Writing Explanatory Text Portfolio 3

Question

Reflect
Read over your finished explanatory text portfolio with the explanatory text rubric in hand. Think not only about how well your writing reflects the criteria in the rubric, but also on the process you undertook to complete the writing.

Writing Explanatory Text Portfolio Rubric
Then, choose three of the questions below, and use them to reflect on the experience of writing an explanatory text. Write your answers in your notebook.

How did grounding yourself in purpose, audience, and task help you focus on the process of writing an explanatory text?
What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome as you wrote your text? What did you do to get past this challenge?
What did the experience of crafting an explanatory text teach you about yourself as a writer? What are your strengths? What do you still need to work on?
Think back to an explanatory text you remember writing previously. Compare that piece of writing to the text you just wrote. What does the comparison show about how you’ve grown as a writer?
Now, consider the self-selected nonfiction explanatory text you have been reading over the course of this unit. Suppose you had the opportunity to have a discussion with the author of this text—writer to writer. List three questions you would ask the writer about their process. How might their observations strengthen your own writing abilities?

Answer 1

Reflection on the Experience of Writing an Explanatory Text

1. How did grounding yourself in purpose, audience, and task help you focus on the process of writing an explanatory text?

Grounding myself in purpose, audience, and task was crucial in guiding my writing process. By clearly defining my purpose, I was able to streamline my thoughts and ensure that every paragraph contributed meaningfully to the overall objective of explaining a specific topic. Understanding my audience allowed me to tailor my language and examples to a level that was both accessible and engaging, which I knew was essential for maintaining their interest and facilitating comprehension. Lastly, being aware of the task at hand kept me focused on the structural requirements of an explanatory text, such as coherence, organization, and clarity. This clarity helped reduce unnecessary distractions and allowed me to concentrate on delivering valuable insights that aligned with the expectations of the assignment.

2. What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome as you wrote your text? What did you do to get past this challenge?

The biggest hurdle I faced was organizing my thoughts in a logical manner. I had a wealth of information and ideas, but I struggled initially to determine the best way to present them so that they would flow naturally and make sense to the reader. To overcome this challenge, I created an outline that mapped out the main points I wanted to cover. This outline served as a skeleton for my writing, allowing me to arrange my thoughts in a coherent order. Additionally, I used transitional phrases between sections to ensure smooth connections. By breaking the writing process down into manageable sections, I found it easier to focus on the details of each point without losing sight of the overall structure.

3. What did the experience of crafting an explanatory text teach you about yourself as a writer? What are your strengths? What do you still need to work on?

Crafting this explanatory text revealed that my strengths lie in my ability to research thoroughly and synthesize information from multiple sources. I enjoy delving into a topic and uncovering various perspectives, which enriched the content of my piece. However, I discovered that I still need to work on my conciseness and clarity. I tend to get carried away with details, which can lead to overly complex sentences that may confuse readers. Moving forward, I aim to practice writing more succinctly while maintaining the necessary depth of information. This experience taught me the value of revision and the importance of viewing my work from the perspective of my intended audience to ensure clarity.

Questions for the Author

1. What strategies do you use to determine the right level of detail for your audience when writing explanatory texts?

Understanding how to gauge the appropriate level of detail for different audiences could greatly enhance my ability to connect with readers and convey information effectively.

2. How do you approach the revision process for your explanatory texts, particularly in terms of ensuring clarity and coherence?

Learning about the author’s revision strategies could provide me with practical techniques that I might incorporate into my own writing process to enhance the overall quality of my work.

3. Can you share an instance where you faced a significant challenge while writing an explanatory text, and how you overcame it?

Hearing about the author's own struggles and solutions could inspire me to tackle my challenges with renewed creativity and confidence, knowing that even experienced writers face obstacles.

Answer 2

your word limit is 240

Answer 3

Reflection on the Experience of Writing an Explanatory Text

1. Purpose, Audience, and Task: Grounding myself in purpose, audience, and task helped clarify my writing direction. Understanding my purpose allowed me to focus on delivering specific information effectively. Knowing my audience guided my language choice, ensuring it was appropriate and engaging. Lastly, being aware of the task's structure helped me maintain coherence, leading to clearer explanations.

2. Biggest Hurdle: My biggest hurdle was organizing my ideas logically. Initially, I had too much information and struggled with flow. To overcome this, I created a detailed outline that mapped out my main points. This helped me arrange thoughts coherently and introduced transitions that smoothed connections between sections.

3. Insights on My Writing: Writing this text revealed my strengths in research and synthesis. I enjoy exploring topics deeply. However, I realized I need to work on conciseness and clarity, as my tendency to include too many details can confuse readers. I plan to focus on writing more succinctly while maintaining depth.

Questions for the Author

1. What strategies do you use to determine the right level of detail for your audience?
2. How do you approach the revision process, particularly for clarity?
3. Can you share a significant challenge you faced while writing and how you overcame it?

Answer 4

make it sound like a nineth grader did it with a 240 word limit

Answer 5

Reflection on Writing an Explanatory Text

1. Purpose, Audience, and Task: Focusing on purpose, audience, and task really helped me stay on track while writing my explanatory text. Knowing my purpose allowed me to understand what information was most important. Thinking about my audience made me choose words and examples that would be relatable to them. Finally, understanding the task's structure kept my writing organized and clear, which is essential for an explanatory piece.

2. Biggest Hurdle: The biggest challenge I faced was figuring out how to organize my ideas logically. I had a lot of information but struggled with how to present it clearly. To get past this, I made an outline that listed my main points and arranged them in a way that made sense. This outline helped me see the connections between ideas and made it easier to write smoothly.

3. Insights on My Writing: This experience taught me that I’m pretty good at researching and finding interesting facts. I enjoy digging deep into topics. However, I learned that I need to work on being more concise. Sometimes, I include too many details, which can make it hard for readers to follow. Moving forward, I’ll focus on making my writing clearer and to the point.

Questions for the Author

1. How do you know how much detail to include for your audience?
2. What’s your approach to revising for clarity?
3. Can you describe a tough writing challenge you faced and how you solved it?

Answer 6

240 letter limit

Answer 7

Reflection on Writing an Explanatory Text

1. Purpose, Audience, and Task: Focusing on my purpose and audience helped me stay on track. Knowing what I wanted to explain guided my ideas, while considering my audience made my writing clearer.

2. Biggest Hurdle: The toughest challenge was organizing my ideas. I created an outline to sort my points and keep the flow logical.

3. Insights on My Writing: I learned I’m good at researching but need to work on being more concise. I have a tendency to add too many details that can confuse readers.

Questions for the Author

1. How do you decide how much detail to give your audience?
2. What’s your method for revising to ensure clarity?
3. Can you share a big challenge you faced while writing?