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!
Dec 16
Let’s be honest—teaching students to eliminate wordiness isn’t exactly the highlight of a student’s writing journey. Most upper elementary students believe that if they write more words, their story will be better. Meanwhile, you’re reading something like: “I went on a really long, extremely tiring walk across the very big and really wide field.” Good news: teaching concise …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=1990
Sep 16
Developing strong writing skills in upper elementary students isn’t just beneficial—it’s game-changing. One important area that helps build clarity and structure in their writing is understanding the active and passive voice. This post will walk you through the difference between these two writing styles, with hands-on activities to boost engagement and confidence. Grab the handout …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=102
Mar 11
Famous People Interviews is one of my students’ favorite writing activities. In this project, each student is assigned an important historical figure to research. After gathering information, the student prepares a timeline, summarizes a speech, and writes thoughtful interview questions. Then comes the fun part—students step into character and role-play their famous figure while classmates …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7340
Feb 18
Teaching grammar doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth—or pulling your students’ attention away from TikTok. Appositives might sound fancy, but they’re just sneaky little noun-revealers that give sentences a boost of flavor and clarity. And yes, I brought charts, organizers, and video reinforcements because you deserve backup. Here’s what’s in the lesson handout: a …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7356
Oct 07
Want to wake up your students and get them talking? Try teaching compare and contrast with songs. Music is a powerful tool – not just for teaching figurative language, but for helping students analyze structure, tone, and theme. This lesson uses popular songs to help students compare messages, moods, and meanings in a way that’s …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4109
Aug 03
Writing compare-and-contrast essays is an activity that students need to repeat over and over. Comparing Fictional Texts – The Idea In Chapter 2 of The Secret Garden, Mrs. Medlock tells Mary about her uncle. This reminds Mary of a French fairy tale called “Riquet a la Houppe.” This fairy tale is new to me, so I …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=5281
Mar 23
Name-calling is the final post in this series of persuasive techniques. It can include a large number of targets. Name-calling denounces values, laughs at opponents, or puts down ideas. Labels with a negative connotation such as tree-huggers are often used. Slanted language loaded with emotions makes the audience feel uneasy. Advertisements use name-calling when one …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4162
