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Elementary and Middle School Videos 619 videos

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ELA 3: How To Write a How-To 4 Views


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Description:

We were going to write some instruction on how to watch this video but we think that'd be too many how-to's in a row. The universe might implode or something. So...hm. Well, you know what to do.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:12

There are plenty of people out there who can help you learn how to do new things: your

00:16

parents…

00:17

…your teachers…

00:18

…your cat…c'mon, if anyone knows how to take over the world, it's Mrs. Snugglesworth. [A cat sitting on top of a tank]

00:22

But let's say you're not interested in world-domination, so Mrs. Snugglesworth can't help you…where

00:29

can you turn?

00:30

Easy!

00:31

Check out a how-to article.

00:33

The idea behind how-to articles is pretty simple: they explain how to do something as [Coop discussing how-to articles]

00:37

a series of steps.

00:38

You can think of them as a set of instructions for getting something done.

00:41

A good example would be a recipe! [Man wearing a chef outfit in a kitchen]

00:43

You start with a whole bunch of ingredients….

00:45

…then the recipe, aka the how-to article, tells you each step along the way, from how

00:49

much of each ingredient you have to measure out… [Dino talking about recipes]

00:51

…to the order in which you mix them…

00:53

…to how long you should let all those ingredients bake.

00:55

By the end, if you follow all the steps correctly and in the right order… [Chef holding a plate of food]

00:58

… you should end up with something delicious!

01:00

If you didn't follow the steps, you'll probably get a gross blob that took a few hours to

01:04

make.

01:05

How-to articles can teach about a lot more than just cooking, though. [Chef holding plate of food trips and plate falls to the floor]

01:07

They can teach you how to build a bookcase…

01:09

…or how to iron shirts…

01:10

…or even how to fish. [Man holding two fish]

01:12

Just try not to learn how to do all three at once.

01:14

Because even if you manage to finish the bookcase, it's really not the best place to store fish.

01:19

How-to articles are often written by experts on the subject. [Man on a boat with a fishing rod]

01:22

Y'know…the people who know how to do the stuff they're teaching you how to do!

01:25

So if there's something special you know how to do, you could write a how-to article of

01:29

your very own.

01:30

Just break down the activity into a series of ordered steps…like so…

01:33

…and write out the steps in clear, helpful language. [Coop discussing steps of installing a printer]

01:36

If someone else can follow your steps and successfully learn the skill, then congratulations!

01:40

You've written a great how-to article.

01:42

And if it's a how-to article about world domination, keep it away from Mrs. Snugglesworth…we [Mrs Snugglesworth wearing a crown in the President's office]

01:47

don't like the look in her eyes…

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