Write Informative Texts With Facts
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1st Grade ELA › Write Informative Texts With Facts
Read this informative writing: "Bears. Bears are big animals. Bears can run fast. Bears eat fish and berries." What is missing?
An ending
Facts
The topic
A question
Explanation
This question tests CCSS.W.1.2: writing informative/explanatory texts. First graders must name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. Informative writing has 3 parts: (1) TOPIC—what you're writing about, name it clearly (like 'Dogs' or 'I am writing about dogs'). (2) FACTS—information about the topic, not opinions. Facts tell what, where, how, describe. Facts can be proven true. Give 2-4 facts. Examples: 'Dogs have fur.' 'Dogs can bark.' 'Dogs are animals.' (3) ENDING/CLOSURE—closing sentence that wraps up. May restate topic or conclude. Example: 'Dogs are good pets.' or 'That is all about dogs.' IMPORTANT: Use FACTS (information), not OPINIONS (what you think). Fact='Dogs have four legs.' Opinion='Dogs are the best.' Choice A is correct because an ending is missing; the writing has topic and facts but no closure. Choice B is incorrect because facts are present, like 'Bears are big animals'; students choosing this may have not understood the difference between components. To help students write informative texts: Teach 3 parts explicitly. (1) TOPIC: 'I am writing about ___.' Or just title: 'Dogs.' (2) FACTS: Give information. Use sentence frames: '(Topic) are ___.' '(Topic) have ___.' '(Topic) can ___.' '(Topic) live ___.' Facts tell INFORMATION, not feelings. Teach FACT vs OPINION: Fact = can prove it, information (Dogs have fur. The sun is hot.). Opinion = what you think/feel, uses like/best/good (Dogs are the best. I like the sun.). Have students sort statements into fact or opinion. (3) ENDING: 'That is all about ___.' '(Topic) are important/interesting/helpful.' Wraps it up. Use graphic organizer: Circle=Topic, 3-4 boxes=Facts, Triangle=Ending. Model: 'The Sun. The sun is a star (fact). It is hot (fact). The sun gives us light (fact). The sun is important (ending).' Watch for: Students who give opinions ('I like dogs') instead of facts ('Dogs have fur'), students who don't provide factual information, students who forget closure. Teach: Informative = INFORMATION (facts), not what you think.
Read this informative writing: "Buses. Buses take people places. They have wheels. Buses are big." What is the topic?
People
Buses
Wheels
Explanation
This tests finding the topic. The writing is all about buses. Wheels and people are just details.
Which sentence would be a good ending for "Bees"?
Bees are important insects
Bees are the cutest
Bees, bees, bees
Do bees fly?
Explanation
This question tests CCSS.W.1.2: writing informative/explanatory texts. First graders must name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. Informative writing has 3 parts: (1) TOPIC—what you're writing about, name it clearly (like 'Bees' or 'I am writing about bees'). (2) FACTS—information about the topic, not opinions. Facts tell what, where, how, describe. Facts can be proven true. Give 2-4 facts. Examples: 'Bees make honey.' 'Bees can fly.' 'Bees live in hives.' (3) ENDING/CLOSURE—closing sentence that wraps up. May restate topic or conclude. Example: 'Bees are important insects.' or 'That is all about bees.' IMPORTANT: Use FACTS (information), not OPINIONS (what you think). Fact='Bees have wings.' Opinion='Bees are the best.' Choice A is correct because this provides closure by wrapping up the informative writing about bees. Choice B is incorrect because this is an opinion (what someone thinks), not an ending; students choosing this may have confused fact with opinion or thought an opinion could serve as closure. To help students write informative texts: Teach 3 parts explicitly. (1) TOPIC: 'I am writing about ___.' Or just title: 'Bees.' (2) FACTS: Give information. Use sentence frames: '(Topic) are ___.' '(Topic) have ___.' '(Topic) can ___.' '(Topic) live ___.' Facts tell INFORMATION, not feelings. Teach FACT vs OPINION: Fact = can prove it, information (Bees make honey. The sun is hot.). Opinion = what you think/feel, uses like/best/good (Bees are the best. I like the sun.). Have students sort statements into fact or opinion. (3) ENDING: 'That is all about ___.' '(Topic) are important/interesting/helpful.' Wraps it up. Use graphic organizer: Circle=Topic, 3-4 boxes=Facts, Triangle=Ending. Model: 'The Sun. The sun is a star (fact). It is hot (fact). The sun gives us light (fact). The sun is important (ending).' Watch for: Students who give opinions ('I like bees') instead of facts ('Bees make honey'), students who don't provide factual information, students who forget closure. Teach: Informative = INFORMATION (facts), not what you think.
Read this informative writing: "Turtles. Turtles have hard shells. They can swim. They lay eggs." Does it have an ending?
Yes, it has no facts.
Yes, it has an ending.
No, it needs an ending.
No, it needs a topic.
Explanation
This question tests CCSS.W.1.2: writing informative/explanatory texts. First graders must name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. Informative writing has 3 parts: (1) TOPIC—what you're writing about, name it clearly (like 'Dogs' or 'I am writing about dogs'). (2) FACTS—information about the topic, not opinions. Facts tell what, where, how, describe. Facts can be proven true. Give 2-4 facts. Examples: 'Dogs have fur.' 'Dogs can bark.' 'Dogs are animals.' (3) ENDING/CLOSURE—closing sentence that wraps up. May restate topic or conclude. Example: 'Dogs are good pets.' or 'That is all about dogs.' IMPORTANT: Use FACTS (information), not OPINIONS (what you think). Fact='Dogs have four legs.' Opinion='Dogs are the best.' Choice B is correct because no, it needs an ending; the writing has a topic and facts but does not have a closing sentence to provide closure. Choice A is incorrect because it does not have an ending, as there is no wrapping up; students choosing this may have thought the last fact was closure. To help students write informative texts: Teach 3 parts explicitly. (1) TOPIC: 'I am writing about ___.' Or just title: 'Dogs.' (2) FACTS: Give information. Use sentence frames: '(Topic) are ___.' '(Topic) have ___.' '(Topic) can ___.' '(Topic) live ___.' Facts tell INFORMATION, not feelings. Teach FACT vs OPINION: Fact = can prove it, information (Dogs have fur. The sun is hot.). Opinion = what you think/feel, uses like/best/good (Dogs are the best. I like the sun.). Have students sort statements into fact or opinion. (3) ENDING: 'That is all about ___.' '(Topic) are important/interesting/helpful.' Wraps it up. Use graphic organizer: Circle=Topic, 3-4 boxes=Facts, Triangle=Ending. Model: 'The Sun. The sun is a star (fact). It is hot (fact). The sun gives us light (fact). The sun is important (ending).' Watch for: Students who give opinions ('I like dogs') instead of facts ('Dogs have fur'), students who don't provide factual information, students who forget closure. Teach: Informative = INFORMATION (facts), not what you think.
Write about trees. Tell what trees are. Give facts. Write an ending.
Do not write an ending
Write questions only
Start with the topic and facts
Only write your opinion
Explanation
This question tests CCSS.W.1.2: writing informative/explanatory texts. First graders must name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. Informative writing has 3 parts: (1) TOPIC—what you're writing about, name it clearly (like 'Trees' or 'I am writing about trees'). (2) FACTS—information about the topic, not opinions. Facts tell what, where, how, describe. Facts can be proven true. Give 2-4 facts. Examples: 'Trees have leaves.' 'Trees grow tall.' 'Trees give us wood.' (3) ENDING/CLOSURE—closing sentence that wraps up. May restate topic or conclude. Example: 'Trees are important plants.' or 'That is all about trees.' IMPORTANT: Use FACTS (information), not OPINIONS (what you think). Fact='Trees have roots.' Opinion='Trees are the best.' Choice A is correct because starting with the topic and facts aligns with the components of informative writing, and the prompt includes writing an ending to provide closure. Choice B is incorrect because it suggests only writing opinions, but informative writing requires facts, not opinions; students choosing this may have confused facts with opinions or not understood that informative texts use information, not feelings. To help students write informative texts: Teach 3 parts explicitly. (1) TOPIC: 'I am writing about ___.' Or just title: 'Trees.' (2) FACTS: Give information. Use sentence frames: '(Topic) are ___.' '(Topic) have ___.' '(Topic) can ___.' '(Topic) live ___.' Facts tell INFORMATION, not feelings. Teach FACT vs OPINION: Fact = can prove it, information (Trees have leaves. The sun is hot.). Opinion = what you think/feel, uses like/best/good (Trees are the best. I like the sun.). Have students sort statements into fact or opinion. (3) ENDING: 'That is all about ___.' '(Topic) are important/interesting/helpful.' Wraps it up. Use graphic organizer: Circle=Topic, 3-4 boxes=Facts, Triangle=Ending. Model: 'The Sun. The sun is a star (fact). It is hot (fact). The sun gives us light (fact). The sun is important (ending).' Watch for: Students who give opinions ('I like trees') instead of facts ('Trees have leaves'), students who don't provide factual information, students who forget closure. Teach: Informative = INFORMATION (facts), not what you think.
Which sentence is a fact, not an opinion?
Pizza is yummy.
Pizza has cheese.
Pizza is the best food.
Explanation
We find facts, not opinions. "Pizza has cheese" tells something true. "Yummy" and "best" are opinion words.
Read this informative writing: "Bears. Bears are big. Bears live in forests." What is missing?
An ending
A topic
Facts
Explanation
We check if writing is complete. The writing has a topic (Bears) and facts. But it needs an ending to finish.
Which is a fact, not an opinion, about cats?
Cats are cute.
Cats have whiskers.
Cats are the nicest.
Explanation
This tests facts versus opinions. 'Cats have whiskers' tells something true. 'Cute' and 'nicest' are feelings.
Which sentence gives information about trees?
Trees are cool.
I like climbing trees.
Trees have leaves.
Explanation
We find sentences that give information. "Trees have leaves" tells a fact about trees. The other sentences share feelings.
Read this informative writing: "Penguins are birds. They cannot fly. They swim in cold water. Penguins are amazing." Does it have an ending?
No, it has no facts.
No, it has no topic.
Yes, it has an ending.
Explanation
We check for an ending sentence. "Penguins are amazing" is the ending. It wraps up the facts about penguins.