Standard 3: Critical Reading and Writing

Students will apply critical thinking skills to reading and writing.

5.3.W.2 INFORMATIVE-Grade Level Focus Students will introduce and develop a topic, incorporating evidence (e.g., specific facts, examples, details) and maintaining an organized structure.

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students compose a informational pieces of writing to explain ideas.
• Students select and maintain an appropriate text structure for their topic.
• Students select a topic and compose a well-developed introduction that establishes the main idea and captures the reader’s attention.
• Students include supporting evidence (i.e., relevant facts, examples, and details) to develop the topic.
• Students use transitions between ideas and concepts using appropriate words and phrases.
• Students write conclusions to bring all ideas to a close.
• Students write to INFORM:
• Include an opening paragraph and state topic.
• Name facts in the body paragraphs of your writing.
• Follow those facts with supporting information and details.
• Organize your writing with transition words and phrases.
• Refer to resources and use domain-specific vocabulary
• Make a closing paragraph that refers to the topic
• Students use simple checklists and rubrics during the editing and revising stages. 
• Students underline the items on the checklist in different colors or highlight where they see evidence of these items. 

• Teachers describe the elements of a strong informative writing piece.

• Teachers explain that all types of writing are very personal and ensure students that they are respectful of the fact that their writing is a piece of themselves.

• Teachers ensure students their writing will not be read out loud without the student’s permission.

• Teachers share mentor texts to show how authors:

• Maintain an appropriate text structure

• Establish a topic and well-developed introduction 

• Include supporting evidence and details

• Use transitional and signal words

• Teachers model how to:

• select a topic and compose a well-developed introduction.

• include relevant facts, examples and details to develop the topic

• use transitions between ideas and concepts using appropriate words and phrases.

• write a conclusion to bring all ideas to a close.

• It is important to model writing for your students using Write Aloud techniques, this is a powerful teaching tool. You may want to remove your example from their sight when it is time to write, or write about a similar but different topic.

• Teachers allow time for students to practice composing informative texts while realizing not every piece needs to be taken completely through the writing process.

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback on their writing regarding main idea, supporting details, inclusion of facts, and use of transitional and signal words.

• Teachers introduce students to simple rubrics or checklists. It is helpful to use the OSDE rubric for 5th grade writing and adapt for age appropriateness.

• Teachers may chose 1-3 skills to focus on for a piece of writing and not overwhelm students with a long list at this beginning stage.

• Teachers model and guide students to underline the items on the list in different colors or highlight where they see evidence of these items.

• Teachers model using a rubric to evaluate writing in the revising stage. 

Supporting Resources

Teacher Insights 

Informative Anchor Set (PDF)

Transitional Words (PDF)

OK ELA Frameworks: Informational Writing Literacy Progression (webpage)

Identifying and Writing Effective Hooks (webpage)

Once They're Hooked, Reel Them In: Writing Good Endings (webpage)

Prompting Revision through Modeling and Written Conversations (webpage)

What Did Houdini Hide? Writing Creative Endings (webpage)

Exploring Cause and Effect Using Expository Texts About Natural Disasters (webpage)

Exploring Compare and Contrast Structure in Expository Texts (webpage)

Essay Map (webpage)

Blending Fiction and Nonfiction to Improve Comprehension and Writing Skills (webpage)

Guided Comprehension: Summarizing Using the QuIP Strategy (webpage)

Peer Review (webpage)

• Of the three writing modes, informative writing is the grade-level focus for fifth grade.

• Informative writing is factual writing about a nonfiction topic.

• The main goal of informational writing is to increase knowledge by providing straightforward information on a topic.

• Writers establish the main idea with a strong introduction that captures the reader’s attention.

• Ideas for Strong Introductions: include an unusual fact, ask a question, include vivid description, tell a brief story

• Writers restate the main idea with a strong conclusion.

• Ideas for Strong Conclusions: summarize key points, make a prediction, offer an opinion or a suggestion, explain the topic’s importance

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.