Things You'll Need:
- Book of writing activities
- Dry-erase board
- Markers
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Step 1
Make it fun! Take them on a walk to write poems about a particular tree. Have them shout out onomatopoeia words, write them on the blackboard and use them to construct a sound poem as a class. There are probably hundreds of creative writing lesson plans you can start with. The important thing is that you choose one that will show your elementary school students that writing can be a lot of fun.
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Step 2
Bring in examples. Starting is often the most difficult part of the writing process for elementary school students. Allowing them to imitate a particular poem or a passage from a story will get them going.
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Step 3
Consider doing "copy change" assignments. In a copy change, students select a favorite passage from a story and rewrite it, keeping the structure the same while changing the content. For example, they can rewrite a paragraph about how happy a character was so it shows another emotion such as sadness, anger or sleepiness.
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Step 4
Bring in as many senses as possible. For example, have them describe a favorite place using sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Alternately, you could turn off the lights and have each of them come up with an observation about the classroom that doesn't involve sight.
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Step 1
Allow each student to choose a favorite assignment to polish and perfect. This will give your elementary writers a sense of ownership over their compositions.
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Step 2
Use group feedback. Have each student say two things they like about each piece of writing and one that could be improved.
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Step 3
Use partner editing to catch spelling and grammar mistakes. This will help your students learn how to catch their own errors through learning to spot the mistakes made by other students.
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Step 4
Compile all of the finished pieces into a class writing book. Give each student a copy. Make them feel proud about what they have accomplished, both individually and as a class.
