How to Teach Fifth Graders to Write an Essay
- 1). Encourage your fifth-graders to practice their writing regularly, which will give them a good head start when they are required to write an essay for class. They should develop their skills by writing about both fiction and nonfiction topics.
- 2). Give students lessons on how to improve their writing by proofreading and editing it when they see or suspect mistakes. If they are typing their work on a word processing program, they should use the spell check function. They should also be instructed to ask someone else, such as a teacher, parent or other older family member, to take a look at their work and edit as necessary.
- 3). Tell your students about the pre-writing process, during which they can create a drawing of their ideas before they actually begin writing.
- 4). Assign your students essay topics they will enjoy writing about, or allow them to choose their own.
- 5). Instruct your fifth-graders to research their essay topics by visiting the school or local library. They can also do some Internet research on their computers at home for homework.
- 6). Have your fifth-graders sit down and write a draft of their essay. Inform them that their opening sentence should instantly catch the reader's attention and interest, and have them develop a good, in-depth thesis on their topic.
- 7). Teach your students to finalize their draft after it has been revised and edited to ensure it is ready to be presented to their teacher.
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