Have your students mastered the art of writing a sentence? If so, you're probably ready to move on to more complex writing ideas. The best place to start is with procedural writing, otherwise known as how to writing for kids!
What Is How To Writing?
How to writing is another name for procedural writing and in a nutshell, it's when you're teaching someone to do something. In most first-grade classrooms, students are required to learn various styles of writing including procedural. They should be able to complete about two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
Introducing How To Writing In First Grade
One of the first types of writing students should learn in kindergarten or first grade is words. We do this by learning how to label pictures and make lists. Once students are able to sound out words and begin to write them on their own, they're ready for sentences. Students should learn that every sentence begins with a capital letter, has spaces between words and punctuation at the end.
Once your students have a good grasp of sentences and creating lists, you can begin to introduce procedural writing. One way to do this is to brainstorm some ideas of different things that you know how to do. Make an anchor chart and begin with a few topics that you, as the teacher, know how to do. Ask the children to contribute ideas too. Put them on the chart and then choose one simple thing on the chart to teach your class.
Examples Of How To Writing
When students are actively involved in any lesson, they're more excited and want to learn. I've found that by adding a hands-on component to any lesson even my most reluctant writers are more apt to participate and want to do the activity.
I usually introduce how to writing to my students in late October or early November, so one of the first projects we do is how to make pumpkin pie. I get all the ingredients to make a simple, no-bake pumpkin pie and have the students help me make it. While we're mixing the ingredients, we talk about what we're putting in first, next, etc. This is setting the stage for the lesson that we'll be doing later.
How To Teach How To Writing
The Opening
During our writer's workshop, I tell the students that we're going to learn how to write the steps for making a pumpkin pie. I tell them that this is called how to writing. The first step is to hook your reader and get them excited about your topic. Teach students that a good way to introduce their topic is with a question and a list of things that you'll need to do this activity. Show students how to create a question and a list like this:
Do you like pumpkin pie? Here is what you will need to make the pie:
- pie crust
- pie filling
- cool whip
- bowl
This is drawing on your student's past experience in writing sentences and making a list. They should be able to do this if you've already introduced this to them in prior lessons.
Writing The Steps
The next step is teaching your reader how to do something. This is where your students will practice writing the steps in order. I tell my students that this part is really important because if we tell the steps out of order, the activity you're teaching won't turn out correctly. At this point, I would give an example of making the pie and how it would turn out if we forgot a step or did the steps out of order. This helps students understand the importance of putting the steps in the correct order.
Show students how to use temporal words like first, next, then, and last. In 1st grade, students should be able to complete at least 2-3 steps or more. Show students how they can include pictures as a part of this process.
Teachers should always model before having students try it on their own. This is called shared writing and it's when the students help by telling the teacher what they should put on the paper. Show students how to use the temporal words first, next, then and last. It's a good idea to have these words in a different color so that students are reminded that they're important.
The Closing Sentence
Students should be taught that they should always wrap up their writing in some way. A closing sentence will tell their readers that they are finished. An easy closing sentence for kindergarten or first grade is “Are you ready to ____________? I hope liked learning how to _______________.”
Independent Writing
After you've demonstrated the process to your students, it's time for kids to try it on their own. I usually have students write about the same topic as the teacher when we're first starting out. You can use a simple how to writing template like this one. They can color the pictures and then write the sentences using the temporal words first, next, then, and last.
Are you ready to get started in your classroom? You can head over here to grab this set of 12 different how to writing prompts that include differentiated writing templates, crafts, mini word walls, and more for the entire school year. This resource contains the following how to writing topics for kindergarten & first grade:
- Make applesauce
- Carve a pumpkin
- Make pumpkin pie
- Rake leaves
- Decorate a Christmas tree
- Make hot chocolate
- Dress for winter
- Build a snowman
- Fly a kite
- Catch a leprechaun
- Dye an Easter egg
- Catch the Easter Bunny
