7 Basic Writing Lessons Every Teacher Should Teach

This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should
teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing
assignments more effectively.

What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them?

A. Sentence Structure

1. Complete Sentences
This lesson will focus on writing COMPLETE SENTENCES using subjects and predicates.
Writing in complete sentences is the first basic writing lesson every student should
learn. Sentence structure is important to help students write in journals, responses to
reading, paragraphs, essays, book reports and so much more. It will lay the
foundation for good writing practices throughout the year! These ideas are ideal for
any writing curriculum and are a part of a series of mini lessons for writer’s workshop
designed for scaffolding through sentence structure, paragraph writing, and the
writing process. Read on to learn how to teach complete sentences using subjects
and predicates.

1. Teach

Teacher-made anchor charts or enlarging a digital poster on a smart board is idea for
teaching your visual learners. I try to provide some sort of visual with each skill to help
the students remember the meaning of the lesson. For a perfectly delicious Peanut
Butter and Jelly sandwich, you can’t leave out the peanut butter or the jelly! It is the
same with sentences. A sentence is only complete with a subject AND a predicate!
A subject is a noun (person, place, or thing) and a predicate is a verb (action or
linking).

SUBJECT- whom or what the sentence is about.

Ex. musician, player, he, playground, lake, jacket

PREDICATE- what action the subject does or links the subject by telling what the
subject is.

Ex. played, struggled, flapping, is, were, am

Examples:

The talented musician played the violin.

He struggled to catch the ball.

My thick jacket was very warm.

2. Take Notes

I like to have students take notes using INTERACTIVE WRITING NOTEBOOKS. Research
supports the use of interactive writing notebooks through studies on multiple
intelligence, note-taking, and the brain! Here are a few videos about SETTING UP
INTERACTIVE WRITING NOTEBOOKS.

3. Group or Partner Work

Have students practice by writing a paragraph or 5 sentences in a group or with a

partner. This is helpful because they can share their knowledge with each other. I
know they haven’t learned paragraph writing yet (it is later in this series of writing
lessons) but sometimes its easier for them to write about a particular topic as opposed
to coming up with 5 different sentences. You know your students so choose what is
best for them! Practice is what is important. Have other students underline the subject
and circle the predicate in each sentence. Motivate them by providing two different
colors of pens, pencils, or crayons for this activity! If they have brown for peanut butter
and purple for grape jelly, that would be fun!

4. Share

Share some of the student-made sentences with the class and point out the subjects
and predicates.

5. Independent Practice

Provide independent practice for your students. Have students identify the subjects
and predicates in sentences. Task cards are a great way to give students practice in
centers. You are welcome to use the samples below when creating practice for your
students.

6. Apply
Students should now apply their knowledge by writing in complete sentences. Give
them a topic or prompt to write about in their writing notebooks. (A cute idea is to ask
them to explain how to write in complete sentences using complete sentences!) Tell
them to underline the subject and circle the predicate in each sentence.

7. Independent Assessment

Once you think your students had enough practice, give them an independent
assessment and track their progress. This useful information can be used with forming
small instructional groups or end of year review.

USEFUL TIP: When writing responses to questions, have students write in COMPLETE
SENTENCES by repeating part of the question in their answer. For example: Why did
Mary show Dickon the garden? Mary showed Dickon the garden because………. This
will give them practice writing complete sentences throughout the year!

I hope these ideas will help you and your students! ROCK ‘N’ WRITE!!!!!

2. Fragments

Are your students writing in fragments? Often times students will write an incomplete
sentence and it will cause confusion to the reader and disrupt the flow of the
paragraph. These ideas are ideal for any writing curriculum and are a part of a series
of mini lessons for writer’s workshop designed for scaffolding through sentence
structure, paragraph writing, and the writing process. Read on to learn how to teach
students to correct FRAGMENTS.

1. TEACH

I like to show an image for my visual learners so I use a broken heart for fragments!
Make the heart complete with a complete sentence. As a whole group, we review
yesterday’s COMPLETE SENTENCES lesson and then discuss the meaning of fragments
using the following anchor chart. A FRAGMENT is a group of words missing a subject
or predicate. It is an incomplete sentence.

Is the incomplete sentence missing a subject? Shopping for a car. Make it complete:
My dad was shopping for a car.

Is the incomplete sentence missing a predicate? A lawn service. Make it complete:

A lawn service came to trim our bushes.
2. TAKE NOTES

To help students understand the meaning of a fragment, take notes in a writing

notebook. This will be a great reference to remind students of the skill in the future.
Students should take notes and write examples. I like to have students take notes using
INTERACTIVE WRITING NOTEBOOKS. Research supports the use of interactive writing
notebooks through studies on multiple intelligence, note-taking, and the brain! Here
are a few videos about SETTING UP INTERACTIVE WRITING NOTEBOOKS.

3. GROUP OR PARTNER WORK

Have students practice correcting fragments by creating 5 fragments and

exchanging it with a shoulder partner. Their shoulder partner then makes them
complete sentences! When students complete this task, they should share their
samples with a small group or the whole group.

4. SHARE

Share some of the student-made fragments and corrections with the class.

5. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Provide some sort of independent practice to see if each student understands

fragments and complete sentences. Either provide fragments for students to put into
complete sentences or provide fragments and complete sentences and have
students identify them. Task cards are a good way for practicing in centers. You are
welcome to use the fragment samples found below when creating practice for your
class.

6. APPLY

Students should now apply their knowledge by writing in complete sentences. Give
them a topic or prompt to write about in their writing notebooks. Tell them to underline
the subject and circle the predicate in each sentence like the previous lesson to
assure they do not have fragments in their paragraph!

7. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT

Once you think your students had enough practice, give them an independent
assessment and track their progress. This useful information can be used with forming
small instructional groups or end of year review.
I hope this helps you in your classroom!

3. Run-on Sentences
Are your students writing run-on sentences? This lesson will focus on how to correct
them. These ideas are ideal for any writing curriculum and are a part of a series of mini
lessons for writer’s workshop designed for scaffolding through sentence structure,
paragraph writing, and the writing process. Learn ways to help students properly write
two complete sentences (independent clauses) in one sentence by using the correct
punctuation and conjunctions. Find out how the acronym FANBOYS are used to help
students with run-ons!

1. TEACH

A RUN-ON SENTENCE is two complete sentences that run together. Use visuals of a
running shoe to begin this lesson. Tell students they need to SLOW DOWN and fix the
run-on sentences. Use this anchor chart to help explain the lesson.
Fixing Run-On Sentences:

1. Separate the two ideas into two sentences.

Example: I like blueberries I don’t like bananas.

Correct: I like blueberries. I don’t like bananas.

2. Create a compound sentence by using conjunctions. Use FANBOYS to help

students remember a variety of conjunctions. It helps students create compound
sentences with words other than AND!

Example: I like blueberries I don’t like bananas.

Correct: I like blueberries, but I don’t like bananas.

2. TAKE NOTES

It is good practice to have students take notes on this skill. It helps students
comprehend the skill and provides them with a resource to use in the future.
3. MORE PRACTICE

For more practice, have students write their own run-on sentences and have their
partner correct them. Then come back as a whole group and share some of the
student samples on the board.

4. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE OR CENTER WORK

Next provide students with independent practice to see if they understand how to
correct and run-on sentence. Task cards are a good way to practice in centers. You
are welcome to use the run-on samples below when creating practice for your
students.

5. ASSESSMENT

Once you think your students have a solid grasp on the concept, provide them with
an independent assessment. Track their success to use in the future when forming
small instructional groups or review.

I hope your students are Rockin and Writing!

4. How to Teach Paragraph Writing
If you are looking for ideas to teach paragraph writing, you are in the right place!
From the series of over 30 writing mini lessons for writer’s workshop, paragraph
writing includes three posts (lessons 5, 6, and 7) starting here with TOPIC
SENTENCES, moving into RELEVANT DETAILS, and then CLOSING SENTENCES. Now
that your students are WRITING COMPLETE SENTENCES using the former mini
lessons, they are ready to learn how to write a paragraph!

START OFF THIS LESSON WITH THE PARAGRAPH SONG!! He is so funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhOJZwLG8C4

Show students an anchor chart to introduce the three lessons on paragraph writing.
MINI LESSON #5 TOPIC SENTENCES is the first mini lesson for paragraph writing.

1. Teach
Paragraphs need to have topic sentences. It is a way of organizing and expressing
the main idea of the paragraph!

It answers questions like why, how, or where.

It has supporting sentences or relevant details.

It can prove, explain, or describe something.

For example:

Paragraph: Fall is my favorite season. The weather is perfect for outside activities. I
like going on hikes with my brother and fishing with my dad. I look forward to the smell
of a fire and the taste of burnt marshmallows. I love fall weather!
2. Teach Indents

This is the perfect time to introduce INDENTS! Point out paragraph indentions in text
books or stories to reinforce this lesson!
Indents are moving the first line of a paragraph to the right and creating a space.

It is usually 5 letter spaces.

The first sentence of every paragraph should be indented to show where the
paragraph begins.

The rest of the sentences should be lined up on the left. If using notebook paper, these
sentences should line up on the pink or red line.

paragraph writing using indents

3. Take Notes

If using interactive notebooks, create something similar to the following. Students

should take notes and show examples. This will provide them with a great reference
for future writing assignments.
HOW TO WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE IN A PARAGRAPH
Students should brainstorm ideas for a paragraph of their own.

4. Apply

Students use their brainstorming skills to write a paragraph using a topic sentence.
Shoulder partners can point out the topic sentence or share as a whole group.
Students can hold a hand up to their ears if they hear the topic sentence. This will
help keep their attention!

5. Go Deeper

Do you want your topic sentence to have a Rockin’ Beginning? This can also be
helpful to differentiate in your classroom. Use the following FREE resource to help
students write better topic sentences:
How to write a lead or topic sentence
6. Practice

Provide students with practice. Have them identify topic sentences, write topic
sentences, and write rockin’ beginnings. Task cards are a great way to give students
practice especially in centers. You are welcome to use the samples below when
creating your own materials to use in your classroom.

topic sentence task cards

7. Assessment and Tracking

Have students work independently on an assignment and record their progress. This
will be helpful when forming small instructional groups and review.

ROCK ‘N’ WRITE!!!!!

5. Relevant Details
Do you need ideas for teaching students about RELEVANT DETAILS? This writing mini
lesson will provide ideas for teaching students about writing relevant details in a
paragraph including TRANSITION WORDS to help the paragraph flow smoothly. These
ideas are ideal for any writing curriculum and are a part of a series of mini lessons for
writer’s workshop designed for scaffolding through the writing process.

1. Teach

Within a paragraph, writers need to STICK TO THE TOPIC. This means that everything
in the paragraph is related to the topic sentence and is IMPORTANT! VIP-P- Very
Important Part of the Paragraph!

These details support the topic and give the writing true meaning.

It creates imagery, a picture in the reader’s mind.

This is the perfect place to include personal experiences or detailed examples.

For example:

Paragraph: Summer weather lets me play outside. I have fun under the
sprinkler with my brother. We run through the water and scream each time! It
is refreshing to swim in the lake too. At night, I play hide and seek with my
friends. I usually hide behind a big bush. I love when the weather is warm!
For example:
Paragraph: Summer weather lets me play outside. I have fun under the sprinkler with
my brother. We run through the water and scream each time! It is refreshing to swim
in the lake too. At night, I play hide and seek with my friends. I usually hide behind a
big bush. I love when the weather is warm!

2. Take Notes

Students should take notes and show examples. VIP-P- very important piece to the
paragraph! This provides students with a future reference when writing paragraphs.
3. Apply

Students should write a paragraph independently or in partners and highlight the

relevant details. Then share with a small group or class.

4. Go Deeper

This is the perfect time to also teach about using TRANSITION WORDS or use it for
differentiation. Transition words help sequence or organize the relevant details. They
create a smooth and logical flow of the writing. Transit- means pass through.
This may also be a good time to explain clauses and phrases to upper elementary
students.
A phrase is a group of words that may have nouns or verbs, but it does not have a
subject.

leaving behind the cat

smashing into a wall

before the next movie

after the war

A clause is a group of words in a sentence that has a subject and predicate. Some
clauses may stand alone as their own sentence!

since she runs to music

when the saints go marching in

because he made the last shot

I dislike bullies

5. Practice

Practice identifying relevant details, irrelevant details, and transition words. Also
practice writing relevant details and transitions words. Task cards are an effective
way for students to practice during center time. You are welcome to use the
examples below when creating materials for your own class.

6. Assessement and Tracking

Assess some of the students’ work and track their progress. This will be useful for future
small instructional groups and review.

I hope this helps you and your students when writing relevant details and transition
words in a paragraph!

6. Transition Words
Are you looking for ways to help your students revise their narrative essay? This post is
one of several mini lessons on using the acronym D.A.R.E. (Delete, Add, Rearrange,
Exchange) to revise and will focus on the A- ADD more details and ADD transition
words in narrative writing. It is also a part of a series of writing mini lessons that scaffold
through the writing process ideal for any writing curriculum.

When teaching students to revise for the first time in the school year, it is important to
break down each of the ways into separate lessons. When students get a firm
understanding of how to revise, it will make your future revision lessons a breeze! Many
times students don’t write enough details in their story to keep a smooth flow. To also
help with the flow of the story, students should find places to add transition words.

1. TEACH

Revisit the DARE anchor chart and tell students to only focus on A- Add more
important details and transition words.
Not having enough details or lack of transition words will disrupt the flow of the story
and confuse the reader. Tell students that transition words are words or phrases used
to help organize paragraphs and essays to create a smooth and logical flow
throughout the writing. The root word TRANSIT means to pass through. You want your
readers to pass through your story with a smooth and logical flow!
For upper grades, your standards may require for you to introduce phrases and
clauses.
A phrase is a group of words that may have nouns or verbs, but it does not have a
subject.

leaving behind the cat

smashing into a wall

before the next movie

after the war

A clause is a group of words in a sentence that has a subject and predicate. Some
clauses may stand alone as their own sentence!

since she runs to music

when the saints go marching in

because he made the last shot

I dislike bullies

2. MENTOR TEXT

One mentor text that can be used for transition words is Through Grandpa’s Eyes by
Patricia MacLachian.

In the morning, the sun pushes through the curtains into my eyes.

When I open my eyes again, I can see Grandpa nodding at me.

After breakfast, I follow Grandpa’s path through the dining room in the living room.

Later, Nana brings out her clay to sculpt…

While she works, Grandpa takes out a piece of wood.

As we walk back to the house, Grandpa stops suddenly.

Before Grandpa leaves, he pulls the light chain above my bed to turn out the light.
3. MODEL

Within your class story, add more details and transition words. Talk out loud as you
make your changes. It is a good idea to plan out where you can add these items in
case you get stuck!

Example:

They reached a hard object. It was a bottle with another map. The map took the
kids back on shore where they had to use a compass. They walked in that direction
and came across a hurt dog by a bush. They came to an old barn.

Eventually they reached a hard object. They thought it was the priceless treasure but
it was a glass bottle with another map. The map took the kids back on shore where
they had to use a compass to find the direction southwest. They walked in that
direction and came across a hurt dog by a thorny bush. The dog couldn’t walk so
Hillary picked her up and carried her on their search. Then they came to an old
abandoned barn.

4. TAKE NOTES

Students should add notes to their notebook: Why do I use a bus? Transit- means
across, through. Transit is related to transportation. A bus is transportation. Get it? Get
your writing across to your readers. Move through your story smoothly!
5. APPLY

Students should apply this particular way to revise by going through their own rough
drafts and adding details and transition words. Allow them to use their notes, list of
transition words, or any other resources to guide them.

6. SHARE

Students should share their additions. If a student is struggling to revise with this step, it
will be helpful for him/her to see where a peer found ways to add details and transition
words!

I hope you found ideas for revising with ADD! If you are looking for ways to ADD million
dollar words and using a thesaurus, you will find it under E-Exchange- Lesson 28- Using
Million Dollar Words.

7. Closing Sentences
Do your students need help finishing a paragraph? This post will not only show you
how to teach CLOSING SENTENCES, it will also show you ways to help your students be
creative with their closing sentences by writing CLINCHERS. These ideas are ideal for
any writing curriculum and are a part of a series of mini lessons for writer’s workshop
designed for scaffolding through the writing process. This lesson is for ending a
paragraph, not a concluding sentence to an essay. That will come later in the writing
mini lesson series!

1. Teach

A closing sentence is the concluding sentence. Close the door to the paragraph!

It summarizes the main ideas or feeling of a paragraph.

It is not a relevant detail in the paragraph.

Use a “clincher” to be creative with the closing sentence! (question, humor,

excitement, or a future thought).
For example:
Paragraph: Summer weather lets me play outside. I have fun under the sprinkler
with my brother. We run through the water and scream each time! It is refreshing to
swim in the lake too. At night, I play hide and seek with my friends. I usually hide
behind a big bush. I love when the weather is warm!
Other examples of clinchers for the same paragraph:

Question: Do you like to play outside in the warm weather?

Humor: Warm weather is like hitting the lottery!

Excitement: I love it when the weather is warm!

Future: I can’t wait for the next warm day!

2. Take Notes

When students take notes and show examples, it will provide them with a
reference when writing paragraphs in the future.
3. Apply

Use the HAMBURGER MODEL to put ideas together from the lessons: Topic
sentence, relevant details, and closing sentences. Then write the paragraph
out and highlight the closing sentence or clincher. Then have students share
with their shoulder partner, group, or whole class. DO YOU WANT THIS
ORGANIZER FOR FREE? CLICK ON THE BURGER BELOW!

4. Go Deeper

This is a great opportunity for teaching or differentiating with clinchers.

5. Practice

Students should practice this skill. First identify the closing sentence, then writing a
closing sentence and writing clinchers. Task cards are an effective tool to use during
center time. You are welcome to use the examples below when creating materials
for your own class.

6. Assessment and Tracking

Assess and track some of the students’ work for future small instructional groups and
review!