35 New Writing Lessons and Ideas for Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders — Teaching writing to distractible elementary school kids is a tough task, but it’s also truly the best time to introduce the basics of the craft. Your students have likely spent a lot of time reading and hearing stories in the past few years and now is the perfect opportunity to help them begin shaping their own ideas and imaginations through the written word.
These all-new daily writing lessons for Grade 3, 4 & 5 are designed to introduce your students to a variety of writing styles and to a number of different types of creative expression. The prompts focus on unique genres and ask your students to develop an array of skills as they craft reports based on interviews, descriptive essays, poetry, reflections, persuasive essays, short stories, and reviews.
As your students practice the lessons in each genre, many of them will naturally be drawn to one or two particular styles—and it’s a great idea to allow each student to pursue those styles on a deeper level individually.
Use these 35 new writing lessons to expose your students to a variety of different writing styles—and to help each student figure out what type of writing he or she likes best!
Writing Lessons for Grade 3, 4, and 5
- Interview one of your neighbors and write a report about his or her opinions on your neighborhood. Be sure to include factual details about your neighbor (such as how long he or she has lived in the neighborhood, where he or she lived before, etc.).
- Interview one of your grandparents and write a report about what life was like for him or her growing up.
- Interview one of your classmates and write a report about what he or she likes most and least about school.
- Interview one of your parents and write a report about his or her daily life and responsibilities.
- Interview a teacher or other authority figure (coach, minister, local police officer, etc.) and write a report about the challenges of his or her job.
- Write a descriptive essay about your house.
- Write a descriptive essay about your favorite sport.
- Write a descriptive essay about one of your hobbies or interests.
- Write a descriptive essay about one of your family’s traditions.
- Write a descriptive essay about your favorite food.
- Write a poem about outer space.
- Write a poem about a mythical creature.
- Write a poem about sunshine.
- Write a poem about ice cream.
- Write a poem about books.
- Think about a time when you won something and write a reflective essay about your experience.
- Think about a time when you were embarrassed and write a reflective essay about your experience.
- Think about a time when you were proud of yourself and write a reflective essay about your experience.
- Think about a time when you lost something that was important to you and write a reflective essay about your experience.
- Think about a time when you made a new friend and write a reflective essay about your experience.
- Write a persuasive essay about why your favorite TV show is the best TV show.
- Write a persuasive essay that convinces someone it is important to volunteer to help people who are less fortunate.
- Write a persuasive essay about why school uniforms should or should not be required.
- Write a persuasive essay about why homework is or is not helpful for students.
- Write a persuasive essay in support of your favorite politician.
- Write a short story about a cat with a secret magical power.
- Write a short story about a kid who travels back in time and finds themself suddenly surrounded by dinosaurs.
- Write a short story about a family of elves who work in Santa’s workshop.
- Write a short story about a farmer who discovers something very interesting in the fields one day while he or she is out planting crops.
- Write a short story about a prince or princess who is unhappy with the king’s latest proclamation.
- Write a review of the greatest book you’ve ever read.
- Write a review of the most recent movie you’ve seen.
- Write a review of your favorite restaurant.
- Write a review of a game you’ve played with your family.
- Write a review of your favorite musical artist’s most recent album or song.
Related Writing Resources:
- 20 brand new paragraph writing topics
- How to Write a Journal Entry Lesson Plan
- First Grade Opinion Writing Lesson Plan
- 8 Writing Games for Students (includes two free PDF printables!)
- 12 Strategies to Support Struggling Writers
Until next time, write on…
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