Oakland Unified School District
Class Animal Report
Whether preparing your second graders for an expository writing proficiency assessment or just planning on introducing the writing process, this 37-page packet is for you. The unit has everything you need from scripted lessons to...
University of North Carolina
Style
Just like you choose your clothes to ensure they fit the occasion, you should choose your words deliberately while writing. Style, the main topic of one handout in a series on writing skills, involves choosing words carefully and paying...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Literature: Comparing and Contrasting Characters in Heidi
Scholars read excerpts from the story, Heidi, in a three-part assessment that focuses on comparing and contrasting characters. Each part contains three tasks that challenge learners to discuss, answer comprehension questions,...
Curated OER
Did You Know?
What would happen if you woke up one day and had become a housefly? What kinds of things would you do? Use the facts at the top of a worksheet to write a paragraph or short story about being a housefly.
Roald Dahl
Matilda - Throwing the Hammer
Full truth, or an exaggeration? How can you tell when a storyteller is exaggerating a story? Readers analyze a story told by Hortensia, and identify the exaggerative language she uses. Then, learners write their own narrative story using...
ESL Holiday Lessons
Christmas Day
Celebrary the holiday season fluently with a packet designed for English learners. The resource includes reading comprehension, spelling, scrambled sentences, and writing worksheets focused around Christmas.
Curated OER
Making Magical Creatures Talk
Invite your young writers to take the reins with writing dialogue. Using two characters of their own creation, kids work with partners and then individually to write short conversations.
Roald Dahl
Matilda - The First Miracle
As the story unfolds, readers discover Matilda has a superpower. Take part in an activity that has learners talking about what superpower they would have, how they would use it, and how it could help others. Then, after reading the 14th...
Curated OER
Writing Lowercase Letters
Break down lowercase cursive letters with this packet of materials. Learners copy a cursive alphabet chart, practice letters grouped by starting strokes, work on joining letters, and complete several other activities using their newfound...
University of North Carolina
Conciseness
Twitter has helped people learn to express their ideas in as few words as possible, but away from the 280-character limit, writers still struggle with keeping their writing short and to the point. Conciseness is the focus of a writing...
University of North Carolina
Oral History
There's no better way to learn something than to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. A handout on oral history, part of a larger series on specific writing assignments, explains how to conduct interviews and use the information...
Curated OER
How to Write a Letter
Have your class write a letter using this resource as a guide. Learners discuss the various elements of a letter including the heading, greeting, body, etc. Then, they talk about the importance of well-formed paragraphs. This is a great...
Curated OER
The 5 Paragraph Essay
The value in this PowerPoint about the five-paragraph expository essay comes from the clear explanations and specific examples provided to illustrate each aspect; however, a complete, model essay is not included. Beware the typos!
Curated OER
How to Write an Essay: Secondary ed.
Whether introducing the structure of expository essays or reviewing the format with your high schoolers, take the time to check out this resource. Examples of seven common forms of introductory paragraphs and six types of conclusions, as...
Bright Hub Education
How to Write an Essay Introduction
Clichéd and repetitive introductions got you down? Try this lesson on for size! Start off by instructing your class members on techniques for writing introductions and what types of introductions they should avoid. Several general lesson...
Curated OER
Personal Narrative Paragraphs: Class Quilt
Begin this activity by asking third graders to bring from home pieces of cloth that represent something important to them. (Have extras for learners who need them.) They reflect on important events in their lives, compose narrative...
Curated OER
Writing For Different Audiences
Evaluate the use of vocabulary in written paragraphs to make the determination of its appropriateness for a particular audience. As a class, seventh graders develop a fictional team and write three paragraphs to different audiences based...
Curated OER
Checklist for Writing a Formal Letter
Provide your pupils with a checklist for writing a formal letter. The nine items on the list identify and describe the requirements for formal letters. No examples are given.
Curated OER
Revision for the Writing Test
If you're looking for a presentation that highlights important things to check when writing, then this PowerPoint is for you! The slides include reminders of how to properly open a paragraph, how to use punctuation, to use good...
Curated OER
Basic Guide to Writing an Essay
Introducing your class to essay writing? The gentle tone, concise explanations, and clear examples provided by a 17-slide presentation introduces young writers to the expository essay format. All that's missing is a complete essay with...
Curated OER
Introduction to Writing Traits and Writing Strategies
Intended for an audience of teachers, this presentation lays out the six traits of writing, the writing process, and the teaching process for traits and strategies. If you are trying to understand the writing process more fully, you...
Curated OER
Telling Our Stories of Giving - Writing to Persuade
After identifying the parts of a persuasive piece of writing, young writers explore different prewriting activities for the persuasive essay. They have the option to write a news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay to...
University of North Carolina
Application Essays
There's a lot riding on good writing! Often, an application essay is the difference between acceptance and rejection. As part of a series on specific writing assignments and contexts, a handout helps scholars craft the perfect personal...
Curated OER
Writing Using a Visual Prompt: Snowman and Girl
Learners can use this simple worksheet as a guide when writing a short essay. This activity, which features a little girl with a snowman, could be used to spur students to use their imagination to write a paragraph.