Essay Writing Tips for Kids

Writing essays in elementary school prepares students for high school and the SAT.

Essay writing is one of the more complicated academic tasks students have to perform. Learning to write essays early on gives students a head start on high school, where complex essay writing involving research and sound, analytical arguments are a major component of many courses. Keep essay assignments simple to ensure that students nail the basics.

Simple Topics

Pick topics that appeal to the age group you are teaching, such as favorite holidays or school subjects, pets, parents and career possibilities. Consider assigning creative topics like "If I Were an Animal," "A Day in the Life of Another Planet," or let each pick a topic from a list. Provide sample essays to give them an idea of what the final product should look like.

Brainstorming

An easy and effective way to get kids thinking about ideas for their essays is to brainstorm with a mind map. Mind maps, also called "graphic organizers," help kids organize their ideas using bubbles and lines. A basic mind map contains the topic of the essay in a bubble in the center of a blank page. Draw lines radiating from this center bubble and draw another bubble at the outer end of each line. Inside each of these bubbles the student writes ideas related to the central idea. For example, if the writing topic was "If I Were an Animal," the outer bubbles could contain phrases such as "what I would eat" and "what I would do," and so on wherever imagination takes them. This activity separates the planning and writing process to encourage students to let their ideas flow first, then organize them later.

Paragraphs

Essays contain paragraphs, and students should learn how to structure a paragraph. An effective paragraph focuses on one idea and must include a topic sentence, which tells readers what the paragraph is going to be about, details or examples and a concluding sentence. A "hamburger" or "sandwich" model can illustrate the components of a paragraph, with the top bun or slice of bread symbolizing the topic sentence and so on. The mind map can aid in developing paragraphs.

Finishing Touches

Teach students to put finishing touches on their essays by creating a title that sums up their main idea. Have students edit their essays for mistakes. Then have them write a second draft using neat penmanship, or type it if they have access to computers.

References

• PBS: Misunderstood minds: Basics of Writing
• Enchanted Learning: Graphic Organizers
• Scholastic: Inside Marissa Ochoa's 3rd Grade Classroom: Introduction to Paragraphs