INFORMATIONAL
or EXPOSITORY
WRITING
*What is it?
*What are some examples?
*What is the purpose?
*What should you include?
*What is the process?
©Karen Almond
Informational Writing
What is it?


Writing that
presents factual
information about
a subject.
Writing that
provides
information to
the reader
(your audience)!
Examples of Informational
Writing






Reports
How to articles (instructions)
Non-fiction picture books
Newspaper articles
Recipes
Biographies
Purpose of Informational
Writing

The purpose is to inform,
clarify, explain, define, or
instruct by giving information,
explaining why or how,
clarifying a process, or
defining a concept.
In your writing you must…











Capture the readers interest- You are writing for
an audience (the reader).
Focus on the subject of your paper
Write appropriate length
Include facts and details
Organize your facts by topic (chronological order,
similarities/differences, questions and answers,
cause and effect)
Use graphics (charts, tables, graphs, diagrams)
Use resources for research
Close/conclude your writing
Pre-write (rough draft)
Revise and edit
Publish
Getting Started





Choose a subject to research
that you find interesting.
Locate books or resources about
your subject.
Write down facts about the
subject.
Organize the facts so that you
can form paragraphs.
After that you are ready to write
your rough draft.
Choosing a Subject

There are unlimited
subjects from which
to choose. Think
about something
you are interested
in, would like to
learn about, or that
you already know
about.
Examples:
~Choose an animal (bats,
tigers, dogs, horses…)
~Choose a place (New
York, Niagara Falls, the
desert, the Arctic, the
moon…)
~Choose a person
(George Washington, the
President, Michael
Jordan…)
~Choose a “how to”
subject (how to take care
of a pet, how to fish, how
to clean your room…)
Choosing Books or
Resources for Research





Choose books/resources that are on your
reading level. Read a few pages to make
sure.
Be sure that the information is about your
subject, not just related to the subject.
Ask an adult if you are not sure about a
resource.
Choose the amount of resources specified.
Too many resources can be confusing.
Be sure that the resources you choose are
nonfiction books and other factual
information sources.
Research





Read through your resources carefully.
As you read begin to think about the information
you want to include in your paper and how you can
organize the information.
Label your graphic organizer to be able to organize
your notes with like information together under
specific topics to make it easier to write your paper.
Now reread. Take notes on your graphic organizer.
Remember: When taking notes you do not need
complete sentences!
IMPORTANT! You may not copy information
exactly as written straight from a resource and
then write it in your paper. This is not allowed.
Your writing must be in your own words.
Sample Graphic Organizer
Subject: Tigers
Physical traits
Habitat
Largest cat
Up to 700 pounds
6 feet long
Orange + Black stripes
Some live in cold north
and some in topical areas
Always live near water
Habits
Life Cycle
Hunt at night
Good swimmer
Lay in water to cool off
Female has 1 to 6 cubs
Cubs stay with mother for
2 years
May live 25 years
Interesting Facts
Fun Facts
Endangered
Live alone except for
cubs with mother
No two tigers’ stripes are
alike
Roar heard for 2 miles
Food
Deer
Antelope
Buffalo
Turtles, frogs
Enemies
Humans – kill them
and destroy habitats
Ready to write? NOT YET!
After you finish collecting and
organizing your facts ask your teacher
to check to see if you have enough
information to begin writing your
paper! It is important to have enough
information before you start to write.
Ready to Write: Introduction

Grab your readers attention:
*Begin by asking a question or riddle.
“What is orange and black, weighs up to 700 pounds and
can be heard from two miles away?”
*Begin with an amazing or surprising fact.
“Your fingerprints and a tiger’s stripes have something in
common. They are unique. There are no two alike!”
*Begin with a funny or interesting comment.
“The biggest cat in the world is not Grumpy Cat! The
world’s biggest cats are tigers!”
Introduction - Continued

In the introduction tell the reader
what you are going to be writing
about. Give a short “preview” of the
rest of your paper.

You will need 3 to 5 sentences.

Make sure you only “introduce” your
subject. Do not begin giving details
yet!
NEXT: Body Paragraphs





Choose the first set of facts and details from your
graphic organizer and form a paragraph about those
facts.
You need 3 to 5 sentences in each paragraph.
Write as many paragraphs as you need to cover your
subject and present the facts. Use charts, diagrams,
graphs, etc., if needed.
Choose a format that fits your topic. For example:
use a question/answer format, headings or
subheadings followed by facts, chronological order…
Be sure the facts in each paragraph fit together and
are not just random facts. (A paragraph about tiger
habitats would not include the size and weight of the
tiger.)
Closing Paragraph/Conclusion





Your introduction is a preview of the
paper. The conclusion is a review of all
you have written.
Summarize the facts you covered in the
paper.
There will be nothing new in this
paragraph.
Close your paper so that the reader can
tell that you are ending the paper not just
stopping.
You will need 3 to 5 sentences in this
paragraph.
Now what?
Go back and review your paper.
 Revise and edit.
 Check spelling and punctuation
 Let a friend read your paper and give comments.
 Make changes to make your paper the best it can
be.
 Add a diagram, drawing, chart,
graph, etc. if you have not used
one in your paper.
 Add a bibliography to tell where you
found the information used in your
paper.

Are you finished?

Now you will have a
conference with your
teacher about this
paper.

When you are happy
with your paper you will
write your final draft.

Share your paper with
someone! Good job!
Informational Sample Paper
Tigers
What is orange and black, can weigh up to 700 pounds, and can be
heard from two miles away? You will be amazed to learn that it is a tiger!
There are many interesting facts about their habits, physical traits, and their
habitats. Tigers are not just pretty cats. They are amazing animals.
What are the physical traits of tigers? Tigers are the largest cats
on earth. They can grow up to six feet long and weigh up to 700 pounds.
Most of the time they have orange and black stripes. An amazing fact about
their stripes is that no two tigers have the same pattern. Each one is unique
just like fingerprints.
What are tigers’ habitats like? Tigers live in a variety of habitats.
There are also different types of tigers that live in the various habitats.
Some tigers live in cold areas in the north while some live in warm tropical
areas. The thing they have in common is that tigers always live near water.
Tigers enjoy water and they are able to find food near water.
What do tigers eat? Tigers will eat most any kind of meat. Some
tigers eat deer, antelope or buffalo. There are other tigers that eat turtles
and frogs. It depends on where the tiger lives.
Tigers: Continued
What are tigers’ habits? Tigers enjoy water because they are very
good swimmers. Sometimes they like to lie down in water to cool off if they
live in warm areas. At night tigers usually hunt for their food. They usually
sleep during the day.
What is the life cycle for tigers? Female tigers can have from one
to six cubs. The cubs will stay with the mother tiger for 2 years while they
are growing into adults. Except for this time tigers live alone. Tigers can
live up to 25 years.
Are tigers endangered? Sadly, tigers are an endangered species.
Some types of tigers are already extinct. Their main enemy is humans.
Humans kill them for their fur and also destroy their habitats.
In conclusion, tigers are very fascinating and beautiful animals.
Their habits, physical traits, and way of living make them very interesting
animals to study and learn about. Since they are endangered, it is
important to learn more about them and ways to help the tiger population.
It would be unfortunate for them to become extinct because they are truly
amazing creatures!
Bibliography:
National Geographic Kids: Creature Features.
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com
Tigers
Use this graphic organizer to set up topics according to the subject being
researched and then take notes on each topic.
Subject:__________________________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________