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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Expository Writing Task - All About Firefighters Writing Scaffold
Guide your students through writing an expository essay about Firefighters with a printable Fact File writing prompt and writing scaffold worksheets.
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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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President's Day Crafts - Biography Writing Template
Encourage students to dive into writing a biography Abraham Lincoln or George Washington with a printable Presidents’ Day Craft template.
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Write With Your Senses: Daily Descriptive Writing Prompts
Inspire your students to write descriptively using our 20 daily descriptive writing prompts slide deck and graphic organizer.
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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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Benjamin Franklin - Constructed Response Worksheet
Learn facts about Benjamin Franklin with an informational reading and writing activity focusing on the constructed response format.
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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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Biography Brochure Template
Help your students organize their thoughts about their biography subject.
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Assessment Rubric - Procedural Writing
An assessment rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' procedural writing.
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Procedure Planning Template
A planning template for students to use when writing a procedure.
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Identifying Procedural Language Worksheets
Help your students identify procedural language with this set of three worksheets.
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Biography Writing Template
Guide students through the structure and elements included in biography writing.
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Note-taking Graphic Organizer
A graphic organizer for students to use when taking notes.
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Information Report Text Type Poster - With Annotations
A poster about the information report text type, including an annotated example.
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Explanation Text Type Poster - With Annotations
A poster about the explanation text type, including an annotated example.
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Informative Text Structure - Sorting Activity (Butterflies)
A fun sorting activity to use in the classroom when learning about the structure of informative texts.
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How to Make an Ice Cream Sundae Interactive Activity
Use this “How to Make an Ice Cream Sundae” procedural writing interactive activity to model the purpose, structural elements and language features of procedure texts.
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Procedural Writing Templates – "How to" Prompts
Get your students to write procedural texts with this set of differentiated procedure writing prompt templates.
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Build a Procedure Text – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use these different examples of procedure writing to teach your students about the structural features of procedure texts.
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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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How to Decorate a Christmas Tree - Year 1 Procedural Writing
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive ‘How to Decorate a Christmas Tree’ slide deck and differentiated writing prompts for 1st grade.
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Informative Writing Word Wall
Display key vocabulary related to informative writing with a set of 48 word wall cards.
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Recycling Writing Prompts - Primary
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
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Day and Night Worksheets
Use this set of printable worksheets to encourage students to think about the differences between night and day.
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An Inspirational Woman - Biography Template
Research and complete this Inspirational Woman Profile template during International Women’s Day.
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Influential Black Leaders - Research Project
Help your students learn about and recognize some of the most influential Black leaders in history with Black History Month Research Project.
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Valentine's Day Informational Writing - Writing Prompt Activity Pack
Sweeten up your informational writing lessons with a Valentine’s Day Informational Essay pack.
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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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Write About It! What Happens on Groundhog Day?
Bring the holidays into your writing instruction with a set of Groundhog Day worksheets for Kindergarten and First Grade.
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Who is Amanda Gorman? Biography Research Template
Conduct and organize Amanda Gorman facts and research with a printable or digital flipbook activity.
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St. Patrick's Day Writing Prompts and Word Wall
Help your young students learn and write about St. Patrick’s Day with an illustrated word wall and writing prompts.
- 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