4th Grade Language Arts
Informational Writing
Unit 3
Unit 3: Informational Writing
What is Informative Writing?
The expository, or informative essay is a kind of essay that asks students to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expand on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through compare and contrast, definition, example, cause and effect, etc.
Brainstorming
Like any other form of writing, it is very important to brainstorm and make a plan accordingly, and following the proper steps to write a successful informative essay. Though sometimes you may be given a prompt to write about, sometimes you will not be given a prompt and must find a topic you want to write about on your own. These videos will help guide you in the early processes of coming up with ideas and any other pre-writing steps.
Introductions
The purpose of an informative writing is to educate and inform the reader about the topic you are writing about. In the introduction, you want to grab the reader’s attention and let the reader know what he/she will be learning! Here are the usual things writers include in their introductions.
Begin with a question.
Reveal the main topic.
Tell the two or three big ideas that will be presented.
An example would be:
Did you know that the ferocious sharks aren’t the ocean’s only top predators? Killer whales are also at the very top of the ocean’s food chain. Killer whales hunt a variety of organisms and display very interesting behaviors. However, these fascinating mammals face many threats as well.
Body Paragraphs and Conclusion
As you may have noticed from narrative writing and opinion writing, they usually all follow the same format with very small differences. Remember, body paragraphs must be split up with one paragraph per topic (from your introduction paragraph) and three supporting details. The conclusion paragraph will essentially tie up all the lose ends and restate the main idea presented in the introduction paragraph. Below, you can see some patterns commonly used in informational writings. Read through it very carefully as it is very useful for writers to know these!
Table of Contents & Glossary
Depending on your teacher, this part may vary, but it is still very important to know how to properly create a table of contents and glossary for the reader to easily find their way around your informational writing. Check these videos out!
Think You Got It?
Here's a link with 30 informative prompts. Pick the prompt you like and try to write your own informative essay! Remember, these will be discussed and possibly posted on blogs, so do your best! You can type it out in a document or write it down on a loose-leaf paper or notebook. Remember to have an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. If you have any questions, head over to the blog and ask away! https://www.journalbuddies.com/prompts-by-grade/expository-writing-4th-grade/
Using Transitions
Using transitional words and phrases will be used very often, especially in informative writings. When providing evidence to back up your statement, you must be able to use these transition phrases.
Relative Pronouns
Previously, we have learned what pronouns are (he, she, they, etc.). Now, we will look at a different kinds of pronouns. Relative pronouns are a type of pronoun that often introduces dependent (or relative) clauses in sentences. They also can stand alone as the subject or object of a sentence.
There is a specific list of relative pronouns, and here they are: who, whoever, whom, whomever, that, which, when, where, and whose.
Think you got it? Try this quick quiz and test how much you know! https://www.softschools.com/quizzes/grammar/relative_pronouns/quiz932.html
If you don't feel confident about it yet, check this link out! http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/agreement_pa_ex2.htm
Relative Adverbs
The common relative adverbs are when, where, why, how, whatever, whenever, and wherever. These adverbs introduce clauses which provide information about when, where, why or how something happened.
Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes and suffixes have their own meanings and are added to base words. They change the meanings of base words. You can use suffixes and prefixes to help you figure out the meanings of words.
A prefix is a syllable added to the beginning of a base word to change its meaning or the way it is used in a sentence whereas a suffix is a syllable added to the end of a base word to change its meaning or the way it is used in a sentence.
Try this review to expand your knowledge on prefixes and suffixes!
https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-4/identify-base-words-prefixes-and-suffixes