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.
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Simple Opinion Pieces Writing Scaffold
Help your 2nd Grade students grow into confident, clear, and convincing writers with this structured and engaging Persuasive Writing Scaffold Pack!
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Note-taking Graphic Organizer
A graphic organizer for students to use when taking notes.
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5 Historical Writing Prompts
Use this set of 5 historical writing prompts to assess your students’ writing skills.
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Poetry Anchor Chart With Annotations
Use this poetry anchor chart to introduce your students to the structure and language features of poems through an annotated example.
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Build an Animal Fact File – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use this set of 5 writing prompts to assess your students’ informative writing skills.
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Expository Text Examples and Analysis Worksheets
Use these expository text examples with accompanying analysis worksheets to teach your students about the purpose, structure and language features of expository writing.
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Procedure Text Poster Pack
Use this set of procedure texts posters to support your young writers understand the purpose and elements of procedure writing.
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Verb Tense in Persuasive Writing Worksheet Pack
Download these persuasive writing worksheets to help your students understand how verb tense can help them craft clearer, more convincing arguments.
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Explanation Text Poster Pack
Use this Explanation Text poster set with your students to clearly show the structure and text elements of an explanation text.
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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.
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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).
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Let Me Persuade You - Persuasive Writing Activity
Use this persuasive writing prompt to encourage younger students to persuade readers to buy their lunchbox design.
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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.
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Adventure Story Starter Task Cards
Print and use these Adventure Story Starter Task Cards to inspire adventurous narrative writings.
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Sentence Strip Activity Cards - Simple Sentence Starters
Encourage conversation and writing with our Printable Story Starter Sentence Strips Activity Cards.
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What’s the Heading? Task Cards
Explore the heading text feature with this set of task cards perfect for reading centers.
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Narrative Template Pack
Choose a narrative template from our versatile writing planning pack to help your students plan a fantastic piece of writing!
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How Do Rocks Form? – Informative Text Structure Sequencing Activity
Help students learn about informative text structure and how rocks are formed with an engaging cut-and-paste sorting activity.
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Expository Writing – Natural Disaster Project
Get your students producing high-quality writing with this fully scaffolded natural disasters project, where students research, organize and publish an expository text about a natural disaster.
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People and Places Poetry Prompt Task Cards
Use these writing prompts for poetry to help your students write simple poems about people and places.
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Nature Poetry Prompt Task Cards
Use these poetry writing prompts to help your students write simple poems about nature.
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Story Ideas - Character, Setting, and Complication Cards
Help your students choose a topic to write about with this set of 36 character, setting and compilation task cards.
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V.O.I.C.E.S. - 6 Traits of Writing Poster Pack
Improve student writing using our V.O.I.C.E.S. 6 Traits of Writing Poster Pack!
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Magical Story Starters Task Cards
Get your students writing magical stories with this set of story starter task cards.
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Developing Narrative Writing Skills - 3rd & 4th Grade
Teach your students about the structure and language features of narrative texts with an engaging interactive Narrative Writing Teaching Slide Presentation.
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Using Quotation Marks in Narrative Writing PowerPoint
Teach the correct usage of quotation marks in narrative writing with this set of teaching slides.
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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.
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Writing Paper with Picture Box - Differentiated Templates
Help your students organize and display their writing and artwork using printable writing paper with picture boxes,
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Imaginative, Persuasive and Informative Paragraphs PowerPoint
Learn about the different structures of imaginative, persuasive and informative paragraphs.
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Narrative Text Type Poster With Annotations
Display this narrative text with annotations to help students identify the structure of a narrative.
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I Am Poem Template
Get to know your students and create back-to-school poems with a printable ‘I Am… Poem template.
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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.
- 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