Recommended Website:
Teacher’s Desk: Writing Plans
This website offers all kinds of free writing lesson plans for classroom teachers. I was surprised at some of the innovative suggestions for how to engage kids in learning composition skills. Most of the activities can be tweaked for use in the homeschool environment. When you get to the site, you’ll see a menu of lesson plans that include:
- Paragraph a Week — Get a year’s worth of suggestions for inspiring kids to write a paragraph a week.
- Stories in the Round — Find ideas for impromptu writing and story structure.
- Stories in a Box — A fun way to select a topic to write about.
- Soapy Writing — Use soap as a writing composition starter.
- Cereal Box Activities — Use cereal to spark the imagination of the writer within.
- Tales of the Talking Toothbrush — A creative writing exercise.
- It’s in the Can — Fun story starters themed around humor, mystery, and sports.
- And many more!
Click on any title and a new page opens with instructions on how to carry out the lesson plan. Even if you’re not into these particular “lessons” — the ideas presented may inspire you and your kids to create some fun writing activities of your own.
