Y05W03WR How to Use the Compost Bin

Part 1

How to Write

Explanatory – Notice

An explanatory text makes a concept, process or system understandable to a reader who is encountering it for the first time. It is written for someone who wants to genuinely understand how or why something works. The tone should be clear and patient — building understanding step by step without assuming prior knowledge.

  • Ideas & content: Select the most important information needed to understand the topic. Focus on how and why — explanation is about building genuine understanding, not just describing what exists.
  • Structure & cohesion: Move from the general to the specific. Introduce the concept, explain how or why it works, then give examples or consequences. Use cause-and-effect connectives to show relationships between ideas.
  • Voice & audience: Write as a knowledgeable guide. Define terms as you introduce them. Avoid jargon without explanation. Your reader should feel guided through the topic, not overwhelmed by it.
  • Language choices: Use precise vocabulary and define technical terms clearly. Write in the present tense for ongoing processes. Vary sentence length — shorter sentences help when ideas are complex.
  • Conventions: Spell technical vocabulary accurately. Use commas, colons and semicolons to manage complex explanations. Keep sentences clear even when the ideas are demanding.

Common pitfalls: Describing what something is without explaining how or why it works — readers need to understand the mechanism, not just the label. Including too many facts without connecting them into a clear explanation that builds understanding progressively.

Part 2

Your Task Plan for Today

The brief

Question: Write the notice for beside the compost bin. You have space for a brief introduction and four clear instructions or points. Choose and organise the facts that are most useful for students who are using the bin for the first time. Write clearly and directly.

Stimulus: Your school has just introduced a composting bin in the garden. A notice is needed to go beside it explaining what composting is and how students should use the bin correctly.

Task Analysis: This notice must be very clear and simple. First-time users need to know exactly what to put in and what not to put in. Use short sentences and clear lists. Help them understand without confusing them.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • What composting is — in two or three simple sentences
  • What you CAN put in — fruit, vegetables, paper
  • What you CANNOT put in — meat, dairy, oils
  • One thing to remember — turn it or keep it moist

Define the key concept

Start by explaining composting simply: ‘Composting turns food scraps and plant waste into soil that helps gardens grow.’ Keep it very short. Your reader is in a hurry.

Key details to include

Use bullet points or numbered lists. Make each instruction one sentence only. For example: ‘Put fruit and vegetable scraps in the bin.’ Do not write long explanations.

Format rules

Write like a notice — short, clear and easy to read. Use bold for the most important words. Use simple language a Year 3 student would understand.