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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Grandparent Interview Template - Primary Grades
Inspire your primary grade students to interview a grandparent on Grandparents’ Day with Printable Grandparent Interview Questions.
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Famous Women in History - Biography Lap Book Template
Create an interactive biography of an inspirational woman with a biography lapbook.
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Abraham Lincoln Brochure Project
Demonstrate learning about the Abraham Lincoln’s contributions to America with a brochure project.
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U.S. Mountains and Rivers - Student Research Workbook
Research and write about the different major mountains, rivers, and land features in the United States with a printable workbook.
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Halloween Writing Prompts - Bats
Differentiate writing instruction in primary grades with a group of leveled Halloween writing prompts about bats.
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Patriot Day Vocabulary Cards and Writing Center
Increase vocabulary and build background knowledge about Patriot Day (September 11th) with a set of vocabulary word wall cards and writing worksheets.
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The Boston Massacre Reading and Writing Worksheets
Integrate Reading and Social Studies content with a set of Boston Massacre worksheets.
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4th Grade Writing Worksheets: Tornado Text-Based Writing
Enhance your students' comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills using 4th Grade writing worksheets and a high-interest reading passage about Tornadoes.
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Paul Revere Constructed Response Worksheet
Integrate reading, writing, and American history with a constructed response worksheet about Paul Revere and the American Revolution.
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Daniel Boone Constructed Response Worksheet
Integrate reading, writing, and American history with a constructed response worksheet about Daniel Boone and American Westward Expansion.
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Declaration of Independence- Constructed Response Passage Worksheet
Blend reading, writing, and historical concepts with the Declaration of Independence worksheet.
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Nonfiction Text Features – All About Me Project
Implement a text features project with an “All About Me” theme to explore informational text features with your students.
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How Do Rocks Form? – Informative Text Structure Sorting Activity
A sorting task to help students learn about the structure of an informative text.
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Informative Writing Checklist – Structure, Language, and Features
A checklist for students to use when proofreading and editing their informative writing.
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10 Fun Facts Writing Template
Use this template to distinguish between fact and opinion when studying informational or biographical texts.
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Biography Cube
Research and create an interactive biography for a historical figure.
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5 W's and 1 H Graphic Organizer - Landscape
A blank 5 W’s and 1 H graphic organizer to use when planning a piece of writing text.
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Procedural Writing Topic Cards
Use these ideas for procedure writing with your students to help them hone their procedural writing skills.
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Information Report Writing Template
Use this information report template to help your students correctly structure their expository writing.
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Report Writing Paragraph Structure – Poster and Planning Template
Explore the structure of a paragraph with this classroom poster and paragraph planning scaffold.
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How To Make A Sandwich – Procedural Writing Activity
Get your students writing a procedure for their favorite sandwich with this example procedure text and writing scaffold.
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Identifying Procedural Language Worksheets
Help your students identify procedural language with this set of three worksheets.
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Procedural Writing Checklists
Use these procedural writing checklists when teaching your students how to editing their procedure texts.
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How To Make Pancakes – Procedural Writing Activity
Get your students writing a procedure for their favorite breakfast foods with this example procedure text and writing scaffold.
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Gemstones Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an expository text about gemstones with this fact file and writing scaffold.
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Procedure Writing Checklist
Now your students can make sure that they have everything they need in their procedure.
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Simple Informative Texts - Writing Scaffold
A simple scaffolding worksheet to use when writing informative texts.
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Animal Information Text Cloze Worksheets
Get your students to write a simple information text on an animal with this set of structured templates.
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Informational Text Anchor Charts
Display this set of 5 informational text anchor charts in your classroom during your informational writing unit.
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Sports – Digital Report Writing Activity
Use this digital writing scaffold to model the purpose and structural elements of informational writing.
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Community Helper – Digital Report Writing Activity
Use this community helpers activity to model the purpose and structural elements of informational texts.
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Natural Disasters Report – Mini Book Template
Download this natural disasters expository writing prompt to use when teaching expository writing to elementary students.