Expand your writing using

T.E.X.A.S.

T

•Topic Sentence:(anecdote, expert quote, 1 sentence hook, rhetorical question… something that sets up the focus of this section.)

Examples:

• Did you know that almost 53% of women in Nepal are illiterate (cannot read or write)?

• Surprisingly enough, the main barrier to education for girls is early marriage.

E•Expand:• (detailed explanation. Expanding on your topic

sentence.)

• Example:

• Every year, thousands of girls drop out of school to get married, as families who struggle financially see education as a luxury and prefer to use the money to pay for dowries to marry of their daughters. What parents don’t realize however, is the impact this can have on their daughters’ futures .

•  

X•eXample:• (supporting evidence- quotes, facts, anecdotes, etc. in your own

words. Supporting evidence needs to be blended in with your detailed explanation and needs to support what you are saying.)

• Example:

• Sumon Tuladhar, an education specialist with UNICEF knows that the lack of education among girls can have a serious effect on their future. “Early marriage should be stopped because it not only affects their (daughter’s) education but also their health,” he stated. “In addition, that also has an impact on their self-confidence and empowerment. Many children are victims of early marriage – after marriage they hardly come to school, and even if they do, their performance is very poor.” (UNICEF)

A•Analysis:• (why/how this information is significant/ important to your

slant.)

• Example:

• Part of the reason for the younger marriages is that the younger the child, the smaller the dowry (money or property that a wife or wife’s family gives to her husband when the wife and husband marry in some cultures. Source: Merriam Webster dictionary) that must be paid to the husband’s family prior to marriage. Once the girl is married, she is considered to be the ‘property’ of her husband’s family and no longer a financial concern to her own.

S

•Summary:• (concluding sentence that links back to your

slant and transitions out of this subheading and into the next one.)

• Example:

• With these challenges facing young girls across the country, what can be done to see that they have the chance at higher education and the possibility of a better life ?