Welcome to Explanation and Information Texts!
Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue, how a bicycle stays upright, or why we need to eat vegetables? When we want to tell someone how something works or why something happens, we use explanation and information texts.
In this chapter, we are going to learn how to be "expert explainers." We will learn how to organise our ideas so that our readers can understand even the most complicated topics! Don't worry if it seems like a lot to remember—we will take it one step at a time.
1. Identifying Your Audience and Purpose
Before you start writing, you need to ask yourself two very important questions:
1. Who am I writing for? (This is your audience.)
2. Why am I writing this? (This is your purpose.)
If you are explaining how a video game works to a friend, you might use informal language. However, if you are writing a report about the solar system for your teacher, you should use a formal register (Standard English). Using the right register just means choosing the right "voice" for your writing.
Quick Tip: In information texts, we usually use Standard English. This means avoiding slang and making sure our verb forms are correct (for example, saying "they were" instead of "they was").
2. Organising Your Ideas
Information can be messy! To help our reader, we use organisational devices to keep everything neat. Think of these as the "map" of your writing.
Paragraphs
We use paragraphs to group ideas around a specific theme. If you are writing about sharks, you might have one paragraph for "What they eat" and another for "Where they live."
Headings and Sub-headings
A heading (the title) tells the reader what the whole text is about. Sub-headings are like mini-titles for each paragraph. They help the reader find information quickly.
Bullet Points
When you have a list of facts or items, bullet points make them much easier to read than a long, squashed sentence.
Example: To bake a cake, you will need:
• Flour
• Sugar
• Eggs
3. Using the Right "Toolkit" (Grammar and Punctuation)
To make your explanations clear and professional, you can use these special tools from your grammar toolkit:
Fronted Adverbials
These are words or phrases at the start of a sentence that tell us where, when, or how something is happening. We always put a comma after them.
Example: "After a few minutes, the water begins to boil."
Conjunctions
Explanation texts often use conjunctions like because, if, when, and although to show how ideas are linked.
Example: "The plants grow because they have plenty of sunlight."
Parenthesis (Extra Information)
Sometimes you want to add a little bit of extra detail without ruining the flow of the sentence. You can use brackets, dashes, or commas for this.
Example: "The sun (which is actually a star) provides heat for our planet."
Colons and Semi-colons
In Year 6, you might use a colon to introduce a list or a semi-colon to separate long items in a list. This makes your writing look very sophisticated!
Key Takeaway: Using headings, sub-headings, and clear paragraphs helps your reader navigate your information easily.
4. Building Cohesion (Making it Flow)
Cohesion is a fancy word for making sure your writing "sticks together" so it doesn't feel jumpy. You can do this by:
• Using Pronouns: Instead of saying "The robot" in every sentence, you can use "it" or "this machine" to avoid repeating yourself.
• Linking Adverbials: Use words like Firstly, Furthermore, or In contrast to link your paragraphs together.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Mixing up Tenses: Explanation texts are usually written in the present tense (e.g., "The heart pumps blood") because they are about facts that are true right now. Try not to switch to the past tense by accident!
• Forgetting the Reader: Always check if your explanation actually makes sense. If you use a technical word, can you explain what it means? (You could use a synonym, which is a word with the same meaning).
• Missing Punctuation: Remember your full stops, commas after fronted adverbials, and capital letters for proper nouns.
Quick Review Box
Purpose: To explain how or why.
Layout: Use headings, sub-headings, and bullet points.
Grammar: Use conjunctions (because, so) and fronted adverbials.
Register: Usually formal Standard English.
Note: For help with writing stories, see the chapter on "Narrative writing: setting, character and plot". For step-by-step guides, see "Instructions and non-chronological reports".