Writing Explanation II: Crafting a Well-Written Explanation

As you learned in Writing Explanation Iopens in new window, claims, evidence and reasoning are the building blocks of a good scientific explanation. It is the writer’s responsibility to support a claim with evidence and reasoning so the reader has a deeper understanding of the topic. It is also the writer’s responsibility to present the information in a clear, unbiased and well-organized manner, using a formal style of writing.

Explore the interactive below to learn how to craft a well-written explanation. Refer to the Writing Explanation I slideshowopens in new window to review how to use claims, evidence and reasoning in a science explanation. Remember, explanatory texts inform readers by providing clear and accurate statements that explain a topic. Scientific explanations are often written to answer a question about something scientific or to provide a solution to a problem.

Look in the Glossary for bolded terms.

Now go to the following page to practice writing an explanation.