Types of Writing Teaching Resources
Explore the different types of writing with your students this school year with printable RACES writing strategy worksheets, constructed response activities, graphic organizers and more teacher resources created by teachers for teachers.
This collection of curriculum-aligned teaching resources has been carefully reviewed by our expert teaching team to make sure every resource is classroom-ready — so we can make your lesson planning easier!
New to teaching the types of writing, or just looking for new ways to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Are the Different Types of Writing? 4 Main Writing Genres to Share With Students
If you're introducing the different types of writing — or different genres of writing — to your students, it can help to have some basic descriptions of each type at hand. That's exactly what our teacher team has put together for you!
When we sit down to write any text, we have a goal for writing. Sometimes we're looking to tell a story. Sometimes we want to share information. Other times a piece of writing is created to persuade the reader.
The goal or purpose of a text, as well as its audience, helps us determine what type of writing we need to create.
There are many different genres of writing that students will encounter as readers and writers over their lifetimes, but let's start with the four main types of writing that we cover in elementary and middle school.
1. Narrative Writing
Narrative writers tell stories, making up characters and creating different settings for their readers. The goal of this type of writing is to entertain the reader.
2. Persuasive Writing
If you're trying to convince a reader of something, you'll need to engage in persuasive writing. This type involves trying to convince a reader to take a specific action or to agree with your point of view.
3. Descriptive Writing
When we want to describe something to a reader, the type of writing we create is called descriptive writing. In this genre, we use vivid details to paint a picture in the reader's mind.
4. Informative Writing
If your goal is to create a piece of text that provides the reader with facts or instructions about a specific topic, the type of writing to choose is informative writing.
- Free Plan
Note-taking Graphic Organizer
A graphic organizer for students to use when taking notes.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing – Printable Recipe Book Template
Download this printable recipe book template to use when teaching procedural writing to your 1st- and 2nd-graders.
- Plus Plan
Olympic Host City Inquiry Task
Explore the advantages and disadvantages of being the host city for the Olympics in this 3-page inquiry task.
- Plus Plan
How to Wash Your Hands Flipbook
Use this “How to Wash Your Hands” procedural writing activity to help familiarize your students with the structural elements of procedure texts.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing Templates – "How to" Prompts
Get your students to write procedural texts with this set of differentiated procedure writing prompt templates.
- Plus Plan
Dogs Make The Best Pets - Reading Comprehension PDF
Assess 3rd grade reading comprehension skills with a printable Reading Comprehension Test using an opinion text.
- Plus Plan
Using Rhetorical Devices Worksheet
Use this rhetorical devices worksheet to help your students create rhetorical device examples based on a specific topic.
- Plus Plan
Inspiring Story Starters - Task Cards
Get your students writing during Read Across America week with this set of inspirational narrative story starter task cards.
- Plus Plan
How to Make a Sundae - Informational Writing Craftivity
Inspire students to write informational text with a fun, summer-themed end-of-year writing assignment and craft.
- Plus Plan
OREO® Opinion Writing Poster
Help students remember the structure of opinion texts with this fun OREO® acronym.
- Plus Plan
Spring Writing Prompts for Beginning Writers
Celebrate a new season with Spring writing worksheets for primary grades.
- Plus Plan
Cinco De Mayo Vocabulary Cards and Writing Center
Create a vocabulary and writing center with a Cinco de Mayo word wall and writing templates for primary grades.
- Free Plan
Author's Purpose Anchor Chart
A poster highlighting the three main reasons an author writes a piece of text - to persuade, to inform, to entertain.
- Plus Plan
French and Indian War - Brochure Project Template
Create a graphic summary of the French and Indian War with a brochure template.
- Plus Plan
Author's Purpose Teaching Presentation
Teach your students to identify the author’s purpose in a text with a teaching presentation.
- Plus Plan
Soccer vs. Football -Differentiated Paired Passage Worksheets
Differentiate reading instruction with nonfiction texts, compare and contrast activities, and response to text writing opportunities.
- Plus Plan
Moving West- Constructed Response Writing Worksheet
Teach your students how to write a good constructed response and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a Westward Expansion-based Constructed Response worksheet and graphic organizer.
- Plus Plan
End of the Year Memory Wheel
Get your students’ minds spinning with this end-of-year reflection activity.
- Plus Plan
10 Fun Facts Writing Template
Use this template to distinguish between fact and opinion when studying informational or biographical texts.
- Plus Plan
Developing Narrative Features PowerPoint - Grade 5 and Grade 6
A 26-slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching your students about the characteristics and craft of composing a narrative text.
- Plus Plan
Informative Texts Writing Tasks - Fact Files and Scaffolding Template
A set of 5 fact files and a scaffolding template that can be used to write an informative text.
- Plus Plan
Informative Texts Writing Task - Weather
A fact file and a scaffolding template that can be used to write an informative text about weather.
- Plus Plan
5 Procedural Writing Prompts
Use this set of 5 procedural writing prompts to assess your students’ procedural writing skills.
- Free Plan
Opinion Writing Checklist
Now your students can make sure that they have everything they need in their opinion text.
- Free Plan
Storyboard Template
A template for use when planning a narrative text.
- Plus Plan
Would You Rather...? Question Cards
Would You Rather use this set of 31 question cards or eat a can of worms?
- Plus Plan
Using Linking Devices in Narrative Paragraphs Worksheets
3 worksheets teaching students how to link ideas when writing narrative paragraphs.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Paragraphs Sequencing Activity
6 jumbled narrative paragraphs for students to sequence in the correct order.
- Plus Plan
Writing a Narrative - Template
A template to use when planning a narrative text.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Setting Prompts Posters
A set of 2 posters giving ideas for the setting of a narrative.
- Plus Plan
Opinion Text Planning Template (Using OREO)
Use the OREO opinion writing frames to support your student's opinion writing skills.
- Plus Plan
Informative Text Writing Task - Cars
A writing activity to help students construct an informative text based on factual information.
- Types of Writing Templates
- Types of Writing Worksheets
- Types of Writing Posters
- Types of Writing Games
- Types of Writing Word Walls
- Types of Writing for Kindergarten
- Types of Writing for 1st Grade
- Types of Writing for 2nd Grade
- Types of Writing for 3rd Grade
- Types of Writing for 4th Grade
- Types of Writing for 5th Grade
- Types of Writing for 6th Grade
- Types of Writing for 7th Grade