The informative essay is an essay that informs the reader about a topic. The writer essentially
becomes an expert on a topic and educates the reader. Its purpose is not to persuade the reader to
an opinion, but to just explain about a topic. Consult College Grammar and Composition
Handbook, sect. 45, for an explanation of a basic essay. The objectives of this composition are
for you to learn the five-paragraph essay format and to learn to effectively incorporate support
material into an essay.
Planning and Writing an Informative Essay
1. Decide on a topic. The topic for this paper will be a place such as a large city, a state, or a
country.
• Choose a place from the list of approved topics. This list will be on Canvas. If there is
a place that you would like to write about that is not on the approved topic list, you
must get approval from your instructor before researching and writing the paper.
• The paper is not meant to persuade your audience into believing something
argumentative about the place; rather, it is meant to inform the audience about
different aspects of the location.
Submit your topic on Canvas. You must get your topic approved by your teacher.
2. Brainstorm your topic. List 25 details or ideas about your topic. Write down aspects
about the place that you may already
be familiar with and write down aspects that you
may want to learn more about.
• When brainstorming, try to categorize your ideas together. This will help when you
prepare the outline later.
• Writing out questions on your brainstorm can also help guide you.
• When writing a brainstorm, writing down phrases, clauses, or questions is the best
way to spur thinking about what you will need to research.
• Use the following prompt to provoke some ideas for the brainstorm: Before my
paper, my audience may know X. After reading my paper, they will know Y.
• Identify your audience in the brainstorm. For this paper, your audience is your peers.
3. Write the thesis. Use a simple sentence (see Handbook, sect. 7.2). The thesis sentence
lets your reader know the topic of your paper. For this paper, your thesis will include
your three main points. Use the following structure for your thesis:
Three aspects ________ is known for are its typography, culture, and industry.
4. Outline the topic. Because the body of your paper will have three main points, your
outline will also have three points. For example, if you were writing a composition about
Georgia, your outline might look like the following:
Example: I. First, Georgia is known for its typography.
A. Appalachian Mountains
B. Coastal Plains