The Best Informative Writing Activities with Astonishing Student Results
Are you looking for some engaging project ideas or informative writing activities for your elementary classroom? These 10 informative writing activities are fun, engaging and common core aligned. They are sure to get your students thinking and applying their knowledge of nonfiction topics in new and exciting ways.
All About Me
What better way to start writing informative pieces than to start with something students are experts about… themselves! Have students write an informative piece about themselves using the various elements of writing. Students will introduce themselves in the topic sentence, write 4 facts about themselves, elaborate about those facts in their details and then close with something exciting and new. Students will love this project and it makes a great get-to-know-you activity or bulletin board for the hallway.
My House
Another topic students are EXPERTS on is their own home. Allow students to write informatively about what their house looks like including what the exterior is like, the interior, who lives there and what their favorite area is. This is a great way to have students write an informative piece without having to do a ton of research beforehand. Students will love this project and easy to do craft that accompanies it.
Bat Research
A fun topic around October or at any time of the year is BAT research! As a class, you can research all about bats. Then, allow students to take your research and turn it into an informative writing piece about bats. This project and craft is a fun way to get any students writing nonfiction facts.
Animal Adaptations
What adaptations would you make to your body if you were able to choose? Students will LOVE this informative writing project in which they get to pick all the unique animal adaptations they would want for their body and explain WHY these adaptations are unique. You can read more about this month long project on my blog or you can snag this fun resource on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Biography Project
If you had to choose your role model, who would it be? Let students research various role models or important figures from history or modern times and then have them compile the information that they acquire into a fun report and flip book. You can read more about this project here or grab it here!
Pumpkins
What better way to engage students into the spirit of a season than to be researching timely topics? Students are so excited in the Fall to pick their perfect pumpkins. However, how much do they really know about pumpkins? As a class, you can gather information about pumpkins from nonfiction texts, then let students take that research and turn it into a pumpkin report.
Animal and Habitat Research
There is nothing more fascinating to students than to learn about different animals. Students LOVE to learn fun facts and act as researchers to find out new and exciting information about their favorite creatures. Empower students to do this research by having them pick a habitat and write a report on the animals that live in this habitat. This project can be as short or as long as you want it to be, depending on how many animals you want them to research. Read more about it here or grab this resource now!
My Thanksgiving Dinner
The holidays are such a fun and festive time for students. One fun way to engage students in informative writing is to get them writing about topics that are already familiar to them. A great topic to write about is their Thanksgiving dinner. There are so many facts they can share.. who was there, what did they eat, where did they eat it, why were they celebrating, what did they do before/during/after the meal? The options are limitless and the facts you will learn about your students are fascinating. Snag this fun project for your classroom.
Bug Research
Let’s face the facts.. a fun spring topic for students is no doubt INSECTS. Students love to learn about these creepy, crawly creatures. Embrace that love by having students do a digital bug research project. The best part about a digital resource? No copies AND no prep! Simply assign and go. What are you waiting for? Grab this resource now.
Titanic
Another topic that students are fascinated by is the Titanic. Students love to learn about The Wonder Ship and all of the glory this ship contained before it met it’s tragic fate. Have students conduct research about this ship, then have them compile their facts into a writing craft that makes a great bulletin board display or addition to a writing portfolio.
What are some of your other favorite informative writing activities? Drop them in the comments below!