Excellent Examples of Informative Writing

The Thought Process of Building a Castle, by Maggie

[Notice Maggie's excellent word choice and use of relevant vocabulary, including terms like "strategic", "quarry", "vulnerable" and "resources"]

There is so much thought process that goes into the placement of a castle, along with asking strategic questions including... Where is the nearest water source? Is there a quarry near the castle? Is it good land for farming? Is the position vulnerable to attack? Would my enemies reach it easily? Is there a better place to build where there are more natural resources?

I came to the conclusion that this is indeed the best place to build my castle. The nearest water source is a river that runs along the castle boundaries. The river is a good source of irrigation for farms and plants. There is a quarry about a half mile away from the building site. It will provide stone and help complete the building of the castle, with the wall for protection ...

Pickled Food and Unexpected Guests, by Spicer

[Notice the way that Spicer writes sentences that are both concise and clear. In addition, he establishes his own, authentic writer's voice]

Dining in medieval times meant big meals, pickled food, meat, and unexpected guests. Medieval cooks spent long hours cooking and preparing elaborate meals for all the people that lived in the castle and the surprising guests of the lord and lady.

Depending on your social status, each person sat higher or lower in the great hall. For example, lords and ladies would sit on high thrones on top of the great hall, whereas the peasants would share benches below.

... When people ate they were expected to have good manners. It was considered good manners to select a particularly delicious and juicy small dish and give it to a neighbor. Cups and plates were also shared. Food was carved and brought to the tables by young boys from noble families, who had been sent to the castle to learn good manners and all the rules of upper-class behavior.

Tipping the Scales with Genius, by Kelsey

[Kelsey demonstrated significant initiative by researching the lives of women during the Middle Ages; her paragraph summarizes the achievements of several important women (and the major obstacles they faced!) ]

There were amazing women in medieval times who tipped the scales with their genius. Lots of them easily doubled the men's intelligence. For instance, Hildegard of Bingen, a nun, composed several hymns and a religious opera, made an entire personal alphabet consisting of nine hundred words and twenty three letters, and wrote many medical treatises.

... A doctor named Jacoba Felicie was not allowed to go to university because she was a woman. She would not give up being a doctor, though, so she learned as much as she could by studying pig anatomy and herbal medicine in Paris. She ended up being an amazing doctor who could heal many more sicknesses and injuries than others could. But when the government found out that she did not have a degree, they stopped her. All of the people she had treated tried to defend her because she had treated them so well, but the government did not listen.