Types of Writing Teaching Resources
Explore the different types of writing with your students this school year with printable RACES writing strategy worksheets, constructed response activities, graphic organizers and more teacher resources created by teachers for teachers.
This collection of curriculum-aligned teaching resources has been carefully reviewed by our expert teaching team to make sure every resource is classroom-ready — so we can make your lesson planning easier!
New to teaching the types of writing, or just looking for new ways to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Are the Different Types of Writing? 4 Main Writing Genres to Share With Students
If you're introducing the different types of writing — or different genres of writing — to your students, it can help to have some basic descriptions of each type at hand. That's exactly what our teacher team has put together for you!
When we sit down to write any text, we have a goal for writing. Sometimes we're looking to tell a story. Sometimes we want to share information. Other times a piece of writing is created to persuade the reader.
The goal or purpose of a text, as well as its audience, helps us determine what type of writing we need to create.
There are many different genres of writing that students will encounter as readers and writers over their lifetimes, but let's start with the four main types of writing that we cover in elementary and middle school.
1. Narrative Writing
Narrative writers tell stories, making up characters and creating different settings for their readers. The goal of this type of writing is to entertain the reader.
2. Persuasive Writing
If you're trying to convince a reader of something, you'll need to engage in persuasive writing. This type involves trying to convince a reader to take a specific action or to agree with your point of view.
3. Descriptive Writing
When we want to describe something to a reader, the type of writing we create is called descriptive writing. In this genre, we use vivid details to paint a picture in the reader's mind.
4. Informative Writing
If your goal is to create a piece of text that provides the reader with facts or instructions about a specific topic, the type of writing to choose is informative writing.
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Write a Cinquain Poem Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing a cinquain poem with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.
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Write a Ballad Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing a ballad with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.
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Informative Writing - Animal Research Task
Use a printable animal research organizer booklet for students to record facts about animals when learning to write informative texts.
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Build an Animal Fact File – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use this set of 5 writing prompts to assess your students’ informative writing skills.
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Exploring Simple Explanations PowerPoint
Use this Exploring Simple Explanations PowerPoint to teach your students about what explanation texts are, why they are written, and how they are structured.
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Wh Question Posters for Recount Writing
Support young learners to confidently retell events with this set of WH Question posters, designed especially for Early Years and Lower Primary classrooms.
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Life Cycle Explanation Project Writing Scaffold Pack
Use this project including life cycles and explanation planning templates when exploring explanations with your early years students.
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Persuade Your Parents – Persuasive Writing Project
Download this ‘Persuade Your Parents’ persuasive writing project to guide your students through the process of convincing a parent or carer to change a household rule.
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Persuasive Essay Examples with Analysis Task Cards
Use these persuasive essay examples with accompanying task cards to teach your students how purpose, structure and language features work together in strong persuasive texts.
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PEEL Paragraph Structure for Persuasive Writing Teaching Slides
Support students to master PEEL paragraph structure in their persuasive writing with this comprehensive slide deck perfect for direct instruction.
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Emotive Vocabulary Worksheet Pack
Use this emotive vocabulary worksheet set to build opinion writing skills in your early writers.
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The Penalty Kick - Write a New Ending to a Story Activity
Promote resilience and boost narrative writing skills with a soccer-themed ‘Change the Ending’ Writing Activity.
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First, Then, Finally Sort and Writing Template
Help your students sequence ideas for a narrative story with these narrative element prompts and a First Then Finally Writing Template.
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2nd Grade Narrative Writing Assessment Pack
Help students nail narrative writing with this scaffolded zoo adventure narrative writing assessment pack.
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Narrative Writing Craft Packs
Help early writers escape writer's block with this scaffolded narrative writing craft pack.
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1st Grade Narrative Writing Assessment Pack
Help your students master narrative writing with this scaffolded Grade 1 Narrative Writing Assessment Pack, built around an exciting “Unexpected Visitor” story theme.
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Write a Short Story – Adventure in Space
Get your students analyzing and writing adventure in space stories with this engaging and fully scaffolded writing project booklet.
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Exploring and Building Narrative Characters PowerPoint
Use this editable PowerPoint template when teaching younger students about how to build a character for a narrative text.
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Thanksgiving Acrostic Poem Templates
Download these Thanksgiving acrostic poem templates to inspire your students to celebrate gratitude, reflection and creativity in your classroom.
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Red Ribbon Week - Write the Room Activity
Use these Red Ribbon Week Writing prompts with your students during literacy centers.
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Student Biography Template - Get to Know Me Worksheet
Use this student biography template as a handy Get to Know Me Worksheet to kick off a new school year.
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Persuasive Paragraph Topic Sentences – Digital Template
Unlock persuasive paragraph starters with this ready-to-use slide deck designed to inspire confident, well-structured writing.
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Adventure Storytelling Cubes & Writing Templates
Use our Adventure Storytelling Dice templates to create an engaging Narrative Writing Station in your classroom.
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Roll an Adventure Story - Storytelling Dice Game
Roll and write an adventure story using our Roll An Adventure Storytelling Dice Game.
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Adventure Story Starter Task Cards
Print and use these Adventure Story Starter Task Cards to inspire adventurous narrative writings.
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Narrative Writing Lesson: Story Leads to Hook Readers
Hook readers with this narrative writing lesson that introduces your students to eleven story starting strategies.
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Wheel of Story Ideas
Download this wheel of story ideas to give your students access to dozens of fun story starters.
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Sentence Starters for Writing Slides
Spark creativity with our sentence starters for writing slides that provide your students writing prompts across three writing genres.
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Compare and Contrast - Tornadoes and Hurricanes Worksheet Pack
Compare and contrast tornadoes and hurricanes with a set of printable paired passage reading worksheets.
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Digital Storytelling PowerPoint Templates
Use this set of PowerPoint templates to foster creativity and explore digital storytelling with your students.
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Change the Ending of the Story Worksheets
Help students change the ending of a story with this set of worksheets.
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How to Write a Fractured Fairy Tale Worksheet Pack
Engage students in narrative writing and explore how to write a fractured fairy tale with this set of worksheets
- Types of Writing Templates
- Types of Writing Worksheets
- Types of Writing Posters
- Types of Writing Games
- Types of Writing Word Walls
- Types of Writing Projects
- Types of Writing for Kindergarten
- Types of Writing for 1st Grade
- Types of Writing for 2nd Grade
- Types of Writing for 3rd Grade
- Types of Writing for 4th Grade
- Types of Writing for 5th Grade
- Types of Writing for 6th Grade