Writing Skills – How Do I Write An Informational Essay?

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     An essay is a form of factual writing that is more than one paragraph in length.  The key to writing a good informational essay or report is to be organized and understand the process and structure.
 

Prewriting
 
Starting Off

Before writing an informational essay, it is important to plan the 'who', 'what', and 'why'.

·         It is important to know who or what you are writing about.  Unless you are given an idea or specific topic to write about, it is important to choose a topic that really interests you.  If you are given a topic that does not necessarily interest you, find out if you can cover a subtopic or a topic related to the one that was given to you.  

·         Know who will be reading your report/essay.  Will it be for your classmates, teacher, or community?  Your vocabulary, facts, and overall writing should be dictated by your audience.  That is, you wouldn't want to include difficult scientific concepts and vocabulary if your essay is to be read by other students. 

·         Lastly, how do you want your writing to sound?  Do you want the essay to be very serious, funny, or scientific?  The 'way' you write is sometimes just as important as 'what' you write.  Your message will be understood according to the tone in your writing.

Putting it Together
 
What type of information do you plan on using?  First, find reliable sources and determine important information.  Once you have your information, find a focus.  That is, specifically what aspect of the topic do you want to focus on?  Then, organize your information into sub-categories.  The rule of thumb is to use 3 main ideas in your essay and focus on each idea within their own paragraphs.
 
The 1st Draft
 
Remember, a good essay, like a story, must have a beginning, middle, and end.
 
Beginning
Your introductory paragraph should say something interesting or surprising in order to get the reader's attention.  It should also introduce the subtopics you will be discussing in your essay.
 
Middle
The middle should include all of the ideas, facts, examples, and information about your topic.  Each paragraph should contain a separate sub-topic and should be properly organized.
 
End
The final paragraph, or conclusion, should summarize the main points covered in your informational essay/report.  It should also remind the reader what your main ideas were and why they were important.
 

Revising and Editing
 
Make sure that you have done the following in order to edit and revise your writing:

1.    Does my title identify my topic?

2.    Have I introduced my topic in my introduction?  Is my introduction interesting?

3.    Are my paragraphs well organized (i.e. topic sentence, supporting sentences)?

4.    Have I included facts, proof, and information that support my topic?

5.    Will readers understand my writing (i.e. have I written to the correct audience)?

6.    Have I edited my writing (i.e. grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, sentences)?

 By staying organized and following the structure of an information essay/report,
you will improve your chances for writing a well written essay.   

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