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.
- Plus Plan
End of Year Writing Craftivity - Summer Plan Gumball Machine
Excite your students for the upcoming summer with a writing and craft activity.
- Plus Plan
Writing a Biography Project
Use this PowerPoint template for students to author a researched-based biography on a historical figure.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing Posters
Display this set of 5 procedural writing anchor charts in your classroom during your procedural writing unit.
- 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
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.
- Plus Plan
Exaggeration and Hyperbole Interactive Activity
Explore hyperbole examples with your students using this digital game perfect for lesson warm-ups or lesson wrap-ups.
- Plus Plan
Rhetorical Questions Interactive Activity
Explore rhetorical questions with your students using this digital game perfect for your persuasive writing lessons.
- Plus Plan
Persuasive Techniques Interactive Activity
Explore persuasive technique examples with your students using this digital game perfect for your persuasive writing lessons.
- 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
Animals That Adapt - Research Project & Report
Strengthen your students' understanding of conducting research with an Animal Adaptations research project.
- Plus Plan
Authors Who Inspire - Speechwriting Task
Research and celebrate an inspiring author during Read Across America Week with this speech-writing task.
- Plus Plan
Roll to Create a Christmas Story - Writing Prompt
Roll the die to generate a fun Christmas writing activity with a roll-to-create Christmas worksheet.
- 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
Firefighters Writing Worksheets for 1st Grade
Draw and write about what firefighters wear and what they use to do their jobs with a pair of printable firefighter writing worksheets for 1st grade.
- Plus Plan
Design a Donut Persuasive Writing Interactive
Explore persuasive writing with this fun donut-themed interactive activity.
- Plus Plan
Firefighters and Fire Trucks Worksheet Pack - Adjectives
Describe firefighters and fire trucks using descriptive adjectives with a set of printable Community Helper worksheets for Kindergarten.
- Plus Plan
5 Opinion Writing Prompt Stimulus Sheets
A set of 5 writing prompt stimulus sheets with an opinion text focus.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Halloween Writing Template - Big Mouth Mummy
Inspire spooky story writing with a printable ‘Big-Mouth Mummy’ Halloween writing craft.
- Plus Plan
Informative Text Writing Task – How Does the Water Cycle Work?
A scaffolded writing task for students to complete when learning about the informative text type.
- Free Plan
Persuasive Vocabulary Word Wall
Help your students enhance their persuasive writing skills with a set of 40 persuasive vocabulary word cards.
- Plus Plan
Recycling Writing Prompts - Primary
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
- Plus Plan
April Fools' Day Writing Prompts
Celebrate April Fools' Day in the classroom with these fun writing prompt worksheets.
- Plus Plan
An Inspirational Woman - Biography Template
Research and complete this Inspirational Woman Profile template during International Women’s Day.
- Plus Plan
Famous Women in History - Biography Lap Book Template
Create an interactive biography of an inspirational woman with a biography lapbook.
- Plus Plan
Using Descriptive Adjectives - Tree Sloth Writing Prompt
Help your struggling writers build their skills with a descriptive paragraph prompt worksheet about tree sloths.
- Plus Plan
Opinion Writing Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the structure and language features of opinion texts with an interactive teaching slide deck.
- Plus Plan
Book Scavenger Hunt Task Cards
Take a journey through the library with a set of Read Across America Scavenger Hunt task cards.
- Plus Plan
Types of Poems - Instructional PowerPoint
A 28 slide editable PowerPoint template the use when introducing students to structured forms of poetry.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Paper Bag Puppets
Make paper bag puppets for Christmas fun with a printable paper bag puppet template.
- Plus Plan
Dr. Mae Jemison – Biography Structure Sorting Task
Read and sort to help students learn about the structure of a biography with our cut and paste biography worksheet.
- Free Plan
Write About It! Pumpkins - Differentiated Writing Prompts
Differentiate writing instruction in primary grades with a group of leveled fall writing prompts about pumpkins.
- 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