Some of the characteristics of the most important expository texts are that they maintain the focus, present the facts, compare and contrast, and determine causes and effects.
The expository texts are a type of informative text that provide factual information on a topic using a clear and non-narrative organizational language. In addition, the expository texts have a structure with a main theme and supporting information.
The expository texts are used to inform, explain, describe or define the subject of the author towards the reader. They are often on unknown topics where the information provided by the writer makes difficult a prediction regarding the end of the content presented.
The facts make the text more dense and the explanations have an impersonal meaning that may have no relation to the life or interest of the author since its purpose is to explain or persuade the reader about a specific topic.
The expository texts play a fundamental role in modern education and aim to inform and make learning easier and more dynamic for primary and secondary students.
Main features of expository texts
In the last 60 years, reading comprehension has shifted its emphasis from mastery of skills and sub-skills that are learned in an automated way to a focus on learning strategies that are adaptable, flexible and, most importantly, Control of the reader (Dole, Duffy, Roehler and Pearson, 1991).
One of the most effective strategies for which there is an influx of research and practice is the training of students on knowledge of the text structure to facilitate their understanding of expository texts.
Readers of all ages should be aware of text structures if they want to be more successful (Meyer, 2003). The structure or organization of the text is the arrangement of ideas and the relationships between ideas (Armbruster, 2004).
Readers who are unfamiliar with text structures are at a disadvantage because they do not approach reading with any type of reading plan (Meyer, Brandt and Bluth, 1980).
However, readers who are familiar with text structures expect information to be developed in certain ways (RAND Reading Study Group, 2002).
Students first learn to read narrative text structures, which are story-like structures that facilitate their learning to read.
Consequently, students enter the school having a sense of narrative structures as they appear in the texts.
Throughout the school years, their knowledge of text structures should increase as they progressively change from reading a story line or an occasional text to reading for information (Lorch & Lorch, 1996).
In the third grade, and obviously in the fourth, there is a noticeable change in the reading of texts for information, information that is often dense and written in long passages (Gillet, Temple and Crawford, 2004).
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2009), there were no significant differences in the performance of fourth grade students between the groups in a study. Part of this could be due to the inefficiency of current teaching techniques applied in reading classes.
Reading teachers can find the structure of expository texts an effective technique for improving reading performance averages.
Structure and Language
The expository texts may include topics such as historical, scientific or economic information.
The information is presented with a clear organizational text structure that includes but is not limited to: description, chronology, comparison, cause / effect, problem / solution.
The language in the expository text is precise, topic specific, and includes domain-specific vocabulary to explain concepts and information.
Ambiguous terms are not used nor is there any in-depth discussion of topics other than the main one. The language is clear and simple, understandable even for less prominent readers.
Content
The expository text often includes organizational tools like table of contents, heading, index, glossary, guide of pronunciation, appendices, among others.
It includes text features that support or enhance text, such as photographs, illustrations, captions, graphics, diagrams, tables, graphs, and timelines.
Submit the facts only
No personal opinion should be submitted on the subject. The expository writing reduces its task to collect the appropriate information and the facts that support the declaration of a thesis. This type of writing requires detailed explanations.
The author of an expository text must assume that readers do not know anything about the subject, so you should write everything in detail, even things that seem obvious.
Maintains focus
The most important feature of an effective expository text is to stay focused on the subject without wandering in other matters.
You should also avoid verbal explanations and irrelevant additional information that will not lead to a better understanding of the topic.
Compare and contrast
One of the methods for expository writing is the discussion of similarities and differences between two people, objects or places.
It is not necessary to list all the divergent similarities and characteristics, only to choose the most important ones that distinguish a particular person or thing.
Determine causes and effects
Explain how things influence each other. You can begin by introducing a certain fact and then listing and analyzing the causes that led to that state of affairs.
Describe the process
Another type of writing, the so-called text or process essay, provides detailed guidelines on how to do something.
Before you start writing, you should gather all the necessary information because you need to be an expert in that subject to instruct your readers appropriately.
Gives a definition
Another of the figures in the expository text is to explain the meaning of a particular word or term.
You can choose any object for close examination, either a living thing (a flower or an animal) or an abstract notion (friendship or love).
Find a solution
You can indicate a problem in the introduction and then come up with your possible solutions in the paragraphs of the body.
You can also pose a question and then provide detailed answers to it.
Adhere to the structure of 5 paragraphs
The standard structure should be used: the introduction containing the statement of the thesis, three paragraphs of the body that explain the thesis, and the conclusion that reaffirms the main idea.
References
- Structure to Facilitate Reading Comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 64: 368-372. Doi: 10.1598 / RT.64.5.9Akhondi, M., Malayeri, F.A. and Samad, A.A. (2011), How to Teach Expository Text
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2012). Genre study: Teaching with fiction and nonfiction books. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Samar Abdel-Halim Harkous. (2001). The Role of Text-structure Awareness in the Recall of Expository Texts. Google Books: American University of Beirut. Department of Education.
- Christine Dugan. (Feb 1, 2014). Academic Vocabulary Level 3-Expository Texts. Google Books: Teacher Created Materials.
- John V. Holsgrove. (2011). Structure Strategy Use in Children's Comprehension of Expository Texts. Google Books: Edith Cowan University. Faculty of Computing, Health and Science.
- Sejnost, R.L. & Thiese, S.M. (2010). Building Content Literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
- Marilyn A. Nippold, Cheryl M. Scott. (Mar 7, 2013). Expository Discourse in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: Development and Disorders. Google Books: Psychology Press.