Expository Writing Teaching Resources
Whether you call it expository writing, informational writing or writing informative texts in your classroom, it's important for students to learn to write in a manner that shares straightforward information on a certain topic to educate their reader. It's a skill that will serve them well throughout their education and well into adulthood.
Getting your students started with informative writing this school year? The Teach Starter team of teachers has put together everything you need to teach this core writing type to your elementary writers, including printable worksheets, writing prompts, writing templates, and more.
Each resource in this collection has been thoroughly reviewed to ensure it's ready to be used in your classroom, and you'll find editable options so you can make the adjustments you need to meet state-level standards and meet your students where they are.
New to teaching this type of writing or looking for a handy refresher? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a definition you can use explain what you mean when you introduce expository or informative writing to your students.
What Is Informative Writing or Expository Writing? A Kid-Friendly Definition
We have always found it is helpful to have a definition handy when we are introducing the different genres of writing to our class. Here's one the ELA teachers on our team use for expository writing:
Expository writing is a type of writing that is created to educate the reader with facts.
This type of writing goes by a number of names, so maybe your district calls it something else. Here's a look at just a few of the names it may be called:
- Expository writing
- Informational writing
- Explanatory writing
- Informative Writing
Informative Writing vs. Persuasive Writing — How to Explain the Difference to Your Students
Informative writing is just one of the many writing styles your students will learn in elementary school, but it's important to establish the clear differences between them.
Take persuasive writing, for example. Like informational writing, it requires becoming educated on the topic a student is writing about, and it involves using facts in writing.
On the other hand, a persuasive writing essay is written to convince the reader of something. In higher grades, it transitions into opinion writing because it takes a side on a topic rather than remaining impartial.
That's not true of an expository writing piece, which takes a "just the facts, Jack" form.
What Are the 5 Elements of Informative Writing?
As you dive into teaching informational writing, there are 5 elements you'll want students to focus on explaining to the reader. They're often called the 5 Ws:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
Students may also include a sixth element, which explains "how" something happened.
5 Informative Writing Examples to Share With Your Students
You may want to start your students off on your informational writing unit with examples to help familiarize them with this sort of writing. Fortunately, informational writing is found all around us in daily life.
Students have almost surely read more than a few examples of expository writing along the way, but they may not have known what to call it.
Some examples that students will likely recognize include:
- Procedural or "how to" texts such as instruction manuals or recipes
- School cafeteria menus
- Road signs
- Event flyers
- This description of informative writing!
Consider challenging students to bring an example of informative writing to class as a form of homework!
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Writing a Biography Project
Use this PowerPoint template for students to author a researched-based biography on a historical figure.
- Free Plan
Planning an Informative Text
A planning sheet that can be used to write an informative text.
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My Research Project - Pennant Banner
Create a pennant banner for students to record and display their biography research.
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Assessment Rubric – Biographical Texts
An assessment rubric designed to help teachers to assess students’ biography writing.
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Biography Brochure Template
Help your students organize their thoughts about their biography subject.
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5 W's and 1 H Graphic Organizer - Portrait
A blank 5 W’s and 1 H graphic organizer to use when planning a piece of writing text.
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Informative Text Writing Task – How Does the Respiratory System Work?
A scaffolded writing task for students to complete when learning about the informative text type.
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Informative Text Writing Task – How Does a Plane Fly?
A scaffolded writing task for students to complete when learning about the informative text type.
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Informative Text Research Template
A research template for students to use when writing an informative text.
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Topic Sentence Starter Cards
A pack of 32 narrative, persuasive, and report (informative) writing sentence starter cards.
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Assessment Rubric - Informative Writing
An assessment rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' informative writing.
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Informative Paragraphs Sequencing Activity
6 jumbled informative paragraphs for students to sequence in the correct order.
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How to Wash Your Hands - Sequencing Cards
A set of 8 cards showing the steps for how to wash your hands properly
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Writing Procedural Texts Teaching Slides
Use this procedural writing PowerPoint to teach your students about the purpose, structural elements and language features of procedure texts.
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Identifying Procedural Language Worksheets
Help your students identify procedural language with this set of three worksheets.
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Improving Procedure Texts Worksheets
Download these procedural writing worksheets to get your students bumping-up some simple procedure texts.
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Sequencing Activity - Tyrannosaurus Rex (Informative Text)
A sequencing task using an informative text.
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Exploring Procedural Writing Teaching Slides
Teach your students about writing a procedure using this detailed slideshow targeted at 1st- and 2nd-graders.
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Procedure Text Type Poster With Annotations
Display this procedure text with annotations to help students identify the structure of a narrative.
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Facts and Opinions - Caterpillars
A fun activity for students to use when identifying facts and opinions about caterpillars.
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Simple Informative Texts - Writing Scaffold
A simple scaffolding worksheet to use when writing informative texts.
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Informative Text Structure - Sorting Activity (Crocodiles)
A fun sorting activity to use in the classroom when learning about the structure of informative texts.
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Informative Text Structure - Sorting Activity (Frogs)
A fun sorting activity to use in the classroom when learning about the structure of informative texts.
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How to Make Waffles - Procedural Writing Project
Get your students writing high-quality procedure texts with this fun “How to Make Waffles” procedural writing project.
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How to Make Hot Chocolate Flipbook
Use this “How to Make Hot Chocolate” procedural writing activity to help familiarize your students with the structural elements of procedure texts.
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Procedural Writing Posters
Display this set of 5 procedural writing anchor charts in your classroom during your procedural writing unit.
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Procedural Writing Flipbook
Get your students to write a procedure text using this easy-to-compile flipbook scaffold.
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Animal Characteristics - Write the Room Activity
Help your young students read and write about features of animals with a printable Animal Characteristics Write the Room activity.
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Polar Bear Craft Template
Pair a polar bear craft and informational writing to create a fun winter animals bulletin board.
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Animals That Adapt - Research Project & Report
Strengthen your students' understanding of conducting research with an Animal Adaptations research project.
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Authors Who Inspire - Speechwriting Task
Research and celebrate an inspiring author during Read Across America Week with this speech-writing task.
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Interactive Build A Snowman Sequencing Activity
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive How to Build a Snowman game.
- Expository Writing Templates
- Expository Writing Worksheets
- Expository Writing Posters
- Expository Writing Word Walls
- Expository Writing for Kindergarten
- Expository Writing for 1st Grade
- Expository Writing for 2nd Grade
- Expository Writing for 3rd Grade
- Expository Writing for 4th Grade
- Expository Writing for 5th Grade
- Expository Writing for 6th Grade