Understanding Explanatory Paragraphs
Your main purpose in an explanatory paragraph is to give information about a subject. You may give directions, present ideas, or explain how to do something. An explanatory paragraph uses transitions such as first, then, after, and finally.
Read an explanatory paragraph.
Read the following paragraph. Note how the first sentence introduces the topic, the body sentences include details with time transitions, and the ending sentence wraps up the explanation.
Listen to "Building Our Tree House"
Hide audio
Topic Sentence Last summer, my friends and I built a tree house in our back yard. Our first step was to agree on a design for the tree house. Then we made a list of materials we needed and located a store that sold building supplies. We took our list and the money we had saved and went shopping. Body SentencesWe loaded everything into my dad’s van and headed back. The first thing we had to do was build a frame for the floor of the house. (My mom helped with that.) Then we used a rope to raise all the wood up into the tree. TransitionsAfterward, we nailed the floorboards to the frame, and we soon had a floor. After that, we added walls and a roof. It took us all afternoon, but it was worth it. Ending Sentence We now had a great place to hang out for the rest of the summer.
Respond to the explanatory paragraph.
Answer the questions below to think about the explanatory paragraph.
- What pattern of organization does the writer use?
- Why is this an effective pattern for explaining an event?
- What is your favorite detail from this paragraph? Why?
- After reading this paragraph, would you like to build your own tree house? Why or why not?
Prewriting for an Explanatory Paragraph
An explanatory paragraph helps you explain something. The topic needs to be a fairly simple one. You should be able to explain it in five or six sentences. Start by gathering details about your topic.
Think of a topic.
Think of how to do something—a process that you can explain in a paragraph. Answer these questions to consider topics.
- What can you teach others to do?
- What can you explain to someone else?
Create a flow chart.
Choose a process to explain. Then fill each box with a step, in order.
Flow Chart
First,
Then,
Next,
Finally,
Teaching Tip
Use this page in the library or with computer access to help guide students’ research about their paragraph topics.
Writing an Explanatory Paragraph
After you have gathered details about your topic, you are ready to begin writing your first draft.
Write a topic sentence.
Write a sentence that names the process you will explain and gets the attention of the reader. Write body sentences giving steps in time order. Create an ending sentence that sums up the process.