how to write informational text 4th grade

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Informative Writing Practice for Grade 4

Clear purpose

Clearly define the purpose of your writing. Know what information you want to convey and what you want your audience to learn or understand.

Audience awareness

Understand your target audience. Consider their background, interests, and level of familiarity with the topic. Tailor your writing to meet their needs and expectations.

Clearly state the main idea early in your writing. This provides readers with a roadmap for what to expect and helps maintain focus.

Logical organization

Organize your information in a logical and coherent manner. Use a structure that makes sense for the content, such as chronological order, cause and effect, or problem-solution.

Introduction

Grab the reader's attention with a compelling introduction. Introduce the main topic and provide context for the information you're about to present.

Body paragraphs

Each paragraph should focus on a specific subtopic or idea. Start with a topic sentence, provide supporting details, and use transitions to guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next.

Evidence and examples

Support your points with relevant and credible evidence. This could include statistics, studies, examples, anecdotes, or quotes from experts.

Clarity and simplicity

Use clear and concise language. Avoid unnecessary jargon or complex sentences that might confuse your readers. Aim for simplicity without sacrificing accuracy.

Variety in sentence structure

Vary your sentence structure to maintain reader interest. Mix short and long sentences, use different sentence beginnings, and employ transitions for smooth flow.

Summarize the main points and restate the importance of the information presented. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion.

Revision and proofreading

Review and revise your writing for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and ensure that your writing is polished.

Grade 4 informative writing worksheets

We’ve created an entirely new section of informative writing worksheets for grade 4 students.

Practice writing introductions

In this first set of worksheets, students practice writing introductory paragraphs on given topics.

Work on supporting details

In these worksheets, students are given a main idea and asked to write supporting details to support that main idea.

Writing informative paragraphs

Using a graphic organizer, students plan out an informative piece .

Writing informative essays

These worksheets outline the structure for writing informative essays on various topics.

Compare and contrast worksheets

Students write essays by comparing and contrasting two things in these worksheets.

Research writing

Next, students learn to write notes and record sources for their research.

Biography writing

Students research and write about a famous person with an emphasis on note taking and the recording of sources.

Prompts for informative writing

The last page of worksheets contain writing prompts on a wide range of topics for students to practice writing informative essays.

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Thrifty in Third Grade

By Cassie Smith - Engaging Elementary Resources

How to Teach Informational Writing: Lessons & Activities (25 Topic Ideas)

Are you wondering how to teach informational writing to your second, third, fourth, or fifth-grade students?

Informational writing is an essential skill for elementary students. It teaches them how to communicate facts and ideas.

In this blog post, we will explore lessons, activities, and ideas to help you teach informational writing in an engaging and effective way.

Choose Engaging Informational Writing Topics

To capture students’ interest, select high-interest and relevant topics for them to write about.

Consider their personal experiences, hobbies, or subjects they are curious about. This will make the writing process more enjoyable, motivate students to research, and will cause them to be eager to share what they learn.

Here are some informational writing topics that elementary students could research and write about:

• Ancient Egypt
• Space exploration
• Endangered species
• Human body systems
• Native American tribes
• Recycling and its importance
• Rainforests
• The solar system
• Famous landmarks around the world
• Ocean life and ecosystems
• The water cycle
• Revolutionary War
• Inventors and their inventions
• Different types of rocks and minerals
• Historical events (such as World War II or the Civil Rights Movement)
• The Great Barrier Reef
• How plants grow from seeds
• The human digestive system
• Natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes)
• The life cycle of a butterfly
• The history of video games
• The importance of exercise and healthy eating
• The process of photosynthesis

If you want your whole class to research and write about the same topic, you can use my informational writing units.

Each unit has a science-based topic and includes two research texts (one two-page article and one mini book) that you can print so all students have the same materials!

Butterflies

Solar System

Use informational writing anchor charts.

Anchor charts serve as visual references throughout the writing process.

Use anchor charts or posters that can assist students and that they can later refer back to as they write.

Create your own anchor charts that outline the key elements of informational writing, such as introductions, text features, writing in their own words, and strategies for gathering information.

Teach Using Informational Writing Examples

Whenever you are teaching your students a specific type of writing, it’s crucial that you have mentor texts, or writing examples, for them to look at.

These exemplar pieces allow students to visualize what a finished writing piece should look like.

For informational writing, you can give your students a variety of nonfiction texts to explore.

Some examples are:

• Nonfiction books
• Previous student’s exemplar writing piece (save some each year!)
• Mentor Texts

12 Informational Writing Lesson Plans

• What’s an Informational Report?
• Choosing a Topic and Finding Sources
• Finding Facts (Researching)
• In My Own Words
• Informational Report Outline
• Write an Introduction
• Writing as Paragraphs
• Writing an Ending
• Editing to Add Text Features
• Editing with a Partner
• Revising & Revisiting the Rubric

You can get these 12 lesson plans in my informational writing units.

These lessons are designed to walk your students through the process of writing an informational report step-by-step.

Classroom Activities and Games for Teaching Informational Writing

• Informational or Not Informational Sort: Present students with specific topic and have them determine whether each topic is an informational report topic or not. Example: How to Save the Panda, Goldilocks and the Three Bears
• Just Right Topic Sort: Present students with a variety of topics and have them determine if the topics are just right or too narrow in focus. (Example: Life cycle of a frog vs. tadpoles to frogs.)
• Informational Writing Stations: Set up different stations where students can explore different topics, conduct research, gather facts, and create their own informative pieces. This hands-on approach keeps students engaged and encourages independent learning.
• Create an Informational Brochure: Have students design and create informative brochures on various subjects. This activity allows them to practice rewriting information into in their own words and adding text features.
• Virtual Field Trips: Take students on virtual field trips to explore different places and gather information. After the trip, students can write informational reports about their virtual experiences.
• Infographic Creation: Have students create visually engaging infographics that present key information in a concise and attractive manner. This activity combines writing, design, and critical thinking skills. Example: Students can research their home state and make a set of visually appealing flashcards that have information teaching others about their state.
• Informational Writing Gallery Walk: Display students’ informational writing pieces around the classroom. Arrange a gallery walk where students can read and provide feedback on their peers’ work. Invite other classes to visit.

Ready to Teach? Get Everything Your Need to Teach Informational Writing In These Units!

Teaching Personal Narrative Writing?

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EL Education Curriculum

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• ELA G4:M2:U2:L9

Writing Informative Texts: Developing Proof Paragraphs

In this lesson, daily learning targets, ongoing assessment.

• Technology and Multimedia

Supporting English Language Learners

Universal design for learning, closing & assessments, you are here:.

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• ELA G4:M2:U2

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

• RI.4.9: Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
• W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• W.4.2b: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
• W.4.2e: Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
• W.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• W.4.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
• W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• W.4.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• W.4.9b: Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text").
• L.4.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• L.4.1c: Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must ) to convey various conditions.
• I can write proof paragraphs for my informative piece that describe the defense mechanisms of my expert group animal. ( RI.4.9 , W.4.2 , W.4.4 , W.4.5 , W.4.9b )
• I can write a concluding statement for my informative piece that summarizes the defense mechanisms of my expert group animal. ( RI.4.9 , W.4.2 , W.4.4 , W.4.5 , W.4.9b )
• I can use modal auxiliaries to express the condition of verbs. ( L.4.1c )
• Draft of proof paragraphs ( RI.4.9 , W.4.2 , W.4.4 , W.4.5 , W.4.7 , W.4.9b )
• Post: Informational Texts anchor chart; learning targets.

Tech and Multimedia

• See the Module Overview document for suggestions of technology and multimedia that could be incorporated to enhance student learning in this lesson.
• Work Time D: Students complete their drafts in a word processing document, for example a Google Doc using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software like Dictation.io .

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.A.1, 4.I.A.3, 4.I.B.5, 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.8, 4.I.C.10, 4.I.C.11, 4.I.C.12, 4.II.A.1, 4.II.B.3  

Important points in the lesson itself

• The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with explicit instruction around the language of proof paragraphs.
• ELLs may find the proof paragraphs challenging, as writing proof paragraphs using U.S. conventions may be unfamiliar. Call special attention to the name and purpose of each piece of the introduction. See Levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column for suggestions.
• Mini Language Dives. Highlight and discuss language structures that are critical to understanding the characteristic of focus in this lesson. Example: "I have a conclusion / that is clearly related to the focus and the information presented."

Levels of support

For lighter support:

• Invite students to highlight and label the "information that develops the focus statement" and underline and label the "concluding statement." Ask students to find samples of information that develops a focus statement and write down the best concluding statement they find. They can discuss these samples in home language groups or heterogeneous English-speaking groups.

For heavier support:

• Remind students about the steps in the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, publish.  
• For Work Time C, provide students with a cloze proof paragraph about their animal. Write the paragraph for them, but leave out key words and phrases for small groups to fill in together. Make the task simpler by writing a list of the key words next to the cloze paragraph so that students can select from the list.
• Help students take the lead in pair work by giving them turn-taking sentence frames. Examples:

"I can share what I think ..."

"That's a great idea. I also think that ..."

(Nod head.) "Uh-huh. And the paragraph should also ..."

• With the small group, create an outline of what the entire informative piece should look like using a color-coded example: Focus statement and concluding statement are both green, introduction is red, proof paragraph 1 is blue, proof paragraph 2 is yellow. Draw an arrow from both proof paragraphs to the focus statement. This will help students see that the focus and concluding statements should be similar and directly tied to the information about animal defenses--blue and yellow make green. The extra information in the introduction is important, but it's not necessarily linked directly to the focus question.
• Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): This lesson offers a variety of visual anchors to cue students' thinking. For those who may need additional support, consider creating additional or individual anchor charts for reference. Additionally, chart student responses during whole class discussions to aid with comprehension. Some students may require additional scaffolding in visual representation, such as the use of graphic organizers, charts, highlights, or different colors. This will prompt them to visually categorize information into more manageable chunks and reinforce relationships among multiple pieces of information.
• Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): Support developing writers in this lesson by discussing the idea of a concluding statement being "clearly related" to a focus statement. Brainstorm many different concluding statements and have students choose one that is related to, but not exactly the same as, their focus statement to add to their informative piece.
• Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to encourage self-regulatory skills by helping students anticipate and manage frustration by modeling what to do if they need help from their partners.  For example, "I can remember when I'm sharing that if I forget my idea or need help, I can ask my partner to help me. My partner could help me by giving me prompts that will help me share my thinking." Consider offering sentence frames to strategically selected peer models. Recall that offering these supports for engagement promotes a safe learning space for all students.

Key:  (L): Lesson-Specific Vocabulary;  (T): Text-Specific Vocabulary;  (W): Vocabulary used in writing

• proof paragraphs, concluding statement, scientifically accurate, restating (L)
• Model informational essay (from Lesson 7; one per student and one to display)
• Painted Essay(r)  template (from Module 1; one per student and one to display)
• Millipede Informational Writing Planning graphic organizer (from Lesson 7; one to display)
• Equity sticks
• Informational Texts anchor chart (begun in Lesson 7; added to with students in Work Times A and C)
• Informational Texts anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
• Informative Writing Checklist (from Lesson 7; one per student and one to display)
• Lined paper (several pieces per student)
• Informational Writing Planning graphic organizer (from Lesson 7; one per student and one to display)
• Informative piece drafts (from Lesson 8; one per student)
• Expert Group Animal research notebook (distributed in Lesson 1; one per student)
• Sketch page (page 20)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New materials.

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

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Free Vocabulary Activities!

Summarizing informational text.

Summarizing informational text has several uses for students. It teaches them to determine the most important ideas in a text, ignore unimportant information, and connect the main idea and key details of a text in a logical way. Summarizing also helps improve memory and comprehension of a text because students are required to focus on only the most important points.

What is a summary?

A text summary is a brief account or shortened version of the important parts of a text. In an informational text, the summary should only include the text’s main idea and key details in a student’s own words. Therefore, a summary will not include a student’s personal opinions or unimportant information.

The strategy below will help you simply and easily teach summarizing informational text.

How to Write Your Summary Paragraph:

T – Text Type:  In this text, (article, newspaper, passage, etc.)

A – Author:  the author (or use the author’s name)

A – Action:  explains (or describes, argues, tells, teaches, etc.)

M – Main Idea : write the main idea of the text

I – Important or Key Details:  add the important or key details that support the main idea

O – Organization:  follow the organization of the text when writing your summary (include relevant transition words)

I included this free poster and a free graphic organizer for students to organize each part of the  TAAMIO strategy that will make up their final summary.

Click  HERE to grab this freebie!

In order to get students to successfully write each part of TAAMIO , there are a few things you should work on with students. I call this the  planning stage of writing a summary. Use the graphic organizer included in  this freebie to guide your students.

For the purpose of this blog post, I used a passage from my Summarizing Differentiated Passages and Questions found  HERE .  This passage is titled,  Cashing in on Comic Books. 

You can hand out a copy of the text to each student to work together with them whole group. Remember, these passages are differentiated, so you can even do this work in small groups ahead of time, then come back together to write the summary together as a class. Or, you can blow this text up to work together with your students using the shared reading strategy.

T, A, and A:

To begin with, the  T, A, and A should be fairly simple and straightforward for students. They simply identify the text type, the author, and an action word to begin the first sentence of their summary. As students continue practicing this, they will begin to do it automatically.

In this  text , the author explains …

Next, students will work to write the “meat” of the summary (the M , I , and the O ).

Read on to see how I break down each step for students.

M: Main Idea

The next step is to determine the main idea. The main idea is what the text is mostly about. To write an effective summary, your students must be able to determine a main idea as a starting point (which is why I teach this skill before summarizing). You can check out my Main Idea and Key Details Differentiated Passages and Questions  HERE .

If your students need additional help to determine the main idea, you can use the questions below to start a discussion with your students.

While reading the text, work together with your students to answer the questions below.

Look at this first paragraph of the text.

• What topic is the author introducing or explaining?
• What is the author saying about the topic?
• Does the author explicitly state the main idea in the first sentence?
• Does the author explicitly state the main idea in the last sentence?

Look at the last paragraph

• Does the author explicitly state the main idea anywhere in this paragraph?
• What is the author saying to summarize or conclude the text?

Find a common topic and write it down

• What is a common topic discussed in each paragraph?
• What is the author saying about that topic?
• What is one sentence that describes what the author wants you to learn while reading about the topic?

These questions above will help guide your students to determine the main idea of the entire text.

In the passage, Cashing in on Comic Books,  the main idea is that a comic book’s rarity, popularity, and condition are the main factors that determine its value.

Once students have determined the main idea, they now have the  T, A, A, and M of TAAMIO. When they put these together, they have a great topic sentence of their summary paragraph as follows:

In the text , the author explains a comic book’s rarity, popularity, and condition are the main factors that determine its value .

I: Important or Key Details

The next step when teaching your students to write an informational text summary is teaching them about important or key details. This step is the  I  in  TAAMIO. 

What are key details?

Key details are any facts, examples, reasons, or information that support or explain a main idea.

It’s important that students understand that within a text, there will also be unimportant details. Many students tend to include unimportant details in a summary, so it is important that you teach the difference between key details and unimportant details. Once your students have a firm understanding of what key details are, teach them about unimportant details.

What are unimportant details?

Unimportant details are any details or ideas from the text that  aren’t necessary to help a reader understand the main idea. 

If students are struggling to determine key details vs. unimportant details, then have them answer this question:

“Does this detail help a reader understand the main idea?”

Let’s look at a paragraph from our original text to practice. Again, since this may be a tough concept for students to understand, you may want to do a shared reading. You can either blow the text up as a large poster or project it on your board.

Work together with students to identify the key details vs. unimportant details from the text. Highlight the key details in one color and the unimportant details in another color. For this text, key details are highlighted in green, and unimportant details are highlighted in blue.

MAIN IDEA: A comic book’s rarity, popularity, and condition are the main factors that determine its value.

As you are going through each sentence in this paragraph, keep repeating this question:  Does this detail help a reader understand the main idea?  While some students may understand this right away, others may need additional help and reinforcement. Remember, you must do this for the entire text. Start by doing one or two paragraphs with your students, then gradually release responsibility to them to finish the text.

As you go through the entire text, you should work with students to narrow down the important details that support the main idea. Before going to your graphic organizer to write the important details, you first must talk to your students about the points outlined below.

Don’t include your own opinions

Since summaries should only include the key details in a text, students should omit their own personal opinions or views about the text. Students can get practice with this in my Summarizing Informational Text Differentiated Passages and Questions  HERE . In this resource, I provide students with the opportunity to read completed summaries and identify those that contain personal opinions. It’s important that you provide students with the opportunity to practice this skill so that they understand when they do it.

Use your own words

When students are summarizing, they should not copy the text. Instead, they need to paraphrase. In addition, they should try, when possible, to condense several key details into a single, concise sentence. Explain to students that they need to put each key detail in their own words and combine any key details that are related.

It is important that you practice paraphrasing with your students so that they feel confident doing this when writing a summary. Use the same passage, Cashing in on Comic Books,  from my Summarizing Informational Text Differentiated Passage and Questions to practice paraphrasing key details.

I created this simple graphic organizer to help students with paraphrasing.

I recommend printing this paraphrasing organizer on the back of the TAAMIO graphic organizer. That way, students can flip back and forth to each page as they are putting together the pieces of their summary.

Below is an example from  Cashing in on Comic Books.

Important details from the text: Even if a comic book is old and popular, it won’t be worth much if it isn’t in good condition. In order to keep it’s value, a comic book must not have any creases or tears. The pages should be free from scribbles, and the color should be vivid, not faded or yellowed. 

Paraphrased:  In order to be valuable, a comic book also has to be in good condition meaning it should be free from creases, scribbles, or tears and have vivid color.

*This paraphrased sentence is now ready to be used as an important or key detail in our final summary.

Continue to do this for the entire passage. You can break it down paragraph by paragraph for students so that they understand the concept.

After students have identified and paraphrased the important or key details that support the main idea, they now have the  I  completed in  TAAMIO.

O: Follow the text structure

Students should understand that the text structure of a text will help them organize their summary. A summary should be organized using the same structure as the original piece. For example, if the text has a sequence text structure, the summary should state the main idea and present the key details in chronological order. Also, students should use transition words in their summaries that help readers understand how the events are connected or related.

Our original passage,  Cashing in on Comic Books, uses a description text structure. Description passages often use examples or descriptive words to explain a topic, concept, or idea. Description passages often use transition words like: for example, another reason, also, etc. Students should use similar transition words as the original text to help connect the important details of their summary. You can see in the picture below that there is space on the graphic organizer for students to identify the text structure and to write any necessary transition words.

If your students need additional help practicing text structure, you can check out my Text Structure Differentiated Passages and Questions ( coming soon… ).

Put it all together

Now that students have completed each part of TAAMIO , they can write their summary.

Make sure you visually break down each step for students so they understand:

In this text ( T ), the author  ( A )  explains ( A ) that a comic book’s rarity, population, and condition are the main factors that determine its value ( M ). For example ( O ), a rare Superman comic sold for $3.2 million because there are only 50-100 copes that exist ( I ). A comic might be popular if it introduces a new character, has a connection to a movie, or has drawings by a well-loved artist ( I ). I n order to be  valuable, a comic book also ( O ) has to be in good condition meaning it should be free from creases, scribbles, or tears and have vivid color  ( I ).

While helping students put together all the steps to write their summary, make sure you emphasize what makes a good summary. You can refer to the anchor chart below to help teach this concept.

Once students feel comfortable and are ready to practice on their own, you can pass out the checklists for students to use to check their own summaries. These checklists are found in my freebie found  here .

Now that students understand each step of writing an informational text summary, you have to let students practice this skill. The more students practice, the better they will get at writing informational text summaries.

These free resources are now digital! Use them to help teach this lesson digitally or through distance learning.

Click  HERE or the button below to check out my Summarizing Informational Text Differentiated Passages and Questions.

This resource is now bundled.

This first bundle includes 10 Informational Text Differentiated Passages and Questions. Click HERE or the button below.

This bundle includes 20 total resources- 10 Informational Text and 10 Fiction Text Differentiated Passages and Questions. Click HERE or the button below.

Thank you for all this! You have provided so much information. When I return to work after my baby bonding time is finished, I will be returning to a different grade level. Before I only taught math, but now I’ll have to teach writing too! Thanks for your help and I’ll be purchasing some of your TPT stuff soon! :)

Thank you so much, Steffanie! I appreciate your kind words! Enjoy those sweet baby snuggles! They’re the BEST!

Thank you so much.This is very useful for my class.

I love hearing that! Thank you!

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