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Effective essay writing graphic organizers to enhance your academic writing skills.

Are you looking for ways to enhance your essay writing skills? Do you struggle to organize your thoughts and ideas effectively? Utilizing graphic organizers can be the key to improving your writing process and producing more cohesive and structured essays.

Graphic organizers are visual tools that help writers brainstorm, plan, and organize their writing. They provide a visual representation of the relationships between ideas, making it easier to see the big picture and the flow of your essay. By using graphic organizers, you can break down complex topics into manageable chunks and create a roadmap for your writing.

Whether you’re a student working on academic essays or a professional writer crafting articles, utilizing graphic organizers can make a significant difference in the clarity and coherence of your writing. In this article, we will explore the benefits of using graphic organizers, discuss different types of organizers, and provide tips on how to effectively incorporate them into your writing process.

Master the Basics

Before delving into the complexities of essay writing, it is crucial to master the basics. Understanding the fundamental elements of an essay, such as the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, is essential for crafting a coherent and compelling piece of writing.

• Start with a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and clearly states your main argument.
• Develop your ideas in the body paragraphs with supporting evidence and analysis.
• Conclude your essay by summarizing your key points and reinforcing your main thesis.

By mastering these basic components of essay writing, you can better structure your ideas and effectively communicate your thoughts to your audience.

Understanding the Essay Structure

When it comes to writing an effective essay, understanding the structure is crucial. An essay typically consists of three main parts: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Introduction: This is where you grab the reader’s attention and provide a brief overview of what your essay will be about. The introduction should also include a thesis statement, which is the main point or argument of your essay.

Body paragraphs: The body of your essay is where you develop your argument and provide supporting evidence. Each paragraph should focus on a single point and include detailed explanations and examples to support your thesis.

Conclusion: The conclusion is where you wrap up your essay by summarizing your main points and restating your thesis. It’s also a good place to leave the reader with a thought-provoking idea or call to action.

By understanding and utilizing this basic essay structure, you can ensure that your writing is clear, organized, and effective.

Choose the Right Organizer

When it comes to effective essay writing, choosing the right graphic organizer can make a significant difference in organizing your thoughts and boosting your writing skills. There are various types of organizers to choose from, such as the outline, Venn diagram, flowchart, concept map, and more. It’s essential to select an organizer that best fits the structure of your essay and helps you clearly outline your ideas.

Outlining: If you prefer a straightforward approach, an outline organizer can help you create a clear and organized structure for your essay. Use headings and subheadings to categorize your main points and supporting details.

Venn Diagram: A Venn diagram can be useful when comparing and contrasting ideas or topics. It allows you to visually represent the similarities and differences between two or more concepts.

Flowchart: For essays with a sequential flow of ideas, a flowchart organizer is ideal. Create a visual representation of the sequence of events or steps in your essay to ensure a logical progression of ideas.

Concept Map: If you want to explore the relationships between different concepts in your essay, a concept map can help you visualize the connections between ideas and brainstorm new insights.

Choosing the right organizer is crucial to effectively structure your essay and enhance your writing skills. Experiment with different types of organizers to find the one that best suits your writing style and helps you convey your ideas clearly and cohesively.

Selecting the Best Graphic Tool

When choosing a graphic organizer tool for your essay writing process, it is essential to consider various factors to ensure its effectiveness. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Type of Essay: Consider the type of essay you are writing and choose a graphic organizer that best fits the structure and organization needed for that particular essay type.
• Complexity: Evaluate the complexity of your ideas and arguments to determine the level of detail and hierarchy required in the graphic organizer.
• Visual Appeal: Look for a tool that is visually appealing and easy to comprehend, as this will help you better visualize and organize your thoughts.
• Flexibility: Opt for a tool that offers flexibility in terms of customization, allowing you to adjust the layout and structure based on your specific needs.
• Accessibility: Ensure that the graphic organizer tool you choose is accessible and easy to use on your preferred devices and platforms.

By carefully considering these factors, you can select the best graphic tool that will enhance your essay writing process and improve the clarity and coherence of your ideas.

Organize Your Ideas

Before diving into writing your essay, it’s crucial to organize your ideas to ensure a clear and coherent flow of information. Using graphic organizers can help you visually map out your thoughts and easily see how they connect. Here are some effective ways to organize your ideas:

• Outline: Create a detailed outline with main points, subpoints, and supporting evidence to structure your essay.
• Brainstorming: Brainstorm ideas and jot them down on a mind map to see relationships between different concepts.
• Cluster/Spider Diagrams: Use cluster or spider diagrams to group related ideas together and visualize the structure of your essay.
• Storyboard: Create a storyboard with key events or arguments to plan out the sequence of your essay.

By organizing your ideas using graphic organizers, you can enhance the clarity and coherence of your essay, making it easier for readers to follow your argument.

Mapping Out Your Thoughts

One of the most effective tools for organizing your thoughts and ideas before starting to write an essay is a graphic organizer. By using a graphic organizer, you can visually map out your thoughts, main points, and supporting details. This helps you clarify your ideas and ensure that your essay has a logical structure.

There are various types of graphic organizers you can use, such as mind maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, and flowcharts. Choose the one that best suits your writing style and the topic of your essay. Once you have selected a graphic organizer, start by jotting down your main idea in the center and then branch out to include your supporting points and details.

Mapping out your thoughts using a graphic organizer will not only help you stay focused and organized but also make the writing process smoother and more efficient. It can serve as a roadmap for your essay, guiding you through each section and ensuring that your ideas flow cohesively.

Develop Strong Arguments

Effective essay writing requires the development of strong arguments to persuade the reader of your perspective. To create compelling arguments, follow these key strategies:

• Research: Conduct thorough research to gather credible evidence and support for your arguments. Use reliable sources to strengthen your points.
• Structure: Organize your arguments logically and coherently. Start with a clear thesis statement and build each argument in a structured manner.
• Counterarguments: Anticipate counterarguments and address them in your essay. This shows that you have considered different viewpoints and strengthens your own position.
• Evidence: Support your arguments with relevant evidence, such as examples, statistics, and expert opinions. This adds credibility and persuasiveness to your essay.
• Clarity: Clearly articulate your arguments and provide explanations to ensure that your points are easily understood by the reader.
• Consistency: Ensure that your arguments are consistent throughout the essay. Avoid contradictions or inconsistencies that may weaken your overall argument.

By developing strong arguments with these key strategies, you can enhance the effectiveness of your essay writing and convey your ideas convincingly to your audience.

Building a Persuasive Case

When writing a persuasive essay, it is crucial to build a compelling case to persuade your audience to agree with your viewpoint. Here are some key steps to help you construct a persuasive case:

• Clear Thesis Statement: Start by clearly stating your position or argument in a concise thesis statement. This statement should clearly convey what you are trying to persuade your readers to believe or do.
• Supporting Evidence: Back up your thesis statement with strong evidence, facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions. Providing solid evidence can make your case more convincing and credible.
• Logical Organization: Structure your essay in a logical and coherent manner. Develop your arguments in a clear sequence, with each point building upon the previous one to strengthen your case.
• Address Counterarguments: Anticipate potential counterarguments and address them in your essay. Acknowledging opposing viewpoints and refuting them can make your argument more persuasive.
• Emotional Appeal: Use emotional appeals, anecdotes, and narratives to connect with your audience on a personal level. Appeal to the emotions of your readers to make them more likely to empathize with your argument.
• Call to Action: End your essay with a strong call to action that urges your audience to take a specific course of action or consider your perspective. Encouraging your readers to act can motivate them to support your cause.

By following these steps and building a persuasive case in your essay, you can effectively convince your audience to embrace your ideas and opinions.

Enhance Your Writing Flow

One of the key elements in effective essay writing is maintaining a smooth and consistent flow throughout your piece. A well-structured essay should lead the reader from one point to the next seamlessly, with each paragraph naturally transitioning into the next.

To enhance your writing flow, consider using transitional words and phrases such as “furthermore,” “however,” “in addition,” and “conversely” to connect your ideas and guide the reader through your argument. These transitions help establish logical connections between your thoughts and make your writing more coherent.

Additionally, vary your sentence structure and length to create a dynamic rhythm in your writing. Mixing short, punchy sentences with longer, more elaborate ones can keep your reader engaged and prevent your writing from feeling monotonous.

Finally, don’t be afraid to revise and reorganize your essay to ensure a smooth and consistent flow. Take the time to read your work aloud or have someone else review it to identify any awkward or disjointed sections that may disrupt the flow of your writing.

By paying attention to these techniques and practicing them regularly, you can enhance your writing flow and take your essay writing skills to the next level.

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Free Editable Essay Graphic Organizer Examples

Essays are complex and large write-ups that are not easy to intercept. That’s why it is better to use an essay graphic organizer to visualize your complex structured outline in a simple manner. In fact, there is nothing better than some free graphic organizer examples that save both your time and effort. So, let’s have an overview of this essay organizers and free example templates.

1. What is Essay Graphic Organizer

An essay graphic organizer enhances your research with visual elements. It helps the writer to correlate facts, observations, and notions. On top of that, it outlines the essay and provides an organized strategy for the writer.

A graphic organizer for writing helps the writers to tackle hard and long essay formats. A writer can use its visual aid to complete the write-up step by step. A graphic organizer for essays has different types based on primary functions.

• An Outline Based Essay Organizer

These types of essay organizers have at least 3 thesis. The whole story revolves around these. Moreover, the organizer includes specific supporting details and subtopic names that make the way crystal clear for writers. However, these organizers do not need much essay explanation. Most indications are worldly phrases that direct the attention toward thoughts and observations.

• A Contrasting Essay Organizer :

As the name indicates, it helps the writer to organize varying thoughts about topics and compare them. Moreover, it helps the writer to collect, conceive and portray the information ahead of time. The writer can use it for two collective primary topics or a single point from both topics. In both cases, the essay organizer will help them take visual notes and use them to their advantage while writing.

• Organizer For A Persuasive Essay :

The persuasive essay organizer helps the writer to persuade an audience toward a single topic. It includes three or more supporting details for the topic. Furthermore, the organizer includes written evidence for those details that help prove the point.

2. The Essay Graphic Organizer Examples

Using an essay graphic organizer for writing brings credibility and flexibility to your essays with extensive research. Essay writing is a tough job, especially if it has more than one subtopic.

Essays require tons of details. All that quality is up to no good if it is not organized and well structured. An essay organizer for writing helps you understand how the minor details contribute to overall concepts. With thorough research and long formats, essay writing may become dull. However, an organizer helps you to perfectly structure your thoughts with appealing visuals that make them engaging and far less challenging.

Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier

5-Paragraph Essay

Expository Essay Graphic Organizer

Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer

Essay Graphic Organzier

Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer

Example 1: 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier

The most common type of essay writing format is a 5-paragraph essay. Essay graphic organizer for writing helps organize all those 5 paragraphs and insert valuable information inside them. It includes the first paragraph section in which the writer inserts the topic sentence and at least three thesis statements. The upcoming three paragraphs briefly summarize those statements and provide at least three pieces of evidence for each thesis. Finally, the last paragraph repeats the main statement and includes an overall concluding statement. Moreover, every thesis detail includes a conclusion statement that conceives the entire concept.

Example 2: Printable 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer

It is also the type of essay organizer writers use to organize the outline of a 5-paragraph essay format. Its first paragraph is of introduction which includes with a thesis statement instead of a topic sentence. The statement inside the paragraph includes three supporting examples with itself. Moreover, the second paragraph has a topic sentence that the previous thesis supports. Plus, it has individual evidence details that prove the topic sentence true. The third paragraph includes a thesis statement that correlates with the previous and upcoming topic sentence. Finally, the last paragraph has the essay's main idea and a concluding statement that proves the point.

Example 3: Argumentative Essay Graphic Organizer

This template solemnly deals with the expository template of the essay. It focuses on the essay's three most basic parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. Moreover, the writer evaluates the selected topic in it with examples and evidence and closes the argument clearly and concisely. The exemplary diagram includes 2 separate boxes in the introduction sections. One of them is for the hook that engages the audience, whereas the other depicts the essay's main idea. Inside the body section, the writer briefly lists three examples, each with individual supporting details. Finally, the conclusion includes two sections; one for reviewing and rewriting the central concept and the other to input the closing details of the essay.

Example 4: Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer

This example diagram of the essay graphic organizer for writing helps to persuade a general or specific audience toward your point of view. The primary purpose is to enlist your opinion and evaluate it with the help of numerous supporting details. As for the organizer, it is for a 5 paragraph format. The first one has an engaging beginning, a summary of the issue, and your opinion. Furthermore, the next 3 provide different reasons that support your opinion. Moreover, the section also includes evidence in the form of examples and textual details that support every reason individually. The last paragraph is a conclusive one that restates the opinion, summarizes all three reasons again, and gives a CTA (call to action) at the end. However, you can ditch the CTA and add a simple closing statement that supports your opinion.

Example 5: Informational Essay Graphic Organizer

This type of organizer is for essays having more than one main idea. The organizer's interface has several colors that make it engaging and appealing. Due to the color, it is referred to as a Rainbow essay organizer. A big individual box includes the whole organized outline of the essay. The writer has to briefly write all three ideas in it and support their point of view. Moreover, the organizer includes an introduction and conclusion description. At last, there is a final draft section that concludes the whole essay and supports either all three or one suitable main idea.

Example 6: Narrative Essay Graphic Organizer

The expository essay is a genre that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea clearly and concisely. The below expository essay web diagram is created using EdrawMax Online and shows blank spaces for Thesis Statement, Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Details about all the examples, and argumentative points. Expository writing gives facts and information about a topic, and as the web diagram suggests, a good expository essay introduces the main idea and develops it with facts and supporting details.

3. How to Make an Essay Graphic Organizer

Graphic organizers are the modern way of learning. With passing time, people are using them in every type of write-up. Therefore, it is better to understand its production process so that you can make one specifically for your essay. The online production software uses four simple steps to generate a graphic organizer for essays.

Step 1 - Head on to EdrawMax Online or download EdrawMax . Make an account and log in to it.

Step 2 - Once inside, you can start creating the graphic organizer on a blank edit sheet or readymade essay organizers, such as mindmaps and spider maps. However, this process is time-consuming. If you want an easy solution, head to the main menu on the left, look for Templates Community , and click on it.

Step 3 - Clicking on the Template Community option will take you to a social network of designers and a general audience like you that post templates daily for public use. You can search for your very own template and duplicate it onto your sheet using the button Duplicate.

Step 4 - Finally, start customizing it as you like. You can change the font, color, and components. Moreover, you can add new ones if you like. Once you are done and satisfied, export and share your template with others using the Button Publish present on the top right corner.

4. Online Graphic Organizer Maker

Traditional ways are gone when you had to work extensively for a simple diagram in lining software. Online graphic organizers like EdrawMax made graphic organizer designing much easier and less time-consuming. All thanks to its easy-to-use interface and basic yet helpful tool kits, designing a diagram is possible for every individual with basic knowledge.

Moreover, EdrawMax saves a lot of effort and time with the help of readymade templates. This online graphic organizer maker is suitable for any type of consumer to generate any variation of the graphic organizer. Its biggest pro is the Templates Community , with thousands of readymade templates for users. In this social biome, you can not only pick the one that suits you well but share your ideas with the community as well.

5. Key Takeaways

The visual aid of essay graphic organizers helps the writers to organize their researched facts and general thoughts according to references. Moreover, it gives a direction to the audience and the writer for the essay. As for its usage, the writers are helping themselves with it in their professional careers. Moreover, it proves exponentially efficient in the academic field for students. When it comes to essay writing, it helps in both of these by establishing a relevant and valid connection. Plus, communicating our thoughts with visual sketches and doodles is less boring and more engaging.

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How to Use Graphic Organizers to Write Better Essays

Lucid Content

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If you’re a student, there’s no way around the inevitable: You’re going to have to write essays. Lots of essays. In fact, the five-paragraph essay is so fundamental to the high school curriculum that it’s still used on the ACTs, and knowing how to recognize the organizational structure of essays will help you score higher on the SATs.

Even though it seems like a chore, knowing how to organize and write an essay can have a lasting effect on your life, from getting into a better college to scoring a better job to performing better in that job long after your high school days are over.

Here’s a secret: Using graphic organizers for writing essays can help you write better essays faster. (And don’t count yourself out if you’re an educator—you can offer these tools to help your students succeed.) We’ll show you exactly how to do it.

Why use graphic organizers

When ACT graders or teachers are looking your essay, they’re looking for very specific criteria; essentially, they’re looking at how well you’ve organized your thoughts. Many students don’t take the time to outline their essay structure before writing, and that always means a lower score on a test and a lower grade on the essay in class.

Using a writing template can feel like an unnecessary step in an already complicated process. If you need extra motivation to implement these organizers into your writing routine, consider all of their benefits. Graphic organizers can help you:

• Save time by showing you where each piece of the essay “lives.”
• Have more productive brainstorming sessions, either by yourself or with a group.
• Make connections between ideas and create a more cohesive argument.
• Pinpoint holes in your arguments and either adjust the thesis or find supporting statements.
• Keep track of your research.
• Organize your thoughts and come to interesting, more compelling conclusions.
• Stay in the right direction when you feel lost in a sea of words.
• Manage anxiety by converting the fear of a blank assignment into an action plan with a clear map.

With all those benefits, it’s hard to ignore how useful and vital graphic organizers are to writing. And once you’ve become adept at organizing your thoughts for something like a school essay, you’ll find that skill carries with you throughout your life, whether you’re trying to become a more intelligent debater to negotiate prices. It goes beyond just the essay to becoming a better thinker. And it starts with a simple template.

We’ll walk you through several use cases for graphic organizers and provide templates for you to download and fill in when you’re ready to write.

Brainstorming graphic organizers

Brainstorming is important, not only to come up with ideas for topics but to determine what information you need to include in the essay once you’ve determined your topic. Though many think of brainstorming as just freeflow thinking, brainstorming is most productive when you work within specific parameters.

That’s why essay brainstorming graphic organizers are useful, whether you’re using one to brainstorm on your own or you’re working with a group.

In Lucidchart, our mind map shapes and templates double as brainstorming graphic organizers. Start with an essay prompt as your central shape and then fill in the shapes that branch off your prompt with topic ideas. Alternatively, you can add your selected topic to the center and start brainstorming the different ideas you need to cover in your paper.

When the template is filled in, you’ll have a clear starting point for your essay or research paper.

Research paper graphic organizers

Nothing paralyzes students with fear quite like a research paper. These long-form papers require—as the name implies—quite a bit of research, and their purpose is to teach students how to look for valid sources to support their arguments.

But keeping track of all those sources and tying them into your argument can be tricky. That’s where a research paper graphic organizer can be a student’s greatest ally.

This template lays out the writing process itself. After you come up with a general topic, like “the disappearance of honey bees,” fill in the “Research Paper Topic” box.

Then, start looking for reputable sources (Wikipedia doesn’t count) and use the five sources boxes to hold the most relevant quotes and statistics you find. Using those quotes and statistics, you can then fill out a thesis statement that is supported by the research.

Then, you’ll be able to focus your paragraphs on a single topic each that supports the thesis statement and your overarching argument. After you’ve filled out the template, the backbone of the research paper is complete: All that’s left to do is fill in the spaces between sources and arguments.

5-paragraph essay graphic organizer

When it comes to writing the five-paragraph essay, writing diagrams are key. By using graphic organizers for writing, you’re no longer staring at a giant blank piece of paper with no idea how or where to begin. Your graphic organizer is your map.

Although using writing diagrams may seem time-consuming, the fact is that taking the time to fill a graphic organizer in before writing actually saves time. If there’s a problem with the argument, it will show up on the diagram, or if there’s not enough evidence to support your argument, you’ll know before you’ve wasted time writing the paper. And, as we said before, even if your writing is terrible, if your argument is sound, you’ll still score a decent grade.

Try this 5-paragraph essay template to get you started.

Don’t feel pressured to come up with a compelling title right away. Instead, it’s more important that you come up with a thesis statement that can be supported by three solid arguments. Fill in that thesis statement and your arguments. Then, for each argument, figure out three supporting details to support your case.

That’s it! You’ve got the most essential parts of your 5-paragraph essay completed.

Now, come up with an introduction that sets the stage for your argument and a conclusion that wraps up and restates your thesis and supporting arguments in a compelling way. Now you have a solid plan for your paper and can approach it with confidence.

If you’d like a more linear graphic that exactly follows the structure of the 5-paragraph, use the writing template below and follow the same process.

Visuals, such as graphic organizers for writing, can help you better understand concepts, think creatively, and collaborate with your classmates—and there are plenty of other templates where these came from.

Lucidchart offers hundreds of templates to help you through your studies, including timelines, Venn diagrams, word maps, and more. Sign up for Lucidchart and upgrade to an Educational account for free.

Resources for teachers

Providing graphic resources to students is essential; after all, many of your students will be visual learners, so while you may beautifully explain how the process works, there will be some who won’t understand until they see a template of the essay itself.

Lucidchart has many resources for teachers, from lesson plans to writing templates. While you’re teaching your students how to write essays or research papers, it’s useful to print out the templates and fill them out together (even using a completed template as a separate assignment with a separate grade) so that your students can get a feel for properly filling out graphic organizers before attempting it on their own.

About Lucidchart

Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.

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Using Graphic Organizers for Writing Essays, Summaries and Research

Ask any student – essay writing is one of the most despised tasks of their educational career. Perhaps there is so much displeasure associated with the task because it’s perceived as too linear – there isn’t enough visual and creative appeal. But if you use graphic organizer for writing essays then you can make writing enjoyable – or at least less terrible.

Not only enjoyable but graphic organizers (or diagrams) can make the writing process a snap. They’ll help you think outside the box, draw conclusions you wouldn’t normally observe, and make the entire process faster and more efficient.

Why Use Graphic Organizers for Writing

The phrase “graphic organizer” is just a fancy way of saying “diagram” or “visual aid.” Basically, they are a visual representation of the information you’ve acquired in the research process. There are quite a few reasons why you should use them when writing essays or summaries.

• Helps you visualize your research and how elements connect with each other
• Enhance your essays, summaries and research papers with visual elements
• Track correlations between your thoughts, observations, facts or general ideas

When it comes to essay writing, the most common graphic organizers are webs, mind maps, and concept maps .

Using Webs for Brainstorming

Webbing is a great way to see how various topics are interrelated. This graphic organizer is particularly useful during the brainstorming step of the writing process.

A web can sometimes get a bit messy. Usually, there are lots of arrows to connect overlapping ideas. However, even with lines crisscrossing every which way, it is still a great way to visualize your thoughts. If you’re using an online diagramming software like Creately you can overcome some of this because we automatically arrange the object for you.

Once you’ve created a map to document all your ideas and establish connections, you can easily transition to other forms of diagramming to better organize the information.

For example if you’re writing a research paper about the food web of the Australian bushes you can start creating a food web diagram similar to the one below. This way you can easily visualize the web while writing the paper. This is a simple example but graphic organizers become even more important when the subject gets complex.

Although simple this example shows the importance of using graphic organizers for writing summaries. A comprehensive diagram pretty much does the summation for you.

Using Mind Maps as Graphic Organizers

Mind maps are a great way to depict a hierarchy. What is hierarchical organization ? The concept is simple: a singular topic dominates with each subsequent idea decreasing in importance.

Usually, the mind map starts with the thesis (or main idea) at the center.  From there, you can branch out with your supporting evidence.

Use this process to replace your traditional note taking technique – note cards, outlines, whatever. You’ll quickly realize a mind map is a great way to formulate the structure of your essay. The thing to note here is that the nature of the mind maps force you think about sub topics and how to organize your ideas. And once the ideas are organized writing the essay become very easy.

Above is a mind map of a research proposal. Click on it to see the full image or you can see the fully editable template via this link . As you can see in this mind map the difference areas of the research proposal is highlighted. Similarly when your writing the research paper you can use a mind map to break it down to sub topics. We have more mind map templates for you to get started.

Concept Maps

A concept map will help you visualize the connection between ideas. You can easily see cause and effect – how one concept leads to another. Often times, concept mapping includes the use of short words or phrases to depict the budding relationship between these concepts.

If you look closely you can see that its very similar to a mind map. But a concept maps gives more of a free reign compares to the rigid topic structure of a mind map. I’d say it’s the perfect graphic organizer for writing research papers where you have the license to explore.

By creating a concept map , you can also see how a broad subject can be narrowed down into specific ideas.  This is a great way to counter writers block.  Often, we look at the big picture and fail to see the specifics that lead to it.  Identifying contributing factors and supporting evidence is difficult. But with a concept map, you can easily see how the smaller parts add up to the whole.

Why Bother With Graphic Organizers?

If you already detest the writing process, adding another step might seem insane. However, there really are several advantages of using them.  If you haven’t already accepted the benefits of each individual diagram style, here are some more perks of graphic organizers in general:

• Quality essays are based on detail. No one is going to accept your opinions and reasoning just because you say so. You’ll need proof. And organizing that proof will require attention to detail. Graphic organizers can help you see that detail and how it contributes to the overall concept.
• Graphic organizers are flexible. You don’t need one of those giant pink erasers. You don’t need to restructure your outline. All you have to do is draw a few arrows and bam – the relationship has totally changed.
• No matter what you are writing about, a graphic organizer can help. They can be used to structure an essay on the Great Wall, theoretical physics, or Spanish speaking countries.
• If you write an outline, can you easily see how point A influences point X? Probably not. But if little thought bubble A is sitting out there all by itself, you can visualize the way it ties into point R, T and X.
• Some of us find it difficult to put our opinions, thoughts, and ideas into writing. However, communicating our feelings with little doodles and sketches is far less threatening.
• As a writer, our brain often feels like a 2-year-old’s toy box – a big jumbled mess. Taking that mess and putting it onto paper with some semblance of organization is challenging. Rather than trying to take your thoughts from total chaos to a perfectly structured list, just try to get them out of your brain and onto paper in the form of a diagram.
• A graphic organizer helps you establish validity and relevance. You can easily nix the ideas that don’t support or enhance your thesis.

The next time you are faced with a writing project, take a few minutes to explore the efficiency of graphic organizers. You can find a wealth of templates here.

Have you ever used a graphic organizer to structure an essay? How did it go? Do you have a diagram suggestion for the writing process that wasn’t mentioned here? Let us know!

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About this Interactive

Related resources.

Expository writing is an increasingly important skill for elementary, middle, and high school students to master. This interactive graphic organizer helps students develop an outline that includes an introductory statement, main ideas they want to discuss or describe, supporting details, and a conclusion that summarizes the main ideas. The tool offers multiple ways to navigate information including a graphic in the upper right-hand corner that allows students to move around the map without having to work in a linear fashion. The finished map can be saved, e-mailed, or printed.

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This strategy guide clarifies the difference between persuasion and argumentation, stressing the connection between close reading of text to gather evidence and formation of a strong argumentative claim about text.

Students will identify how Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of nonviolent conflict-resolution is reinterpreted in modern texts. Homework is differentiated to prompt discussion on how nonviolence is portrayed through characterization and conflict. Students will be formally assessed on a thesis essay that addresses the Six Kingian Principles of Nonviolence.

Students develop their reading, writing, research, and technology skills using graphic novels. As a final activity, students create their own graphic novels using comic software.

Students are encouraged to understand a book that the teacher reads aloud to create a new ending for it using the writing process.

While drafting a literary analysis essay (or another type of argument) of their own, students work in pairs to investigate advice for writing conclusions and to analyze conclusions of sample essays. They then draft two conclusions for their essay, select one, and reflect on what they have learned through the process.

Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.

It's not easy surviving fourth grade (or third or fifth)! In this lesson, students brainstorm survival tips for future fourth graders and incorporate those tips into an essay.

Students explore the nature and structure of expository texts that focus on cause and effect and apply what they learned using graphic organizers and writing paragraphs to outline cause-and-effect relationships.

Students prepare an already published scholarly article for presentation, with an emphasis on identification of the author's thesis and argument structure.

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Informative essay graphic organizer

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10 Free Graphic Organizer Templates for Any Subject

Different lessons require different types of content to help students learn. Here are 10 free graphic organizer templates to use for any subject.

Most students are returning to the classroom in Fall 2021, but everyone’s learning methods have had to change over the past two years. It’s important to adapt as an educator with new techniques , digital materials, and fresh content to keep students engaged .

For any subject, graphic organizers provide effective ways to introduce, teach, develop, and test new material. But different lessons require different types of content to help students learn best. I’m going to give you 10 free graphic organizer templates to use for any subject – just use the Make It button to customize, label, and download your graphic organizer.

• Venn Diagram
• Plot Pyramid
• Brainstorm Chart
• Concept Map
• 5-Paragraph Essay Outline
• 4 Square Writing Chart

1. Flowchart

The Flowchart is one of the most versatile and recognizable forms of graphic organizer out there, ideal for project planning and science experiments. A goes to B goes to C goes to D . With this version, you can copy and paste sections of the chart to make it as long or as short as you need, label each section with specific details, and add a title and other information for your assignment.

2. Timeline

The Timeline is similar to the flowchart , with events spaced out along a single path . In a Timeline, however, the intervals between the events is important to the graphic organizer as a whole. Using this template, you can drag events from one point of the Timeline to another, and add text labels for years and events.

3. Venn Diagram

One of the most widely-used graphic organizers, the Venn Diagram provides a simple way for students to compare and contrast 2 or more distinct ideas. With this template, you can copy and recolor the Venn Diagram circles to compare any number of items with each other.

4. Plot Pyramid

This graphic organizer is most commonly used in elementary and middle school English, language arts, and literature classes. It’s used to identify and map the various stages of a plot arc , from exposition to conclusion. Use this template to title the Plot Pyramid and add any other relevant information you need.

5. Brainstorm Chart

The Brainstorm Chart is a far more freeform type of graphic organizer than most others on this list, and can be arranged almost any way you like. All it requires is a central idea or “problem” to solve, along with an array of other ideas and concepts that are connected to it, and supporting details for these connected points. The freeform nature of the Brainstorm Chart allows students to think creatively and originally on any subject.

6. Concept Map

The Concept Map is similar in form to the Brainstorm Chart, but with slightly more limitations on how it’s used. It’s used to illustrate the relationships that exist between various related concepts , filling in different sections of the organizer to show how the different parts are connected. The Concept Map is perfect for introducing students to a new set of related vocabulary terms in any subject.

7. 5-Paragraph Essay Outline

While some of your students may not remember the 5-paragraph essay too fondly years later, it’s an important step in developing their persuasive writing . This classic 5-paragraph planner is perfect for helping students construct their arguments, counter-arguments, supporting data, and conclusions before they put pen to paper.

8. 4 Square Writing Chart

The 4 Square Writing Chart is similar to the 5-paragraph essay outline, it gives space for looser organizational styles and more creative types of writing structure . The central area contains the main idea or argument, and the surrounding squares are filled with supporting arguments, sections of a narrative essay, personal experiences, or several sides to the same story.

9. Story Map

The Story Map is used for a similar purpose to the Plot Pyramid, but with a broader approach to narrative plot arcs. In the Story Map, students not only recount the plot progression of a story, but detail the setting , characters , and central problems and outcomes . There are dozens of ways to organize your own Story Map, so I recommend you use this template to include whatever areas are most important for your students to identify and analyze.

10. KWL Chart

KWL Charts ask students to write on three different things before and after completing a lesson, activity, or reading: what they Know already about the topic, what they Want to learn from the lesson, and, afterward, what they Learned from the experience. It creates more of a big-picture exercise than most of the graphic organizers on this list, allowing students to identify what they gain from their lessons.

I hope these graphic organizer templates help you engage students effectively in every subject you teach. For more tips and tutorials on creating great digital content in 2021, check out the Kapwing YouTube channel or read through some related articles on education materials:

• 10 Back to School Frames for Fall 2021 • The 4 Best Ways to Learn Video Editing Online • How to Add Subtitles to a Lecture Video • How to Make a Frayer Model Online

5 Free Zoom Virtual Backgrounds for Teachers in 2020

5 Perfect Zoom Virtual Backgrounds for Chemistry Teachers

5 Free Zoom Virtual Backgrounds for Students

EL Education Curriculum

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• ELA 2019 G8:M3:U2:L3

Write an Informative Essay: Plan Introduction and Body Paragraphs

In this lesson, daily learning targets, ongoing assessment.

• Technology and Multimedia

Supporting English Language Learners

Materials from previous lessons, new materials, closing & assessments, you are here:.

• ELA 2019 Grade 8
• ELA 2019 G8:M3
• ELA 2019 G8:M3:U2

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Focus Standards:  These are the standards the instruction addresses.

• RL.8.1, RL.8.2, W.8.2a, W.8.2b, W.8.4, W.8.5, L.8.1a

Supporting Standards:  These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

• RL.8.10, W.8.10
• I can identify the purpose of each part of the introduction of a model literary analysis and use this understanding to plan the introduction of my own literary analysis. ( W.8.2 )
• I can identify the structure and purpose of each part of a Proof Paragraph and use this understanding to plan the Proof Paragraphs of my own literary analysis. ( W.8.2 )
• Opening A: Entrance Ticket
• Work Times B and C: Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer ( W.8.2 )
• Work Time C: Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 1a and 1b ( W.8.2 )
• Closing and Assessment A: Informative Writing Checklist ( W.8.2 )
• Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 3
• Literary Analysis Informative Essay directions
• Proof Paragraphs 1a and 1b handout
• Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer
• Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 3 at each student's workspace.
• Strategically pair students for the peer critique in Closing and Assessment A with at least one strong reader per pair.
• Review the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) to become familiar with an example of the planning students will be doing today and in the next lesson.  
• Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

• Work Times A and B: Convert Informative Writing Plan graphic organizers and invite students to complete them in an online format—for example,  http://eled.org/0158 .
• Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 8.I.B.6 and 8.I.B.8.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

• To support ELLs, this lesson includes time spent analyzing a model informative essay that compares a familiar text, Summer of the Mariposas , with a poem before then writing an essay that focuses on analyzing the similarities and differences in theme and structure in Maus I and "Often a Minute" and the way in which these contribute to meaning. The lesson also includes time for peer feedback and collaborative discussion to help students improve their writing while also practicing oral skills.
• ELLs may find it challenging to understand portions of the model essay. While Summer of the Mariposas will be quite familiar to students, the poem that this text is compared to in the model is not something students will have a deep understanding of. Encourage students to focus on the structure of the essay and the way in which the author crafts points about similarities and differences. Remind students that for their own essays, they will be working with texts that they know well.
• Homework: Language, Structure, and Theme (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 2, Homework A)
• Characteristics of a Literary Analysis Essay anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
• Model Literary Analysis Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
• Informative Writing checklist (for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
• Homework: Language, Structure, and Theme (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 2, Homework A)
• Model Literary Analysis Essay: Relationship of Structure to Meaning (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
• Informative Writing checklist (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
• Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 3 (answer for teacher reference)
• Literary Analysis Informative Essay: Sample Student Response (example for teacher reference)
• Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (example for teacher reference)  
• Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 1a and 1b (example for teacher reference)
• Homework: Structure and Meaning: "The Owl" (answers for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
• Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 3 (one per student)  
• Literary Analysis Informative Essay directions (one per student and one for display)
• Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer (one per student and one for display)
• Analyze a Model: Proof Paragraphs 1a and 1b (one per student and one for display)
• Homework: Structure and Meaning: "The Owl" (one per student; see Homework Resources)

Each unit in the 6-8 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 students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

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Informative Essay — Purpose, Structure, and Examples

What is informative writing?

Informative writing educates the reader about a certain topic. An informative essay may explain new information, describe a process, or clarify a concept. The provided information is objective, meaning the writing focuses on presentation of fact and should not contain personal opinion or bias.

Informative writing includes description, process, cause and effect, comparison, and problems and possible solutions:

Describes a person, place, thing, or event using descriptive language that appeals to readers’ senses

Explains the process to do something or how something was created

Discusses the relationship between two things, determining how one ( cause ) leads to the other ( effect ); the effect needs to be based on fact and not an assumption

Identifies the similarities and differences between two things; does not indicate that one is better than the other

Details a problem and presents various possible solutions ; the writer does not suggest one solution is more effective than the others

Purpose of informative writing

The purpose of an informative essay depends upon the writer’s motivation, but may be to share new information, describe a process, clarify a concept, explain why or how, or detail a topic’s intricacies.

Informative essays may introduce readers to new information .

Summarizing a scientific/technological study

Outlining the various aspects of a religion

Providing information on a historical period

Describe a process or give step-by-step details of a procedure.

How to write an informational essay

How to construct an argument

How to apply for a job

Clarify a concept and offer details about complex ideas.

Explain why or how something works the way that it does.

Describe how the stock market impacts the economy

Illustrate why there are high and low tides

Detail how the heart functions

Offer information on the smaller aspects or intricacies of a larger topic.

Identify the importance of the individual bones in the body

Outlining the Dust Bowl in the context of the Great Depression

Explaining how bees impact the environment

How to write an informative essay

Regardless of the type of information, the informative essay structure typically consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction

Background information

Explanation of evidence

Restated thesis

Review of main ideas

Closing statement

Informative essay introduction

When composing the introductory paragraph(s) of an informative paper, include a hook, introduce the topic, provide background information, and develop a good thesis statement.

If the hook or introduction creates interest in the first paragraph, it will draw the readers’ attention and make them more receptive to the essay writer's ideas. Some of the most common techniques to accomplish this include the following:

Emphasize the topic’s importance by explaining the current interest in the topic or by indicating that the subject is influential.

Use pertinent statistics to give the paper an air of authority.

A surprising statement can be shocking; sometimes it is disgusting; sometimes it is joyful; sometimes it is surprising because of who said it.

An interesting incident or anecdote can act as a teaser to lure the reader into the remainder of the essay. Be sure that the device is appropriate for the informative essay topic and focus on what is to follow.

Directly introduce the topic of the essay.

Provide the reader with the background information necessary to understand the topic. Don’t repeat this information in the body of the essay; it should help the reader understand what follows.

Identify the overall purpose of the essay with the thesis (purpose statement). Writers can also include their support directly in the thesis, which outlines the structure of the essay for the reader.

Informative essay body paragraphs

Each body paragraph should contain a topic sentence, evidence, explanation of evidence, and a transition sentence.

A good topic sentence should identify what information the reader should expect in the paragraph and how it connects to the main purpose identified in the thesis.

Provide evidence that details the main point of the paragraph. This includes paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly quoting facts, statistics, and statements.

Explain how the evidence connects to the main purpose of the essay.

Place transitions at the end of each body paragraph, except the last. There is no need to transition from the last support to the conclusion. A transition should accomplish three goals:

Tell the reader where you were (current support)

Tell the reader where you are going (next support)

Relate the paper’s purpose

Informative essay conclusion

Incorporate a rephrased thesis, summary, and closing statement into the conclusion of an informative essay.

Rephrase the purpose of the essay. Do not just repeat the purpose statement from the thesis.

Summarize the main idea found in each body paragraph by rephrasing each topic sentence.

End with a clincher or closing statement that helps readers answer the question “so what?” What should the reader take away from the information provided in the essay? Why should they care about the topic?

Informative essay example

The following example illustrates a good informative essay format:

Informational Text Graphic Organizers

These informational text graphic organizers will meet nonfiction reading standards for 4th, 5th and 6th grades.

You can download this PDF containing 32 informational text graphic organizers for your intermediate reading workshop.

These worksheets will help you address many nonfiction standards in 4th and 5th grades.

This is another free resource for teachers and homeschool families from The Curriculum Corner.

We are sharing a complete collection of 32 free informational text graphic organizers for your intermediate classroom.

This huge collection of 32 graphic organizers is designed to address most of the intermediate informational text standards. They address key ideas & details, craft & structure and integration of knowledge & ideas.

These will be a welcome addition to your reading workshop!

Because this collection contains resources for fourth through sixth grade students, it will also make differentiating easier if you are looking to find similar organizers at different levels.

How to Use These Graphic Organizers

We always suggest modeling each graphic organizer before students are asked to complete one independently. This can make for a meaningful mini-lesson.  

Seeing how an organizer is correctly completed will help students fully understand the task they are being asked to complete. It’s also a great opportunity for you to model aloud your thinking as you work.

Model completing the organizer with the help of your students.

Showing students how you think through the process of completing an organizer can help them be successful in the future when completing their own.

It is a valuable lesson because as you complete the organizer, you are sharing your thinking. This then helps them

After completing an organizer as a class, be sure to display the sample so students can use it as a resource when needed.

An option for independent reading time is to create a storage spot for organizers students have been taught to use. They can pick a page that is a good fit for their current book.

Once or twice during the week, students can choose an organizer that fits their current independent reading selection and complete the organizer.

This option gives students choice and encourages some independence.

You will find these ideas covered in these graphic organizers:

Writing questions

You can download this free set of reading graphic organizers here:

Reading Download

As with all of our resources, The Curriculum Corner creates these for free classroom use. Our products may not be sold. You may print and copy for your personal classroom use. These are also great for home school families!

You may not modify and resell in any form. Please let us know if you have any questions.

States & Capitals Matching Cards - The Curriculum Corner 4-5-6

Tuesday 19th of November 2019

[…] Key Ideas & Informational Text Graphic Organizers […]

Preparing Your Reading Workshop - The Curriculum Corner 123

Monday 10th of June 2019

[…] Literature for 4th and 5th                 Informational Text for 4th and 5th […]

nancy alevras

Tuesday 9th of April 2019

Thank you for sharing your resources!

Monday 20th of August 2018

Hi there, I love all of your products and am so appreciative. Your link for 4 th and 5th Graphic Organizers for informational text is not working. I would love to have these! Mary [email protected]

Jill & Cathy

Hi Mary, we just tested the link and didn't have problems on our end downloading the PDF. Maybe it was a problem with the connection or something. If you try again and still experience difficulty, please email us and let us know the error message you are receiving. We will try to help you problem solve.

Reader's Notebook for Students - The Curriculum Corner 123

Saturday 18th of February 2017

[…] Grades 4-5 Graphic Organizers for Informational Text […]

How to Teach Informative Writing

n this post, I share 5 tips for How to Teach Informative Writing and provide details about my Informational Writing Unit resources for for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students. Be sure to download 3 FREE Informational Writing Graphic Organizers!

We write for a variety of purposes. The most popular are to inform, entertain, explain, or persuade. While we teach our students to write for each of these different purposes, the ability to effectively write an informative piece of writing is a highly important skill for students to learn. It is one of the most common types of writing we use in our everyday lives.

Today I’m excited to share 5 tips for teaching informational writing, as well as a valuable resource that has everything you need to teach informative writing to your kindergarten , first grade , or second grade students! 

1.  Read Informative Writing Mentor Texts 

As a teacher, you may “Start with the end in mind”  when you plan out your units of study, but it also applies to students learning about different genres of writing.  Before you can ask your students to write in a genre that is new to them, you must first immerse them in it.  

So to begin your informational writing unit, you’ll want to share lots of quality informational texts with your students.  These mentor texts provide students with excellent examples of informational writing. As you read them aloud, highlight the way the author structures their writing and the features they include to help make their writing more clear for the reader.  All of these things will help students better understand what type of writing we are asking them to do.    

When you’re picking informative mentor texts to share with your students there are a few things to consider .  First, do you (the educator) think it is excellent?  Second, is it easy for your students to understand?  And finally, is it relevant to the type of writing you are teaching?  If you answer “Yes!” to all three, then you’re good to go!

To help you out I’ve created a list of excellent mentor texts you can use when teaching Informative Writing to kindergarten, first, or second grade students.  

A List of Informative Writing Mentor Texts:

Gail Gibbons

• The Moon Book
• The Pumpkin Book

Nicola Davies

• One Tiny Turtle
• Big Blue Whale
• Bat Loves the Night
• Surprising Sharks

Jim Arnosky

• Slither and Crawl
• Frozen Wild
• Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore

Diana Aston

• An Egg is Quiet
• A Beetle is Shy
• A Seed is Sleepy
• A Rock is Lively

I’ve saved all these titles on one board so you can easily take a closer look at these mentor texts. Click here to see this list on Amazon .  

2.   Model Your Own Informational Writing

Never underestimate the importance of modeling!  It’s the most powerful tool in your arsenal.  

When teaching informative writing first model how to choose a topic.  Picking a topic is fun and easy because you get to choose something you already know a lot about!

Remind students that they are already experts in so many areas!!  This can be a big confidence booster for kids who might normally struggle to come up with ideas to write about.  Use think alouds to show them how you brainstorm a list of topics you already know a lot about and show them how you narrow it down to one.  

Next, model how you gather information and organize your ideas.  For informative writing you can show them how you use your prior knowledge, as well as pull important information from outside resources like books and websites. 

Finally, reread your work aloud and show students how you catch silly mistakes such as spelling, capitalization or punctuation errors.  You can also show how you add more details to make your piece more informative for your reader.  

3.  Use Anchor Charts

You want your students to know that when they write an informative piece they are sharing facts, or true information, with their reader. They are not sharing their opinion. It is important to take time to review fact vs. opinion with your students. You can create an anchor chart that clearly defines fact vs. opinion and then practice determining if different statements are facts or opinions.

You will also want to create an anchor chart using the writing you model. This will serve as another example of excellent informative writing. As a class, add labels to identify the topic sentence, supporting facts/details and the closing sentence in your shared writing. 

Post these anchor charts in your writing center so your students can refer back to them and use them as support as they write their own pieces.

4.  Allow students to edit and share their writing

Provide a good writers checklist at your writing center.  For informative writing you’ll want the checklist to include items such,  “Does my writing have a topic sentence?”  “Did I include enough facts?” and “Do I have a closing sentence?”, as well reminders to check for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors.  

Give students the opportunity to share their writing with others!  Pair students with partners and let them read their pieces to each other. 

You can teach them to provide each other with a bit of feedback by encouraging them to use sentence starters such as, “I like the way you….:” ,  “I learned that….” or “Your writing made me wonder….”.  Of course, this is also something you’d first want to model. Posting these sentence starters in your writing center provides support and helps to keep students focused and on-task.  

 5. Provide Daily Opportunities for Students to Write

As with all things, writing takes PRACTICE!  Informative writing requires students to do a lot of hard work. It requires that they think carefully about their purpose for writing. Then they must plan what they’ll say and how they’ll say it.

Finally, they’ve got to get it down on the paper in a way that is clear for the reader.   That’s a lot for a young child! 

Students need dedicated instructional time to learn the skills and strategies necessary to become effective writers, as well as time to practice what they learn. When you think about your daily instructional schedule, make sure you are giving your students ample opportunities to practice their informational writing through whole group instruction, small groups and/or through independent practice in writing centers. 

Informative Writing Unit For Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Students

We know informational writing requires a lot from students, but planning these informative writing units is also A LOT of work for you as the teacher!

To help you out I created informative writing units that have the essential resources you need to teach and students to independently practice informational writing!  These units are a perfect addition to your literacy work in writing centers.

Today I’m excited to share with you the details about my Kindergarten Informative , 1st Grade Informative, and my 2nd grade Informative writing units!

These units were developed with standards-based research specific to each grade. They have EVERYTHING you need to give your students ample amounts of practice writing informational pieces. You can use them within whole class or small group lessons, or as a literacy center where students can practice independently!  

What’s Included in these Informative Writing Resources?

The kindergarten , first grade, and the second grade resources all include information to help you teach the unit, as well as mini-lesson to provide your students a review of informative writing.  You’ll get a list of suggested mentor texts and online resources, academic vocabulary posters, a printable fact vs. opinion anchor chart, and graphic organizers appropriate for each grade level.

The kindergarten resource also includes the materials needed for students to create seasonal writing mini-books . Each mini-book comes with traceable sentence stems and a picture supported vocabulary word bank. This helps your young writers brainstorm ideas for what to write about and support their spelling.

You’ll also get an editing checklist that is specific to informative writing but also appropriate for the kindergarten level.

Instead of a seasonal mini-book, the first grade and second grade resource comes with seasonal writing prompts . You’ll get 5 informative writing prompts for each season, so you can practice informative writing all throughout the year. 

The prompts are both PRINTABLE & DIGITAL.  The digital version has been  PRELOADED  for you,  with 1 click add them  to your Google Drive or upload them to SeeSaw.

Each seasonal prompt also comes with publishing paper that includes a story specific vocabulary bank to provide spelling support and help students get ideas for what to write about.  

Finally, you’ll also get a self-editing checklist and rubric that have both been made specifically for informative writing.  This rubric can be used to help guide students as they work on their pieces, and/or as a self-assessment tool.     

I love these resources because they can be used in so many different ways.  They offer opportunities for students to practice informative writing as a whole class, in small groups, as a literacy center activity, for homework, or as a meaningful activity for when you have a substitute teacher!  They provide k-2 students with all the practice they need to master informative writing! 

FREE Informational Writing Graphic Organizers

Are you ready to begin teaching informative writing in your classroom? To help get your students started, I am happy to offer you 3 FREE informational writing graphic organizers! Download them here!

Helping your students to develop their ability to explain their ideas and share information with others is a valuable academic and life skill they will use well beyond the walls of your classroom.  I hope the information and resources I’ve shared today will help to bring stronger informative writing instruction and more meaningful practice to your kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms!

Be on the lookout for my next post that will focus on another genre… Opinion Writing ! I’ll share information and tips for teaching opinion writing, as well as give you details about my Opinion Writing Units for Kindergarten , First and Second grade students!

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Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer

Take notes in preparation for writing a five paragraph expository essay using this five paragraph essay graphic organizer.

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