what is informational writing 1st grade

How to Teach Informative Writing

n this post, I share 5 tips for How to Teach Informative Writing and provide details about my Informational Writing Unit resources for for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students. Be sure to download 3 FREE Informational Writing Graphic Organizers!

We write for a variety of purposes. The most popular are to inform, entertain, explain, or persuade. While we teach our students to write for each of these different purposes, the ability to effectively write an informative piece of writing is a highly important skill for students to learn. It is one of the most common types of writing we use in our everyday lives.

Today I’m excited to share 5 tips for teaching informational writing, as well as a valuable resource that has everything you need to teach informative writing to your kindergarten , first grade , or second grade students! 

1.  Read Informative Writing Mentor Texts 

As a teacher, you may “Start with the end in mind”  when you plan out your units of study, but it also applies to students learning about different genres of writing.  Before you can ask your students to write in a genre that is new to them, you must first immerse them in it.  

So to begin your informational writing unit, you’ll want to share lots of quality informational texts with your students.  These mentor texts provide students with excellent examples of informational writing. As you read them aloud, highlight the way the author structures their writing and the features they include to help make their writing more clear for the reader.  All of these things will help students better understand what type of writing we are asking them to do.    

When you’re picking informative mentor texts to share with your students there are a few things to consider .  First, do you (the educator) think it is excellent?  Second, is it easy for your students to understand?  And finally, is it relevant to the type of writing you are teaching?  If you answer “Yes!” to all three, then you’re good to go!

To help you out I’ve created a list of excellent mentor texts you can use when teaching Informative Writing to kindergarten, first, or second grade students.  

A List of Informative Writing Mentor Texts:

Gail Gibbons

• The Moon Book
• The Pumpkin Book

Nicola Davies

• One Tiny Turtle
• Big Blue Whale
• Bat Loves the Night
• Surprising Sharks

Jim Arnosky

• Slither and Crawl
• Frozen Wild
• Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore

Diana Aston

• An Egg is Quiet
• A Beetle is Shy
• A Seed is Sleepy
• A Rock is Lively

I’ve saved all these titles on one board so you can easily take a closer look at these mentor texts. Click here to see this list on Amazon .  

2.   Model Your Own Informational Writing

Never underestimate the importance of modeling!  It’s the most powerful tool in your arsenal.  

When teaching informative writing first model how to choose a topic.  Picking a topic is fun and easy because you get to choose something you already know a lot about!

Remind students that they are already experts in so many areas!!  This can be a big confidence booster for kids who might normally struggle to come up with ideas to write about.  Use think alouds to show them how you brainstorm a list of topics you already know a lot about and show them how you narrow it down to one.  

Next, model how you gather information and organize your ideas.  For informative writing you can show them how you use your prior knowledge, as well as pull important information from outside resources like books and websites. 

Finally, reread your work aloud and show students how you catch silly mistakes such as spelling, capitalization or punctuation errors.  You can also show how you add more details to make your piece more informative for your reader.  

3.  Use Anchor Charts

You want your students to know that when they write an informative piece they are sharing facts, or true information, with their reader. They are not sharing their opinion. It is important to take time to review fact vs. opinion with your students. You can create an anchor chart that clearly defines fact vs. opinion and then practice determining if different statements are facts or opinions.

You will also want to create an anchor chart using the writing you model. This will serve as another example of excellent informative writing. As a class, add labels to identify the topic sentence, supporting facts/details and the closing sentence in your shared writing. 

Post these anchor charts in your writing center so your students can refer back to them and use them as support as they write their own pieces.

4.  Allow students to edit and share their writing

Provide a good writers checklist at your writing center.  For informative writing you’ll want the checklist to include items such,  “Does my writing have a topic sentence?”  “Did I include enough facts?” and “Do I have a closing sentence?”, as well reminders to check for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors.  

Give students the opportunity to share their writing with others!  Pair students with partners and let them read their pieces to each other. 

You can teach them to provide each other with a bit of feedback by encouraging them to use sentence starters such as, “I like the way you….:” ,  “I learned that….” or “Your writing made me wonder….”.  Of course, this is also something you’d first want to model. Posting these sentence starters in your writing center provides support and helps to keep students focused and on-task.  

 5. Provide Daily Opportunities for Students to Write

As with all things, writing takes PRACTICE!  Informative writing requires students to do a lot of hard work. It requires that they think carefully about their purpose for writing. Then they must plan what they’ll say and how they’ll say it.

Finally, they’ve got to get it down on the paper in a way that is clear for the reader.   That’s a lot for a young child! 

Students need dedicated instructional time to learn the skills and strategies necessary to become effective writers, as well as time to practice what they learn. When you think about your daily instructional schedule, make sure you are giving your students ample opportunities to practice their informational writing through whole group instruction, small groups and/or through independent practice in writing centers. 

Informative Writing Unit For Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Students

We know informational writing requires a lot from students, but planning these informative writing units is also A LOT of work for you as the teacher!

To help you out I created informative writing units that have the essential resources you need to teach and students to independently practice informational writing!  These units are a perfect addition to your literacy work in writing centers.

Today I’m excited to share with you the details about my Kindergarten Informative , 1st Grade Informative, and my 2nd grade Informative writing units!

These units were developed with standards-based research specific to each grade. They have EVERYTHING you need to give your students ample amounts of practice writing informational pieces. You can use them within whole class or small group lessons, or as a literacy center where students can practice independently!  

What’s Included in these Informative Writing Resources?

The kindergarten , first grade, and the second grade resources all include information to help you teach the unit, as well as mini-lesson to provide your students a review of informative writing.  You’ll get a list of suggested mentor texts and online resources, academic vocabulary posters, a printable fact vs. opinion anchor chart, and graphic organizers appropriate for each grade level.

The kindergarten resource also includes the materials needed for students to create seasonal writing mini-books . Each mini-book comes with traceable sentence stems and a picture supported vocabulary word bank. This helps your young writers brainstorm ideas for what to write about and support their spelling.

You’ll also get an editing checklist that is specific to informative writing but also appropriate for the kindergarten level.

Instead of a seasonal mini-book, the first grade and second grade resource comes with seasonal writing prompts . You’ll get 5 informative writing prompts for each season, so you can practice informative writing all throughout the year. 

The prompts are both PRINTABLE & DIGITAL.  The digital version has been  PRELOADED  for you,  with 1 click add them  to your Google Drive or upload them to SeeSaw.

Each seasonal prompt also comes with publishing paper that includes a story specific vocabulary bank to provide spelling support and help students get ideas for what to write about.  

Finally, you’ll also get a self-editing checklist and rubric that have both been made specifically for informative writing.  This rubric can be used to help guide students as they work on their pieces, and/or as a self-assessment tool.     

I love these resources because they can be used in so many different ways.  They offer opportunities for students to practice informative writing as a whole class, in small groups, as a literacy center activity, for homework, or as a meaningful activity for when you have a substitute teacher!  They provide k-2 students with all the practice they need to master informative writing! 

FREE Informational Writing Graphic Organizers

Are you ready to begin teaching informative writing in your classroom? To help get your students started, I am happy to offer you 3 FREE informational writing graphic organizers! Download them here!

Helping your students to develop their ability to explain their ideas and share information with others is a valuable academic and life skill they will use well beyond the walls of your classroom.  I hope the information and resources I’ve shared today will help to bring stronger informative writing instruction and more meaningful practice to your kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms!

Be on the lookout for my next post that will focus on another genre… Opinion Writing ! I’ll share information and tips for teaching opinion writing, as well as give you details about my Opinion Writing Units for Kindergarten , First and Second grade students!

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How To Teach Informational Writing To First Grade Children

You’re ready to tackle new genres of writing with your students but you’re not sure where to begin. Let’s dive in and find out exactly how to teach informational writing to children!

Imagine your principal walking in to observe your classroom and seeing your students actively engaged in research. The room is abuzz with learning! Children sitting together at the computer reading a story about animals that live in ponds. At another table, kids are filling out a graphic organizer about turtles. Continue walking around the room and you’ll see students writing reports about animals and drawing illustrations. Yes! This can truly happen in your first-grade classroom!

Page Contents

What is informational writing?

The definition of informational writing is when an author presents information about a topic. It’s non-fiction writing that can be a report, an article, or even a biography. That may sound impossible for a first-grade student but when broken down step by step even the youngest student can produce a piece of informational writing.

Common core standards ask students to write informative/explanatory texts that name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. So how can we help students achieve this goal?

Step 1 – Begin with a topic

The first thing you need to do when teaching students about informational writing is to begin with an engaging topic. There are many nonfiction topics that young children find fascinating. Some examples of topics for informational writing are weather , animal habitats, the planets, polar bears , insects , and holidays. The possibilities are endless. Choose a topic that your students will be interested in for your first lesson on informational writing.

Step 2 – Research

Once you’ve chosen a topic, tell your students what they’ll be learning about. Explain to students that you’re going to show them how to research the topic and how to present that information in a report. Choose a variety of mentor texts that you can show the students and read to them.

You can also show students how to use Epic Books online to research a topic. They can even find videos on YouTube that will help them learn about a topic. Spend a day or two reading and learning about your topic as a class.

Step 3 – Brainstorm

As you and your students are learning about your topic, show students how to use a graphic organizer to gather their information. Make a large graphic organizer that you can complete together as a class. Then send students back to their seats to complete their own graphic organizer.

Show students how to choose a few simple words that will jog their memory on their organizer. Explain to them that the organizer is a place to gather their ideas and thoughts. It is not a place to write complete sentences.

Step 4 – Include all the important information

Once you and your class have done your research and completed your graphic organizers, it’s time to begin your report. This is where you’ll model to students exactly how to do informational writing. It’s a good idea to create a sample anchor chart that you can use as an example to help you model informational writing.

You may be wondering how do you write an informational paragraph for first grade? Your students should include the following information in their report:

The title is what your report is about. It can be as simple as one word such as “Polar Bears”.

Opening Sentence

The opening sentence is the hook that will get your reader’s attention. This is the first line of the report. It’s a good idea to give students a few ideas that they can choose from for their opening sentence. My favorite opening sentence to use in first grade is: “Let me tell you about ___________.” Students fill in the blank with their topic. Here are a few examples of topic sentence starters:

• Let me teach you about……
• Today I will tell you about…..
• Would you like to know more about……
• There is a lot you can learn about…..

Click here to grab this free anchor chart for opening sentence starters.

The body is the bulk of the report. This is where students will tell some of the things they learning about their topic. In first grade, students should supply 2-3 facts about their topic. This is a great place for you to differentiate your expectations for students. Struggling writers might only write one sentence with one fact about their topic. On level and advanced writers could write two or three sentences telling several facts about their topic.

Closing Sentence

The closing sentence is where students will wrap up their writing. This tells the reader that the report is finished. My favorite closing sentence to use with first grade is “I hope you liked my report about __________.” Students fill in the blank with the name of their topic. Here are some other options for closing sentence starters:

• As you can see there is a lot to know about ____________.
• I hope you learned a lot about ___________.
• Did you enjoy my report about ____________?

Click here to grab this free anchor chart for closing sentence starters.

Step 5 – Model

Before asking students to write their own report, it’s important to model each step for your students. Grab this free anchor chart to help you model the steps for informational writing.

Use a large piece of chart paper and show students exactly how to write the title and where it goes on the paper. Next show students your list of opening sentences and model how to write that in your report.

Show students how to refer to the graphic organizer when writing two or three sentences about your topic. Make sure to show them how to supply facts about the topic and how to write a complete sentence with a capital, spaces, and punctuation.

Finally, show students how to choose a good closing sentence to finish up the report.

Step 6 – Independent Writing

It’s finally time for students to show you what they’ve learned. Pass out the graphic organizers that your students made and let them use these to help them complete their reports. It’s a good idea to use a writing template with prompts when students are first learning how to do informational writing. These templates are differentiated for struggling, on-level and advanced writers to meet the needs of all students. They also include an informational writing rubric which makes grading a snap!

As your students are working, walk them through the process the first few times they try informational writing. Take them step-by-step as they write the title, opening sentence, body, and closing sentence. Walk around the room and check to make sure every child understands and give help as needed.

Step 7 – Illustrations

As a final touch, have your students create some kind of illustration to go along with their topic. This can be as simple as a crayon drawing or maybe a diorama of their topic. Be sure to include labels in the illustration explaining what everything is in the picture.

Step 8 – Revisions

After you’ve looked over your student’s work and made corrections as needed, you can choose to have them do a revision of their work. To be honest, I didn’t do this with every informational writing project in first grade. I found it to be a lot with young students and not always necessary. But at some point in the year, after they have had a lot of practice with this type of writing, it’s a good idea to have your students do at least one or two revisions so they understand the process.

This bundle of 6 units has everything you need to teach your students informational writing in first grade. The topics are engaging for first grade and include non-fiction texts, Powerpoint presentations, pre & post-assessments, graphic organizers, differentiated writing templates, worksheets, mini-books, and crafts. Click here to take a closer look at this resource.

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Teaching Informative Writing to 1st Graders

Last but not least informative writing. This blog series has been so fun to do because I get the chance to review each area of writing and it’s a great refresher for my own classroom. And after this crazy year of teaching couldn’t we all use a refresher! I mentioned this in my previous posts… start with the basics . Introduce WHAT informative writing is to your students. I personally love teaching informative writing because your students are going to be the experts on this topic and the goal is to teach others with their writing piece.

Now Where To Begin

I always start this unit with a writers workshop model-I start with modeling the type of writing before I send my students out to give it a go. Model, model, model I really can’t say it enough! And when you think they are ready, use a guided practice method and have them partner up. In order for our students to be experts on a topic they need to build confidence which comes through constant practice and exposure. Have you ever tried to write something without a plan or an outline? Think back to college and for some of us it feels like forever ago literally! But for real, close your eyes. Do you see yourself staring at a blank page? YEP…imagine a first grader writing without a plan sounds like a hot mess doesn’t it? That is the main reason we need a plan which includes an outline for our students to succeed at informational writing. This digital resource has been a lifesaver when it comes to getting my students started in this unit because it literally has everything to get us going. Anchor charts, sentence stems, outlines to plan their writing are all key for this writing unit!

Mentor Text

I am saying it again! Mentor text. Reading highly engaging and fun picture books is another way to give exposure to informational writing. The best part is there are soooooo many to choose from, so find a few that your students will be interested in and get to reading! I have listed a few that have been huge hits in my classroom! Using nonfiction mentor text not only shows examples of how informational writing is done it’s also full of facts that will help your students with their own writing piece. We often forget about the research aspect that goes into teaching our students how to write an informative piece. 

• I Wonder Why the Sea is Salty 
• National Geographics Cat vs. Dog
• From Seed to Plant
• What a Waste: Trash, Recycling and Protecting our Planet
• Moonshot 

Putting it Together Ok…so you have introduced what informative writing is, you have modeled the writing, you have taught opinion vs. fact, you have read mentor text, you have picked a topic, and now what? Now it is time to put it all together now you teach your students about the structure of an informative writing piece: spend time discussing the introduction, focus on the body which is where the facts and supporting details will come in, and last give them the tools they need to build that strong closure. When it comes to an introduction I teach my students to use 1 of 3 ways. Teach them with a fact, ask them a question, or tell them what you want to say. This is simple and easy for them to remember and with practice they make strong introductions. Now! Focusing on FACTS , the body is the biggest part of the informational piece because it’s where the bulk of the details are…the facts and the supporting details. Practice with writing facts, it sounds easier than it is. It is hard to keep your opinion out of it sometimes  “bears are the largest animals”—–is that a fact? Maybe to you they are the largest animals. See how that could be confusing to a 1st grader? This is where it is super important to provide them with the right resources and knowledge to provide the accurate supporting details. My non-fiction writing resource is one I always pull out when introducing this unit because note taking skills are a huge component of this unit and by reading mentor text, providing anchor charts, and planners we are setting our students up for success! Finally we work on the conclusion and we need to teach high interest ways to add closure to their writing piece. I encourage them to use a summary, ask a question, restate the topic or share their feelings. These are all great ways to give closure and they are easy for your kiddos to remember. 

Ok phew! Lots of information but remember choosing a topic is key for your students, they will write and research something they are interested in- use mentor texts to get them engaged. Create a plan: this is going to set you and your students up for success, having a plan will make teaching writing less stressful and believe me first grade writing isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Focus on the groundwork first when it comes to writing because we can fine tune it once our kiddos get the hang of it. Practice, practice, practice & if you are struggling check out some of the resources I linked, I promise they will make this whole thing a bit easier for you! Be sure to check out the opinion writing and narrative writing posts if you haven’t. Check out my bonus post in this blog series..coming next! 

Still Need More Writing Tips? Grab these Resources! My digital writing bundles are 20% off so snag them while you can get a great deal!

Narrative Writing 

Opinion Writing

Writer’s Workshop

How-to-Writing

Digital Writing Bundle  

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Informational Writing - 1st Grade

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• Let's Learn GA! - Model Lessons

Georgia teacher Hillary Seides leads a lesson on how to write an informative/explanatory text in this episode of Let's Learn GA! .

Students learn to write an informative/explanatory text in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic with Georgia teacher Hillary Seides.

In this video lesson, you will need: -paper -something to write with -something to color with 

Georgia Standards of Excellence

English arts.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Let's Learn GA! - Model Lessons Segments

Let's Learn GA! is series of video lessons for grades K-12 taught by Georgia teachers. The videos in this collection are aligned to the Georgia Standards of Excellence for English language arts (ELA). Let's Learn GA! is a collaboration between GPB and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to support both in-person and remote learning plans. Check back for more ELA lessons coming soon. 

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