I love to write, so I love to teach writing. But not every kid is as enamored with it as I am. “I don’t know what to write,” is a phrase I’ve come to expect from at least one child each year.
For many children, our how-to writing unit is a favorite. The self-confidence of a six-year-old is enviable and it’s not hard to convince them they are experts at something. Some, however, are sure they don’t know how to do anything. That’s why I love these procedural writing templates.👇
Eventually, I’ll want the children to create something from nothing (you know what I mean). But on the way to total independence, some scaffolding is often needed. Templates offer just the right amount of support. They’re open-ended to allow for individual creativity, but guided like a map so kids have a way in.
FIRST, LET ME BACK UP
Before I turn the kids loose with paper and pencils, I want to make sure they’re familiar with the genre of procedural text. One easy way to do this is to show them books other authors have written. These are my two favorite mentor texts for this unit: Walk On! by Marla Frazee and How to Give a Cat a Bath by Nicola Winstanley.
Walk On! by Marla Frazee is so cute! She writes as if she’s talking directly to the baby who is eager to get up and go. I love the lead sentence, Is sitting there on your bottom getting boring?, and there are examples of transition words within the text.
But my favorite feature of this book is her use of tips. Not only does the author explain each step of the process, but she provides helpful tips and strategies along the way. This is the type of elaboration and detail that elevates a piece of procedural text, so I want to make sure I introduce this move to my writers.
If you can find a copy, I highly recommend it. The illustrations are adorable and the topic is so kid-friendly, it’s empowering. After reading it, it’s easy to make connections to other similar topics kids have experience with, such as learning how to swim, ride a bike, or do a somersault.
ANOTHER MUST-HAVE MENTOR TEXT
This book, How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps, is fairly new to me (©2019), but it was an instant favorite. It reminds me of the first, and only, time I ever gave my cat a bath… what a dumb idea. Cats bathe themselves. That’s good enough for me.
Anyway, the book is funny and the kids love it. I like it because the author’s use of transitions (step one, step two, etc.) is very simple and clear. However, they may be too simple, which is why she starts revising them right inside the book… such a perfect invitation for me to talk about revising for clarity.
For example, at first the author writes:
- 👉STEP ONE: Fill the bathtub with warm water.
The tub ends up too full, so she clarifies by writing:
- 👉STEP ONE: Put a little warm water in the bath.
Unfortunately, that’s also not clear and she ends up with too little water. So she makes a final revision and writes:
- 👉STEP ONE: Put a little warm water in the bath. The water should come up to your cat’s knees.
The illustrations are so sweet and will make you laugh, but the real instructional gift of the book is that the writer is in constant revision of thought. And that’s exactly what I want the students to be doing.
MORE BACKGROUND-BUILDING IDEAS
To help set the foundation for the procedural writing the kids will be doing, try some of the activities listed below. They’re engaging ways to see how logical order and step-by-step processes work.
- Play How-To Charades: Whisper a how-to topic to a child to act out. Make sure you use ideas kids have familiarity with such as brushing your teeth, making a sandwich, or hitting a home run. This activity challenges kids to think through the steps in a logical order so the class can make a correct guess.
- Make a Simple Food Craft: Make a simple snack together so you can verbally model the language used in completing something in order. You can use phrases such as step one and step two, or model simple transition words like first, next, then, last. An easy snack like ants on a log or fruit skewers are enough to get the job done.
- Write Game Directions: Begin with the end in mind. Play a simple game like Duck, Duck, Goose. Then, have the children think back about how the game is played. Together, write a list of directions explaining how to play the game.
- Choreograph a Dance Routine: Turn procedural writing into a dance number! Teach the kids a simple routine, step-by-step. Then, challenge them to work in small groups to choreograph their own dance to teach to the class. I recommend keeping the routines short… 4-5 steps are plenty.
- Build an Obstacle Course: Set up a simple course using hula hoops, cones, ropes, etc. Then, create a set of written directions for kids to follow in order to successfully complete the course.
Using real objects during your instruction sparks thought and can help kids visualize the steps used in the process. The following objects can prompt kids to think through these processes:
- Shoes with Laces: How to tie a shoe.
- A Jump Rope: How to jump rope.
- Gum: How to blow a bubble.
- Bubbles: How to blow bubbles, big and small.
- A Basketball: How to dribble.
NOW, FOR WRITING TEMPLATES
Once you feel like your students have a pretty good grasp of the language and structure of step-by-step activities, procedural writing templates are a great way to support their own writing.
This procedural writing template, How to Make a Root Beer Float, is a fun one, especially if you make root beer floats together! Doing it as a class is also a great way to prompt with questions like, “What if we forgot the second step? How would that change the float? Are there any special tips we can share with the reader?”
Procedural writing templates like this one provide just enough support to get kids started. On each page there’s a helpful illustration and a transition word. Some children will write just the basics, such as: Put ice cream in the glass.
Other children who are ready, will add specific details, especially if they have a tendency to be a teacher-type. This might sound like: Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream into the glass. Other ice cream flavors don’t taste good with root beer.
THIS WRITING RESOURCE includes several procedural writing templates for kids in first grade. Most are in a book format (horizontal and vertical), but the simplest ones are single pages where students put a few pictures in order and write a sentence for each.
It features over 12 kid-friendly topics most children can relate to, including:
- How to Rake Leaves
- How to Catch a Fish
- How to Grow Plants
- How to Make Chocolate Milk
- How to Build a Snowman
- How to Wash a Dirty Car
- How to Brush Your Teeth
- How to Wrap a Gift
- How to Make a Cheese Pizza
…and more. When your students are ready, a blank how-to template has been included. This is the perfect transition when they’re ready to choose their own topic. For whatever topic they have experience with, this is their moment to shine!
READ MORE
I have two other blog posts about procedural writing, with one of my favorite student samples on how to go scalloping. The posts are a little bit older (so forgive the photography), but if you’re teaching writing units that are aligned with the Common Core Standards, these are as relevant now as they were then.
And seriously… you have to read Sean’s book about finding scallops.
GETTING READY TO WRITE HOW-TO BOOKS
WRITING AND SHARING OUR HOW-TO BOOKS
Happy teaching!
