how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

How to Teach Informative Writing

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.    

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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 .  

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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. 

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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. 

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.  

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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! 

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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?

Informative Writing Graphic Organizers & Centers - Kindergarten Informational

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.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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. 

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.  

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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.     

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

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!

-shop this post-

– PIN for LATER –

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

FIND WHAT YOU NEED

Teaching resources.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

BLISS IN YOUR INBOX

COPYRIGHT © 2024  ·  TERMS AND CONDITIONS

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

How to Teach Informative Writing in 2nd Grade with Spectacular Results

Teaching Informative Writing in 2nd Grade

Not going to lie.. informative writing can be daunting. Which makes teaching informative writing that much more daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be a battle and it can even be FUN!

informative writing activity round up - the titanic research craft and project

Important Concepts:

Students need to learn how to research facts about a topic and restate those facts in their own words. Both parts of that concept can be difficult.

Research might be hard with students who are just learning to read. A great way to combat that is to do research as a class or in small groups.

Restating facts in students’ own words is an easier concept to teach. This can be done with lots of modeling and guided practice.

informative writing activity round up - what if you had animal feet adaptations research craft and project

By second grade, students should be able to write a topic sentence, 3-4 fact sentences WITH details, and a closing sentence. This means student writing should be anywhere from 5-10 sentences at least. However, many students are ready to write in paragraphs by second grade and should be encouraged to do so by adding more detail sentences to each event.

Challenges:

Students might struggle understanding the difference between an event and a detail. Talk to students about how an event is SOMETHING that happened, and details are the supporting ideas that help tell that story. Details can add dialogue, words from 5 senses, or more explicitly explain certain subjects from their writing.

going through the writing process anchor charts and posters for 2nd graders or elementary students

The Writing Process:

I cannot stress enough the importance of taking your students through the writing process every single week, for every single genre. This involves brainstorming/planning, drafting, revising, editing, publishing, grading and sharing.

Hook/Brainstorm:

Getting students EXCITED can be half the battle during writing. I love to tie all of my writing projects to engaging read alouds and fun topics. You can find my favorite narrative writing companions here.

It is equally important to MODEL each step of the writing process for students. After reading aloud our companion text, I typically will read aloud my model. I also will then model my own plan so students can see what I am looking for when it is their turn to write.

informative writing activity round up - welcome to my house craft and project

Then, it is time for students to make a plan. Be sure not to skip this phase, it is NOT writing a full draft, but rather jotting down their ideas they are going to write about. They can use bullet points or pictures to gather their ideas, but this should NOT be done in full sentences and should not take longer than 5-10 minutes.

Informative writing strategies - anchor chart

I like to give students two full days to draft for narrative writing. Each week, we focus on a different important skill that needs to be taught during narrative writing. Some skills we focus on are:

• Transition Words • Topic Sentences • Closing Sentences • Adding Details such as adjectives, prepositions, similes, metaphors, etc. • Adding Dialogue • Writing with a problem and a solution

Typically, students write their topic sentence, and first two events and details one day. Then, I have them write their second two events and details, along with the closing on the second day. We focus on the skill of the week, while also reinforcing the other skills that were previously taught.

informative writing activity round up - all about me craft and project

Revising/Editing:

I spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year setting up a peer editing time that is productive for students. We spend an entire day revising and editing, and I also roam the room and select certain students each week to conference with during this time.

Depending on the length of your writing block, you can either meet with all of your students or rotate through small groups of them each week.

informative writing activity round up -crafts and projects for the year

Publish, Grade, Share:

I always have students publish a piece of writing every single week. We add it to our writing portfolios that we take home at the end of the year. When students finish publishing, I have them grade themselves on the rubric. Self-assessment is such a powerful tool for students.

After they self grade, we find time to share each week. This can be partner sharing, author’s chair, sharing with buddies, recording themselves reading or more.

What are your favorite strategies for teaching informative writing in 2nd grade? Drop some tips and tricks in the comments below!

Emily - The Mountain Teacher

Share your thoughts... cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

DON'T MISS THE LATEST FREEBIES, RESOURCES, IDEAS & MORE!

Quick links.

  • The Mountain Teacher 2024
  • Site Design by Laine Sutherland Designs

Learn Bright

Informative Writing – Grade 2

With our Informative Writing – Grade 2 lesson plan, students learn strategies and processes for improving their informative writing.

Description

Additional information.

Our Informative Writing – Grade 2 lesson plan teaches students how to be better at writing informatively. During this lesson, students are asked to work with a partner to read a passage about dolphins and complete a graphic organizer to make six complete phrases. Students are also asked to work independently to complete a graphic organizer about starfish and then use the information from the graphic organizer to write an informative paragraph about starfish. 

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Thank you for submitting a review!

Your input is very much appreciated. Share it with your friends so they can enjoy it too!

Reading Comprehension

It was great. It gave me a great plan on how to introduce an informational book and write about it.

I just ordered my first set of products. Dry easy to use and the subject matter is right on.

Related products

pig holding a pie

Spelling Patterns: Vowels and Consonants

letter sound cards

Phonemes: Trigraphs with S and T

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Subtraction Review

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Real-World Math Applications

Make your life easier with our lesson plans, stay up-to-date with new lessons.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  • Lesson Plans
  • For Teachers

© 2024 Learn Bright. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions. Privacy Policy.

  • Sign Up for Free
  • Skip to main content

Not So Wimpy Teacher

The Not So WImpy Teacher creates resources for busy teachers in grades 2-5 who are looking to deliver engaging and meaningful lessons without overwhelm and chaos.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informational Writing Unit SECOND GRADE

Grade Level: 2nd Grade

My second grade informational report writing unit includes 8 weeks of done-for-you writing lessons about how to write an engaging informational report essay, including research, note taking, and paraphrasing skills. This unit contains detailed lesson plans, mentor texts, anchor charts, student writing tasks, and rubrics –everything you need to be a capable, confident writing teacher with students who love to write.

Also available in the following bundles

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

More about this resource

If teaching writing has ever made you cry, weep, tear out your hair, question your existence, or binge-watch reality television—because it’s just that frustrating and overwhelming—this writing unit is perfect for you. 

If your students dread writing time more than meatloaf in the school cafeteria…this writing bundle is perfect for them, too. 

Teaching writing can be tough. Teachers tell me that their district-provided writing curriculum is:

  • too complicated

Or worse, they don’t have any curriculum at all. Yikes! 

But my second grade informational report writing unit makes teaching writing easy . It takes all the guesswork out of teaching writing and gives you the tools you need to teach engaging and effective writing lessons without breaking a sweat.

This resource is part of a money-saving writing writing bundle! Click HERE to see the bundle!

The ready-to-use lessons and activities in this informational report writing unit will teach your students h ow to conduct research, take note, paraphrase, craft a strong lead, choose interesting details, write topic and concluding sentences, and structure paragraphs .   And all you have to do is print and teach . The lesson plans are that simple. Seriously.

Student-friendly mentor texts make it easy to provide illustrative examples of new writing skills. You don’t have to waste your time and money hunting down just the right book.  Focused mini lessons and daily writing tasks simplify the writing process helping ALL students, even reluctant writers, experience success. Preprinted anchor charts make it easy to model new skills and engage in shared writing without wasting valuable time. 

And best of all, my informational report writing unit  makes writing fun  for  ALL  your students – from  reluctant writers  to  excited writers . The  Student Success Path  helps you identify where your students are on their writing journey and plan just-right lessons and  interventions .  Short, focused lessons  keep students engaged. Simple, direct writing tasks help kids develop confidence.  Conference materials,  including outlines and topic cards, you can use to guide small group discussion make it easy for you to  differentiate lessons.

Choice empowers students  to write about things they care about and makes them more invested in their writing. And that’s a big deal because  students who enjoy writing and get lots of practice perform better on standardized testing.

Plus, these materials are  easy-to-use . Everything is organized in folders to help you find just what you need. A  Quick Start Guide  makes it simple to get started and provides tips on how to prep materials for long-term use.

The 2-week  Starting Writing Workshop mini-unit  will help you start your writing instruction on the right foot. Detailed teacher directions show you exactly how to use all the resources and activities.

How Our Writing Bundles are Aligned with the Science of Reading :

  • Structured writing routine: Our writing bundle is organized into 4 genres. Each 8-week unit is carefully structured, beginning with foundational skills before moving into more advanced skills. Students are taught a systematic approach to writing including: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
  • Explicit instruction: Daily lessons begin with explicit instruction including access to examples via mentor texts, modeling, and directed practice. Each skill is broken down into bite-size pieces so that students can learn one skill at a time. Students practice skills independently, working on one sentence or paragraph at a time.
  • Differentiation: Writing is differentiated through small group instruction that provides reteaching, additional practice, and support at appropriate levels.
  • Daily opportunities to write: The majority of the writing lesson is reserved for independent writing time, providing students with large blocks of time to write and practice skills every day. 
  • Demonstrates the connection between reading and writing: Mentor texts provide concrete examples of writing skills and allow children to experiment with and apply sophisticated skills and language in their own writing. In addition, constructing their own writing pieces helps students recognize, connect, and understand these strategies when reading.  

What’s Included:

  • Detailed teacher directions and suggestions for simple implementation
  • Unit-at-a-glance calendar for each unit
  • 7 exclusive videos walking you through how to get the most out of these writing units
  • 40 days of lesson plans that include guiding questions, materials, mini lessons, student work tasks, student share tasks, intervention, and several extension activities
  • 13 original mentor text passages
  • 24 informational report task cards
  • 24 paraphrasing facts task cards
  • 24 informational report writing prompt task cards
  • 11 teacher anchor charts (blank and filled in versions)
  • Student anchor charts and printable for writing notebooks
  • Conference and goal tracking forms
  • Writing grades tracking forms
  • List of 10 additional mentor text books (Remember, using them is optional, because I’ve included all the mentor texts you need) 
  • 6 different writing publishing papers
  • Student writing notebook cover and dividers
  • Teacher notebook covers and binder spines
  • Multiple ideas for author share celebration
  • DIGITAL writing notebooks on Google Slides
  • Conferencing Materials – Conference outlines, a sample conference, and topic cards you can use to guide your small-group conferences
  • Student Success Path – Identify where your students are on their writing journey
  • Starting Writing Workshop Bonus – Two weeks of writing lesson plans to help build stamina and set your students up for writing success

Skills Covered:

Students learn h ow to use research, take notes, and paraphrase, and write an engaging information report with a strong lead, topic and concluding sentences and details. Lessons include:

  • Setting goals
  • What is an informational report?
  • Generating report ideas
  • Narrowing your report idea to a seed
  • Research and note taking
  • Paraphrasing
  • Table of contents
  • Writing a lead
  • Topic and concluding sentences
  • Word choice-adding vocabulary and definitions
  • Adding details
  • Transitions
  • Writing a conclusion
  • Text features

How to Use it in the Classroom: 

A typical day of writing:.

I recommend you set aside 30-45 minutes for writing each day (or more if you have it). Check out the sample schedules below. Each day follows the same plan:

  • Mini Lesson (8-10 minutes):  The day kicks off with a mini lesson to teach a particular skill. The mini-lesson uses mentor text (remember, it’s included in the unit) and anchor charts. For the teacher version of the anchor charts, you can project and fill them out with the class, or print and display them in your classroom. The student versions are smaller so they can fill them out and keep them in their writing notebooks for reference.
  • Work Time (18-20 minutes) : Students will apply the skill they just learned into their writing each day. The included writing tasks make it crystal-clear what to do during independent writing time–for you and your students. By the end of the unit, they will have completed two full masterpieces and many other independent writings.
  • Share Time (2 minutes) : Students are encouraged to share a piece of their writing with a partner or with the entire class. This makes writing more meaningful to kids and holds them accountable.

Organization made easy:

  • The informational report writing unit is organized into multiple folders and files so it’s easy for you to find what you need.
  • A 40-day daily schedule so you know exactly what to teach each day.
  • Detailed daily lesson plans make teaching writing easy.

Differentiation:

There are many ways to differentiate writing assignments:

  • Use the Student Success Path to identify where students are on their writing journey and use the suggested interventions to modify lessons.
  • These daily writing prompts are intentionally short and sweet so that all students, even those below grade level, can feel successful. Most tasks can be completed in 1-2 sentences.
  • More advanced writers can write longer responses, or work on a second masterpiece if they finish early.
  • Students can complete fewer task cards or work with a partner; you can also provide support to students as they work on task cards.
  • The process for teaching writing includes group conferencing time. These groups should be based on ability so that you can individualize your instruction to meet the specific needs of the group. Use the topic cards to guide your small group lessons.

Why you’ll love this writing unit:

  • You’ll save hours of prepping and planning time. The daily lesson plans are easy to implement. All you have to do is print and teach. 
  • Mentor texts are included. You do not need to hunt down or purchase any additional books! (Unless you want to. Far be it from me to stand between a teacher and new books.) 
  • Digital anchor charts project onto your white board-so you don’t have to be Picasso or Renoir to anchor your kids in the lesson.
  • Pre-printed student anchor charts make it easy for students to follow along without having to write every word and draw complicated diagrams.
  • Digital student notebooks are perfect for 1:1 classrooms and a great way to save paper.
  • These lessons work for all students, even students below grade level.
  • Task cards incorporate movement, reinforce concepts, and make learning fun. Daily share time encourages students to take pride in their writing.
  • Direct writing instruction provides a solid foundation of writing skills that leads to increased test scores.
  • Aligned with the Science of Reading.

*****************************

More Second Grade Writing Units:

Personal Narrative for Second Grade

Opinion Writing for Second Grade

Fiction Narrative for Second Grade

Writing Units for Other Grade Levels:

Third Grade Writing Bundle

Fourth Grade Writing Bundle

Fifth Grade Writing Bundle

Additional Resources You Might Like:

2nd Grade Spelling Curriculum Growing Bundle

Frequently Asked

Yes. I also have personal narrative , opinion essay , and fiction narrative writing units available.

This informational writing unit is available for grade 2. I also have informational writing units available for grades three , four , and five .

I prefer composition notebooks because they are sturdy and easy to use and store. But other teachers have used spiral bound notebooks or three-ring binders.

Yes. These writing lessons are based on Common Core standards.

The lessons for consecutive grade levels are very similar because the standards are similar. The biggest difference is that the reading level on the mentor text passages is modified to meet the specific grade level. Other differences include new examples in the lesson plans and anchor charts and new task cards. It is generally fine to use units that are one level above or below grade level. You might want to select the lower grade level to ensure that the mentor texts are easier for students to read.

Each unit includes eight weeks of materials. I recommend spending 30-45 on writing each day. The lesson takes 8-10 minutes and the rest of the time would be used for independent writing.

Students complete two masterpieces in each unit. But they may work on additional pieces if they finish daily assignments early.

My writing units are a standalone curriculum. They are not based on or aligned with any other curriculum. However, they are based on the writing standards. My curriculum is organized into units of study and formatted in the workshop model and hundreds of teachers have successfully used my writing units with their district provided curriculum.

My writing units are a standalone curriculum. They are not based on or aligned with any other curriculum. With that being said, I have hundreds of teachers who have chosen to use my units as a supplement to their Lucy curriculum because it is more manageable and engaging for students.

You May Also Enjoy These Resources

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Language & Grammar

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Science & Social Studies

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Digital Learning

How to teach informational writing.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

In my third installment of how to teach Common Core-aligned writing units, I’m going to discuss teaching informational writing. In the last couple of weeks, I also wrote about Narrative Writing and Opinion Writing. We’re going to target informational writing today. I’m going to share what I think best practices are, how to break apart the components of informational writing, and how to keep your kiddos engaged when you are teaching informational writing! All of the images you see below (except for the read-aloud) are part of my ELA writing units. The links to all grade levels are at the bottom!

Informational Writing Common Core Expectations

Common Core writing domain focuses on three big types of writing: informative, narrative, and opinion writing! Today, we’re going to dive into the informational writing standards. It begins kindergarten and each year, gets progressively more in-depth and detailed. Here is a look at K-5’s expectations for opinion writing, according to Common Core.

Primary Standards

  • Kinder: 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.
  • 1st Grade: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
  • 2nd Grade: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Intermediate Standards

  • 3rd Grade: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (a- Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.) (b- Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.) (c- Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also , another , and , more , but ) to connect ideas within categories of information.) (d- Provide a concluding statement or section.)
  • 4th Grade: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (a- Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.) (b- Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.) (c- Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another , for example , also , because ).) (d- Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.) (e- Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.)

Let’s Look at Informational Writing Outline

  • Introduce WHAT Informational Writing is
  • What are facts and definitions?
  • Writing introductions
  • The body: strong facts & supporting detail
  • Writing conclusions
  • Teach specifics such as how-to and all-about pieces
  • Practice, practice, practice

Informational Writing Mentor Texts

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

All of the components and learning pieces within this blog post should have a mentor text example along with it. Each time you teach your students about a component of narrative writing, use a strong example! Each of the book links below are affiliate links to Amazon.

  • What is the Moon Like? by Franklyn Branley
  • The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons
  • What If You Had Animal Feet? by Sandra Markle (entire series)
  • How to Teach a Slug to Read by Susan Pearson
  • Assorted National Geographic Kids Readers
  • From Milk to Ice Cream by Stacy Taus-Bolstad
  • I am Martin Luther King Jr. by Brad Meltzer (entire series)
  • How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons
  • Why are the Icecaps Melting? by Anne Rockwell
  • Hippos are Huge! by Jonathan London

Let’s Start! What is Informational Writing?

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Just like with the opinion writing and narrative writing blog posts, I suggest starting with teaching what informational or informative writing is. The students need to understand the components of informational writing. First, you’ll teach them the different types of informative writing. These are how-to pieces, all about pieces, biographies, articles, explanatory pieces, and more. Then, you’ll teach them the structure of informational writing pieces. This is the introduction, body, and closure.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

After you use an anchor chart about teaching informational writing, you can give them practice. Let them identify different examples from an informational text and which part of the structure it belongs to. In the picture above, you see two different activities. In the first activity, the teacher shows a sample writing piece that is color-coded into different parts. Then, the students will have follow-up activities where they will put the informational writing cut-outs in order. This will help them get comfortable with what is expected of them.

Big Picture: Facts and Definitions

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Once you’ve taught students what informational writing is, it’s time to give them a lot of practice with facts, details, and definitions. When we did our opinion pieces, students took a day or two to simply write opinions. We will do the same with informative writing. Students will need to practice simply writing facts and definitions because they must include only facts, definitions, and details in their informational writing.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Here are two activities to practice fact writing. First, the students will get a topic card and have to come up with a sentence about that topic. This will help them practice facts, instead of opinion sentences or even narrative sentences. For example, you want a student to draw a card such as working dogs and say, “Working dogs can have real jobs, such as airport security,” instead of “I think working dogs are helpful” and “I once saw a working dog helping a police officer”. This helps shift their mindset to only facts and definitions. Then, you can have students independently practice fact writing with informational writing graphic organizers or flip books.

Teaching Informational Writing Introductions

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

You’ve taught what informational writing is and how to focus on facts. Now, it’s time to dive into the structure of teaching informational writing. First, you’re going to teach students about writing introductions. Begin by teaching them the different ways that you can introduce a writing piece. They can use a fact or statistic to open their piece. Or they could include a quote or an anecdote. You’re trying to teach them to hook their reader to interest them in their writing topics. Give students lots of different ways to practice this, such as matching games where they’re working with real examples. You can also give them writing practice where they have a topic and they have to come up with their own introduction.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

The Body: Facts & Details

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Now, we can move on to the biggest chunk of teaching informational writing… the body. The body is where your big facts and supporting details exist. In Common Core, students are eventually expected to include supporting details for all the strong facts they include. One way to get them to eventually do this is to give them a strong fact and ask them to come up with a supporting detail. Since you’re giving them the facts, their job is to focus on that specific topic and come up with an important detail. The more practice you give them, the better they’ll be at naturally giving detail for each fact they include.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

If you need to back up a little bit when teaching facts and details, give students topics and simply ask for adjectives or describing words. If you give a student a card with a desert on it, they’ll need to come up with adjectives to describe that desert. Then, they can use those adjectives to further develop their facts and details.

Teaching the Conclusion

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

And finally, we can teach conclusions. Just like with introductions, you’re going to teach what a conclusion is and the different ways they can give a sense of closure. They can give a summary, share their feelings, give a suggestion, provide a quote, and other high-interest ways to wrap up their writing pieces. One way to give students a firm grasp of strong conclusions is to use your mentor texts. Use 2-3 different mentor texts and read the conclusions in each. Then, ask students how the author provided a sense of closure.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Give students a lot of practice when teaching informational writing conclusions. Give them real examples that they have to sort into strong or weak. Then, give them topics where they have to come up with their own conclusions! You can even give them activities where they have to sort what type of conclusion they’re reading.

Specific Informational Writing Pieces: How-to and All-About

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

How-to writing pieces are specific types of informational writing. Students must learn the different types of informational writing after they learn the structures. How-to writing follows the same structure as we have been discussing throughout this blog post. However, there will be more step-by-step fact writing within the body, plus students will need to include more sequencing details and transitional words.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

All-about writing is another type of informational writing. These writing pieces follow the same structure we’ve discussed in this blog post. First, students come up with a topic. Then, they provide facts about that topic. Finally, they wrap up with a closure. Many times, though, these all-about pieces are turned into mini books and the facts are more developed on each page.

Practice Makes Perfect!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Finally, you’ve taught all the components of informational writing unit. Therefore, it’s time to practice, practice, practice. Choose high-interest and engaging topics for students to write about. Give them lots of different prompts to pick from. Provide them with scaffolded graphic organizers that will help them brainstorm and pre-write. They’re going to rock those informational writing pieces!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Then, it’s also important to let students assess themselves. Once they learn about informational writing and get lots of practice, it’s time to assess themselves. Asking students to self-assess is important because it allows them to truly understand the expectations of them in these types of writing.

Time to find your grade level!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Interested in Free Graphic Organizers for Your Writing Unit?

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Download your free narrative writing graphic organizers.

Want more writing tips?

  • Tying writing into your math block
  • Warming up for your writing block
  • How to make their writing interactive
  • Read more about: Common Core Aligned , Writing Blog Posts

You might also like...

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

3 Easy Times to Squeeze Speaking and Listening Skills into Your Day

In today’s blog post we will talk about incorporating speaking and listening skills in your elementary classroom! Finding time to focus on these crucial skills

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Introduction to Fractions: Partitioning, Shares, and Fractions in 1st and 2nd Grade

Hello teachers! Welcome to today’s blog post, where we will dive into the fascinating world of fractions, tailored specifically for 1st and 2nd-grade classrooms. Fractions

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Teaching Text Features in the Spring

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed using the current season as a way to make your ELA content more engaging. Adding the element of

Join these happy teachers

Join the email list.

Get teaching tips, how-to guides, and freebies delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday!

Hi, I'm Jessica

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

I help elementary teachers master the standards by providing helpful standards-based tips, guides, and resources.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Let's Connect

Access your purchases

© Elementary Nest • Website by KristenDoyle.co

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  • Testimonials

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Writing a second grade essay

In elementary school, children need to compose four kinds of passages:

  • Short responses to questions (one or two sentences),
  • Long responses to questions (about five sentences or one paragraph),
  • Narratives (stories of varying lengths), and
  • Essays (single paragraphs to five paragraphs).

The other night I received a call from a father whose second-grade son needed to write an essay on his favorite animal.  The child didn’t know what to do.  I asked the boy on the phone what his favorite animal is.  “Dogs,” he said, not a surprising answer since the boy has grown up with pet dogs.  I asked him why, and he identified several reasons.  I told him he needed to explain his reasons.  He told me that without problem.

I told him that to write the essay he needed to

  • First, write a sentence saying that dogs are his favorite animal.
  • Second, tell why dogs are his favorite animal, one sentence for each reason. Then he needed to add other sentences explaining why.  The best detail is one that begins with “for example,” I told him.
  • Last, end the essay by repeating that dogs are his favorite animal and name the reasons without the details.

Do you understand? I asked.  The boy grumbled in the background, but his father told me that he understood.  We ended the phone conversation.

The next morning, the father texted me the essay below.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

I don’t know how much direction the classroom teacher gave this boy.  It seemed like this was one of the first times the student was required to write an essay.  Did the teacher take the students through the organizational process?  Did she show organizational boxes for the student to fill in?  Did she model writing an essay or two or three in class?  Did she explain what information belonged in the first sentence or in the middle sentences or in the conclusion?  I suspect she didn’t since the boy—an A+ student—had no idea when I talked to him.  Yet after a five-minute phone call, he wrote a classic essay (for a second grader).

To be fair, I don’t know the circumstances surrounding this assignment.  Was the teacher a substitute?  Was there a fire drill taking up the time that the teacher wanted to use to preview this assignment?  Was the boy pulled out of class when the teacher  explained the assignment to the class?

I am left to wonder what training this boy’s teacher received to teach writing.  Perhaps, like all too many teachers, not enough.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

What's your thinking on this topic? Cancel reply

One-on-one online writing improvement for students of all ages.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

As a professional writer and former certified middle and high school educator, I now teach writing skills online. I coach students of all ages on the practices of writing. Click on my photo for more details.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

You may think revising means finding grammar and spelling mistakes when it really means rewriting—moving ideas around, adding more details, using specific verbs, varying your sentence structures and adding figurative language. Learn how to improve your writing with these rewriting ideas and more. Click on the photo For more details.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Comical stories, repetitive phrasing, and expressive illustrations engage early readers and build reading confidence. Each story includes easy to pronounce two-, three-, and four-letter words which follow the rules of phonics. The result is a fun reading experience leading to comprehension, recall, and stimulating discussion. Each story is true children’s literature with a beginning, a middle and an end. Each book also contains a "fun and games" activity section to further develop the beginning reader's learning experience.

Mrs. K’s Store of home schooling/teaching resources

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Furia--Quick Study Guide is a nine-page text with detailed information on the setting; 17 characters; 10 themes; 8 places, teams, and motifs; and 15 direct quotes from the text. Teachers who have read the novel can months later come up to speed in five minutes by reading the study guide.

Post Categories

Follow blog via email.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

Peachtree Corners, GA

' src=

  • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
  • Copy shortlink
  • Report this content
  • View post in Reader
  • Manage subscriptions
  • Collapse this bar
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Raise the Bar Reading

A Reading Teacher's Blog

Teaching Informational Writing in 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade

Informational writing can be a very new type of writing for many elementary students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. Primary students are usually used to writing in their daily journal or creating fictional stories. However, informational writing requires a totally different set of writing skills.

With narrative writing, students can just write whatever they want from their own minds.  Informational writing is based on facts, so it can add the step of doing research on new topics as well. This can be a new and challenging skill just on its own. 

Informational Writing Teaching Blog Post

Although it can be challenging, informational writing can also be so exciting for students.  It allows them to explore topics that they are passionate about or learn more about topics that interest them. 

As you can see in the chart below, students are expected to do a little bit more with informational writing as they grow as writers from 1 st to 3 rd grade.    

Informational Writing Common Core Grades 1-3

So, 1 st grade focuses on finding facts to support a topic.   With 2 nd and 3 rd grade, the focus is developing points on their topic. Then, they need to support each point with facts.

For young writers learning such a new, specific format of writing, it is important to break it up into small, clear steps. 

Below is how I tackle informational writing step by step:

INTRODUCE INFORMATIONAL WRITING:

First, I explain what facts and information are with visuals and examples .  I also go through a pre-written example of informational writing to show how to put facts and information into a piece of writing.  

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

We identify and discuss each part of the piece of writing.  For first graders that means topic, facts (2-3), and closing.  For second and third graders, that means a hook and opening, 1-3 points with facts supporting their points, and a closing.

GUIDED INFORMATIONAL WRITING PRACTICE:

Informational Writing Anchor Charts

I like to model the actual process of informational writing as well.  When modeling, I pick a topic that students have background knowledge on so that it is easy for students to participate.  This also allows students to focus on the format while not being bogged down by new content. I also keep the writing in this model basic and clear. This helps students not get overwhelmed in what they need to produce in their first piece of informational writing.  While modeling, I refer to the prewritten example that I provided earlier.  I also display sentence starters and transitions to use as a guide while they are writing.

Analyze Writing Models

Next, students use Informational Writing “Color Coding” passages . They read through and color code the topic and supporting facts on the topic (first grade) or the topic, point, and supporting facts for the point (second-third grade).  This allows them to independently interact with pre-written informational writing. Interacting with informational passages in this way really helps the format begin to sink in for them. 

Informational Writing Examples Color Coding

“Stick to the Topic” or “Stick to the Point” Determining Importance Activity

This fun activity gets students to identify facts that are important for their topic or point in a hands-on way.  It shows them that there can be many interesting facts on a topic, but only some are really important and necessary for a piece of writing.

Informational Writing Stick to the Topic Activity

Informational Writing Prompts with Visuals:

After practice reading through pre-written informational writing examples, students are given their own prompt with visuals .  First graders, or other students that need the support, get a practice writing prompt with the sentence starter already chosen for them. Higher writers or use a sentence starters poster to choose their own sentence starters.  

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

INDEPENDENT WRITING:

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Now it’s time for students to begin an informational writing piece from scratch!  I usually provide at least an overall category for the entire class to focus on (i.e. animal report, biography, etc.) , but you could also give multiple options or have them develop their own individual topics.  If you are having students develop their own topics, it is helpful to provide students with a way to jot down topic ideas they have by category (i.e. animals, sports, etc.).  

During the prewriting phase of the writing process, students brainstorm using a graphic organizer .  There are many types of brainstorming organizers you can use, depending on whether they are doing a “brain dump” of information they already know, or if they are finding facts by researching a new topic.

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

After gathering their information, it is so helpful to provide a prewriting graphic organizer. This helps students place information where it will belong in their informational writing draft. While writing their draft, they can refer to their sentence starters poster. This helps them transition from their topic to points/facts and then the ending.  

Supporting points with facts in informational writing

After writing their drafts, I give students an editing checklist to use as a reference.  This makes it easier for students to ensure they have included each part of a piece of informational writing.  

Informational Writing Editing Checklist

For more comprehensive informational writing pieces, I also like to give students templates for a Table of Contents and Glossary.  I also provide writing pages with boxes for students to place photos, diagrams, drawing, etc. This really brings the writing together into more of a nonfiction book.

Informational Writing Report Templates

ONGOING INFORMATIONAL WRITING PRACTICE:

Writing informational hooks:.

Informational Hooks and Leads Writing

For students that are ready (typically 2 nd and 3 rd graders), I like to take students in small groups to work on writing hooks.  You can definitely do this whole class as well.  I go through a poster that shows either 3 or 4 hook types they can use to engage their readers.  Then, students practice writing their own hooks for pre-generated topics, such as “All About Summer.”  After practicing, they can then apply this skill to their own writing.

Informational Writing Journals:

I love using writing journals to provide students with tons of ongoing practice!  I use them as informal free-writes just for continual practice, but some or all of the entries could be used for writing pieces that go through the writing process (prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing) as well.  

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

All of the materials shown in this blog post for teaching informational writing to students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade can be found in the Informational Writing Unit in my TpT shop!

Next: Teaching Opinion Writing in the Primary Grades  

Copyright 2021 Raise the Bar Reading

Customized by Laine Sutherland Design

How to Teach Expository Writing for the Second Grade

Maria o'brien.

Books on shelves in library.jpg

"I put words on paper, and then I push them a bit," is how one famous writer described his craft. In teaching expository writing to second-graders, your task is to encourage the children to put lots of words on paper and then to push them around a bit. Expository wiring has a purpose beyond merely entertaining. Expository writing seeks to inform by conveying facts. To interest and encourage second-graders, you must choose topics of interest to them and show them a purpose in the writing, other than completing an assignment. This requires your own creativity.

Explore this article

  • Explain expository writing to your second-grade class
  • Teach the children
  • Print out examples
  • Talk before writing
  • Assign the children to reports
  • Have the children describe a pet
  • Suggest other topics of interest and importance to the children Should soda and snack machines be banished from school property

1 Explain expository writing to your second-grade class

Explain expository writing to your second-grade class. Expository writing is writing that informs the reader. It is not anecdotal or a story, but rather a sharing of information. Expository writing tells what happened, reports on a subject, explains how to do something or describes a thing.

2 Teach the children

Teach the children not to edit or censor their writing before getting the words on paper. Instruct the children to write down whatever thoughts, ideas and information they have on the topic, and tell them not to edit anything until they have at least two or three paragraphs on paper (most compositions for second-graders will be two to four paragraphs long). Too often, the children sit in front of blank sheets of paper unable to write anything down because they don't think their writing will be "good enough." Encourage the children to get words on paper, then they can "push" them a bit.

3 Print out examples

Print out examples of good expository writing. Bump up the font and print each sentence separately, then cut the sentences into strips. Have the children, individually or in groups, re-assemble the strips to make a good paragraphs. Have the children discuss the relative merits of their different versions of the paragraph. Use the examples of good writing to teach and reinforce grammar rules. Have the children bring in examples of expository writing they have encountered: directions to games and consumer products, articles about pet care, sports or local events. Share these with the class.

4 Talk before writing

Talk before writing. Have the children tell you out loud what each is going to write about. Teach the class that writing is just putting the speeches down on paper. "If you can talk, you can write."

5 Assign the children to reports

Assign the children "How to" reports on doing some ordinary, everyday task, such as making a peanut butter sandwich. Have another child attempt to follow only the written instructions. For example, a child could write: "First, get peanut butter and jelly. Then, spread the peanut butter. Then, spread the jelly." Another child could attempt to follow the instructions and begin "spreading" the peanut butter on the air. This visual action can help the children understand the importance of exact directions.

6 Have the children describe a pet

Have the children describe a pet, place or event they know well. Your goal here (and in the Step above) is to give the children practice writing expository compositions that do not require that they do a lot of research, as research is a separate skill. Given a reference book, most 7- and 8-year-olds will freely plagiarize out of ignorance. By assigning familiar topics, you can focus on writing.

7 Suggest other topics of interest and importance to the children Should soda and snack machines be banished from school property

Suggest other topics of interest and importance to the children: Should soda and snack machines be banished from school property; should recess be expanded, decreased or eliminated? Should every player on a sports team play equal amounts of time, or should the best players get more time in the field? Where should the family go on vacation this year? Teach the children to give reasons for their opinions. Have them write the composition as a letter addressed to the principal, coach or their parents.

  • Have a competition for best article on a specific topic. Sentences only count if they are coherent and on topic.
  • Share your own expository writing with your second-grade class.

Related Articles

The Writing Progression in the First Grade

The Writing Progression in the First Grade

How to Teach Expository Writing to Elementary School Students

How to Teach Expository Writing to Elementary School...

Purpose of Writing an Essay

Purpose of Writing an Essay

Teaching Second Grade Essay Writing

Teaching Second Grade Essay Writing

Top Things Kids Should Know When Writing a Paragraph

Top Things Kids Should Know When Writing a Paragraph

How to Make a Good Introduction Paragraph

How to Make a Good Introduction Paragraph

How to Write an Analytical Paragraph

How to Write an Analytical Paragraph

Fishes & Loaves Bible Activity for Children

Fishes & Loaves Bible Activity for Children

How to Teach Children to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

How to Teach Children to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly...

How to Improve Kids' English

How to Improve Kids' English

Do Outlines Need to Be in Complete Sentences?

Do Outlines Need to Be in Complete Sentences?

Descriptive Writing Activities for Kindergarten

Descriptive Writing Activities for Kindergarten

Food Lesson Plans for Children

Food Lesson Plans for Children

Teaching Similes & Metaphors in Middle School Special Education

Teaching Similes & Metaphors in Middle School Special...

How to Teach Opposites in Preschool

How to Teach Opposites in Preschool

How to Teach Essay Writing to Kids

How to Teach Essay Writing to Kids

How to Write an Introduction

How to Write an Introduction

Games for Jesus' Parables

Games for Jesus' Parables

Descriptive Writing Strategies

Descriptive Writing Strategies

How to Use Fun Activities to Help Kids Learn Participles

How to Use Fun Activities to Help Kids Learn Participles

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Policy
  • Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

  • PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
  • EDIT Edit this Article
  • EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
  • RANDOM QUIZ
  • Browse Articles
  • Learn Something New
  • Quizzes Hot
  • This Or That Game New
  • Train Your Brain
  • Explore More
  • Support wikiHow
  • About wikiHow
  • Log in / Sign up
  • Education and Communications
  • College University and Postgraduate
  • Academic Writing

How to Write an Informative Essay

Last Updated: February 14, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 242,512 times.

An informative essay educates the reader about a topic. You'll need to know a good deal about your subject and convey information in a clear, organized fashion. If it seems overwhelming at first, remember to take it step by step. Working methodically can help you write a successful paper, and you may even enjoy the process!

Selecting and Researching Your Topic

Step 1 Understand your assignment.

  • Be sure you know how your teacher wants you to cite your sources so you can keep track of what you research. Some schools provide reference software like EndNote or RefWorks, which can make collecting and keeping track of research sources easier.
  • Be aware of any formatting requirements. The essay prompt will often tell you things such as whether the essay needs to be handwritten or typed, and what font type and size to use. If it doesn't stipulate, the safe choice is a standard, readable 12-pt font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Avoid using "cute" or "quirky" fonts in an academic paper unless given specific permission to do so.
  • Know the due date! Get started early so that you have plenty of time to complete the essay.

Step 2 Choose a topic.

  • The topic should not be too broad or too narrow. See Write an Essay for more information. There should be enough information about the topic to write about, but not so much that you can't present clear, concise information. For example, writing on "the history of animal shelters" is probably much too broad, while "the history of Sunny Days Animal Shelter in X County" is probably too narrow. A happy medium might be "the history of breed-specific animal shelters in America."
  • The topic should be appropriate and interesting to your audience. Think in advance about who might be reading your essay. Obviously, if this is for school, your teacher is your primary audience, but you should always have a target audience in mind. What will they want to know? What do they probably not know already that your essay will provide?
  • Ideally, the topic should be one that interests you. This will make the writing process that much easier, and you can pass your enthusiasm on to your reader.

Step 3 Conduct good research.

  • For best results, try to find online sources from reputable organizations, government agencies, and universities. Google Scholar can be a good place to start.

Step 4 Take notes as you research.

  • For your informative essay, you will need an introduction, at least three main points, and a conclusion. You may want to make these sections and write notes down under the section where you expect it to go.

Step 5 Keep track of your sources.

  • Make an ideas map. Put your topic in a circle at the center of a piece of paper, then write down the most important pieces of information or ideas related to it in circles surrounding the topic. Make lines connecting each idea to the topic. Next, add details around each idea, circling them and making lines to show connections. There may be lines connecting ideas to each other, as well, or between supporting details.
  • Make a list. If you prefer the linear format of a list, write down your topic at the top and then below it any ideas you have. Under the ideas, add extra details that support them. Don't worry about putting them in specific order - that comes next.
  • Free write. Free writing can help you generate ideas, even if it usually doesn't provide polished prose you'll use in your final draft. Set a short time limit, such as 15 minutes, and then write whatever comes to mind about your topic. Don't stop to edit or change spelling, and keep writing even if you aren't sure you have anything to say. The important thing is to write for all 15 minutes.

Making an Outline

Step 1 Plan an introduction with a hook.

  • Don't worry about getting your thesis just right at this point - that comes later. If you don't feel ready to write the thesis out, jot down some notes in the introductory part of your outline. At the very least, you need some idea of what you want to say in your essay.
  • While it may seem odd to summarize your essay before you've begun, writing your thesis at the beginning of your outline will help you organize your ideas and select the most important details that you want to present.

Step 2 Use one major supporting detail per paragraph in the body of your essay.

  • The number of details you use depends on the paper length: if you're writing a five-paragraph essay, then you have three paragraphs for the body, so you'll need three main ideas.
  • Make sure you choose the most important details, and that they are all distinct from one another.
  • Details used to support your thesis are also called "evidence."

Step 3 Add in supporting details for each paragraph in the body.

  • Make sure you have enough supporting details for each paragraph. If you don't have enough to say about the paragraph's main topic, consider changing the topic or combining it with another paragraph. Alternatively, you can research a bit more to find additional supporting details for the paragraph.

Step 4 Restate your thesis in your conclusion.

Writing Your Essay

Step 1 Write a rough draft.

  • Do not worry about spelling errors or mistakes. Remember that this is just a rough draft, not your final copy. Just focus on writing it down, and later you can fix mistakes.
  • Write your rough draft by hand or type it - whichever is easier for you.

Step 2 Give each paragraph a topic sentence.

  • For example, a topic/transition sentence might look like this: "While some factories allow union labor, others, such as those in X, argue that unionizing harms the workplace." This sentence gives a clear direction for the paragraph (some factories argue against unionizing) and links it to the paragraph before it (which was probably about pro-union factories).
  • Remember: each paragraph needs unity (a single central idea), clear relation to the thesis , coherence (logical relationship of ideas within the paragraph), and development (ideas are clearly explained and supported). [11] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Step 3 Structure your essay in parts.

  • Make sure you're clear about what the idea of each paragraph is. To keep yourself on track, refer to your outline as you write.

Step 4 Edit your rough draft.

  • Have you told the reader everything you need to about your topic?
  • Do you have a clear thesis statement, expressed in two to three sentences?
  • Do all your paragraphs relate to the thesis?
  • Does each paragraph have one main idea, supported by accurate, objective details?
  • Does your conclusion summarize your thoughts on the topic without adding new information or opinions?
  • How does the paper flow? Are there clear, logical transitions between paragraphs?
  • Have you used clear, concise prose and avoided flowery language?
  • Did the reader learn something new from the essay? Is it presented in an interesting way?
  • Have you cited sources as instructed by your teacher?

Step 5 Write your final draft.

  • As you write your final draft, keep track of coherence in particular. Rough drafts often have all of their ideas jumbled up without a clear, logical progression. A key difference between a rough draft and a final draft is that the final draft should offer its information in a smooth, clear, easy-to-read fashion that builds on previous points as it goes along. Keeping an eye out to make sure you've followed the C-E-E- formula will help you.

Step 6 Finalize your language.

  • Also keep an eye out for word echoes, or words that show up many times within the space of a few sentences or paragraphs. If you use the word discusses multiple times in the same paragraph, it will make your writing seem clunky and unpolished.

Step 7 Proofread your final draft.

  • Sometimes our eyes "fix" mistakes for us as we read, so it's hard to catch mistakes reading silently. Reading aloud helps you find mistakes your eye might not.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

You Might Also Like

Write an Essay

  • ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/understanding-assignments/
  • ↑ https://library.carleton.ca/guides/help/choosing-essay-topic
  • ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_in_literature_detailed_discussion/conducting_research.html
  • ↑ https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/notes-from-research/
  • ↑ https://libguides.rio.edu/c.php?g=620382&p=4320145
  • ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming/
  • ↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/20-compelling-hook-examples-for-essays.html
  • ↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-informative-essays.html
  • ↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/paragraphs-and-topic-sentences.html
  • ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/paragraphs/
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

About This Article

Megan Morgan, PhD

To write an informative essay, start with an introduction that presents a thesis statement articulating your argument in 2-3 concise sentences. For the body of the essay, focus on one main idea per paragraph and start each paragraph with a topic sentence that establishes that main idea. Then, follow the topic sentence with cited evidence and explanatory detail. Finish up with a conclusion that summarizes your main points and restates your thesis. Don't forget to proofread carefully before turning in your essay! For helpful tips on researching and using good sources, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

  • Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Britney Montgomery

Britney Montgomery

Dec 8, 2016

Did this article help you?

Britney Montgomery

David Lewis

Nov 27, 2016

Heather Young

Heather Young

Oct 19, 2016

Colleen Borgese

Colleen Borgese

Feb 27, 2017

Anonymous

Feb 28, 2017

Am I a Narcissist or an Empath Quiz

Featured Articles

Make Your School More Period Friendly

Trending Articles

8 Reasons Why Life Sucks & 15 Ways to Deal With It

Watch Articles

Fold Boxer Briefs

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Info
  • Not Selling Info

Get all the best how-tos!

Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter

Informative Essay — Purpose, Structure, and Examples

Daniel Bal

What is informative writing?

Informative writing educates the reader about a certain topic. An informative essay may explain new information, describe a process, or clarify a concept. The provided information is objective, meaning the writing focuses on presentation of fact and should not contain personal opinion or bias.

Informative writing includes description, process, cause and effect, comparison, and problems and possible solutions:

Describes a person, place, thing, or event using descriptive language that appeals to readers’ senses

Explains the process to do something or how something was created

Discusses the relationship between two things, determining how one ( cause ) leads to the other ( effect ); the effect needs to be based on fact and not an assumption

Identifies the similarities and differences between two things; does not indicate that one is better than the other

Details a problem and presents various possible solutions ; the writer does not suggest one solution is more effective than the others

What is informative writing?

Purpose of informative writing

The purpose of an informative essay depends upon the writer’s motivation, but may be to share new information, describe a process, clarify a concept, explain why or how, or detail a topic’s intricacies.

Informative essays may introduce readers to new information .

Summarizing a scientific/technological study

Outlining the various aspects of a religion

Providing information on a historical period

Describe a process or give step-by-step details of a procedure.

How to write an informational essay

How to construct an argument

How to apply for a job

Clarify a concept and offer details about complex ideas.

Purpose of informative essays

Explain why or how something works the way that it does.

Describe how the stock market impacts the economy

Illustrate why there are high and low tides

Detail how the heart functions

Offer information on the smaller aspects or intricacies of a larger topic.

Identify the importance of the individual bones in the body

Outlining the Dust Bowl in the context of the Great Depression

Explaining how bees impact the environment

How to write an informative essay

Regardless of the type of information, the informative essay structure typically consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction

Background information

Explanation of evidence

Restated thesis

Review of main ideas

Closing statement

Informative essay structure

Informative essay introduction

When composing the introductory paragraph(s) of an informative paper, include a hook, introduce the topic, provide background information, and develop a good thesis statement.

If the hook or introduction creates interest in the first paragraph, it will draw the readers’ attention and make them more receptive to the essay writer's ideas. Some of the most common techniques to accomplish this include the following:

Emphasize the topic’s importance by explaining the current interest in the topic or by indicating that the subject is influential.

Use pertinent statistics to give the paper an air of authority.

A surprising statement can be shocking; sometimes it is disgusting; sometimes it is joyful; sometimes it is surprising because of who said it.

An interesting incident or anecdote can act as a teaser to lure the reader into the remainder of the essay. Be sure that the device is appropriate for the informative essay topic and focus on what is to follow.

Informative essay hooks

Directly introduce the topic of the essay.

Provide the reader with the background information necessary to understand the topic. Don’t repeat this information in the body of the essay; it should help the reader understand what follows.

Identify the overall purpose of the essay with the thesis (purpose statement). Writers can also include their support directly in the thesis, which outlines the structure of the essay for the reader.

Informative essay body paragraphs

Each body paragraph should contain a topic sentence, evidence, explanation of evidence, and a transition sentence.

Informative essay body paragraphs

A good topic sentence should identify what information the reader should expect in the paragraph and how it connects to the main purpose identified in the thesis.

Provide evidence that details the main point of the paragraph. This includes paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly quoting facts, statistics, and statements.

Explain how the evidence connects to the main purpose of the essay.

Place transitions at the end of each body paragraph, except the last. There is no need to transition from the last support to the conclusion. A transition should accomplish three goals:

Tell the reader where you were (current support)

Tell the reader where you are going (next support)

Relate the paper’s purpose

Informative essay conclusion

Incorporate a rephrased thesis, summary, and closing statement into the conclusion of an informative essay.

Rephrase the purpose of the essay. Do not just repeat the purpose statement from the thesis.

Summarize the main idea found in each body paragraph by rephrasing each topic sentence.

End with a clincher or closing statement that helps readers answer the question “so what?” What should the reader take away from the information provided in the essay? Why should they care about the topic?

Informative essay example

The following example illustrates a good informative essay format:

Informative essay format

Home

Reading & Math for K-5

Easter Worksheets

  • Kindergarten
  • Learning numbers
  • Comparing numbers
  • Place Value
  • Roman numerals
  • Subtraction
  • Multiplication
  • Order of operations
  • Drills & practice
  • Measurement
  • Factoring & prime factors
  • Proportions
  • Shape & geometry
  • Data & graphing
  • Word problems
  • Children's stories
  • Leveled Stories
  • Context clues
  • Cause & effect
  • Compare & contrast
  • Fact vs. fiction
  • Fact vs. opinion
  • Main idea & details
  • Story elements
  • Conclusions & inferences
  • Sounds & phonics
  • Words & vocabulary
  • Reading comprehension
  • Early writing
  • Numbers & counting
  • Simple math
  • Social skills
  • Other activities
  • Dolch sight words
  • Fry sight words
  • Multiple meaning words
  • Prefixes & suffixes
  • Vocabulary cards
  • Other parts of speech
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Narrative writing
  • Opinion writing
  • Informative writing
  • Cursive alphabet
  • Cursive letters
  • Cursive letter joins
  • Cursive words
  • Cursive sentences
  • Cursive passages
  • Grammar & Writing

Breadcrumbs

  • Informative

Grammar and Writing Workbook for Grade 2

Download & Print Only $6.49

Informative paragraph writing

Topics, facts & conclusion.

Students use a chart to organize their thoughts then  write an informative paragraph consisting of a topic sentence, 2 facts and a conclusion. 

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

With prompt:

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

These worksheets are available to members only.

Join K5 to save time, skip ads and access more content. Learn More

What is K5?

K5 Learning offers free worksheets , flashcards  and inexpensive  workbooks  for kids in kindergarten to grade 5. Become a member  to access additional content and skip ads.

Our members helped us give away millions of worksheets last year.

We provide free educational materials to parents and teachers in over 100 countries. If you can, please consider purchasing a membership ($24/year) to support our efforts.

Members skip ads and access exclusive features.

Learn about member benefits

This content is available to members only.

  • Forgot Password?

All Formats

Resource types, all resource types.

  • Rating Count
  • Price (Ascending)
  • Price (Descending)
  • Most Recent

Free 2nd grade informational text rubrics

Preview of Cursive Handwriting Practice Worksheets

Cursive Handwriting Practice Worksheets

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

4 SET NO PREP FINISH THE PICTURE (132 open ended drawing & writing prompts)

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Reading Comprehension Strategies MEGA Bundle + Differentiated Reading Passages!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Women's History Month, March Spring Nonfiction Reading Passage w/ Comprehension

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Easter 2nd Grade No Prep Printables | Math Worksheets

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

2nd Grade Easter Math Color by Number No Prep Printables

Preview of The ULTIMATE 2nd Grade Math Curriculum Bundle

The ULTIMATE 2nd Grade Math Curriculum Bundle

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Made Simple Series Poster Set Bundle for Grammar and Spelling Rules

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informative Writing Rubric - Explanatory Self Editing Template - 3rd-5th FREEBIE

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Debate Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  • Word Document File

Preview of Amazing Animal Research Project Rubric

Amazing Animal Research Project Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Google Slides Project Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Information Report Writing Checklists FREE!

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informative Writing Rubric for First Grade

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Lindamood Bell Visualizing & Verbalizing Scale

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Nonfiction Writing Workshop Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informational Writing Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  • Google Docs™

Preview of Public Speaking Marking Rubric

Public Speaking Marking Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Report Writing (Informational) Checklist/Self Assessment FREEBIE

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informative Writing Peer Feedback Checklist for SRSD

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

"How To" Books Rubric for First Grade

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informational Writing, Writing, ELA, Rubrics, Intermediate Grades

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Arab American Heritage Month

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

"All About" Books Rubric for First Grade

Preview of Media or Video Project Forms including Rubric & Storyboards

Media or Video Project Forms including Rubric & Storyboards

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Reading Rubrics

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Self-Assessment Writing Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Informative Writing Rubric Self-Assessment

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Autobiography Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Writing Rubric

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Holidays Around the World Project

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

Public Service Announcement Poster - How to Spot a Witch

how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  • We're hiring
  • Help & FAQ
  • Privacy policy
  • Student privacy
  • Terms of service
  • Tell us what you think

IMAGES

  1. 2nd Grade Informational Writing Samples and Teaching Ideas

    how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  2. Excellent examples of informational texts for primary students. All

    how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  3. How To Write An Informational Essay 2nd Grade

    how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  4. Informational Writing For 2nd Grade

    how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  5. An Easy Way to Introduce Informational Writing in 2nd Grade

    how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

  6. 30 Examples Of Informative Writing

    how to write an informational essay 2nd grade

VIDEO

  1. 2024 informational essay reteach

  2. Opinion Essay/IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Academic/ Essay Structure/ Essay Templates

  3. Structure of an Informational Essay Tutorial

  4. Video Teach Part 2

  5. 2nd Year English Important Essays _Multi Essay 2nd Year _How to write an Essay Outline for College

  6. Video Teach: Part 1

COMMENTS

  1. 2nd Grade Informational Writing Samples and Teaching Ideas

    If you would like to have the writing mini-lessons, anchor charts, rubrics and more, we have these informative writing units just for you! You can find these unit by clicking: Writers Workshop Writing Through the Year: Unit 4 for 2nd Grade Informational Writing. Writers Workshop Writing Through the Year: Unit 4 K-1 Grade Informational Writing.

  2. How to Teach Informative Writing

    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.

  3. Video: How second graders write informational essays

    And they need to come up with a conclusion. This video from Understood founding partner GreatSchools explains the essay-writing skills most second graders develop. In second grade, kids learn to write brief informational essays. Discover what essay-writing skills kids usually develop in second grade.

  4. An Easy Way to Introduce Informational Writing in 2nd Grade

    Mentor Texts for Informational Writing in 2nd Grade. Below is a list of just some of the MANY great texts available. Hopefully a few of these engaging reads helps jumpstart the informational writing unit in your classroom! 1. Gail Gibbons - Bats & Spiders. When it comes to nonfiction, Gail Gibbons is an amazing resource!

  5. How to Teach Informative Writing in 2nd Grade with Spectacular Results

    By second grade, students should be able to write a topic sentence, 3-4 fact sentences WITH details, and a closing sentence. This means student writing should be anywhere from 5-10 sentences at least. However, many students are ready to write in paragraphs by second grade and should be encouraged to do so by adding more detail sentences to each ...

  6. Informative Writing

    Link to the graphic organizers!: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Informative-Writing-Research-an-Animal-6650470

  7. Writing an Informative Essay

    A well-written informative essay should include an introduction (hook, bridge, thesis), a body (topic sentence, research, explanation), and a conclusion (reframed thesis and call to action). While ...

  8. 3 Tips to Teach Informative Writing to 2nd Grade

    Tip #3: Encourage Them to Refine and Rewrite. The core of good informational writing is clarity. Being able to communicate their knowledge and ideas effectively is a valuable life skill for each of your students. Of course, even with a solid strategy in place, it can be all too easy to overlook minor errors or confusing statements in one's ...

  9. Informative Writing

    With our Informative Writing - Grade 2 lesson plan, students learn strategies and processes for improving their informative writing. Our Informative Writing - Grade 2 lesson plan teaches students how to be better at writing informatively. During this lesson, students are asked to work with a partner to read a passage about dolphins and ...

  10. Informational Writing Unit SECOND GRADE

    Add to Wish List. $25.00 - Add to Cart. Grade Level: 2nd Grade. My second grade informational report writing unit includes 8 weeks of done-for-you writing lessons about how to write an engaging informational report essay, including research, note taking, and paraphrasing skills. This unit contains detailed lesson plans, mentor texts, anchor ...

  11. PDF Grade 2 Informative/Explanatory Writing Standard W.2

    Final Thoughts. (Gr 2 Informative: Approaching) Overall, this second grade essay shows an understanding of the topic, that trees are important, but a limited understanding of the task. The writer introduces the topic and states the focus, trees are important, by explaining what his class did to prepare for the piece.

  12. How to Teach Informational Writing

    Use 2-3 different mentor texts and read the conclusions in each. Then, ask students how the author provided a sense of closure. Give students a lot of practice when teaching informational writing conclusions. Give them real examples that they have to sort into strong or weak.

  13. Printable 2nd Grade Informational Writing Worksheets

    Compare and Contrast: Rural and Urban. Worksheet. Rooms in a House. Interactive Worksheet. Color the Freshwater Habitat. Worksheet. Write About Your Pet. Worksheet. The First All-Female Spacewalk.

  14. PDF YES! NO Did I write like a second grader?

    Organization My writing had different parts; each part told different information about the topic. Transitions I used words such as and or also to show I had more to say. Details I used different kinds of information from my reading in my writing such as facts, definitions, details, steps, and tips. Conclusion I wrote some sentences or a ...

  15. Writing a second grade essay

    Writing a second grade essay. In elementary school, children need to compose four kinds of passages: Long responses to questions (about five sentences or one paragraph), Essays (single paragraphs to five paragraphs). The other night I received a call from a father whose second-grade son needed to write an essay on his favorite animal.

  16. Informational Writing for Kids

    In this series, learn how to write your own informational book! In this video, you will learn about the features of informational writing.TEACHERS! For accom...

  17. Writing paragraphs worksheets for grade 2

    These writing worksheets focus on writing short, structured texts. Students are given prompts to write expository (informative), opinion and narrative paragraphs. The focus is on the structure of the paragraphs (e.g. topic sentence followed by facts and examples). Informative paragraphs: topic sentence, 2 facts and a conclusion.

  18. Teaching Informational Writing in 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade

    I also go through a pre-written example of informational writing to show how to put facts and information into a piece of writing. We identify and discuss each part of the piece of writing. For first graders that means topic, facts (2-3), and closing. For second and third graders, that means a hook and opening, 1-3 points with facts supporting ...

  19. How to Teach Expository Writing for the Second Grade

    In teaching expository writing to second-graders, your task is to encourage the children to put lots of words on paper and then to push them around a bit. ... Explain expository writing to your second-grade class. Expository writing is writing that informs the reader. It is not anecdotal or a story, but rather a sharing of information ...

  20. How to Write an Informative Essay (with Pictures)

    To write an informative essay, start with an introduction that presents a thesis statement articulating your argument in 2-3 concise sentences. For the body of the essay, focus on one main idea per paragraph and start each paragraph with a topic sentence that establishes that main idea. Then, follow the topic sentence with cited evidence and ...

  21. Informative Essay

    Purpose of informative writing. The purpose of an informative essay depends upon the writer's motivation, but may be to share new information, describe a process, clarify a concept, explain why or how, or detail a topic's intricacies. Informative essays may introduce readers to new information. Summarizing a scientific/technological study.

  22. Informative paragraph writing worksheets

    Topics, facts & conclusion. Students use a chart to organize their thoughts then write an informative paragraph consisting of a topic sentence, 2 facts and a conclusion. With prompt: Worksheet #1 Worksheet #2 Worksheet #3. Worksheet #4 Worksheet #5.

  23. Expository Writing Teaching Resources for 2nd Grade

    A 17 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching your students about the structure and language features of procedural texts. PowerPoint PDF. Grade s 1 - 2. Free Plan. "Facts About..." Template. Get a sense of separating fact from opinion in texts with this graphic organizer. PDF. Grade s K - 3.

  24. Free 2nd grade informational text rubrics

    This is a nonfiction writing workshop rubric for second grade based on the CCCS. It contains the criteria that the students need to include into their writing pieces and to refer to while writing. It uses the Marzzano method of self evaluation for the student and bases the evaluation level on 1-3 score. Students understand the criteria and are ...