Ten Types of Facts for Nonfiction Writers

Elaboration is a big writing goal, but it’s often hard for writers to know what to add to a piece. Teachers can encourage elaboration for students crafting informational pieces by teaching them various types of facts they can include. In today’s post, I’ll cover ten types of facts essential for informative writing, providing two examples for each.

1. Definitions tell what important keywords mean. Students often assume their reader knows every word in their texts, so reminding them to include definitions their audience may not know improves clarity.

The cockroach’s exoskeleton is its hard covering that provides support and structure for its body.

A nymph is like a baby cockroach. It’s what we call freshly-hatched cockroaches.

2. Quotations offer direct evidence from a reputable source. Depending on the topic, students can add quotations to their writing by researching or interviewing peers.

“My least favorite insect is a cockroach,” my teacher says.

Author Robin Nelson says, “Cockroaches will eat anything!”

3. Steps help students to sequence events in their writing. However, steps aren’t just for how-to books. Writers can include steps when describing how a bird makes a nest or how Patrick Mahomes became an NFL quarterback.

4. Number Facts offer concrete representations of size, amount, age, and more. Reminding writers to include number facts in their writing ensures clarity and precision.

Cockroaches can live for 1-2 years.

A female cockroach lays a few dozen to several hundred eggs, depending on the species.

5. Comparison Facts help readers to picture a concept by highlighting similarities between less familiar and more familiar topics.

An adult cockroach is about the size of a penny.

A cockroach’s exoskeleton is hard and protective, like the shell of a pistachio nut.

6. Action Facts help readers visualize a concept by using descriptive verbs and adjectives to tell how an animal or person moves.

To shed its skin, a cockroach lies on its back and arches its body to crack open the exoskeleton!

Cockroaches are speedy animals known to “skuttle” or “rustle” around!

7. Sensory Facts consider the appearance, texture, smell, sound, or taste of a person, place, or thing.

The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach emits a noticeable “hisssssssssss” sound.

A cockroach is a small bug with a flat body and brown, hard, shiny exoskeleton.

8. Cause-and-Effect Facts use words like “after,” “before,” “when,” or “then,” to connect relationships and events.

Once a female cockroach lays eggs, it takes a few weeks for nymphs to hatch.

If you hear rustling in your kitchen, then you might have a cockroach!

9. Geography Facts help tell the where.

Cockroaches like spots that provide food, water, and shelter. In your home, you might find a cockroach in the kitchen, bathroom, or basement.

Cockroaches are found all over the world, except in cold, polar areas.

10. Ranking Facts help readers understand levels of intensity.

How to use this list: You could introduce and model a few facts each day before providing time for students to try some in their writing. For more open-ended exploration, provide the list all at once, and ask students to do a scavenger hunt through their own writing to see what they can find. Here’s a ready-to-go chart for students to use.

The Bottom Line: Naming and modeling different kinds of facts offers tangible ways for students to revise and elaborate informational texts.