How to Teach Expository Writing to Elementary School Students

The popularity of show and tell in elementary school classrooms everywhere indicates that kids love to explain and describe the things in their lives. By making expository writing relevant to them, you can teach your students to be better writers and better communicators.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Start off with simple descriptions. Have your students describe an object in the room using as many senses as possible. Bring a collection of strange objects to the classroom to make the activity more fun.

2. Have your students write descriptive expository pieces from memory. Have each student describe her favorite place, the view from her bedroom window or a perfect sunset. Keep the emphasis on sensory details at first.

3. Have your students do some comparative writing. Have them compare a sunny day to a rainy day or a city street with a quiet spot in a park.

4. Play some expository writing games. For example, have each student describe something and have everyone else try to guess what it is.

5. Do some cause and effect expository writing. Have your students explain why a character in a book did something, or write simple history essays using cause and effect.

6. Ask each student to describe his best friend. Have him describe the way the friend looks, what they do together and why he likes this person.