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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Informative Text Research Template
A research template for students to use when writing an informative text.
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Doctors Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing a report about doctors with this fact file and writing scaffold.
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Eagles Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an expository text about eagles with this fact file and writing scaffold.
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Elephant Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an expository text about elephants with this fact file and writing scaffold.
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Informative Paragraph Starters - Topic Sentence Cards
20 topic sentences to be used at the beginning of an informative paragraph.
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Assessment Rubric - Procedural Writing
An assessment rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' procedural writing.
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5 Expository Writing Prompts
Use this set of 5 writing prompts to assess your students’ expository writing skills.
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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 Text Checklist - Structure, Language and Features
A checklist for students to use when proofreading and editing their informative texts.
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Information Text Structure Worksheet – The Apple iPad
Teach your students about informational text structure with this cut-and-paste sequencing worksheet.
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Assorted Writing Prompts Grid
A writing grid with 20 writing prompts.
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Roll to Create a Treasure Map
A fun, hands-on activity using a die and a chart to create a treasure map, and then use it to write a procedural text.
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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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How to Make a PB and J Sandwich - Sequencing Cards
A set of 6 cards showing the steps to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
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Exploring Informational Texts Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to write an informational text using this detailed slideshow targeted at lower elementary school students.
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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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Procedural Writing Word Wall
Display this set of 30 procedural writing words in your classroom when teaching your students how to write a procedure.
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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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Biography Writing Template
Guide students through the structure and elements included in biography writing.
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Cars Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an expository text about cars with this fact file and writing scaffold.
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Writer's Reflection Worksheet
Get your students into the habit of reflecting on their writing with this student reflection worksheet.
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Biography Sentence Starters
Give students a jumpstart on writing about people with 24 sentence starters.
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Procedural Writing – Printable Recipe Book Template
Download this printable recipe book template to use when teaching procedural writing to your 1st- and 2nd-graders.
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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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Procedural Recount Text Structure Anchor Chart - With Annotations
A poster about the procedural recount text type, including an annotated example.
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Factual Recount Text Type Poster - With Annotations
A poster about the factual recount text type, including an annotated example.
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Athlete Profile Template
A worksheet to use in the classroom when writing athlete profiles.
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Olympic Host City Research & Speech-Writing Task
Explore the advantages and disadvantages of being the host city for the Olympics in this 3-page inquiry task.
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Interview Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about interviews, including an annotated example.
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Paragraph of the Week PowerPoint - Informative Paragraphs
A Paragraph of the Week PowerPoint presentation to use when setting up this writing strategy in your classroom.
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Facts and Opinions - Caterpillars
A fun activity for students to use when identifying facts and opinions about caterpillars.