Explanatory+Essay

Explanatory writing communicates facts to readers without a personal opinion. It explains a topic with rich detail to inform your reader.
__ What do writers do : __ * Present a thesis statement and main ideas clearly * Include facts, examples, illustrations, incidents, and explanations to elaborate main ideas * Convey a feeling of knowledge and authority * Craft an effective introduction and conclusion * Use technical vocabulary related to the topic * Adopt a more formal, academic writing style from //Teaching Writing Balancing Process and Product// by Gail Tompkins

__//**Resources:**//__ [|1st Video Link to Explanatory Essay] [|2nd Video link to Explanatory Essay video]

__**Mentor text:**__ __**Consume or Commune: A Experts Guide to Hunting**__ I smelled the aroma of stew coming from the kitchen as I opened the front door crossing the threshold. This meant my dad was home. He had cooked his favorite meal. It simmered all day over a medium low flame in a large cauldron. What was inside was for all to wonder.

“Hi, dinner will be ready soon” he greeted me as I entered. I walked upstairs to shower after basketball practice and begin my homework. I was distracted the whole time by “How was I going to get out of this meal?”

My Dad had just got back from his hunting trip with his cousin out in Wyoming. I have no idea what he had got, nor what was in the pot. Being a vegetarian, it was surely going to be a challenge with dad cooking. He was so proud of making dinner to help out my mom and he used things called fresh vegetables. Mom stuck to pizza, chicken, and pasta. And she was the one finger wonder. Reservations or microwave. Hunting was also not her forte. My father on the other hand was a mountain man at heart. He read extensively on the subject making him an expert at heart. The guide to Hunting 101.

He would hunt with his cousin either in upstate New York or sometimes out west in Wyoming for big game. He would first sit in the woods for hours on end in really smelly camouflage clothes. Camouflage is used for concealment making it difficult for animals to see them. They spray themselves with special scents to entice the wildlife. They would begin in the upper areas of elevation and work their way down until they found an area they felt was viable for big game to be. Usually on the south side of the mountain were most fed. Up in their homemade tree stands, which sometime resembled tree houses, they would sit quietly until the animals would venture closely. Here is when they would look out for their prey.

He would bring an array of gear and take days to pack before leaving. The rifle had to be registered and shipped separately. He would have a first aid kit, and what I learned to be a survival kit. Here would be curried meats, water bottle, trail mix, a local map of the area, flint, extra ammo and a knife. When left to survive in the wilderness there are basics needed to bring with and basics of the wilderness to know. Yes, and a Hatchett like Gary Paulsen’s novel. To build a fire it is best to use flint and bark of a birch tree. It starts up a fire even if it is wet. It is important to know how to build shelter in case you don’t make it back to base camp. Snow is projected, but can be in unexpected amounts. Lean-to shelters are best if staying overnight.

Hunting is to manage populations of any certain type of species designated by the local department of fish and game. As well as to provide food for a person if they have received a permit from the department of fish and game to take that specific type of species. He was hunting mule deer and antelope. Hunting provides an experience of team adventure and wilderness skill training, building ones endurance in an assortment of ways. It is good for the soul to be at one with nature, making memories and giving us new stories to tell.

I slowly opened my bedroom door as I heard my father beckoning for my brothers and me for dinner. I creeped down the stairs as by brother hurriedly pushed by me. As I sluggishly entered the kitchen, I was surprisingly greeted with my brother’s disappointed faces at the table.

“Enjoy your meal, sorry about the vegetarian style. I could just not bring myself to shoot. I was in such pleasurable peace with the natural environment, I missed the whole herd” my father stated with serendipity.

I was very happy to be provided with vegetables, minus the big game. Instead of opening doors to anxiety or disappointment, I was opening a door to a new vegetable stew recipe. With Leeks, parsnips, potatoes all sautéed with earthen herbs to match the stew simmered all day. He was so proud of his creation and he garnished it with the stories of the adventure.