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How to Teach Informational Writing

Struggling with how to teach informational writing?

Read this post to get some tips on how to teach informational writing to elementary students in a fun and interactive way. Plus, grab several resources to help amp up your informational writing units!

how to teach informational writing - informative - information report writing tips

What is Informational Writing?

To better understand how to teach informational writing, let’s figure out what it is.

Informational writing is factual and aims to inform or explain something to the reader.

Students can have trouble with informational writing pieces because they may feel that they don’t know enough information about a subject to write a whole paper about it. Or at that moment, they can’t think of something to share about. Don’t worry; I have ways to encourage those reluctant writers.

5 Tips to Encourage Students During Informational Writing Units

1. Use Mentor texts

Mentor texts are so important to show students what a great piece of informational writing looks like. I think you can use them in all grades! Even older students will enjoy a picture book now and then; it is a great way to share good writing pieces.

Another benefit of using mentor texts is that students can see all the formats that informational pieces can be written in and all the subjects that can be written about! Students may not have much background knowledge, and sharing books is an excellent way to broaden that horizon.

2. Let Them Pick the Subject

You might think that having your students write about a topic that is being discussed in another subject is a great way to relate writing to your students but don’t do it. Let your students pick their own topics!

Just because you are learning about forces of motion in science doesn’t mean everyone is excited and ready to write a paper about it. Students will be more likely to write quality pieces if they are excited to learn about it.

3. Teach Students How To Research

One important factor in writing informational pieces is learning how to research topics. Students will need to know how to look for accurate information. Also, where to find information; a trip to the computer lab and library would be a great start.

I like to teach students to use books first when researching. They are the safer option than a computer with internet access. Also, you can give each student a book about their subject, and it will have a lot of information about the subject.

4. practice Writing together

I like to write an informational piece together so students can see all the steps I take to get a good piece! I want them to understand that a solid piece of informative writing takes time and many steps.

Show them the drafting process and revising process too. Students must understand that it may take several tries to get a quality informational writing piece. I also like to show them that no one writes a perfect essay on the first try. It is okay to make revisions and changes.

5. Celebrate

After all your students’ hard work, celebrate their wonderful informational writing works!

I like to have a sharing day, where the students get to share their work with their classmates. Inviting other important people from the school is also nice. Then, I like to hang their work around the room or in the hallway. Tell them how proud you are of their hard work, and they may be more likely to write for you next time!

Resources to Teach Informational Writing

Now that you have tips to help you; grab some resources to improve your writing time!

kindergarten informational writing prompts
1st grade informational writing prompts
2nd grade informational writing prompts
3rd grade informational writing prompts

Want to try a freebie first? Grab it from the free resource library here!

Free Informational Writing Prompt informative writing worksheet information report penguin facts

I hope this post was helpful in explaining informational writing and that you got a few tips to help make teaching them a little easier! Comment below and tell me what tips you have for teaching about writing informational works.

Have a terrific day,

P.S. If you need some Informational Writing Prompts for kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, or fifth grade, check out my post here!

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Hi, my name is Alex! I love creating fun, colorful, and engaging resources for the early years. I’ve taught 3rd and 1st grade and I’m passionate about creating interactive activities that engage all learners Read More…

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If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, thes If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, these snow globe narrative writing prompts are perfect for bulletin boards and writing centers! ❄️ 

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Bump is coming along 😬 I know this isn’t te Bump is coming along 😬 

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Just an FYI! Revising involves making major change Just an FYI! Revising involves making major changes to the content and editing is more sentence level changes.

For example, you might ask your students to edit their writing by checking for spelling and punctuation errors.

But for revision, they might add or remove ideas to their writing.

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You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! Or you can comment below or message me if you like the link 🙂

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I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So ju I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So just popping in to say hi 👋🏻 

Had my baby shower yesterday and it was great fun 👶🏻🎉

I’m having a girl in Feb and apparently unicorns is the theme for everything so I hope she likes it 😂

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If so, it’s important to start doing some lesson If so, it’s important to start doing some lessons where you explicitly teach sentence structure! 

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Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed to do Christmas themed activities in your school).

Just grab white, red, and skin colored paper that you have in beige/brown etc. and let the students create their own Santa!

With younger students, you could cut some strips of white paper out or red triangles to help them. 

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Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door decor idea for December? This letter to Santa writing craft is super cute and  fun for students to complete! 

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Just a reminder not to take on too many things! Just a reminder not to take on too many things! 

It’s tempting to do ‘all the things’ when it comes to TPT and marketing and it leads to burnout fast 🔥 

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Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling this way at the moment and what you plan on stepping back from!

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Hot pink is my brand! Right? I bet you recognize m Hot pink is my brand! Right? I bet you recognize my posts as mine straight away when you see them on here.

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Consistency is key!

It’s important to use the same fonts, colors, style of photos/mock-ups, layouts, or clip art.

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It’s also important to ensure that your branding is eye catching, cohesive (and make sure your colors complement each other)!

This week on the podcast, Caileigh from @thedenniscrew joins me again and we chat about branding. Be sure to check it out 🙌🏻

Tell me below, what are your brand colors?

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Make 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 Great 👏🏻 Cover 👏 Make 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 Great 👏🏻 Cover 👏🏻

Your cover on TpT is so important when it comes to getting views and therefore securing sales.

I’m pretty passionate about the importance of a good cover and that’s why I’ve been sharing tips about them in my weekly emails and it was discussed a lot last week on the podcast with @thedenniscrew (thanks for joining me caileigh)!

👏🏻 Remember to have a big, bold, easy to read title.

👏🏻 Show the product through photography, mock-ups or screenshots.

Tell me in the comments, do you enjoy making covers or is it something you dread? 

P.S. You can sign up for my weekly emails through the link in my bio! You can grab my free Pinterest cheat sheet, prioritizing tasks doc, or email definitions guide. 

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Sometimes we chase new followers instead of nurtur Sometimes we chase new followers instead of nurturing the ones we already have. 

Sometimes we fixate on how many likes, comments, saves, and shares we have, instead of appreciating that a human somewhere took the time to do them.

Sometimes we make a half hearted attempt at sharing in stories or answering messages, because we’re obsessing over hashtags or impressions.

Sometimes we get so caught up in inauthentic engagement that we barely appreciate or notice when someone genuinely engages.

This is just a reminder that this is a social platform! It’s an amazing place for you to connect with other teachers, make friends, and build relationships! If you can sell some of your products along the way, that’s an awesome bonus. 

But don’t forget to relax and enjoy the amazing connections you can make on this platform.

Instagram is like a party! Sit back and chat with some new friends instead of throwing your business cards at people 🙌🏻

Relationships over reach. 🙌🏻 
Not only is this more fun, it will probably actually help you grow more. 

Connecting with your existing followers in a genuine way will help you grow more than chasing the next fake follower.

I heard the other day that not being authentic is one of the leading reasons people unfollow others.

So let’s work on this 💗

I know I need to hear this sometimes. Do you? 

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One month of sleep deprivation, endless diaper cha One month of sleep deprivation, endless diaper changes, and trying to figure out breastfeeding. 😴🤯😭

But also one month of newborn snuggles and falling in love with little Lily. 💗

Thanks for your patience when it comes to my diminished presence on here and thanks to everyone who has messaged helpful parenting tips.

As each day goes by I feel less overwhelmed and more myself and I can slowly see myself getting back to TPT stuff eventually. But I am enjoying the break honestly.

Running a business can be so all consuming and it’s important to take a break sometimes. I’m also learning it’s important to prioritize family.

I love how TPT is passive and I can make money in my sleep (or at times when a normal person would be sleeping 😅) so I’m trying to soak up the precious time while Lily is small.

Sorry for the long caption! Just wanted to share my thoughts for today 🙂

(Psst! Took like a million photos before I got one that didn’t include crying or a bow that fell in her eyes 😂 I’m baffled at how these people get such glamorous baby pics here on the gram and act like it’s effortless 😂)

Also fun fact I look AWFUL these days and that’s why you won’t see my face much on stories 😂 who has time for hair brushing?
I love using storytelling to start my emails. I th I love using storytelling to start my emails. I think it’s a great way to connect with my audience and let them get to know me 🙌🏻

Did you catch this week’s podcast episode? I chat to Melissa @notanotherva about email marketing and we discuss welcome sequences, email content, and making your list profitable.

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Just a reminder that TPT has emphasized the import Just a reminder that TPT has emphasized the importance of PDF previews so many times!

Two thirds of buyers won’t purchase a product if there’s no preview. That’s a lot of missed sales if 2/3 people who visit your listings leave because you don’t have a preview. 😱

It’s so hard to get products seen. Whether that’s because of ranking, an oversaturated market, or how tricky marketing is. When you finally get a buyer on your listing, you want them to buy! 

So a great question to ask yourself is - do all of your resources have previews? If not, make this a long term project at the top of your to-do list this quarter or this year.

Tell me in the comments, do you need to get to work and make some previews? 😅

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The scary truth is this…it’s probably the only The scary truth is this…it’s probably the only secure thing in your business that you own! 

With the exception of having a blog/website, so much of our marketing is done on rented land (for example, social media).

We don’t own these platforms and so they come with a bit of risk. Your account could be deleted, an algorithm could change etc

With the tpt algorithm debacle, my email list has become an even more precious asset in my business. 

This week’s podcast episode is all about this topic so be sure to check it out!

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about email marketing 🙂

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My sales drastically increased when I stopped maki My sales drastically increased when I stopped making small $1 resources and started making bigger and more valuable resources.

I truly think that some resources sell better than others because they are really what a teacher needs or they provide a lot of value!

Did you catch last week’s podcast episode where I discussed this? Let me know in the comments what you thought 💗

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