Expository Writing Prompts for Upper Elementary Students

When teaching our students a new writing genre, it is important to set them up for success right from the outset. One way to do this is to provide support for both the content and the structure of the text. This is where Teach Starter’s fact files and writing scaffold come in!

This resource has been designed by our experienced teacher time to help your students write the best information text possible by providing them with just the right amount of scaffolding! Here’s how it works:

• Fact Sorting – Students read through one of the fact files provided – there are five to choose from – and sort the facts into a table provided. This step encourages critical thinking and helps them understand how to organise information logically.
• Report Writing – Using the expository writing template, students can then transform these sorted facts into a well-structured report. The scaffold breaks down the writing process into manageable steps, from introduction to conclusion, making the task less daunting and more approachable for all learners.

This resource contains the following fact files:

• African Lions
• Cupcakes
• Halloween
• The Weather
• The Giza Pyramids

The resource download includes:

• 5 x fact files
• Report writing scaffold
• 5 x answer pages

Differentiate This Informational Writing Activity

This resource teaches students the essential skills of informative writing by providing both content and structure. The fact files expose students to a range of engaging topics, while the template guides them step-by-step through the writing process.

If you’re looking to differentiate this expository writing activity to better meet the diverse needs of your learners, you might like to consider the following suggestions:

• For less confident readers and writers, simplify the task so that they focus on only one characteristic of the topic they have chosen. This makes the task less overwhelming and increases the students’ likelihood of being successful in the task.
• For more confident readers and writers, extend the task by allowing them to research additional facts to add to the fact file of their chosen topic. This enables the students to extend their knowledge of the topic and provide even greater depth to their report.

Download to Access This Set of Expository Writing Prompts

This resource downloads as an easy-print PDF. Use the Download button above to access this file. As this resource contains multiple fact files, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file, then removing the pages you wish to photocopy.

More Informational Writing Resources from Teach Starter

TeachStarter boasts a wide variety of informational writing prompts to support you in teaching this factual genre to your students. Click below to explore a sample of our offering:

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5 Expository Writing Prompts

Use this set of 5 writing prompts to assess your students’ expository writing skills.

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Great White Shark Information Report – Writing Project

Get your students writing an informational text about sharks using this age-appropriate fact file and writing scaffold.

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Informative Writing Fact Files - Differentiated Writing Worksheets

Teach your students to write informative texts using a pack of differentiated Informative Writing Fact File Worksheets.