Writing Teaching Resources
Teaching writing strategies and the writing process this school year? Explore a comprehensive collection of teacher resources for elementary and middle school ELA teachers — all created by teachers!
Stocked with graphic organizers, writing prompts, templates, worksheets and so much more, this collection of printable and digital activities is designed to help you as you help your students become more effective communicators and unleash their creativity and imagination.
Save time on lesson planning with resources that have been through a careful review process by an expert member of our teacher team to ensure they're ready for your classroom and your students!
Are you looking for tips and tricks to add to your teacher toolkit this school year? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including engaging activities for teaching writing in elementary and middle school and a look at some of the different writing strategies your students will need to learn.
11 Writing Strategies Kids Should Know by the End of Middle School
We can't talk about teaching kids to write without talking about the different writing strategies that can help them do just that!
When it comes to teaching our students to become confident writers who articulate their ideas effectively, here are some of the strategies our teacher team prioritizes:
1. Brainstorming
Brainstorming is something we often do in the classroom, and it's a crucial part of learning to generate the ideas that will drive students' writing as they progress through their educational journey. Kids should know how to create a list of potential topics or points related to a particular writing assignment.
With younger students, this is often done as a whole group by writing ideas and points on chart paper. In upper grades, students transition over to using text-based materials to generate ideas and talking points.
2. Outlining
Before diving directly into any assignment, our students should be able to create a structured framework or outline. Teaching students how to create this outline will help them organize their thoughts and arguments for penning their essays, reports and research papers.
3. Using Graphic Organizers
Technically graphic organizers are classroom tools, so you may not think of their use as a writing strategy per se. However, learning to use these tools is another means of providing kids with the tools they need to organize their ideas and information before they sit down to write.
These organizers are particularly useful for expository writing — students can use them to outline main ideas, supporting details, and transitions.
Students can also take advantage of story maps when they are working on narrative writing to plot the key elements of a story, such as characters, setting, conflict, rising action, climax and resolution.
Graphic organizers such as the OREO strategy and hamburger paragraph are also great tools for students to use when working with opinion and persuasive texts.
4. Freewriting
Writer's block is the enemy of creativity, and it can easily frustrate young students who don't know where to begin.
When students freewrite, they write continuously without worrying about grammar or punctuation. This writing strategy can be extremely freeing — hence the name! — and helps frustrated writers move past that writer's block, generating fresh ideas.
5. Peer Editing
Learning to review and provide constructive feedback on each other's work is a great writing strategy to employ in your classroom to help students improve their writing quality and enhance their editing skills.
The strategy allows your students to learn from one another, and it arms them with an important tool they can use well into the future — calling on peers to provide a critical eye to a piece of writing.
6. Using Sensory Language
Working on descriptive writing? With this writing strategy, students engage the reader's senses through vivid and sensory language to create a more immersive experience.
7. Including Transitions and Connectives
As students become more proficient in the writing process, learning to use transitional words and phrases allows them to create smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs. This strategy makes their writing more coherent and polished.
8. Incorporating Evidence
In persuasive, opinion, and expository writing, students are taught to support their claims with evidence and examples to strengthen their arguments.
It takes some practice to train your students to use evidence in their writing, so it's often a good idea to start with something simple, like the R.A.C.E.S. strategy.
9. Crafting a Thesis Statement
In expository, opinion, and persuasive writing, crafting clear and concise thesis statements that summarize the main point or argument of their essay helps students be more focused and organized in their writing. This strategy can also have the effect of empowering students to express their ideas confidently and persuasively.
10. Incorporating Introductions and Conclusions
With this strategy, students practice crafting effective introductions and conclusions that grab the reader's attention and leave a lasting impression.
11. Following a Revision Checklist
Teaching your students to use a revision checklist is a strategy that will help them be more self-reflective, evaluating their own writing against the checklist criteria and becoming more aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
- Free Plan
Narrative Plot Structure - Story Mountain Template
Use a story mountain template to help your students write narrative stories.
- Free Plan
Simple Sentence Building Activity - Caterpillar
Use this simple sentence building activity in the form of a caterpillar to have students identify the parts of a simple sentence.
- Plus Plan
Writing Paper with Picture Box - Differentiated Templates
Help your students organize and display their writing and artwork using printable writing paper with picture boxes,
- Free Plan
Free Blank Story Board Template Pack
Use these storyboards to help your students visually represent the key events and changes within a story.
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Abbreviations Board Game
Engage and excite your learners with a lively Abbreviations Board Game designed to teach the most common abbreviations in the English language.
- Free Plan
Noun, Verb, and Adjective Sort - Worksheet
Help students learn the difference between nouns, verbs, and adjectives with this cut-and-paste sorting worksheet.
- Free Plan
Cat Handwriting Paper - Dotted Middle Line
A set of handwriting lines to use when teaching your students how to sit their letters properly on a line.
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Verb Tense in Informative Writing Worksheets
Download these informative writing worksheets to help your students understand why present tense is most commonly used in informational writing.
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Direct and Indirect Speech Grammar Posters
Helps students learn what both direct and indirect speech entails with our printable Direct and Indirect Speech Grammar Posters.
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Past, Present and Future Tense Escape Room Game
Engage students with this past, present and future game that turns verb tense practice into an exciting escape room challenge where they apply skills to crack a secret code.
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Weathering and Erosion – RACES Writing Strategy Worksheets
Combine reading, writing and science with two worksheets about weathering and erosion using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence.
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Persuasive Techniques Worksheet Pack
Explore persuasive techniques with your students using this nine-page worksheet pack perfect for your persuasive writing unit.
- Free Plan
Cornell Notes Template
Help your students organize their notes with a free Cornell Notes Template.
- Free Plan
Lewis and Clark Worksheet - RACES Writing Strategy
Practice using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence with a Lewis and Clark Passage, graphic organizer, and worksheet.
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Boston Tea Party - RACES Writing Strategy Worksheet
Integrate reading, writing, and American history with a worksheet about the Boston Tea Party using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence.
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Dear Future Student – Trifold Template
Use this template with your class to write about interesting grade-level information, experiences, and tips for incoming students.
- Free Plan
Planning an Informative Text
A planning sheet that can be used to write an informative text.
- Free Plan
Five Senses Graphic Organizer
A graphic organizer to use when brainstorming sights, sounds, smells, touches, and tastes.
- Free Plan
Opinion Topic Prompt Cards
A set of opinion topic cards designed specifically for lower‑grades.
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Exploring Simple Explanations PowerPoint
Use this Exploring Simple Explanations PowerPoint to teach your students about what explanation texts are, why they are written, and how they are structured.
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Cut and Paste Matching Verb Tense Worksheet
Practice identifying past, present and future tense in verbs using this set of cut and paste worksheets.
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Persuasive Essay Examples with Analysis Task Cards
Use these persuasive essay examples with accompanying task cards to teach your students how purpose, structure and language features work together in strong persuasive texts.
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Let Me Persuade You - Persuasive Writing Activity
Use this persuasive writing prompt to encourage younger students to persuade readers to buy their lunchbox design.
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First, Then, Finally Sort and Writing Template
Help your students sequence ideas for a narrative story with these narrative element prompts and a First Then Finally Writing Template.
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Winter Writing Prompts
Engage your students with these winter writing prompts that inspire creativity and critical thinking throughout December, January and February.
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Build and Write a Sentence Worksheets
Practice building and writing sentences with a set of printable Build and Write a Sentence Worksheets.
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Unscramble Sentences – Sentence Structure Worksheets
Unscramble sentences and practice writing complete statements with a set of printable Scrambled Sentences Worksheets.
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Cut and Paste Sentences Worksheets (K-1)
Practice making simple sentences with a set of printable Cut and Paste Sentences Worksheets.
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Types of Sentences Flip Book
Create a helpful types of sentences flipbook with our Differentiated 4 Kinds of Sentences foldable graphic organizers.
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Narrative Template Pack
Choose a narrative template from our versatile writing planning pack to help your students plan a fantastic piece of writing!
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5 Star Writing Poster and Bookmark Set
Share this 5 star writing poster and bookmark set with your students to remind them how to be "star" writers!
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Properties of Materials Beanbag Toss Game - Describing Matter
Explore and describe the properties of materials with an exciting beanbag toss game.