Heat keeps Baldwin marathoner from finish line

Ben Amato | Educational consultant

Expository Writing - ELA Standards 1, 3 and 4

Though the calendar reads fall, this season's abnormal temperatures has the nation still basking in summer. For the runners at the Chicago marathon, this October classic became a mid-summer style nightmare.

Today's lesson looks at heat-related illnesses and the stopping of the annual Chicago running event.

TV Component

The CW 11 News at Ten carried the story of the Chicago marathon. View the video clip twice and then take the Multiple-Choice Quiz.

Newspaper Component
The article in today's Newsday titled "Heat keeps Baldwin marathoner from the finish line," details the disastrous effects 88 degree weather has on long distance runners. Read the article and using the facts and details within, complete the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle.

Language Arts Component
"Today we're seeing that climate change is about more than a few unseasonably mild winters or hot summers. It's about the chain of natural catastrophes and devastating weather patterns that global warming is beginning to set off around the world.. the frequency and intensity of which are breaking records thousands of years old."
Barack Obama

Global warming is becoming a fact of life, with consequences touching all aspects of our lives--even sporting events.

Situation
Write an EXPOSITORY ESSAY about the aborted Chicago marathon and how it symbolizes some of the more self-evident dangers of global warming.

The Nature and Structure of an EXPOSITORY ESSAY
An EXPOSITORY ESSAY is a form of writing in which things are explained and described. The goal of this style is to inform the reader of some event, issue or discovery. Typical of all formal styles of writing, this essay will follow a set pattern of 3 paragraphs.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

Expository essays begin with the TOPIC, where in short, direct sentences the issue or event is explained. Details about the SETTING and CAST are presented next. These sentences tell WHO the major players are and WHERE the story is being played out. The final sentence of this section is where the writer presents his/her OPINION on the issue. This is a "grabber" that makes the reader want to read the rest of the essay.

BODY PARAGRAPH
This section concerns the details of the story. Using the information from the article and interviews, the writer should present the facts in a strong, direct manner. It is best to arrange details in an ORDER OF IMPORTANCE. Place the more significant details at the start of the essay and the lesser ones later in the paragraph. The aim of an expository essay is to inform the reader, but the writer should also try to bring the reader to their opinion by using logic and the evidence.

This section may be longer than just one paragraph, depending on how many facts and details are gathered from the article and television news story. Use the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle and the answers to the Multiple-Choice Quiz as a resource so you can make sure all the important facts have been included.

CONCLUSION
The final section of an expository essay should drive home the opinion of the writer. Repeat the TOPIC in a short, clear phrase and then answer a few questions expressing your own thoughts on the situation. What do the events of the Chicago marathon illustrate about Global Warming? Should the race have been held? How will the effects of Global Warming touch all of our lives? Then express to your audience your opinion about the future. How will Global Warming change our world?