Write an essay

In this unit, you have been writing informative material about topics that focus on the environment. After you finished your first draft, you reviewed your writing, keeping in mind your purpose. Your reason for writing has mostly been to inform or to explain. When writing informative or explanatory material, purposes might include:
to inform readers about a topic
to explain a process or issue
to persuade readers to agree with an opinion
to motivate readers to do something
to describe a person, place, or thing
to reflect on an experience or feeling
As you reviewed your writing, you also kept in mind your audience—people who will be reading your work. You may write for a single reader, such as your Learning Coach or a friend. You may write for a larger audience, such as newspaper readers or for members of a club or student group. Whatever your audience, keeping them in mind helps guide you by reminding you to consider what readers are likely to know about your topic and what they will find most interesting.

Environmental topics can be complex. They often link different subject areas and involve current events. For example, an examination into how warming oceans impact coral reefs includes science facts about coral polyps, ecosystems, and the exchange of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere. It also involves understanding how society and governments impact the natural world.

Still, writing about environmental topics doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Narrowing your topic to a specific focus helped you target your research and manage information. Keeping in mind your purpose and audience also helped you include appropriate details and convey them in a suitable tone.

Now, as you read over your finished draft, ask yourself how well it suits your purpose and audience. To determine whether you need to make any final revisions, consider these questions:

What is my purpose for writing? Does my essay fulfill this purpose?
Are there places where I departed from my purpose, and if so, how?
Did I include any elements that do not belong in informative or explanatory writing, such as opinions or personal reflections?
What is my audience? What are my readers likely to know about this topic? Do I need to define terms or explain things more clearly? Are my sentence structures and language appropriate?
Which of my points will interest my audience most? Did I emphasize those points, or highlight them in my introduction?
The rubric will help you to assess your writing. Read it carefully to see how well you have followed the rules for writing informative/explanatory texts.

Read over your finished writing product and think about these questions. Write your reflections in your journal.

How useful was the organizational plan you created in helping you with the writing process? How closely did you follow your plan? Would your essay have been more effective if you followed your plan more closely, or did your final organization make more sense?
How effective do you think your text was in achieving its purpose? Do you think your text is written in a way that appeals to your audience?
Did you include all the information you wanted? Was there anything additional that you wish you had included?
How heavily did you revise your text in the revising and editing process? In what ways did your changes improve your text?

1 answer

The organizational plan I created was extremely useful in helping me with the writing process. It provided me with a clear structure and roadmap for my essay, ensuring that I included all the necessary information and stayed on track with my purpose. I followed my plan quite closely, making minor adjustments along the way to ensure that my ideas flowed smoothly and logically.

I believe that my text was effective in achieving its purpose of informing and explaining. I provided relevant and accurate information about the environmental topics I addressed, and I presented it in a clear and concise manner. I also made sure to use language and sentence structures that were appropriate for my audience, avoiding any complex jargon or technical terms that may have been confusing.

When reviewing my finished draft, I did include all the information I wanted to cover. However, there were some areas where I felt that I could have gone into more depth or provided additional examples to support my points. In future revisions, I would consider expanding on certain sections to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

During the revising and editing process, I made several changes to improve my text. I focused on clarifying my explanations and ensuring that my ideas were presented in a logical and coherent manner. I also paid attention to the flow and coherence of my paragraphs, making sure that each one connected smoothly to the next. Additionally, I checked for any grammatical or spelling errors and made necessary corrections.

Overall, I am satisfied with the revisions I made and believe that they significantly improved the quality and effectiveness of my essay. I am confident that my text will appeal to my intended audience and provide them with valuable information on the environmental topics discussed.