Develop ideas for a story or essay. Once a student has been informed about what informative writing is, the next step is to teach him or her about developing story material. Anything can be material for an informative writing essay. Personal life stories are good topics to choose from, as are vacations or sporting activities. Have the students brainstorm a list of their favorite activities or favorite experiences.
Develop a personal voice in the students. This is most evident in the thesis statement. Even though informative writing doesn't have to be entirely accurate like journalistic writing, it should have a strong point of view. The thesis statement is one of the most import elements of informative, or essay, writing. The students should be instructed to select an experience from their list and narrow down the ones that they feel the most strongly about.
Teach research techniques. The Internet makes research considerably easier than if doing it using libraries and live interviews. Students should be taught to examine the facts of their stories. They can be given exercises to work on exploring facts. The basic principles of journalistic writing come into play here. Teach the students about the "5 W's". Who? What? Where? Why? When? Those are the five questions that should be asked and answered in every piece of informative writing. Support the facts, or perceived facts, with supporting material that backs up the information presented in the "5 W's."
Show the students how to organize their material. The components of an informative writing piece include: introduction/thesis, main facts, supporting facts, summary and closing. This concept can at times be confusing for students of any age. A story web is a useful tool for showing a student how to organize his thoughts. This graphic tool consists of a large center bubble with several smaller bubbles extending from it. The main story idea is written in the center bubble, then associated ideas are written in the surrounding bubbles. This helps a student by allowing him to visually see how ideas are related. A story map is another useful graphic organizing tool. It consists of blank boxes, or spaces, that prompt the student to write what is needed for the story. For example: the setting, then the major and minor characters, the problem/central conflict, the events and the resolution of the problem/central conflict. Many different types of graphic organizers can be used to help the student outline his material before writing.
Teach the students how to write well in general. This goes for informative writing, as well as other types of writing. To become a good writer it is important to be a good reader. The more a student reads, she will gain a broader understanding of how information is conveyed in text. Use writing prompts and exercises to teach the students how to write descriptively. Students should also be encouraged to use comparison and contrast to enliven their pieces. They should also be encouraged to use the principles of cause and effect.