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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Components of a Friendly Letter Sorting Worksheet
Teach the components of a friendly letter with this sorting worksheet that helps students identify key letter components.
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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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Plus-Minus-Interesting Chart
Use this Plus-Minus-Interesting Chart set in any subject area to get your students talking!
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Poetry Cloze Passage Worksheets
Use these poetry cloze worksheets to introduce your students to various types of poetry in a fun and engaging way.
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Life Event Poetry Prompt Task Cards
Use these poetry prompts to help your students write simple poems about their life experiences.
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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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Roll-a-Holiday Poem Dice Game
Get your students to write fun holiday poems with this engaging “Roll-a-Poem” dice game.
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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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Write an Autobiographical Poem Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing an autobiographical poem with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.
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All About Smoke Alarms Fact File & Writing Activity
Learn all about smoke alarms and boost writing skills with a printable fact file and writing scaffold worksheet pack.
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Digital Informative Paragraph Writing Prompts
Build your students’ writing skills with a set of digital informative paragraph writing prompts.
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Opinion Writing Checklist Resource Pack
Encourage young writers to improve their writing skills with differentiated Opinion Writing Checklists.
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Kangaroo Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students to write a kangaroo information report using this fact file, graphic organizer and writing scaffold.
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Animal Information Report – Writing Craftivity
Use this animal-themed writing and craft activity to teach your students in the primary grades about informative writing.
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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.
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Write the Room - Paralympic Games Writing Center
Teach your students the vocabulary associated with the Paralympic Games with this interactive Write the Room activity.
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Koala Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students writing a koala information report using this age-appropriate fact file and writing scaffold.
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My Animal – Digital Report Writing Activity
Get your students to write an information report on an animal using this digital writing scaffold perfect for modeled and shared writing.
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Sequence an Information Text – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use these informational text examples to teach your students about sequencing facts in a logical order.
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Persuasive Letter Writing Task - 2nd Grade
Improve student composition with an engaging persuasive letter-writing task.
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Opinion Writing Anchor Chart
Introduce younger students to the language associated with opinion writing with a printable opinion writing anchor chart.
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Informational Text Checklists
Use these information text checklists when teaching your students how to edit their informational writing.
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Report Writing Wheel Template
Put away those informational text worksheets and replace them with this engaging wheel template!
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Animal Information Text Cloze Worksheets
Get your students to write a simple information text on an animal with this set of structured templates.
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Informational Text Anchor Charts
Display this set of 5 informational text anchor charts in your classroom during your informational writing unit.
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Sports – Digital Report Writing Activity
Use this digital writing scaffold to model the purpose and structural elements of informational writing.
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Community Helper – Digital Report Writing Activity
Use this community helpers activity to model the purpose and structural elements of informational texts.
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Natural Disasters Report – Mini Book Template
Download this natural disasters expository writing prompt to use when teaching expository writing to elementary students.
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My Monster Story Template
Use this simple story template to get your students writing simple narratives based on a sequence of events.
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Biography of a Paralympian – Inquiry-Based Project
Have your students investigate the life and achievements of a famous Paralympic athlete with this inquiry-based learning project.
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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!
- 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
- Types of Writing for 7th Grade