Welcome to my blog index page featuring posts for upper elementary students who want to improve their writing skills. Teaching writing can be challenging, so I’ve compiled a range of posts to help you with your lessons.
My post categories include writing strategies, writing skills, capitalization and punctuation, narrative writing, teaching text structures with songs, teaching text structures, teaching persuasive techniques with commercials, and parts of speech. You’ll find ideas and free teaching materials to make your lessons more effective and engaging.
You can browse my posts by clicking on the images below or using the search bar on the right. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for updates on new posts and freebies. Whether you’re looking for tips on enhancing your students’ skills, making writing more fun and interactive, or integrating writing with other subjects, you’ll find something worthwhile on my blog.
I hope these posts will support your upper elementary students’ writing development and inspire them to become confident writers. Happy teaching!
Sep 28
Persuading students to write can sometimes feel like convincing your dog to take a bath. You offer snacks, encouragement, maybe a pleading tone… and they still look at you like, “Are you serious?” Luckily, switching up writing prompts can work wonders. When students get excited about what they’re writing, their pencils (and imaginations) start to …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7287
Sep 22
Have you ever noticed that newspaper articles don’t waste time with suspense? They hit you with the most important facts right away. Boom—who, what, when, where, why, and how—all in the first few lines. That’s not laziness; it’s strategy. It’s called the Inverted Pyramid, and it’s the writing style journalists have been using for over …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=5817
Sep 15
Getting students to write with purpose, voice, and a clear sense of audience can be challenging. That’s where the RAFT writing strategy comes in. It’s your secret weapon for turning “What do I write?” into “I’ve got this!” Lesson Handout This handout includes all the RAFT examples in student-ready format. Just print and teach. Get …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=91
Sep 08
This is the third post in my series on teaching persuasive techniques (sometimes called propaganda devices). In this lesson, we’ll focus on loaded terms—words designed to stir emotions—and explore how they’re used in commercials to influence an audience. To make the lesson even more practical, I’ve also included a short video on using analogies in argument …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4160
Sep 01
Teaching middle schoolers to write a thesis statement can feel like trying to convince them that comma rules actually matter or that no, emojis do not count as textual evidence. It’s one of those uphill climbs where clarity meets resistance, and every lesson feels like a mix of grammar boot camp. But once students crack …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=336
Aug 25
Varying sentences is one of those sneaky skills students often overlook until their writing starts sounding like a robot stuck on repeat. While young writers often default to short and choppy or run-on sentences, mastering sentence variation is key to creating engaging writing. But don’t worry; I’ve got fun strategies (and some teacher-tested survival tips!) …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=2675
Aug 18
Let’s face it—terms like retell, recount, and summarize are tossed around in ELA standards like confetti, but their meanings can blur. If you’re an upper elementary teacher, you’ve likely scratched your head wondering, “Aren’t these all basically the same thing?” Short answer: not quite. Let’s unpack each term, explore the skills students need at different …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=2688
