English Language Arts · 6th Grade

Active learning ideas

Informational Writing: Organizing Ideas

Active learning helps students move beyond passive note-taking by physically manipulating information, which strengthens their understanding of how ideas connect. For informational writing, organization is not just about order but about showing relationships, and these activities make those relationships visible through hands-on tasks.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.a
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.c

• 15–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Concept Mapping
• 25 min · Pairs

Scrambled Paragraphs

Give pairs a cut-up informational article where paragraphs are in random order. Pairs reconstruct the most logical sequence and write one sentence explaining the organizational logic they used. Compare different pairs' sequences and discuss which arrangement is stronger and why.

Construct an outline that logically presents information about a topic.

Facilitation Tip

During Scrambled Paragraphs, have students physically rearrange sentences on a table or digital document so they see how structure changes meaning.

What to look for

Provide students with three short paragraphs, each using a different organizational structure (compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution). Ask students to identify the structure of each paragraph and write one sentence explaining their reasoning.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 20 min · Small Groups

Structure Matching

Give groups four different short informational passages , one cause/effect, one compare/contrast, one problem/solution, one sequential. Groups identify which structure each passage uses and find the key transition words that signal it, then share findings to build a class reference chart.

Differentiate between the most effective organizational structures for different informational purposes.

Facilitation Tip

For Structure Matching, provide sentence starters that include transition words so students practice using language that signals relationships.

What to look for

Present students with a topic, such as 'the impact of social media on teen friendships.' Ask them to choose the most appropriate organizational structure for an informational essay on this topic and briefly explain why. Then, have them write the topic sentence for the first body paragraph.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Concept Mapping
• 20 min · Whole Class

Outline Critique

Project an outline for a student essay on a familiar topic. The class discusses whether the outline uses a logical structure, where the logic breaks down, and what organizational structure best fits the topic. Revise the outline together using class input.

Explain how topic sentences guide the reader through an informational paragraph.

Facilitation Tip

When teaching Outline Critique, model how to ask guiding questions like, 'Does this section show cause/effect or classification?' to help students evaluate their own work.

What to look for

Students exchange outlines for an informational essay. Each student reviews their partner's outline, checking for a clear organizational structure and logical flow of ideas. They provide feedback on whether the structure effectively supports the main topic and suggest one improvement.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Concept Mapping
• 15 min · Pairs

Topic Sentence Game

Each pair writes three topic sentences for the same body paragraph using three different structures , compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution. The class reads examples aloud and discusses which structure sets up the most useful paragraph for the given information.

Construct an outline that logically presents information about a topic.

Facilitation Tip

Play the Topic Sentence Game in small groups so students hear multiple interpretations of a topic and discuss which structure best fits the evidence.

What to look for

Provide students with three short paragraphs, each using a different organizational structure (compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution). Ask students to identify the structure of each paragraph and write one sentence explaining their reasoning.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach organization as a rhetorical choice by starting with the relationship you want to show, not the facts you want to include. Avoid teaching outlines as templates; instead, model how to analyze a topic and select the structure that best fits the purpose. Research suggests students benefit from visual organizers that highlight relationships, such as webs or flowcharts, before moving to linear outlines.

Students will demonstrate their ability to select and apply appropriate organizational structures for informational writing, using transitions to clarify meaning. Success looks like clear, labeled outlines and paragraphs that show intentional relationships between ideas, not just lists of facts.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Scrambled Paragraphs, students may think organization is just putting sentences in any order.

  During Scrambled Paragraphs, pause the activity and ask students to sort sentences into groups based on the relationships they show, such as cause/effect or compare/contrast, before arranging them.

• During Structure Matching, students may believe transitions are only for connecting sentences, not for signaling larger relationships.

  During Structure Matching, highlight transition phrases in each matched pair and ask students to explain what kind of relationship the phrase signals, such as 'similarly' for comparison or 'as a result' for cause/effect.

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Methods used in this brief

• Concept Mapping