How to Teach Informational Writing

Informational writing is the kind of writing most adults actually do. Emails, instructions, explanations, reports, how-to guides — these are all informational texts. When your child learns to explain a topic clearly in writing, they are building one of the most practical skills in their entire education.

But informational writing is also the type most children find boring, because it is usually taught as "write a report about penguins." The key to teaching it well is connecting it to topics your child genuinely knows and cares about, and building the organizational skills that make complex information accessible to a reader.

What makes informational writing different

Informational writing explains or teaches. Unlike narrative writing, it does not tell a story. Unlike opinion writing, it does not argue a point. Its job is to help the reader understand something they did not understand before.

Good informational writing has:

• A clear topic and focus (not "animals" but "how dolphins communicate")
• Organized sections or paragraphs, each covering one aspect of the topic
• Facts, details, and examples that support the main ideas
• Domain-specific vocabulary used accurately
• A logical structure the reader can follow

The progression

2nd through 3rd grade: "All About" books — a collection of related facts organized into simple sections. "All About Butterflies: What They Look Like, What They Eat, How They Grow."

4th through 5th grade: Structured informational paragraphs and short reports with topic sentences, supporting details, transitions, and a concluding section.

6th through 7th grade: Multi-source reports, explanatory essays, and how-to texts that synthesize information and use text features (headings, diagrams, glossaries) purposefully.

Stage 1: The expert piece (2nd through 3rd grade)

Start with what your child already knows — no research required.

How to do it:

1. Ask your child: "What are you an expert on? What do you know a lot about?" This might be dinosaurs, a favorite video game, a pet, a sport, cooking, Legos — anything.
2. Help them brainstorm three or four subtopics. If the topic is "my dog," the subtopics might be: what she looks like, what she eats, her favorite things to do, and how to take care of her.
3. Write one paragraph per subtopic.
4. Add an introduction ("Let me tell you about my dog Lucy") and a conclusion ("Now you know everything about Lucy").

The expert piece teaches informational structure without the added burden of research. Your child focuses entirely on organization and detail because the content is already in their head.

Key Insight: The biggest mistake in teaching informational writing is starting with a research report. Research adds an entire layer of complexity — finding sources, taking notes, avoiding plagiarism, synthesizing information — on top of the already-challenging task of writing organized paragraphs. Teach the structure with familiar content first, then add research later.

Stage 2: Text features and structure (4th through 5th grade)

Once your child can write a basic multi-paragraph informational piece, introduce the features that make informational text professional and readable.

Headings and subheadings: Teach that headings are like road signs — they tell the reader what is coming next. Have your child add headings to a piece they have already written, then look at how real nonfiction books and articles use headings.

Topic sentences that do work: At this stage, topic sentences should not just announce a topic ("This paragraph is about what dolphins eat"). They should make a point: "Dolphins are surprisingly varied eaters, consuming everything from small fish to squid depending on their species and environment."

Transitions between sections: Teach connecting phrases that signal relationships:

• Adding information: "In addition," "Furthermore," "Another important aspect is"
• Showing contrast: "However," "On the other hand," "Unlike"
• Showing cause: "Because of this," "As a result," "This leads to"

Specific, precise language: Push your child to replace vague words with specific ones:

• Vague: "Dolphins eat a lot of different things."
• Specific: "Bottlenose dolphins eat approximately 15 to 30 pounds of fish, squid, and shrimp daily."

Practice this as an editing exercise: underline every vague word in a draft and replace it with something precise.

Stage 3: Research-based writing (5th through 7th grade)

Now your child writes about topics they need to learn about, not just topics they already know.

Teaching the research process:

1. Choose a focused question. Not "sharks" but "how do great white sharks hunt?" A question is better than a topic because it gives the writing a purpose.

2. Find two or three sources. For elementary and middle school, this might be a book, a reputable website, and an encyclopedia or reference article. Teach your child to check: "Is this source trustworthy? Who wrote it? Is it trying to sell me something?"

3. Take notes in their own words. This is the most important research skill and the hardest to teach. The rule is simple: read a section, close the source, write down what you remember in your own words. If your child cannot do this, they did not understand the source well enough.

4. Organize notes into an outline. Group related notes together. Each group becomes a section of the writing.

5. Write from the outline, not from the sources. If your child writes while staring at the source material, they will copy. If they write from their own notes and outline, they will produce original text.

Key Insight: Plagiarism at this age is almost never intentional dishonesty. It happens because children do not know how to transform source material into their own words. The "read, close, write from memory" method prevents it structurally, without lectures about academic integrity.

Common struggles and solutions

The information dump: The child lists every fact they know without organizing them. Solution: before writing, sort facts into groups. Each group gets a heading. Each heading becomes a paragraph. Facts that do not fit any group get cut.

The encyclopedia voice: The writing is accurate but lifeless — it reads like it was copied from a reference book (even when it was not). Solution: encourage your child to write as if explaining the topic to a friend. "Imagine your friend asks, 'how do dolphins talk to each other?' Write your answer the way you would explain it, then polish it."

Cannot find enough information: This usually means the topic is too narrow or too obscure. Help your child broaden the topic slightly, or find a topic where age-appropriate sources are readily available.

Cannot organize information: The child has notes everywhere but does not know how to group them. Use physical sorting: write each fact on a sticky note or index card, then physically move them into groups on a table. This makes the abstract task of organization concrete and visual.

Trouble with introductions: Many children either skip the introduction or write something generic ("In this report I will tell you about dolphins"). Teach two approaches:

• The surprising fact opener: "Dolphins sleep with one eye open — literally. One half of their brain stays awake while the other sleeps."
• The question opener: "How do animals that live underwater manage to breathe air?"

Practice ideas

• How-to writing: Have your child write instructions for something they know how to do — a recipe, how to play a game, how to care for a pet. This is informational writing with a built-in structure (steps in order).
• Compare and contrast: "Write about two things that are similar but different" — two animals, two sports, two books. This builds the organizational skill of structuring paragraphs around similarities and differences.
• Teach your parent: Your child researches a topic and writes an informational piece, then reads it to you. You ask questions. If the piece answered your questions, it worked. If not, the child revises.
• Create a mini-textbook: Over several weeks, your child writes an informational book on a topic they are studying — one chapter per subtopic. This builds sustained informational writing stamina.

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Informational writing is the workhorse of real-world communication. A child who can take a complex topic, organize it clearly, support key points with specific details, and write in a way that a reader can follow has a skill that serves them in every subject and every career. Start with expert pieces about familiar topics, build in text features and structure, and add research when the fundamentals are solid.

If you want a platform that builds writing alongside reading and content knowledge, Lumastery develops all three in tandem.

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Related reading

• How to Teach Paragraph Writing Step by Step
• How to Teach Nonfiction Reading
• How to Teach Text Features