Explanatory Writing Freebie!

Oh my goodness. Was it just me, or did the last week of school last about 500 years? By Friday, I was feeling tired- but we had an awesome afternoon that helped perk me up for the weekend.

Last week we started our unit on Explanatory Writing. Here’s how the week went:

• Monday: Watch BrainPop Jr. and make an anchor chart about explanatory writing.
• Tuesday: Together, write an explanatory writing piece on chart paper. Brainstorm out loud with partners.
• Wednesday: Review the elements of explanatory writing. Mime out making a sandwich. Write the first draft.
• Thursday: Finish first drafts and edit/ revise for at least 15 minutes.
• Friday: Publish onto special writing paper, adding illustrations in the time left.
• Friday afternoon: Their “alien” teacher, who has never seen a sandwich before, tries to make the sandwiches using only their instructions. (A few years ago, I wore an alien hat from the dollar store to make this even more entertaining.)

Photos (taken by kids, so sorry if some are blurry!):


One student never told me to use a knife to spread the jelly, and another just told me to spread the peanut butter and jelly “on the bread” without having me get out pieces.


Their favorite! One set of instructions never told me where to spread the peanut butter and jelly, so I put them on my face.


Here’s one that told me to “put the peanut butter on one piece and the jelly on the other. Enjoy!”


At the end, I showed them how an alien enjoys their sandwich.

Seriously, it was so much fun.



They also learned some valuable lessons about how to be very, very specific when writing directions.

In past years, I’ve also done this as “How to Brush Your Teeth” when I had a peanut allergy in the classroom. I promise, it’s still funny when you put the toothpaste on the wrong part of the toothbrush, or they don’t tell you to take the cap off of the toothpaste, or when you put the whole tube on top of the toothbrush and then try to fit it in your mouth.

Next week, my students will get to write an explanatory piece of their choice, giving directions for how to do something. I’m excited to see how they improve!

If you’d like to download a copy of our explanatory writing paper, and my rubric for grading their writing, click the picture below and please say {thanks!}

P.S... While you're picking up the freebie, maybe follow my TpT store?

(Because I started one, finally, and I'm really self-conscious :)

I plan on moving most of my freebies over there so I can see how many people download them, and at some point I'll probably try to make a unit or two to sell. But that's not going to happen until these grade cards are done!

(Tips, tricks, advice totally welcome!)

Linking up with Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies!