Complete Guide to Teaching Expository Writing in Middle School

You pass out an expository writing prompt and watch your students freeze up. They stare at the prompt, write a vague opening sentence, and some random facts. Then, they call it done. You’re over the sad, lackluster essays, but you have no clue how to get students to write better. Then I came along. 😉 Getting students to write better essays is kind of my thing. Let’s talk teaching expository writing so that students produce essays that genuinely surprise you…in a good way.

What is Expository Writing?

Expository writing is writing that explains a topic clearly and objectively. The purpose is to inform readers by presenting organized ideas, relevant details, and logical explanations. 

It sounds simple, but students easily slip into storytelling, or they throw in their opinions without even realizing it. Getting them to stick with the right structure and genre is a big part of teaching expository writing.

That’s why I start my expository writing unit by explaining what expository writing is and what it isn’t. I also show students examples of different types of writing and have them figure out which one is expository. Being able to see the writing (not just hear the definition) makes a big difference.

Characteristics and Structures of Expository Writing

Having a definition for expository writing and knowing what it looks like is a solid first step. Then, you’ll want to make it clear what actually goes into an expository essay. I like to give students a reference sheet with nine characteristics of expository writing (included in my expository writing unit). We go over each characteristic and what it looks like in the essay.

These characteristics guide their writing, almost like a checklist. Here are a few of the characteristics that we talk about –

• A clear central idea – They need a focus statement to guide their essay. Everything – body paragraphs, evidence, and conclusion – comes back to this idea.
• Focused body paragraphs – Middle schoolers struggle to stay on point. They need paragraphs where they develop one main point, so the essay is organized and everything flows smoothly.
• Relevant facts and examples – Dropping a fact into a paragraph isn’t enough. They need to explain how the fact connects to their central idea and why it matters.

You’ll also want to touch on different ways they organize their essays because there are many. They can use text structures like definition, classification, compare and contrast, sequence and process, and cause and effect.

Teaching Students to Write Strong Expository Essays

Once students have the foundation, it’s time to get writing. I scaffold the entire writing process from start to finish in my expository writing unit. And there are a few strategies I highly recommend using if you want student essays to come out stronger and with more depth.

#1 Scaffolding – Don’t just hand students a prompt and hope they can take it from there. Walk them through everything. Give them reference pages for building a central idea. Show them what body paragraphs look like. Guide them through writing a conclusion.

#2 Mentor Texts – Before students write a single word of their own, they need to see what a strong expository essay looks like. Mentor texts give them a concrete reference point that they can model their own writing after. I talk about how I use mentor texts for writing in this blog. I also include example essays and mentor texts in my expository writing unit.

#3 Graphic Organizers – Students need a plan before they begin writing. Graphic organizers help them lay out their thinking, organize thoughts, and make sure it all connects (AKA it actually makes sense) before they spend the time writing it all out. I also include graphic organizers in my expository writing unit!

#4 Writing Conferences – These don’t need to be formal sit-down chats (actually, I wouldn’t do that). Instead, check in periodically with students to see how their essays are going. You can catch mistakes early, give feedback, and help students’ confidence early on.

#5 Student Choice – Let students pick what they write about! The buy-in, and therefore the quality of the essay, is way better when students enjoy their topic. In the expository writing unit, I include an expository prompt bank with over 100 options students can choose from.

Grab the Complete Expository Writing Unit

Want guidance on teaching expository writing? My complete expository writing unit includes everything you need to scaffold expository writing for your students, so they write strong, more in-depth expository essays.

This resource includes 21 detailed teacher lesson plans, teacher slide decks, student notebooks, expository writing rubrics, writing conference checklists, writing reference booklets, pacing guides, graphic organizers, and more.

This expository writing unit is also a part of my larger middle school writing curriculum. Inside you’ll find six complete writing units for the most common essay types: Narrative writing, Literary Analysis, Argumentative writing, Expository writing, Rhetorical analysis, and Research writing.