Writing Information Texts: How-To's

Help them explore how they are similar and different by having them write how to books to share their skills or favorite activities with others.

Engage

Read, or reread, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Focus on Alexander's problems as he gets ready for school.

Work together to create step-by-step directions for a common activity like getting ready for school. Your students may come up with ideas like brush teeth, eat breakfast, get dressed, and feed the dog.

Have students start by using a beginning, middle, and end organizer to group together similar actions and establish a basic timeline.

Begin, Middle, and End Organizer

Then, use a sequence organizer to write complete sentences for each part of the how-to book. What should happen first? Next? Last?

Sequence Organizer

Create

Next, have students choose their own activity they want to explain to others.

Have students use an organizer above to clarify the steps in the process before creating their instructions.

Have students start a new blank project, adding text and illustrations to each page. If you are working with emerging writers, keep the project to 4 pages, so there is a page for the title, beginning, middle, and end.

Share

Print out each student's book so that students can read their book to a classmate and to someone in their family when they return home.

You can also publish student how-to books online. This is especially great if they have recorded their instructions. Link to each student's how-to book from your classroom web site to create your own how-to library.

Assessment

You can evaluate student writing and grammar as they develop their list of actions into sentences for each section of their how-to. Assess the final booklet for organization, grammar, use of illustrations to support text, and reading fluency if they have recorded narration.

Standards

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.