How to Teach Informational Writing in Kindergarten

We all have those students who come up to us every single time they are asked to write or draw independently saying, “I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what to write about!”. And boy, can that be frustrating, especially when you just spent a whole bunch of time giving your students ideas, showing examples, and talking through instructions. Independence is the ultimate goal for every kindergarten teacher. They come in knowing nothing, following you around like little ducklings, and it would be so so lovely if they could just do it by themselves!! Because having 25 little ducklings following you for 8 hours a day… well it is a lot. 

But here’s the thing, we can’t expect them to be independent without teaching them first. Each of my Kindergarten Writing Units is designed to do exactly that. Whether it is teaching them how to draw basic illustrations or how to create informational writing as we discuss here, you will start from the very beginning and walk through it step by step. Go slow, so that you can go fast and so that your students can end the year as independent writers. Hopefully, by May you have a few less ducklings following you around each day! 

Teaching Informational Writing 

The Informational Writing Unit starts at the very beginning with helping your kindergarteners to pick a topic. On day one your students will learn that writers write about topics they know a lot about. From there, students will pick their topics, research them, and begin to draw pictures about their topics. Students will expand on their knowledge of text features by creating their own table of contents and including page numbers in their stories! 

After drawing their illustrations students will begin to add writing to their stories! They will label their pictures, write a rough draft, and work with partners to revise and edit. Finally, they will have a complete informational text! 

This seems like a lot, where do I begin?

You might be thinking, “Wow, this seems like a lot”. And yes, teaching writing in kindergarten is a huge undertaking. However, I can assure you that your students likely already know much of what they need to in order to complete this unit! If your students can draw basic illustrations, write sentences using a basic sentence starter, and label pictures then they are on their way to being very successful in this unit! If they need some reminders along the way, the 4 week lesson template includes lessons on stretching out words, using the word wall to find words they already know, and a review of drawing detailed pictures. 

If your students aren’t yet comfortable with these skills I would suggest backing up and completing one of my other seven kindergarten writing units! You may want to visit the Illustration Unit that shows students how to use shapes to draw the world around them. If you notice your students struggle with labeling or sounding out words, my Labeling Unit would be perfect! 

Remember, go slow to go fast. It is okay if you need to go back to the basics or if you need to adjust the pacing of these lessons. They are a guide, you are the expert in your classroom and should do what is best for your students! 

So, what is included?

The unit includes 21 scripted lesson plans created so that you can print and go! It also includes seven anchor charts that help to teach skills such as fact vs.opinion and provide students with a writing checklist! 

Differentiation is key in kindergarten writing so you will have access to three different options for rough draft writing paper as well as six different book options. You will also receive an editable rubric that will allow you to meet the needs of your classroom! 

And you cannot forget the celebration hats and parent letters! I provide simple letters that can go home to families at the beginning and end of each unit. This allows you to involve parents in their child’s learning in a time efficient way! 

You can see everything that is included here! 

If you love the sound of this unit and want to use more of my writing instruction in the future, you should look into my Kindergarten Writing Bundle! This includes a year-long curriculum guiding your students towards writing independence during writers workshop!