First Grade · Writing · week 19

All About ___: Choosing Your Expert Topic

Choose a topic the writer knows well and understand the purpose of informational (all-about) writing: teaching the reader true facts.

Opinion writing tells what you THINK. Informational writing -- "all about" writing -- tells what you KNOW. It teaches the reader true facts about a topic.

The best topic is something you are already a little bit of an expert on: a pet, a hobby, a sport, or a place you know well. Today you just pick your topic.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Help your child brainstorm three or four possible topics before settling on one -- having options makes the choice feel real.
  • Steer toward a topic with enough real facts to write about all week, rather than one so narrow it runs dry after one sentence.
  • Ask "how do you know that?" about a stated fact to make sure it is something true and checkable, not a feeling.
  • Get a little excited with your child about their topic -- genuine curiosity from you fuels their writing energy.
Talk about it:
  • What topic did you choose, and why do you know a lot about it?
  • What makes informational writing different from opinion writing?
  • What is one true fact you already know about your topic?

Mastery looks like: They choose a specific, fact-rich topic and can explain the difference between a fact and an opinion about it.

Common stumbles: Picking a topic that is really an opinion (like a favorite flavor) instead of something with real facts to teach.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Writing for this learner.
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