Writing Informative Texts: Sharing Facts About Animals
Writing Informative Texts: Sharing Facts About Animals Objective: Students will learn to write a short informative text by naming a topic and supplying some facts about it, directly addressing Common Core standard 1.W.7.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what an informative text is and its purpose.
- Choose a topic and recall facts related to it.
- Write a simple informative text naming the topic and providing facts.
Materials Needed
- Paper or notebook
- Pencils or crayons
- Picture books or printed images of animals
- Chart paper or whiteboard for brainstorming
Key Vocabulary
- Informative Text
- A type of writing that gives facts and information about a topic.
- Topic
- The subject or main idea that the writing is about.
- Fact
- A true piece of information about something.
Detailed Activities
Introducing Informative Writing
- Explain that informative writing tells about a topic with facts.
- Show examples of simple informative texts, such as a short paragraph about an animal.
- Discuss the difference between telling a story and sharing facts.
Brainstorming Facts About Animals
- Choose one animal as a topic with the student (e.g., dog, cat, bird).
- Look at pictures or books and talk about facts (what the animal looks like, what it eats, where it lives).
- Write down the facts on chart paper or whiteboard.
Writing the Informative Text
- Guide the student to write a sentence naming the animal as the topic.
- Help them write 2-3 sentences with facts about the animal.
- Encourage drawing a picture to go with the writing.
Sharing and Reviewing
- Have the student read their informative text aloud.
- Discuss what they did well and any facts they included.
- Praise their effort and encourage trying another topic later.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson is designed to support early writing skills by focusing on informative texts, which helps with knowledge organization and writing confidence.
- Encourage your child to speak about the topic before writing to build ideas and vocabulary.
- Keep the writing time relaxed and fun to maintain your child’s interest.
Assessment Questions
- Can your child name the topic of their writing?
- Did they include at least two facts about the topic?
- Can your child explain what an informative text is in their own words?
Extension Ideas
- Create a simple book with several pages, each about a different animal or topic.
- Use drawings and labels to add more detail to the informative text.
- Visit a local zoo or watch educational videos about animals and write new facts afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can help by asking simple questions about the topic, such as ‘What color is it?’ or ‘Where does it live?’ to prompt ideas.
Encourage drawing first, then writing words or sentences about the drawing. Celebrate all attempts to build confidence.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse informative writing with storytelling, including opinions instead of facts.
- They might write a list of words instead of complete sentences.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Allow drawing to express ideas before writing.
- Provide sentence starters like ‘A dog is…’ or ‘It has…’.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage writing more detailed facts or adding a closing sentence.
- Have them use descriptive words to make facts more interesting.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 10 minutes introducing and discussing informative texts.
- Use 15 minutes for brainstorming and gathering facts together.
- Allocate 15 minutes for writing with support.
- Use the last 5 minutes for sharing and reviewing the writing.
Standards
- 1.W.7 — Students write informative texts in which they name a topic and supply some facts about it.
Printable Worksheet
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