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!
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Henry Ford Worksheet- RACES Writing Strategy
Provide students with Social Studies and Writing instruction using the RACES strategy for constructed response paragraphs.
- Plus Plan
Moving West- Constructed Response Writing Worksheet
Teach your students how to write a good constructed response and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a Westward Expansion-based Constructed Response worksheet and graphic organizer.
- Plus Plan
First Grade Informational Writing – How To Prompt Worksheets
Help your first graders learn how to write an informational piece using these handy writing prompt worksheets
- Plus Plan
Writing Informative Texts – Teaching Presentation
A 33-slide, editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching your students about informative writing.
- Plus Plan
Governments and How They Function – Worksheet
An activity for students to research the government of two economies and write a report to compare and contrast them.
- Plus Plan
Information Text Fact Files and Scaffolding Sheet
Use this set of informational writing prompts to support your students in writing a detailed and well-structured factual report.
- Plus Plan
Writing Information Texts Teaching Slides
Teach your students the features of information reports using this detailed slideshow targeted at upper elementary school students.
- Plus Plan
Exploring Simple Explanations PowerPoint
Use this Exploring Simple Explanations PowerPoint to teach your students about what explanation texts are, why they are written, and how they are structured.
- Plus Plan
Life Cycle Explanation Project Writing Scaffold Pack
Use this project including life cycles and explanation planning templates when exploring explanations with your early years students.
- Plus Plan
Westward Expansion Reading Comprehension Worksheet Pack
Enhance your students' close reading strategies, vocabulary, and writing skills with a Westward Expansion reading comprehension worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
Linking Words in Informational Writing Worksheet Pack
Teach how linking words can be used to connect ideas in informative writing with this set of 5 activity worksheets with answers.
- Plus Plan
Great White Shark Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students writing an informational text about sharks using this age-appropriate fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Koala Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students writing a koala information report using this age-appropriate fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Animal Information Text Cloze Worksheets
Get your students to write a simple information text on an animal with this set of structured templates.
- Plus Plan
Natural Disasters Report – Mini Book Template
Download this natural disasters expository writing prompt to use when teaching expository writing to elementary students.
- Plus Plan
Kindergarten Visual Writing Rubric
Help your little learners perfect their writing with a kindergarten visual writing rubric.
- Plus Plan
R.A.C.E.S. & R.A.C.E. Poster and Bulletin Board Display
Help your students write quality constructed responses by displaying your printable R.A.C.E.S. / R.A.C.E. Poster and Writing Strategy bulletin board display.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing Prompt Task Cards
Need some procedural writing ideas? Download these task cards to use as a writing center activity during your procedure writing unit.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Rainforest Bird Craft & Writing Template
Pair a fun bird craft and informational writing to create a fun jungle-themed bulletin board.
- Plus Plan
Weathering and Erosion – RACES Writing Strategy Worksheets
Combine reading, writing and science with two worksheets about weathering and erosion using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence.
- 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
Describing Community Helpers - Fireman Worksheets
Get students exploring descriptive adjectives with these printable Community Helpers Fireman worksheets, perfect for Early Grades learning.
- Plus Plan
Fire Safety Sheets – How-To Writing Prompts
Download these how-to writing prompts to make teaching fire safety engaging while strengthening students’ procedural writing skills.
- Plus Plan
Firefighter Report Writing – Fact File Activity Pack
Engage your class with firefighter report writing activities that combine expository writing practice with real-world learning about community helpers.
- Plus Plan
Objects in the Sky – Vocabulary Cards and Writing Templates
Create a vocabulary and writing center with a word wall and writing templates that cover objects in the sky.
- Plus Plan
Day and Night Worksheets
Use this set of printable worksheets to encourage students to think about the differences between night and day.
- Plus Plan
Abraham Lincoln Brochure Project
Demonstrate learning about the Abraham Lincoln’s contributions to America with a brochure project.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Irma Rangel Constructed Response Worksheet
Use this Irma Rangel worksheet and writing prompt to help students write a paragraph using text evidence.
- Plus Plan
Halloween Writing Prompts - Bats
Differentiate writing instruction in primary grades with a group of leveled Halloween writing prompts about bats.
- Expository Writing Templates
- Expository Writing Worksheets
- Expository Writing Word Walls
- Expository Writing Posters
- 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