How-To Writing: Motivating Students to Write for a Real Purpose
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What do students need to know to succeed in fourth grade (or third or fifth)? What supplies are needed? What rules and steps should be followed? These and many other questions provide the framework for students to write how-to essays for a specific audience—future fourth graders. Although this lesson focuses specifically on fourth grade, it can be easily adapted for third or fifth graders. Students first learn about the how-to writing genre by reading an assortment of instruction manuals. This also demonstrates how how-to writing relates to their everyday lives. The teacher then models each step of the writing process as the students write about how to be successful fourth graders. After students publish their writing, the final drafts are saved for the following year's fourth graders to read at the beginning of the next school year.
Featured Resources
- Power Proofreading : Students can use this interactive site to complete activities to build their proofreading skills.
- Essay Map : Using this interactive site, students can organize the information they will include in their essay.
From Theory to Practice
- Students need to understand that there are purposes for writing other than for the teacher to read and grade it. Writing how-to essays has been found to be a successful alternative to the traditional research paper or teacher-based essay.
- How-to writing is a genre that appeals to most students because it is applicable in the world. This genre involves exploring interests and needs to identify a topic, conducting several research methods, and working through the writing process.
- When students' writing has an authentic audience beyond the classroom teacher, they can see a direct connection between their lives and their literacy development.
Common Core Standards
This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.
State Standards
This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.
NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts
- 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
- 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
- 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Materials and Technology
- Computer with Internet access and LCD projector
- Assortment of instruction manuals as examples of how-to writing
- Chart paper
- Overhead projector and transparencies
- How to Succeed in the Fourth Grade: Graphic Organizer
- How to Succeed in the Fourth Grade: Writing Rubric
- Correcting and Proofreading Checklist
Preparation
Student objectives.
Students will
- Recognize that how-to writing is a genre they encounter in their everyday lives
- Identify the characteristics of the how-to writing genre and incorporate them into a how-to essay about succeeding in the fourth grade
- Identify the audience for their how-to essay (i.e., future fourth graders) and shape the essay to appeal to this audience
- Apply the steps of the writing process to complete the how-to essay
Note: This prewriting activity allows students to work together to brainstorm ideas for their writing, but it also allows for each essay to be different, as students may choose different materials, rules, or steps for success in the fourth grade.
Students may choose a topic of interest to write another how-to essay. For example, students may choose to write instructions for how to play a board game or a sport that they enjoy.
Student Assessment / Reflections
Use the How-To Succeed in the Fourth Grade: Writing Rubric to assess students' writing.
- Strategy Guides
- Student Interactives
- Calendar Activities
This strategy guide explains the writing process and offers practical methods for applying it in your classroom to help students become proficient writers.
The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.
Students examine the different ways that they write and think about the role writing plays in life.
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Eight Free Creative Writing Lessons
February 17, 2012 by Ami 17 Comments
I know I throw around the word favorite all the time. But this is the truth: teaching creative writing lessons is my favorite.
I have taught creative writing enrichment for summer school students. I have taught creative writing in various homeschool settings and co-ops. I have taught big students and little students. And I love it.
Since I love to share homeschool co-op class ideas , I have compiled the creative writing lessons from a co-op class that I taught.
Creative Writing Lessons for a Homeschool Co-op Class
First, please remember that any teacher can use these creative writing lessons. You don’t need to be teaching homeschoolers. You can be a classroom teacher or a homeschool teacher at home with one student. You can even be a librarian who needs a fun program series.
Second, I used these creative writing lesson plans with upper elementary students (with maybe a few 7th graders thrown in). However, you can adapt and use them for older students or younger students!
Creative Writing Lesson Plans
Creative writing lesson one.
The first lesson focuses on cliché and metaphor. It prompts students to consider how words matter.
Grab lesson one here .
Creative Writing Lesson Two
The second lesson teaches students about sensory details: why they are important and how to include them in their writing. Students will begin using sensory details to evoke smells and sounds and sights.
Grab lesson two here.
Creative Writing Lesson Three
The third lesson introduces showing vs. telling. Students learn how to recognize authors who utilize showing, and students are able to articulate the difference between showing and telling.
Grab lesson three here.
Creative Writing Lesson Four
The fourth lesson teaches students how to capture images. We use examples of poetry and prose to discuss this important writing skill.
Grab lesson four here.
Creative Writing Lesson Five
The fifth lesson introduces the story elements of character and conflict.
Note: You may choose to split this lesson into two lessons since it covers two big elements. I only had nine weeks with my students, so I had to jam character and conflict together.
Grab lesson five here.
Creative Writing Lesson Six
The sixth lesson introduces the students to point of view and perspective. We have fun reading poems and using pictures to write descriptions from different points of view.
Grab lesson six here.
Creative Writing Lesson Seven
The seventh lesson puts everything we’ve learned together. I read the students some fractured fairy tales, and we watch some, too. Students then use the prewriting activities and their imaginations to begin drafting their own fractured fairy tales.
Grab lesson seven here.
Creative Writing Lesson Eight
The eighth lesson focuses on revision. After a mini-lesson, students partner up for peer editing.
Grab lesson eight here .
For our final class day, students bring revised work, and I host coffee shop readings. This is a memorable experience for students (and their teacher).
Creative Writing Lessons FAQ
Since posting these creative writing lessons, I have had lots of questions. I decided to compile them here in case you have the same question.
Q: What are copywork quotes? A: Copywork quotes are simply great quotes that students copy as part of their homework assignments. You can use any quotes about writing. I’ve included my favorites throughout the printable packs.
Q: Can I use this with a younger or older student? A: Absolutely! Just adapt it to meet the needs of your student.
Q: Can I use this for my library’s programming or my homeschool co-op class? A: Yes! I just ask that it not be used for profit.
Do you have any questions about teaching creative writing? What’s your biggest hang-up when it comes to teaching creative writing? I’d love to hear from you and help you solve the issue.
January 7, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Hi Theresa,
As long as you are not profitting from using them, they are yours to use! Enjoy! Wish I could be there to help facilitate all those young writers!
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Creative Writing Lesson Plans: Week One
Looking for creative writing lesson plans? I am developing creative writing lesson ideas!
I’ve written and revamped my creative writing lesson plans and learned that the first week is vital in establishing a community of writers, in outlining expectations, and in working with a new class.
What are some good creative writing exercises?
Some good creative writing exercises include writing prompts, free writing, character development exercises, and fun writing games.
The first week, though, we establish trust—and then we begin powerful creative writing exercises to engage young writers and our community.
How can add encouragement in creative writing lesson plans?
I’ve found students are shy about writing creatively, about sharing pieces of themselves. A large part of the first week of class is setting the atmosphere, of showing everyone they are free to create. And! These concepts will apply to most writing lesson plans for secondary students.
Feel free to give me feedback and borrow all that you need! Below, find my detailed my day-by-day progression for creative writing lesson plans for week one.
Creative Writing Lesson Day One: Sharing my vision
Comfort matters for young writers. I’m not a huge “ice breaker” type of teacher—I build relationships slowly. Still, to get student writing, we must establish that everyone is safe to explore, to write, to error.
Here are some ideas.
Tone and attitude
For day one with any lesson plan for creative writing, I think it is important to set the tone, to immediately establish what I want from my creative writing students. And that is…
them not to write for me, but for them. I don’t want them writing what they think I want them to write.
Does that make sense? Limitations hurt young writers. My overall tone and attitude toward young writers is that we will work together, create and write together, provide feedback, and invest in ourselves. Older kiddos think that they must provide teachers with the “correct” writing. In such a course, restrictions and boundaries largely go out the window.
Plus, I specifically outline what I believe they can produce in a presentation to set people at ease.
The presentation covers expectations for the class. As the teacher, I am a sort of writing coach with ideas that will not work for everyone. Writers should explore different methods and realize what works for them. First, not everyone will appreciate every type of writing—which is fine. But as a writing community, we must accept that we may not be the target audience for every piece of work.
Therefore, respect is a large component of the class. Be sure to outline what interactions you find acceptable within your classroom community.
Next, as their writing coach, I plan to provide ideas and tools for use. Their job is to decide what tools work for their creative endeavors. My overall message is uplifting and encouraging.
Finally, when we finish, I share the presentation with students so they can consult it throughout the semester. The presentation works nicely for meet-the-teacher night, too!
After covering classroom procedures and rules, I show students a TED Talk. We watch The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Adichie. My goal is to show students that I don’t have a predetermined idea concerning what they should write. This discussion takes the rest of the class period.
Establishing comfort and excitement precedents my other creative writing activities. Personalize your “vision” activities for your lessons in creative writing. Honestly, doing this pre-work builds relationships with students and creates a positive classroom atmosphere.
Creative Writing Lesson Day Two: Activating prior knowledge
Students possess prior knowledge concerning creative writing, but they might not consider that. Students should realize that they know what constitutes a great story. They might not realize that yet. An easy lesson plan for creative writing that will pay off later is to activate prior knowledge. Brainstorm creative, memorable, unforgettable stories with students. Share your thoughts too! You will start to build relationships with students who share the same tastes as you (and those that are completely different!).
Activation activity
During this activity, I want to see how students work together, and I want to build a rapport with students. Additionally, activating prior knowledge provides a smooth transition into other creative writing activities.
This creative writing activity is simple:
I ask students to tell me memorable stories—books, play, tv shows, movies—and I write them on the board. I add and veto as appropriate. Normally doing these classroom discussions, we dive deeper into comedies and creative nonfiction. Sometimes as we work, I ask students to research certain stories and definitions. I normally take a picture of our work so that I can build creative writing lessons from students’ interests.
This takes longer than you might think, but I like that aspect. This information can help me shape my future lessons.
With about twenty minutes left in class, I ask students to form small groups. I want them to derive what makes these stories memorable. Since students complete group and partner activities in this class, I also watch and see how they interact.
Students often draw conclusions about what makes a story memorable:
- Realistic or true-to-life characters.
- Meaningful themes.
- Funny or sad events.
All of this information will be used later as students work on their own writing. Many times, my creative writing lessons overlap, especially concerning the feedback from young writers.
Creative Writing Lesson Day Three: Brainstorming and a graphic organizer
From building creative writing activities and implementing them, I now realize that students think they will sit and write. Ta-da! After all, this isn’t academic writing. Coaching creative writing students is part of the process.
Young writers must accept that a first draft is simply that, a first draft. Building a project requires thought and mistakes. (Any writing endeavor does, really.) Students hear ‘creative writing’ and they think… easy. Therefore, a first week lesson plan for creative writing should touch on what creativity is.
Really, creativity is everywhere. We complete a graphic organizer titled, “Where is Creativity?” Students brainstorm familiar areas that they may not realize have such pieces.
The ideas they compile stir all sorts of conversations:
- Restaurants
- Movie theaters
- Amusement parks
By completing this graphic organizer, we discuss how creativity surrounds us, how we can incorporate different pieces in our writing, and how different areas influence our processes.
Creative Writing Lesson, Days Four and Five: Creative Nonfiction
Students need practice writing, and they need to understand that they will not use every word they write. Cutting out lines is painful for them! Often, a lesson plan for creative writing involves providing time for meaningful writing.
For two days, we study and discuss creative nonfiction. Students start by reading an overview of creative nonfiction . (If you need mentor texts, that website has some as well.) When I have books available, I show the class examples of creative nonfiction.
We then continue through elements of a narrative . Classes are sometimes surprised that a narrative can be nonfiction.
The narrative writing is our first large project. As we continue, students are responsible for smaller projects as well. This keeps them writing most days.
Overall, my students and I work together during the first week of any creative writing class. I encourage them to write, and I cheer on their progress. My message to classes is that their writing has value, and an audience exists for their creations.
And that is my week one! The quick recap:
Week One Creative Writing Lesson Plans
Monday: Rules, procedures, TED Talk, discussion.
Tuesday: Prior knowledge—brainstorm the modeling of memorable stories. Draw conclusions about storytelling with anchor charts. Build community through common knowledge.
Wednesday: Graphic organizer.
Thursday and Friday: Creative nonfiction. Start narrative writing.
Students do well with this small assignment for the second week, and then we move to longer creative writing assignments . When classesexperience success with their first assignment, you can start constructive editing and revising with them as the class continues.
These creative writing activities should be easy implement and personalize for your students.
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Creative Writing - Writing a Story
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Here is a nicely designed lesson with everything you need to implement it in your classroom. First, pairs of learners get together and each write their own version of a classic fairy tale. They then peer edit each other's stories, taking care to emhasize dramatic details, and looking for good word choice. The worksheets embedded in the plan are very good. A very nice language arts lesson.
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4th Grade Creative Writing Lesson Plans (31) results found Sort by: Most-Popular x Creative Writing x 4th Grade x Lesson Plans LESSON PLANS Story Starters This printable word processing lesson provides a creative writing activity. Students use story starters to type complete… Subjects: Language Arts and Writing Creative Writing Writing Download
This lesson combines students' knowledge of US geography and their creative writing skills in one fun activity! 4th grade Reading & Writing Lesson Plan 1 Browse 4th Grade Creative Writing Lesson Plans. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now!
(134) results found Sort by: Most-Popular x Language Arts and Writing x 4th Grade x Lesson Plans LESSON PLANS Solving Analogies An easy way to practice solving analogies before the big test! Analogies are a key part on many standardized tests -… Subjects: Language Arts and Writing Writing Reading Download Add to Favorites WORKSHEETS
Printable Worksheets Lesson Plans Creative Writing Lesson Plans This indicates resources located on The Teacher's Corner. Start a Story Grades Various Help students with creative writing. Pull several desks into a circle (4-7 students works well). Each student gets a blank sheet of paper and pencil. Thee put their name on the back of their paper.
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Free Writing Lessons and Worksheets for Fourth-Grade Students Bring out your fourth-grade students' inner wordsmith with our fun, exciting writing worksheets that will inspire and motivate even the most reluctant writers. These worksheets also include prompts to get those creative juices flowing.
1. Pass out the instruction manuals you have gathered in advance of the lesson to groups of students (see Preparation, 1) and ask them to take five minutes to scan the manuals, focusing in particular on the characteristics they notice in the samples. 2. After five minutes, ask groups what they found in each manual.
New Writing Lessons for Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders 35 New Writing Lessons and Ideas for Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders — Teaching writing to distractible elementary school kids is a tough task, but it's also truly the best time to introduce the basics of the craft.
This Creative Writing Lesson Plan is suitable for 4th Grade. Fourth graders participate in an observation hike in this lesson. They orally share observations from their hike, and develop a paragraph in a shared writing exercise.
The fourth lesson teaches students how to capture images. We use examples of poetry and prose to discuss this important writing skill. Grab lesson four here. Creative Writing Lesson Five The fifth lesson introduces the story elements of character and conflict.
Printable & Digital Creative Comics Digital Fall Writing Prompts 3rd 4th Grade. by. The Little Ladybug Shop. 11. $3.95. PDF. Internet Activities. Google Apps™. Grow your writers with this Print and Google Digital Comic Fall Writing Prompts perfect for Third Grade, Fourth Grade and Fifth Grade.
The key to teaching 4th grade creative writing is coming up with enrichment activities that encourage your students to fully explore the "creative" side of the equation. It's all about going beyond the simple understanding of writing and its mechanics in order to discover and play with new ways of using them to create something totally unique.
(51) results found Sort by: Most-Popular x Writing x 4th Grade x Lesson Plans LESSON PLANS Solving Analogies An easy way to practice solving analogies before the big test! Analogies are a key part on many standardized tests -… Subjects: Language Arts and Writing Writing Reading Download Add to Favorites LESSON PLANS Ten Art Questions
(218) results found Sort by: Most-Popular x Creative Writing x 4th Grade WORKSHEETS Sensory Writing from an Object's Perspective: If I Were a Pair of Flip Flops... This creative writing assignment challenges students to write from the perspective of an inanimate object. They will use… Subjects: Creative Writing Five Senses Writing Download
Browse 4th Grade Reading & Writing Lesson Plans. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now! Learning Library. ... Encourage your students to get creative by having them create self-portraits and write down adjectives that describe them. The artistic element of this writing lesson makes learning about ...
Grade: Four. Subject: English Language Arts. Learning Objective: Writing can be a challenge for anyone. This lesson is meant to help show that writing can be a fun and exciting experience for everyone. Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.A Introduce a topic clearly, and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include ...
An easy lesson plan for creative writing that will pay off later is to activate prior knowledge. Brainstorm creative, memorable, unforgettable stories with students. Share your thoughts too! You will start to build relationships with students who share the same tastes as you (and those that are completely different!).
Created by. Outrageous Fun in Room 321. This graphic organizer is perfect for you to use with your students to teach (or review) Main Idea. Let your students write the main idea and add supporting details.Appropriate for most grades. :) Subjects: Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing. Grades: K - 5 th.
(32) results found Sort by: Most-Popular x Creative Writing x 4th Grade x Activities ACTIVITIES How to Write "Choose Your Own Adventure" Stories Easily-adaptable example of a classic story format Students learn how to write "Choose Your Own Adventure" stories by… Subjects: Language Arts and Writing Creative Writing Reading and Literature Download
Performing in Education. This is a free set of 3 hands-on activities to help your writers practice paragraph writing. This is a great intervention for struggling 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade writers who need extra paragraph writing practice.Each of the lesson included in this resource are part of my larger paragraph writing unit.
This Creative Writing Lesson Plan Lesson Plan is suitable for 4th - 9th Grade. Students practice recognizing the elements needed to produce a piece of creative writing and become aware of those elements in their own original pieces of writings. In groups, they creatively write a new story utilizing all the major elements required.
View 40,302 other resources for 4th - 5th Grade English Language Arts. This Creative Writing - Writing a Story Lesson Plan is suitable for 4th - 5th Grade. Here is a nicely designed lesson plan with everything you need to implement it in your classroom. First, pairs of learners get together and each write their own version of a classic fairy tale.