Write a conclusion for informative writing

General

Students learn to identify parts of a conclusion and write a memorable informative conclusion that transitions smoothly and restate the main ideas.

Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2d

Learning objective

Students will be able to write an effective concluding paragraph for their informative writing.

Introduction

Students are asked to use what they know to solve riddles in groups or pairs. As a class, discuss what informative writing is. Explain to students that informative writing is a type of writing that tells facts about a person, place, or thing. Explain that informative writing has different parts. Just like a hamburger, you need all the parts to make it complete, and with informative writing, you have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Instruction

Expand on the three parts and inform students that an introduction grabs the reader's attention and tells what the text is about. The body gives more facts and information about the topic, and the conclusion summarizes what the text was about and has a smooth ending. Focus on the conclusion and restate that the conclusion wraps things up. Go over a list of things that a conclusion should or should not do. Tell students that a good conclusion contains three parts, namely a transitional phrase, a review of the main ideas, and a memorable ending. Ask students to drag the balloons to reveal a selection of transitional phrases. Then ask students to determine which main idea might be represented by the images given. Explain to students what is meant by a memorable ending. Set all these segments together and ask students to read the concluding paragraph about alligators. Ask if they can determine the three parts of the conclusion.

Quiz

Students are given a set of ten questions that check their knowledge of the key concepts presented in the lesson. They are also given a concluding paragraph and are asked to determine the main idea, as well as the different segments of the conclusion.

Closing

Remind students of the learning goal and explain that being able to write an informative conclusion will make their writing stronger. To close the lesson, ask students to read the informative text on adopting dogs. A printable version of the text is included. Then ask them to write a concluding paragraph. They can compare and share in pairs when they are done.