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Writing a Process Essay
Prewriting Selecting a Topic
One type of process essay explains how something happens (or happened) over time. Think of explaining how something occurred in history or how a process takes place in nature.
How Tadpoles Become Frogs
1. A frog lays thousands of fertilized eggs in the water.
2. Tadpoles hatch, with tails and gills like fish.
3. Tadpoles eat, developing back legs and lungs.
4. Tadpoles grow front legs and shed their tails.
5. The frogs can now hop on land and swim in water.
Another type of process essay explains how to do something. It leads readers step by step through the process so that they can do it themselves. The tip below helps you come up with topic ideas for this type of essay.