Expository: Fight the Boring

It doesn't have to be painful...

I have a confession to make. I hate reading expository texts. There, I said it. Unfortunately, Texas has decided that expository is the mother of all writing. So, here I am a few weeks away from the beginning of school and I am thinking about the one thing I hate the most. 

What is it about expository that makes it so awful uninteresting to me? I mean, I really like watching documentaries, the news, listening to NPR. All of those are expository texts. Non-fiction and informational. All the things I say I don't like. But I can't get enough. I am such a news junkie that my two year old asks to watch the news instead of cartoons. So, it can't be the "entertainment value" that turns me off to cracking open an article and reading it. It must be something else. 

I went to my thinking spot and thought, thought, thought, and I realized. I just don't like teaching non-fiction. Usually when faced with teaching an article, I don't know what to do beyond read it and talk about it. How boring for everyone involved in the process of learning. 

Proposed Solution

First, I have to chose expository texts that are high interest. The internet will help me out with that I'm sure. I used one last year about the Shia and Sunnis using Romeo and Juliet to change Iraq (It's FREE). The kids really liked it. But I didn't do a great job of teaching the article. At the end of the unit, I patted myself on the back for working non-fiction in to the Romeo and Juliet unit, but I could totally do better. 

Secondly, I need a WAY of teaching the text that allows the students to take ownership of what they are reading and eventually turn reading into writing. Easier said than done, I know. But I created this graphic organizer as a start. It can be used with any expository text. And I think it can be used in elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms. So far, it's a step in the right direction. 

In conclusion

Step 1: high interest texts

Step 2: a guide to analyzing the high interest text that leads to writing

Let me know how you integrate non-fiction articles in your curriculum and what you use to do it. 

Until then, happy teaching!!