Weekly Writing for 5th and 6th Graders

This is a perfect class to give kids a weekly writing assignment and feedback on their writing, while only meeting once a week. During our class meeting, they will learn the writing concept and work on some material (worksheets, graphic organizers, outlines, etc.). Then they have one week to complete their writing assignment. I am available via Outschool if kids have any questions. Once a writing assignment is turned in, I will send written feedback to help each student continuously improve. 

Students should be able to read and write English at a 4th grade level or higher to succeed in this class. 
All homework and worksheets will be posted weekly in the Outshcool Classroom.

Below you can find a list of weekly topics.

Week of September 11: Narrative Essay
Students will learn about narrative essays and write one. They will have a graphic organizer to work on in class that will help them plan their essay.



Week of September 18: Poetry: Cinquain and Haiku
Students will learn about haiku and cinquain poetry and write some poetry of their own.



Week of September 25: Short Story
Students will plot their story on a graphic organizer that helps them learn about exposition, rising actions, climax, falling actions, and resolution. Then they will write a short story for homework.


Week of October 2: Comparison and Contrast Essay
Students will learn about comparison and contrast essays and write one. They will have a graphic organizer to work on in class that will help them plan their essay.



Week of October 9: Summarizing an Academic Text
Students will learn to highlight key details in an academic text and write a summary. We do one in class together where kids help identify the main ideas and key details. Then they help me write a summary. Their homework is to write a summary of an essay that I will provide them with.



Week of October 16: Summarizing a Story
This week, kids will learn 3 different methods for summarizing a story. We will summarize a short story together in class. Their homework will be to choose one of the 3 methods to summarize a story of their choice. It can be any story (short or long) they have read from beginning to end.


Week of October 23: Poetry: Writing a Sonnet
Students will learn about the characteristics of sonnets. They will read some examples from famous poets and a bit about the history of sonnets. Then they will write an Italian Sonnet and a Shakespearean Sonnet.
 


Week of October 30: Writing an Observational Essay
Students will choose a topic, observe it, take notes, and write an observational essay.



Week of November 6: Writing an Outline
Students will learn how to identify the key details in a text and write an outline to remember the main points.



Week of November 13: Poetry: Free Verse 
Students will learn the characteristics of free verse poetry, read some free verse poems, and write a free verse poem.



Week of November 20: Writing a Review
Students will learn how to write a review for a product or service.



Week of December 11: Writing a Speech
Students will plan and write a speech. They'll read an example and use a graphic organizer to plan theirs. For this lesson, kids will need to find one source (website, book, or other) to support their claims.


Week of December 18: Writing a Play
Students will learn the format of a play, read an example, and write a short play.


Week of January 8: Using Figurative Language Part 1 - Shows a relationship or resemblance (simile, metaphor, personification euphemism, metonymy, synecdoche)
Kids will read examples and then write paragraphs using different kinds of figurative language. 


Week of January 15: Using Figurative Language Part 2 and 3 - Shows phonetic resemblances or represents sounds (Alliteration, Assonance, onomatopoeia) Shows emphasis or unimportance (hyperbole, antithesis, oxymoron, irony)


Week of January 22: Writing a Short Story Using Figures of Speech
Kids will write a short story (400-700 words) and incorporate at least 5 figures of speech from a list of 9 options. We'll also review several figures of speech and read examples.

Week of January 29: Essay Describing a Fictional Story
Kids will write an essay describing a fictional story they have read. They will use a 5-paragraph essay format.

Week of February 5: No class

Week of February 12: Creating a Character for a Story
Kids will use a worksheet to create their own character for a story. They will also write a description of their character. 

Week of February 19: Journal Writing
Students will learn some of the benefits and tips for journal writing. They will have a list of prompts and will write 5 entries in their journal over the course of a week. They will pick one entry to edit, finalize, and post in Outschool for my review and feedback.

Week of February 26: Understanding Story Plots/Writing a Story Plotted on an 8 Point Arc
Kids will learn about different kinds of story plots. We will talk about Aristotle's Story Triangle and Gustav Freytag's Story Pyramid. Then they will use Nigel Watts' 8 Point Arc to plot their own story. They'll write a 4+ word story.

Week of March 5: The Writing Process Part 1: Prewriting and Drafting
This week, kids will learn about the steps in the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing). We will then focus on some different strategies for prewriting and drafting. Then they will have a writing assignment to put prewriting and drafting into practice.

Week of March 12: The Writing Process Part 2: Revising, Editing, and Publishing
This week, kids will learn some strategies for revising, editing and publishing what they write. Then they will have a writing assignment to put these steps into practice.


Week of March 19: Writing Good Story Beginnings and Endings
In this class, kids will learn about different ways to begin and end stories, and they will practice writing them.

More lessons will be added before the end of March 2025.