Teachers are always looking for ways to deepen students’ understanding while keeping them engaged across subject areas. One easy and effective way to achieve this is through informative writing prompts. These writing activities help students strengthen core literacy skills while reinforcing core concepts in science, social studies, math and the arts.
By weaving informative and how-to writing prompts for elementary students into your lesson plans, your students organize their thoughts, express ideas clearly and reflect on what they’ve learned. It’s a simple, yet powerful way to build their confidence as writers and engaged learners.
In this article, you’ll find cross-curricular writing activities to support your lessons in every subject—plus a fun, creative way to turn your students’ work into a published classbook they’ll look back on for years to come.
How Informative Writing Supports Cross-Curricular Learning
Builds Writing Fluency and Confidence
Incorporating writing across core subjects helps students expand their vocabulary, organize their thoughts and share their ideas with confidence. Whether they’re explaining how something works or describing what they’ve learned, these exercises naturally strengthen sentence structure and sharpen word choice.
Reinforces Subject Matter
When students take time to write about what they’ve learned, it helps the information stick and gives them a chance to connect with the material on a deeper level. Informative writing prompts for elementary students also spark critical thinking, encouraging students to process ideas more thoughtfully across subjects.
Encourages Engagement and Ownership
Inviting students to explain new concepts in their own words empowers them to take an active role in their learning. As they become more confident in expressing what they know, they grow more eager to explore new ideas.
Science + Informative Writing Prompts = Discovery Through Words
Science is full of complex processes, systems and vocabulary. Utilizing informative writing topics for students allows them to break down what they’ve learned and explain it clearly, helping solidify their understanding.
Informative Writing Prompts for Science
- How does the water cycle work?
- What are the different phases of the moon?
- Describe the life cycle of a butterfly.
- What do plants need to grow?
- Explain how magnets work.
- What is the difference between a solid, a liquid and a gas?
- How does an animal adapt to its environment?
How-To Writing Prompts for Science
- How to build a simple weather tool (like a rain gauge or barometer)
- How to grow a plant in the classroom
- How to observe and record cloud patterns
- How to set up a safe science experiment
Social Studies + Informative Writing = Real-World Connections
Social studies topics are naturally fitting for informative writing. Whether students are learning about geography, historical figures or their community, writing about these topics adds context and meaning, helping them understand how the past and present shape the world around them.
Informative Writing Prompts for Social Studies
- Describe the three branches of government.
- What are the responsibilities of a mayor?
- Explain the importance of voting.
- What makes a good citizen?
- What was life like for early settlers?
How-To Writing Prompts for Social Studies
- How to be a responsible community member
- How to create a map of your town
- How to conduct an interview with a community helper
- How to research a historical figure
Math + Informative Writing = Explaining the “Why”
Math isn’t just about getting the right answer—it’s also about explaining how you got there. Incorporating informative writing topics for students into math provides an opportunity to strengthen their reasoning and critical thinking skills by breaking down their problem-solving process and making sense of abstract concepts.
Informative Writing Prompts for Math
- Describe how to solve a two-step word problem.
- Explain the difference between area and perimeter.
- What are the properties of 3D shapes?
- How do you add or subtract one number from another?
- Explain the steps for solving a multiplication problem.
How-To Writing Prompts for Math
- How to count coins and make change
- How to use a ruler to measure objects
- How to estimate a total using rounding
- How to divide a pizza to show equal parts (fractions)
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ELA + Informative Writing = Sharpening Literacy Skills
ELA is where writing skills take root. Incorporating informative writing prompts into reading and grammar lessons helps students connect ideas and improve their understanding of grammar and expression.
Informative Writing Prompts for ELA
- What are the elements of a story?
- Explain how to use context clues to understand a word.
- What makes a good story summary?
- Describe the difference between a noun and a verb.
How-To Writing Prompts for ELA
- How to write a strong paragraph
- How to use quotation marks
- How to find the main idea of a story
While you are here, check out our free printable writing lesson plans and worksheets!
Art + Informative Writing = Creativity in Communication
From painting to performance, the arts provide endless inspiration for informative writing. Creative subjects like music, art and drama offer rich opportunities to explore expression, culture and technique. Informative writing topics for students allow them to engage with artistic processes and apply core academic skills in a meaningful way.
Informative Writing Prompts for the Arts
- Describe how to draw a landscape (beach, forest, mountains, etc.)
- What are the main parts of a play production?
- Describe how music can affect your mood.
- Describe the process of sculpting with clay.
How-To Writing Prompts for the Arts
- How to draw a self-portrait
- How to mix primary colors to get secondary colors
- How to make a simple collage
- How to prepare for a class play
Turning Informative Writing Into a Published Classbook
What better way to celebrate your students’ hard work than by turning their informative writing into a professionally bound classbook? This meaningful writing activity motivates your class by giving them a real-world audience and a chance to become published authors.
Easy Steps to Create Your Classbook
1. Choose a Theme
Select a class-wide topic or let each student write about a subject of their choice across the curriculum. Here are some ideas:
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“Our Science Explainers”
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“How-To Experts of Room 204”
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“Everything We’ve Learned This Year”
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“Our Class Encyclopedia”
2. Guide the Writing Process
Walk students through brainstorming, drafting, editing, and illustrating.
Emphasize logical sequencing and clear step-by-step instructions when working on how-to writing.
3. Publish
With your FREE classbook publishing kit, you’ll have everything you need to guide your students through the publishing process—from easy-to-use templates to step-by-step instructions, plus free shipping on your classbook submission.
4. Celebrate Your Authors
Plan a special reveal day to showcase your classbook! Invite families, capture the moment with photos, and let students sign each other’s pages. It’s a fun, memorable way to celebrate all they’ve accomplished and wrap up the year with something truly rewarding.
Tips for Making Informative Writing Engaging
Even the best writing prompts need a little creativity to bring them to life. Here’s how to make informative writing prompts for elementary students more engaging:
- Use visual organizers like flowcharts and Venn diagrams to help students plan out and structure their ideas.
- Let students take the lead by teaching the class based on their writing.
- Include peer review to foster collaboration.
- Add illustration time to support visual learners and help them connect with their writing.
Make an Impact with Cross-Curricular Writing
Incorporating informative writing prompts into your classroom does more than strengthen your students’ writing skills—it supports cross-curricular learning by giving them the tools to reflect, explain and connect with the material. When students use writing to share their understanding, they deepen comprehension and grow into more thoughtful, independent thinkers.
Whether you’re introducing how-to writing prompts for elementary students in math, science or social studies—or turning your class’ work into a published classbook—these meaningful writing experiences inspire confidence, creativity and a deeper interest in the subjects they’re exploring.
Studentreasures provides FREE classbook publishing kits. Creating a classbook is not only a fun activity that teaches students about the writing process, but it can also help increase engagement and build their confidence as young writers.
For more ideas to help get your students engaged and excited to learn, check out our online Teacher’s Lounge and sign up for your free classbook publishing kit today!