Writing Informative Texts: Research and Organize Facts
Writing Informative Texts: Research and Organize Facts Objective: Students will learn how to gather information from provided sources and organize it to write their own informative text, directly addressing Common Core standard 6.W.7.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what informative writing is and its purpose.
- Learn how to find important facts from a text.
- Organize facts logically to prepare for writing an informative paragraph.
Materials Needed
- Printed short articles or passages on a simple topic (e.g., animals, weather, or a famous person)
- Notebook or lined paper
- Pencils or pens
- Graphic organizer worksheet (e.g., a simple chart or organizer to record facts)
- Highlighters or colored pencils
Key Vocabulary
- Informative Text
- A type of writing that gives facts and information about a topic.
- Research
- Looking for information from books, articles, or other sources.
- Organize
- Putting information in order so it makes sense.
Detailed Activities
Explore and Identify Facts
- Read a short article together with your child about a simple topic.
- Discuss what the article is about and identify key facts.
- Highlight or underline important facts in the article.
Organize Facts Using a Graphic Organizer
- Provide your child with a graphic organizer to list main facts they found.
- Help your child sort the facts into categories or logical groups.
- Review the organizer to ensure facts are clear and well-organized.
Write an Informative Paragraph
- Guide your child to write a paragraph using the facts from the organizer.
- Encourage clear sentences that explain the topic using the organized facts.
- Read the paragraph together and discuss how well it explains the topic.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on helping your child practice gathering and organizing information before writing.
- Encourage your child to talk about the facts they find to build understanding before writing.
- Don’t worry about perfect sentences; focus on expressing ideas clearly and logically.
Assessment Questions
- Can your child identify important facts from a given text?
- Did your child organize the facts in a way that makes sense?
- Is your child able to write a simple paragraph that explains the topic using the facts?
Extension Ideas
- Choose a different topic and repeat the process to build confidence.
- Create a small poster or booklet using the facts and drawings to present the information.
- Practice reading several short articles on the same topic to compare facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try reading the text together and ask questions like ‘What is this part about?’ or ‘What did you learn here?’ to guide your child in identifying key information.
Encourage your child to say the sentence aloud first, then help write it down. Focus on one sentence at a time and praise their efforts.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse opinion with fact; emphasize that informative writing shares facts only.
- Some students might write in a story format; remind them to focus on explaining the topic clearly.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Provide fewer facts to organize or use a fill-in-the-blank organizer.
- Allow oral responses or drawing facts before writing sentences.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage adding interesting details or examples to their informative paragraph.
- Challenge them to find facts from two different sources and combine them in their writing.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend extra time on reading and identifying facts if your child is new to research.
- Keep writing sessions short and focused to maintain attention.
- Review and celebrate completed work to build confidence.
Standards
- 6.W.7 — Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
Printable Worksheet
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