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
Westward Expansion Reading Comprehension Worksheet Pack
Enhance your students' close reading strategies, vocabulary, and writing skills with a Westward Expansion reading comprehension worksheet pack.
- Free Plan
Triple Venn Diagram Template
Download a printable Triple Venn Diagram Template to use when comparing and contrasting three topics.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Writing Lesson: Story Leads to Hook Readers
Hook readers with this narrative writing lesson that introduces your students to eleven story starting strategies.
- Plus Plan
Tornado Worksheets - Informational Writing (2nd Grade)
Use our printable tornado worksheets and organizers to teach 2nd grade informational writing lessons.
- Plus Plan
Thank You Letter Template Pack
Encourage students to express gratitude with this thank you letter template pack featuring five ready-to-use letter and greeting card designs.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Template Pack
Choose a narrative template from our versatile writing planning pack to help your students plan a fantastic piece of writing!
- Plus Plan
Describing Animal Adaptations - Informative Writing Prompt Worksheets
Write to describe animals and their adaptations with a printable pack of informative writing worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Opinion Sentence Starters Poster
Use this opinion starter sentences poster to help your students write strong sentences for their persuasive texts.
- 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.
- Plus Plan
Recycling Writing Prompts - Earth Day Worksheets
Differentiate writing instruction in primary grades with informational writing prompts about recycling and conservation.
- Plus Plan
Persuasive Words – Modality Word Wall with Information
Immerse your students in high, medium and low modality words with this set of 56 word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
Mother's Day Writing - Letter Template
Write letters to the special women in your students' lives with a printable Mother's Day letter template.
- Plus Plan
Sloth Story Starters - Animal Writing Prompts
Help students get over writers’ block with these cute sloth-themed writing prompts.
- Plus Plan
On the Farm - Vocabulary and Writing Prompts
Inspire young farmers to read and write about the farm with farm-themed writing prompts and word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
How to be a Good Citizen - Problem Solving Activity
Build good citizenship behaviors and enhance problem-solving skills with a task card writing activity.
- Plus Plan
STEM Activity — Ice Cream Shop Design Project
Use reading, writing, math, and STEM skills to plan, design, and advertise an Ice Cream Shop with a STEM education project for elementary students.
- Plus Plan
Mexican Cession- Constructed Response Passage Worksheet
Teach your students how to write a good constructed response and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a Mexican Cession-based Constructed Response worksheet and graphic organizer.
- Plus Plan
Describe a Story Setting Worksheets
Download these engaging story setting worksheets that help students brainstorm descriptive language and write vivid setting descriptions with ease.
- Plus Plan
Biography Anchor Chart with Annotations
Use this biography anchor chart to introduce your students to the structure and language features of biography writing through an annotated example.
- Plus Plan
Persuasive Writing Bump It Up Wall – Grade 5
Help your 5th-grade students "bump up" their persuasive writing with this bulletin board display.
- Plus Plan
Five Senses Poem Poster and Template
Use this five senses poem example and accompanying template to teach your students how to write a sensory poem.
- Plus Plan
Informative Writing - Animal Research Task
Use a printable animal research organizer booklet for students to record facts about animals when learning to write informative texts.
- Free Plan
Build a Fact File Template
Get a sense of separating fact from opinion in texts with this graphic organizer.
- Plus Plan
Persuasive Writing Assessment Pack 1st Grade
Use this task to guide Grade 1 students through the complete persuasive writing process as they create a simple persuasive text about the best toy (including a criteria sheet).
- Plus Plan
Build a Persuasive Text - Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use this set of basic persuasive texts to build students' awareness of the structure required when writing opinion texts with this Build a Persuasive Text worksheet set.
- Plus Plan
First, Then, Finally Sort and Writing Template
Help your students sequence ideas for a narrative story with these narrative element prompts and a First Then Finally Writing Template.
- Plus Plan
1st Grade Narrative Writing Assessment Pack
Help your students master narrative writing with this scaffolded Grade 1 Narrative Writing Assessment Pack, built around an exciting “Unexpected Visitor” story theme.
- Plus Plan
5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer
Use this 5 paragraph essay graphic organizer to help your students correctly structure their expository writing.
- Plus Plan
Fairy Tale Writing Templates
Use these structured pages to support storytelling and writing of fairy tales with your students.
- Plus Plan
Opinion Writing Task - Movies Are More Enjoyable Than Books
Help students construct a detailed and reasoned opinion text with this opinion writing activity.
- 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
Informational Text Checklists
Use these information text checklists when teaching your students how to edit their informational writing.
- Types of Writing Templates
- Types of Writing Worksheets
- Types of Writing Posters
- Types of Writing Games
- Types of Writing Word Walls
- Types of Writing Projects
- 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