teaching resource

Explanation Text Template

Updated: 29 Jul 2026

Use this explanation text template to help your students correctly structure their explanatory writing.

Editable: Google Slides
Non-Editable: PDF
Pages: 3 Pages
Years: 3 - 6

Curriculum

ACELY1682

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print,and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purposeElaborationsusing pri...
ACELY1694

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language featuresElaborationsusing re...
ACELY1704

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audienceElaborationsusing research from print and digital resources t...
ACELY1714

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audienceElaborationscreating informative texts for two ...

AC9E3LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive written and multimodal texts, using visual features, appropriate form and layout, with ideas grouped in simple paragraphs, mostly correct tense, topic- specific vocabulary and correct spelling of most high-frequency and phonetic
AC9E4LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, using visual features, relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, appropriate tense, synonyms and antonyms, correct spelling of multisyllabic words and simple punctuation
AC9E5LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic and purpose, text connectives, expanded noun groups, specialist and technical vocabulary, and pu
AC9E6LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features

teaching resource

Explanation Text Template

Updated: 29 Jul 2026

Use this explanation text template to help your students correctly structure their explanatory writing.

Editable: Google Slides
Non-Editable: PDF
Pages: 3 Pages
Years: 3 - 6

Use this explanation text template to help your students correctly structure their explanatory writing.

Plan for Writing Success with an Explanation Text Template

This explanation text template has been designed by our team to provide scaffolding for your students as they learn the structure of explanatory writing. It can be used for both draft and finished copies of any explanation text on any topic. With the scaffold as a guide, your students are sure to write coherent and well-structured explanatory texts!

The scaffold is structured as follows:

Introduction – This provides a brief overview of the object, event or process.
Description – A series of paragraphs that explain the ‘how’ and the ‘why’.
Conclusion – This provides a brief summary of the object, event or process.
Boxes for Visuals – These could be illustrations, flow charts or labelled diagrams.

This explanation text template is three pages long. Note that the middle page can be removed for shorter texts.

This explanation text template downloads as an easy-print PDF or editable Google Slides file. Should you wish your students to complete the task electronically, simply delete the lines and have the students type directly into the document.

Suggested Uses for This Explanation Writing Template

This resource may be simple, but it has multiple applications when it comes to teaching explanation writing to your students! Here are just a few ways our template can be used in the classroom:

Modelled Writing – Project the template onto your interactive whiteboard for whole-class modelled writing activities.
Pair Writing – Have the students work in pairs or small groups to create an explanation text on a topic of their choice.
Independent Writing – Allow students to draft or publish (or both!) an explanation text using the template.

Download This Explanation Template Today!

Use the dropdown arrow on the Download button to choose between the editable Google Slides file or the easy-print PDF. Please note that you will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides file before accessing it.

More Resources for Teaching Explanation Writing

Be sure to get your hands on some more of Teach Starter’s explanation writing resources before you go!

[resource:4655506] [resource:4450354] [resource:70661]

Curriculum

ACELY1682

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print,and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purposeElaborationsusing pri...
ACELY1694

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language featuresElaborationsusing re...
ACELY1704

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audienceElaborationsusing research from print and digital resources t...
ACELY1714

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audienceElaborationscreating informative texts for two ...

AC9E3LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive written and multimodal texts, using visual features, appropriate form and layout, with ideas grouped in simple paragraphs, mostly correct tense, topic- specific vocabulary and correct spelling of most high-frequency and phonetic
AC9E4LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, using visual features, relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, appropriate tense, synonyms and antonyms, correct spelling of multisyllabic words and simple punctuation
AC9E5LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, developing ideas using visual features, text structure appropriate to the topic and purpose, text connectives, expanded noun groups, specialist and technical vocabulary, and pu
AC9E6LY06

Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features

Teach Starter Publishing

We create premium quality, downloadable teaching resources for primary/elementary school teachers that make classrooms buzz!

0 Comments

Write a review to help other teachers and parents like yourself. If you'd like to request a change to this resource, or report an error, select the corresponding tab above.