Explaining Explanations

Do some thinking around explanations and, in your groups, start to brainstorm your ideas to answer these questions and show what our Prior Knowledge is.

What are explanations?

What is the root word - what does it mean?

Why do we use them?  What is their purpose?

Where do we find them?

Who writes them and why?  Why is there a need for them?

Are they fiction and non-fiction - how do you know?  What might they have in them that other text forms do not have?


Let's find out what we already know when writing an explanation.  Click on the link below and choose one SITUATION to write about.  Remember to EXPLAIN your thinking clearly.  The purpose of this is for us to find out how confident and skilled you already are at writing explanations to explain and share your thinking.

http://www.holmdel.k12.nj.us/schools/satz/eng_dept/Writing%20styles/Explanatory%20Writing/expl%20prompts.htm