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Research Based Writing Lesson 1 What is Informational Writing
Grit and Grace
Overview
This video introduces the concept of informational writing, also known as explanatory writing. It defines informational essays as pieces that explain a topic in depth, convey information accurately, and are organized around a central idea. The primary purpose of this type of writing is to teach the reader. The video also introduces the idea of research-based essays and explains the relationship between cause and effect, which will be a focus for the unit. Finally, it outlines a six-step process for writing an informational essay: pre-writing, identifying knowledge gaps, inquiry, categorizing information, drafting with text features, and revising for a final presentation.
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Chapters
- Informational writing, also called explanatory writing, aims to teach a reader about a specific topic.
- It requires conveying information accurately and organizing it around a clear, controlling idea.
- Unlike literary essays, informational essays answer a specific 'what,' 'how,' or 'why' question.
- Informational writers choose topics they are passionate about and can build upon prior knowledge.
Understanding the core purpose and structure of informational writing is crucial for effectively conveying knowledge and engaging readers on a chosen topic.
An essay explaining how a specific type of plant grows, answering the 'how' question.
- Informational texts utilize specific features to enhance understanding, such as tables of contents, glossaries, keywords, references, and indexes.
- Other helpful features include bulleted lists, bolded words, and pictures with captions.
- These features help organize information and make complex topics more accessible to the reader.
- The goal is to use these tools to effectively teach the chosen topic.
Learning to use and recognize these text features is essential for both understanding and creating clear, organized informational content.
Using bolded keywords and a glossary to define new terms related to a scientific process.
- Cause and effect relationships explore why something happened and what resulted from it.
- A cause is the reason something occurs, and an effect is the outcome.
- These relationships can be complex, with one cause leading to multiple effects, or multiple causes leading to one effect.
- Specific transition words (e.g., 'because,' 'so,' 'therefore,' 'as a result of') signal these relationships.
Understanding cause and effect is fundamental for analyzing events, explaining phenomena, and structuring arguments in informational writing.
Explaining how smoking (cause) can lead to cancer (effect).
- The process begins with pre-writing, selecting a passionate topic, and initial research.
- Next, activate prior knowledge and identify gaps that require further research.
- Develop an inquiry question to guide the essay and research relevant terms.
- Categorize gathered information to structure the main ideas.
- Draft the essay, incorporating text features to clarify the topic, and finally, revise for clarity and impact.
- The final product will be a research-based informational essay presented formally to classmates.
Following a structured writing process ensures that the essay is well-researched, organized, clearly written, and effectively communicates information to an audience.
Selecting a topic like 'the impact of plastic pollution on marine life,' forming an inquiry question like 'How does plastic pollution affect marine ecosystems?', and then researching and organizing findings.
Key takeaways
- Informational writing's core purpose is to educate by explaining a topic accurately and in depth.
- Research-based essays are synonymous with informational essays, emphasizing the importance of gathered evidence.
- Effective informational writing is built around a clear focus or controlling idea and answers a specific question.
- Text features are crucial tools for organizing and clarifying information in non-fiction texts.
- Identifying and explaining cause-and-effect relationships is a common and important structure for informational essays.
- A systematic approach, from pre-writing to revision, is essential for producing a high-quality informational essay.
- The ultimate goal of this unit is to write and present an informational essay on a topic of personal interest.
Key terms
Informational WritingExplanatory WritingControlling IdeaText FeaturesTable of ContentsGlossaryCause and EffectInquiry QuestionResearch-Based EssayPrior Knowledge
Test your understanding
- What is the primary goal of informational writing?
- How does an informational essay differ from a literary essay?
- Why are text features important in informational writing?
- What is the relationship between cause and effect, and how can it be used in an essay?
- Describe the key steps involved in the research-based informational essay writing process.