What is the problem or issue? Why is it a problem/issue? Who is affected by it? How are people affected? When did it become an issue? Where does the issue exist?

To get started on an expository essay, consider a problem or issue of concern related to your chosen topic category (food, education, technology, or race/class/identity) that you would like to “expose” to an audience. The readings from They Say, I Say addressed issues or concerns within the context of these topic categories. I would encourage you to raise a different issue, perhaps one connected in some way to what you wrote about in your narrative essay.

Some questions you should consider addressing in the essay: What is the problem or issue? Why is it a problem/issue? Who is affected by it? How are people affected? When did it become an issue? Where does the issue exist?

Once you have identified a thesis, think about what types of support will help your readers to better understand the viewpoint you are expressing. Will you need to describe a cause/effect relationship between things? Will you need to compare/contrast? Is there anything that must be defined for an average audience?

Use these and other questions to consider how best you to explain your viewpoint to your readers. Organize your ideas in a logical manner to formulate the body paragraphs (support) in your essay.

Finally, use your conclusion to readdress your thesis in light of the supporting ideas you have provided in the body of the essay. The conclusion can also offer implications (other related matters to think about or seek more information on) or applications (possible actions that can be taken on the issue).

Your draft should meet the following guidelines:

Include an introduction with a clearly stated thesis, supporting body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion.
Be formatted in MLA style and include citations for any outside sources.
Be a minimum of 750 words in length.