what each side argues and what evidence supports each view — without taking a side yourself. Focus on making the disagreement clear to a reader unfamiliar with it.