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For the past few years I have been teaching high school writing in our homeschool tutorial co-op. Having seen several groups of students through the courses, I've noticed some issues and questions coming up regularly. I hope these Tip Sheets will be helpful to my students, their parents, and perhaps to other students and parent/teachers as well.
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Any type of essay or writing that explains how to do something or how something works can be considered a "how to" paper or a Process Analysis paper. It might bring to mind a textbook or instruction manual, but it could also take the form of a lighthearted or humorous piece about how the simple act of packing for a weekend trip became a huge ordeal when everything went wrong.
As with any essay, plan the body first. If you'll be explaining how to do something, go through the process yourself taking notes on each step. Decide how much explanation is needed for the various steps, and this may depend on your audience. Once you have written down all the steps in the process, and if necessary, a list of items needed to complete the process, you can compose sentences and paragraphs from that skeleton. Use clear transition word and phrases to guide the reader from one step to the next.
Some examples of transition words and phrases: next; once that is complete; after this is in place; begin by; when you are ready; etc. Be careful that you don't overuse just one transition, and that your sentence structures are varied. You don't want to end up with a long list of "then do this, next do this" because that's not very interesting to read.
Process writing might also describe more than one way of completing a task or approaching a problem. For instance, you could prepare to host a party by carefully planning each menu item and cooking ahead of time, or you could have a potluck and just see what your guests bring, or you could order pizzas.
The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity. ~Robert Stuberg
Use the smallest word that does the job. ~E.B. White
Another type of process essay is one explaining how you did something. This is more personal and may be something like how you pulled off a huge surprise party for your mom or explaining the method of cleaning your room that's most efficient for you. You should still start with the basic steps and then flesh them out into a narrative. This type of essay may be serious or light in tone.
Instruction does not prevent wasted time or mistakes; and mistakes themselves are often the best teachers of all. ~James Anthony Froude
Other process essays may explain how you would solve a problem. It's easy to see how this type of writing could be used in the business world, isn't it? This is the proposal for improvements and repairs for a building, or to solve a conflict in the community. The problem-solving process essay is usually written in a serious and formal style.
"How it works" essays may explain exactly that - how a hummingbird builds a nest or how satellite radio works - or these types of process essays may work backwards to explain what processes caused a particular result. This second type is called a causal-process essay and seeks to answer questions like these: What caused the breach in the dam? What factors are causing the decline in the manatee population? In the causal-process essay, you'll examine the factors that led to a result and you may also analyze what could have been done differently or evaluate the effectiveness of measures that were taken. This is more of an investigative essay and requires research and logic.
As with most essays, it's often best to write the introduction and conclusion once the body is complete. Your introduction to a how-to essay should have an attention getter to interest your audience, and the thesis statement should clearly indicate what you will explain in your essay. The conclusion of a process essay does not need a call to action, but may sum up the project or encourage the reader to try it.
Overall, I think process analysis essays are some of the easiest to write! How about you?
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