Learn It
Your teachers have likely told you that having good writing skills is a very important life skill. You already know that writing skills are important when you take an essay test, complete a Document-Based Question (DBQ), or write a report. However, do you know why good writing skills are important to your future? Writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning and your intellect will be judged in college, in the workplace and in the community. English classes, as well as other classes, commonly assign written homework and papers. You are often graded on writing skills as well as content. When seeking employment, you prepare application materials, including a resumé and cover letter. Employers often assess responses to application questions, resumés and cover letters to select potential candidates to interview. In your job, good writing skills will be essential in communicating with the community or public.
Being able to communicate effectively through the written word is a life-long skill required for college and employment applications.
The video presentation below will take you through the steps of writing an informative/explanatory text. Informative/explanatory text is factual and its purpose is to explain or inform the reader about a topic.
Watch the video to learn how to write informative/explanatory texts.
Common Transitional Words
Click on the following link for some examples of commonly used transitional words that are used to connect paragraphs and information in a text. You will have access to a more comprehensive list when you begin your writing in the Try It section of this module.
Common Transitional WordsOpens a new window
In the next activity, you will have the opportunity to write two explanatory essays to apply what you have learned. Before you begin your writing, you will examine an example of a well-written informative text about the Great Depression.
