Explain to students that expository writing gives information or directions, or explains ideas. For example, a paragraph on "My Hometown" would be expository writing since you are giving facts about where you live. Another example would be "How to Ride a Bike."
Read a few examples of expository paragraphs from a non-fiction book, newspaper or magazine article or students' writing from previous years.
Discuss with students the structure of an expository paragraph. Point out the title, topic sentence, details, facts or steps and the closing sentence. Remind them the topic sentence should state the main idea or what the paragraph is about. Tell students that they must have at least three details, facts or steps to fully support their topic sentence. The closing sentence should sum up the paragraph and bring it to an end.
Ask students to brainstorm topics that would be acceptable for expository paragraphs. Write down their ideas to compile a list. Once you have listed several ideas, tell the children to choose one topic that interests them.
Instruct the class to write the headings "Topic Sentence," "Supporting Sentences" and "Closing Sentence" in their notebook. Under each heading, students should write a few words or ideas to develop a writing plan for their paragraph. Inform the students that they do not need to write full sentences at this time. A few key words or phrases are enough for this phase of writing.
Tell the students to begin writing their paragraph on another sheet of paper, once their plan is complete. Encourage them to use the keywords and phrases from their plan to form complete sentences in their paragraph.
Give the children the opportunity to read their completed paragraphs to the class, if they desire. Use their oral presentation or written paragraph to assess which students have mastered expository writing and which ones still need guidance.