English Language Arts · Kindergarten

Active learning ideas

Creating Informative Texts

Kindergarten students learn best when they move, talk, and use visuals to anchor new concepts. Active learning helps them feel the shift from telling a story to teaching a fact, which is a big cognitive leap for this age. Hands-on experiences make the abstract difference between narrative and informational writing visible and memorable.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2

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

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Individual

Gallery Walk: Fact Wall

Students each create one illustrated fact page about a shared topic. Pages are posted around the room, and during the gallery walk, students add a sticky note to another student's page noting one new fact they learned from it. Authors read the sticky notes and consider adding those facts to their own pages.

Design an informational drawing that clearly explains a concept.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, set a timer for 30 seconds at each poster so students have time to read others’ facts without rushing.

What to look for

Give students a drawing of a familiar animal (e.g., a dog). Ask them to dictate or write one fact about the animal and label one part of the drawing. Collect and review for understanding of 'fact' and 'label'.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What Do You Know?

Before beginning an informational piece, students partner-share everything they already know about the topic. One partner records key words with drawings while the other talks, then they switch roles. Both students use their shared notes as a starting point for their own fact pages.

Explain how to organize facts to teach someone about a topic.

Facilitation Tip

In Think-Pair-Share, ask students to speak in complete sentences using sentence stems like ‘I know that…’ to build explanatory language.

What to look for

Present students with two short texts: one a simple story about a bear, the other a few facts about bears with a drawing. Ask students to point to the text that teaches them about bears and explain why. Observe their reasoning.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Placemat Activity
• 20 min · Whole Class

Expert Chair: Teach It

After completing their informational drawing and dictation, individual students sit in the Expert Chair to explain their topic in their own words. Classmates ask one genuine question, which the expert either answers or notes as something to research further. The teacher records unanswered questions for shared inquiry.

Compare how we share information in writing versus telling a story.

Facilitation Tip

For Expert Chair, provide a small handheld microphone or a teacher-made ‘microphone’ so students experience the role of teacher in a concrete way.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you want to teach a friend how to build a tower with blocks. What would you draw? What would you say? What would you write down?' Facilitate a brief discussion comparing these methods for sharing information.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with mentor texts that pair a clear information book with a story on the same topic. Point out the labels, diagrams, and topic sentences in the information book. Avoid comparing too many traits at once; focus on one feature at a time so the difference stays clear. Research shows that labeling parts of diagrams and labeling text features helps young writers see what ‘teaching’ looks like visually.

By the end of these activities, students will speak, draw, or write to share facts about a topic, not a story. They will label parts, name categories, or describe steps. Classroom charts and peer sharing will show their growing ability to teach others what they know.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students who copy words from posters instead of sharing their own knowledge.

  Pause the walk and model how to cover the text with a hand, then ask the student to tell what they remember and record their words on a sticky note to add to the poster.

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who describe a personal experience instead of sharing a fact.

  Hand the student a ‘teacher hat’ (a paper crown or visor) and prompt: ‘Wear the teacher hat. What fact can you teach your partner about _____?’

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share
• Placemat Activity