Preparing Students for Informational/Explanatory Writing
Grades PreK - 1
Purpose of Informational and Explanatory Writing
Informational writing is writing that informs the reader. In this genre of writing, factual information is
to be conveyed accurately, in order to increase a reader’s knowledge on a topic. Informational essays
explore a subject in depth, relying on the writer’s knowledge, as well as other primary and secondary
sources. Articles, summaries, reports, and descriptions are examples of informational writing. Writing an
informational text requires a writer to fully introduce the topic, to select relevant examples, details and
facts, to provide explanation of those details and to anticipate and answer a reader’s potential questions
about why and how. Writers should also be considerate of the purpose and audience for the essay.
Illustrations, photos, tables and
Explanatory writing is writing that explains. This genre of writing focuses on how to do or make
something. “How-to” essays break a process down into logical steps and provide explanation of those
steps in a specific order. Instructions and recipes are examples of explanatory writing. In order to write
an explanatory essay, the writer must understand sequencing and logic, provide important details in
order, explain terms, and identify necessary materials. He or she must also be aware of the writing
purpose and audience. Charts, diagrams and images could be included to help clarify the described
procedures.
Both of these types of writing fall into the expository and nonfiction genre, in that they are texts that
rely on information to explain a process or inform a reader about a concept. All informational texts have
a specific text structure, which includes a beginning or introduction that identifies the topic for the essay,
sets the purpose for writing and gets the readers’ attention. The ending or conclusions of the piece may
summarize the information, restate the main points or raise new questions. The middle section of an
essay requires specific organization structures that may differ from narrative writing. The five basic
organizational structures are:





Sequence – sequence information using time, numerical order or spatial order
Description – describe a subject’s characteristics, attributes or events
Cause and Effect – show causal relationships between events
Comparison and Contrast – explain how two or more concepts are same and different
Problem and Solution – state a problem and propose a solution
Transition (linking, signal) words are especially important in informational or explanatory writing. These
words serve as indicators to the reader about the structure and organization of the ideas in the essay.





Time order. Words used in writing narratives, and instructions to signal chronological sequence, such as before,
after, first, next, then, when, finally, while, as, during, earlier, later, and meanwhile.
Numerical order. Words used in expository writing to signal order of importance, such as first, second, also, finally, in
addition, equally important, and more or less importantly.
Spatial order. Words used in descriptive writing to signal spatial relationships, such as above, below, beside, nearby,
beyond, inside, and outside.
Cause/effect order. Words used in expository writing to signal causal relationships, such as because, since, for, so, as
a result, consequently, thus, and hence.
Comparison/contrast order. Words used in expository writing to signal similarities and differences, such as (for
similarities) also, additionally, just as, as if, as though, like, and similarly; and (for differences) but, yet, only, although,
whereas, in contrast, conversely, however, on the other hand, rather, instead, in spite of, and nevertheless.
J. Welsch 2015

General/specific order. Words used in descriptive reports and arguments to signal more specific elaboration on an
idea, such as for example, such as, like, namely, for instance, that is, in fact, in other words, and indeed.
Strategies for Analyzing and Writing Informational Text
As the structure of a text is critical in non-fiction genre, writers can use specific graphic organizers in
order to organize ideas. Typical graphic organizers for each structure are listed below:

Sequence – timeline, flowchart, procedure, list

Description – web, concept map, outline

Cause and Effect – If- then chart

Compare and Contrast - venn diagram, T – chart , matrix

Problem and Solution - problem-solution chart
Texts and Informational/Explanatory Writing
There are a wide variety of texts that could be used for informational and explanatory writing instruction.
From children’s literature, there are many high-quality books that can serve as examples or mentor texts
for the different structures of informational writing. Both fiction and non-fiction books can serve as
examples of the typical text structures. Newspapers, magazines and Internet materials could also be used
as models for informational and explanatory writing. Using these mentor texts, students could be asked
to write similar types of pieces, based on the model (writing to text) or to answer questions about the
text (writing about text). Informational and explanatory texts can also be used to support writing. Text
sources provide the information that writers use to inform and explain a concept or process to readers,
when students must summarize text. Students must write using sources when expository writing
prompts may require students to read/view and synthesize information from multiple sources, including
both text and video.
Informational and Explanatory Mentor Texts
Sequence/How To
From Wax to Crayon by Robin Nelson
The Milk Makers by Gail Gibbons
Sugaring Time by Kathryn Lasky
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
How to Swallow a Pig by Steve Jenkins
How A Book is Made by Aliki
J. Welsch 2015
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie DePaola
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Elhert
Description
The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons
What is the Moon Like? by Franklyn Branley
The Skeleton Inside You by Philip Balestrino
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley
A Quiet Place by Douglass Wood
Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant
Cause and Effect
A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry
Flash Crash Rumble and Roll by Franklyn Branley
Mother to Tigers by George Ella Lyon
The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter
What Happens to A Hamburger? by Paul Showers
The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend
Compare and Contrast
What’s the Difference Between an Alligator and a Crocodile? By Lisa Baird
Fire! Fire! by Gail Gibbons
Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest by Steve Jenkins
Are You a Snail? By Judy Allen
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack
Problem and Solution
Fossil by Bill Thompson
Where Does Garbage Go? by Paul Showers
Germs Make Me Sick by Melvin Berger
Boy, Were We Wrong about Dinosaurs by Kathleen Kudlinski
If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad by Ellen Lavine
A Whale is Not a Fish by Melvin Berger
Bedhead by Maggie Palatini
Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey
Online Sources for Expository Text
Time for Kids http://www.timeforkids.com/
Scholastic News http://magazines.scholastic.com/
Tween Tribune by Smithsonian http://tweentribune.com/
NEWSELA https://newsela.com/
ReadWorks Passages http://www.readworks.org/books/passages
Reading A-Z Informational Texts https://www.readinga-z.com/commoncore/informational-text/
DogoNews http://www.dogonews.com/
Wonderopolis http://wonderopolis.org/
J. Welsch 2015