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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.
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]
Full Transcript
- 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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