Here are a few reasons why:

1. Writing is an art. There is not an easy answer key for the writing teacher.

2. The way writing is taught can often seem esoteric to children. It seems to them that the rules of good writing sure do seem to change a lot. “The teacher liked what I wrote yesterday, but today they say this is not good. I don’t get it.”

3. Staying on top of student writing is hard work for teachers. As such, students have more opportunities to slack off and practice writing the wrong way.

Without a doubt “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay Writing” has gotten a hold of all of these issues. I will admit, the “Pattern Based Writing” program does not teach every aspect of what good writing is. However, what it completely and absolutely solves is what this video below talks about.

Elementary School Essay Writing vs. High School Essay Writing

What is shocking about this video is that it is from Ashworth University and is designed for high school students. (It’s an excellent video on the 5-paragraph essay. The teacher is very clear and concise.)

As you watch it, imagine an entire class of third graders sitting there watching this video and saying, “Yes, we can do all that. We learned that last month. We can organize and write one of those five-paragraph essays in less than 30-minutes.”

The third graders I am talking about are from the inner city and their teacher had become ill early in the year. This began a long string of substitute teachers. I came in at the end of their school year and took them from unorganized sentences to excellent five-paragraph essay in just 37 days.

“Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” solves the essay problem. Whether your students are in elementary school or middle school you can revolutionize their writing quickly and easily. This should not be an issue in high school.

Enjoy the video!

P.S. Concerned parents, “Pattern Based Writing” is an easy way for you to bring control to your child’s writing.

Spring Compare and Contrast Essay

• Spring in an agricultural society of the past vs. spring in a modern technological society.
• Spring and Easter traditions in different parts of the word.
• Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
• Easter when I was real young vs. Easter now that I am an old kid.
• What I saw all winter and what I see as spring emerges.
• Spring in different parts of the country and the world.
• Compare and contrast famous spring poems by William Shakespeare, William Blake, Robert Frost, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
• Spring arriving compared to spring exiting.
• Winter fashions vs. spring fashions.
• Easter compared to Christmas.
• My teacher in winter vs. my teacher in spring.

Spring Cause and Effect Essay

• What happens in spring and what makes it happen?
• What are the causes of the changing seasons and what are the effects?
• A beautiful spring day and how it affects both people and animals.
• What makes the plants start growing in spring?
• How more hours of daylight and sunshine affect people.

Spring Persuasive Essay  

• State academic testing should be abolished. It always seems to come in spring!
• Spring is a time of rebirth and rejuvenation.
• Spring vacation should be extended by 3 days. Even my teacher says so!
• After the long cold winter indoors, class should be held outside… occasionally. At least we should get to go on a nature walk.
• Spring has a feeling. You should get the spring fever!
• Easter is the most important holiday of them all.
• Spring should be animal appreciation season.

Spring Process Essay or How-To Essay

• How to make a pine cone bird feeder and attract tons of colorful birds.
• How to decorate Easter eggs.
• How to complete an awesome spring cleaning.
• How to plant a garden.
• How to hide Easter eggs that will never be found.
• How to dress when you are not sure how warm or cold it will be.
• How to have a great spring vacation.
• The life cycle of a butterfly.
• How to make an Easter basket.
• How to prepare for the upcoming standardized tests.

Spring Informational Essay

• Fun Easter activities.
• The truth about the Easter bunny. The history of the Easter bunny.
• History of Easter.
• Spring through the ages.
• Spring traditions.
• Facts about spring.
• The symbols and symbolism of spring.
• The mythology of spring.

Spring Narrative/ Personal Narrative Essay

• Spring, an analogy of my life as I grow and change.
• What I did on my spring break that made everyone green with envy!
• My first Easter memory.
• Spring memories.
• Springtime on the farm.
• Our annual Easter egg hunt.

Spring Descriptive Essay

• Describe the energy of spring.
• The sights, sounds, and smells of spring.
• Easter breakfast.
• The first day of spring.
• New life awakens.
• What spring means to me.

Spring Five-Paragraph Essay

• Three reasons I love spring.
• Three signs of spring.
• Three spring vacation activities.
• Testing time, spring vacation, and Easter.

Spring Story Ideas

• The Easter bunny slept in!
• Clash of the Seasons – Spring vs. Winter
• Spring’s rise from the darkness of winter.
• A baby deer in spring.
• The spring that almost never came. Where is the groundhog?
• The Annual Animal Spring Celebration Party!
• A spring miracle.
• Funny happenings on the first day of spring.
• The day after spring.
• The spring I learned to write fantastic essays in under 30 minutes! Really! (Click here)

Happy spring!

Most people don’t really understand what a thesis statement is, and even the people who do know what a thesis statement is don’t really understand why it is important.

Until a few years ago, I didn’t really get them. I didn’t think they were important.

I did get straight A’s when getting my teaching credential and I can honestly say I never thought about the term “thesis statement” while getting them. How important are thesis statements if this is possible? In college, getting good grades was just one of my many interests, but I’m quite sure I cared even less about thesis statements in college than when I got my teaching credential… and I did just fine.

To me, the word thesis statement was simply a term that English majors liked to use.

Thesis Statements in Elementary and Middle School?

The 5th grade California State Writing Standards state:

Grade 5 Writing Strategies 1.0 – Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays.

By definition, an essay has a thesis statement. Okay, so thesis statements may be important. HOWEVER, when elementary and middle school students are struggling with paragraphs and grammar, thesis statements can SEEM unimportant.

In fact, when one considers Piaget’s constructivist learning theory, thesis statements can seem like a waste of time for students still grasping “the simple concepts.” In short, you don’t want to spend a lot of valuable time teaching students concepts that may take them backwards. You don’t want students to get to the point where they think, “Okay… I admit it… I don’t understand writing and I never will.” Thesis statements can have that effect. So don’t teach them?

Wait a Minute!

What I have now come to see is that you can use thesis statements as a tool for achieving many different writing and reading comprehension results.

Thesis statements have become a coat rack on which I hang many concepts. I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important thing about thesis statements is the “THESIS THINKING” that goes along with them.

Here is Why Thesis Statements are Important

Here’s what a great screenwriting teacher said. The way he uses the term “premise” is what I have learned to teach my students about “thesis statements.”

The very first step in creating a good comedy script is to figure out a great premise. Your premise is your story stated in a single line. It’s probably the most important element in any script, because if it’s not a good premise there is very little that you can do to make the overall script work, make the overall script something that people will want to read. So it’s very important that you start with a good core idea.
John Truby (Screenwriter, screenwriting teacher, director)

Thesis is very closely related to premise. Let’s substitute thesis for premise and essay for script and see how it reads.

The very first step in creating a good essay is to figure out a great thesis. Your thesis is your essay stated in a single line. It’s probably the most important element in any essay, because if it’s not a good thesis there is very little that you can do to make the overall essay work, make the overall essay something that people will want to read. So it’s very important that you start with a good core idea.

In other words, this kind of “Thesis Thinking” is important in all kinds of writing.

NOW, thesis statements and “Thesis Thinking” help students:

• Find main ideas
• Write with a purpose
• Master different modes of writing
• Summarize
• Narrow down a topic
• Develop clear and concise thinking and writing
• Understanding the purpose behind all the different types of essays
• Write stories which have a premise

By the way, in the next few months I have a new program coming out. The working title is, “Thesis Statements, Vision, Subject and Topic.” It’s exciting and has a lot of deep, deep thinking skills. I’m not sure if I am going to offer it only to current users of PBW, or if I am going to make it a standalone program.

I’m pretty secure in my belief that all students need to understand what is inside “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” before tackling more complicated concepts. Sure, some students just naturally understand what good writing is. They understand how it is all put together. If your students don’t… check out the homepage.

Piaget, Pattern Based Writing, and Thesis Statements

I think Piaget would have liked Pattern Based Writing. With PBW you can teach your students to construct their writing knowledge correctly the first time around. If it’s too late for that and your students are getting kind of old and still don’t get it, you can use PBW to scaffold the instruction and get them up to speed quickly.

Here’s what one 7th grade teacher said about Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay:

I was describing it to a colleague a little while ago as, “the basics made clearer.”  I have taught many of these ideas but not as an organized structure. 5 paragraph essays just make sense, but I had no formal way of getting that idea to be part of their natural writing process. Thank you for this opportunity to enjoy teaching my students writing.

That’s Piaget’s model in a nutshell!

Ready for essay success!

You and your students have worked hard on writing all year… and now it’s time to make sure it gets all the credit it deserves. Sometimes mandated writing rubrics can have harsh consequences… because sometimes fantastic writing misses the mark when it comes to the rubric.

The goal here is to not only to improve overall writing skills but also to hit a bull’s-eye when it comes to the writing rubric. Almost all writing rubrics will contain the basic topics found here.

1. Address the writing prompt and stay on target:
• How on target is the writing? What is being asked for in the prompt?
• Do the titles for your students’ essays contain any words from the writing prompt?
• Are the words used in the writing prompt sprinkled throughout the essay?
• How can the writing be on target if students don’t use any of the words from the writing prompt in either the title or the essay?

2. Make sure students have an understanding of big picture essay structure and organization. Their essay needs to demonstrate a clear beginning, middle and ending. Students need to have an understanding of how paragraphs flow throughout an essay:
• Introduction – Idea 1 – Idea 2 – Idea 3 – Conclusion
• Introduction – First – Then – Finally – Conclusion
• Introduction – Cause – Effect – Conclusion 
• Introduction – Cause/Effect #1 – Cause/Effect #2 – Conclusion 
• Introduction – Cause #1 – Effect #1 – Cause #2 – Effect #2 – Conclusion
• Introduction – Problem – Solution – Conclusion  (See Cause/Effect for more variations)
• Introduction – Similarities – Differences – Conclusion  (See Cause/Effect for more variations)
• Once Upon a Time – Rising Action – Rising Action – Climax – and They (or I) Lived Happily Ever After

3. Plan, Write, and Revise – Students must allow at least a little time for each of these. Cover the concept of breaking up their allowed time. (Plan 15% Write 70% Revise 15%) If students don’t spend at least a little time in each area, it’s unlikely their writing will be as good as it can be.

4. Sentence Varity – A simple way to bring about sentence variety is to focus on how sentences start. It’s amazing how quickly these simple and fun sentence starting patterns can transform student writing. Kids like them. They bring a lot of rhythm, flow, and beauty to language… without a lot of rules. 

Nine Fun Ways to Start Sentences
1. -ly Beginnings - Surprisingly, my parents liked the clubhouse I had built in our backyard.
2.  Prepositional Phrase Beginnings – Beyond the moon, laid infinite possibilities for exploration.
3. Two Adverb Beginnings - Fast and furious, the little mouse scurried towards the cake.
4. Two Adjective Beginnings-  Beautiful and elegant, the princess bride descended the stairs.
5. -ing Beginnings - Falling down the garbage chute, Billy started to wonder if he had made a wise decision.
6. -ing in the Middle - I brought my secret stash of money to the fair, hoping no one would stop me from spending every last cent of it.
7. Balanced Sentence Structure (Items in a series/ Parallel structure) – Eating ice-cream, watching TV, and wrestling tigers may be fun… but they are not healthy activities.
 8. Appositives (Insert information or explanation) – Shark Cove, the place where all the sharks hang out, is not a place I like to go swimming.
9. Dependent Clauses – After the storm had ended, the sun began to break through the cloudy gloom.

5. Don’t Mix First Person and Third Person – The way students begin their writing is the way they will need to finish their writing. It’s best if students make a conscious choice right at the beginning of their essay. However, this is often doesn’t happen.  Late in the essay process, it’s often better if students simply focus on how they began their essay and continue forward using that same point of view.
Example::: 
Student started with third person:
• “More and more people are developing a deep concern for protecting the environment.”
• “The government has started to enforce stricter environmental laws.”
Student wants to switch to first person:
• “I feel it is a person’s duty to help protect the environment.”
• “Everyone in my family recycles.”
Student should continue with third person:
• “Many people feel it is a person’s duty to help protect the environment.”
• “Studies show that more and more families are recycling.”

6. More Random Tips:
• Make sure the introduction contains a clear thesis statement. A thesis statement is a clear, explicit statement defining the purpose of the essay.
• Along with a clear thesis… see if you can also have a clear “hook.” (Curiosity, pose a question, pose a challenge, or pose a problem.)  
• Have specific transitions between paragraphs. It’s best if there is some variety in the transitions.
• Students should demonstrate that they know who their audience is. Language, vocabulary, and tone all reveal who the author is talking to.
• Demonstrate purpose. Using the words “persuade” and “inform” can be a bit obvious, but they are effective. Have students consider all the possible synonyms they can use to be secretly effective. (Convince, facts, knowledge, information, data, report, statistics…) 
• Give relevant supporting details. What’s relevant? Give value with every detail. Eliminate everything that does not give value.
• Details support, prove, clarify, explain, and give information about the topic sentences. If all else fails… focus on “prove it.” For centuries kids have said “prove it.” Having to prove something makes sense to them. “I had fun at the park.” Prove it. “Okay. I went with my best friend. We played soccer. My mom made a great picnic. I REST MY CASE.” 
• Do not make the details sound like a list.
• Have the conclusion readdress the prompt and more explicitly state the thesis.
• Uses Standard English grammar, mechanics, and sentence structure. Use formal language. Students are not talking to their buddy out on the playground.
• Don’t repeat ideas and sentences. Each sentence communicates a unique idea.
• Don’t generalize. Compare “Peace would be good.” Vs. “Elimination of all war, hatred, and intolerance would be fantastic.”
• Have paragraphs end with a conclusion sentence. Beginning, middle ending… beginning, middle…
• Don’t add new information in the conclusion.
• Every sentence should either be “simple and concise” or “a work of art.” Alternate between these two types of sentences.  
• Write neat!

• In High School, I was “taught” to write five-paragraph essays (and when I say “taught,” I mean “forced.”) The five-paragraph essay was the only form allowed in Sophomore English class.
• I hope it’s not taught anymore.
• -my daughter hated it. She would have crying fits each and every time.

Global warming, the budget deficit, budget cuts, taxes, conservatives, liberals, rap music… yes people get very emotional over hot topics. I just was not aware that the five-paragraph essay fell into this category.

Five-Paragraph Essay Advice given… but was it Taken?

When taking the CBEST test to become a teacher, an experienced teacher told me, “Just write a five-paragraph essay. Don’t write about anything you care about. Introduction, three paragraphs, conclusion… that’s it. Nothing more! Remember, don’t write about anything you care about!”

Did I follow that advice? No. I’m not going to write about something I don’t care about. However, half way into the CBEST essay section, those words of… advice… came echoing through my frustration. I was lost. I was in over my head. I was in a heated state of passion… and I was going to prove my point. Hmm, what is my point? Where am I headed? How am I going to finish this? What am I trying to say?

Well, I got out of that jam… and I’m happy to say I received a great grade. My position is that writing about something you care about always pays off. However, that advice stuck in my mind long after that test and influenced how I taught writing once I became a teacher. 

Wikipedia Describes the Five-Paragraph Essay

The five-paragraph essay is a form of written argument. It is a common requisite in assignments in middle school, high school, and university and sometimes elementary school. The format requires an essay to have five paragraphs: one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs with support and development, and one concluding paragraph. Because of this structure, it is also known as a hamburger essay or a three tier essay. Recently, a simpler version of the five paragraph essay, called the Painted EssayTM, has been designed as a pedagogical tool for elementary school teachers. The Painted EssayTM combines the traditional structure of the five paragraph essay with color, activity and oral practice to teach younger students about the relationship among the components of a well written piece.

The five-paragraph essay format is also applied to speech making, with some college classes teaching the five-paragraph format, along with an organized system of outlining and pre-writing the speech.  

That’s the five-paragraph essay in a nutshell! That does not seem like it should get anyone hot under the collar. What cause is there to be against teaching the five-paragraph essay? Before you answer that question… ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you also against paragraph form?
2. Are you also against beginning, middles and endings?
3. Are you also against introductions, bodies, and conclusions?
4. Are you in favor of rambling and pointless essays?

Based on what the Wiki says… as well as my personal answers to those four questions, I am taking a stand. THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY MUST BE TAUGHT! There… I said it!

Teaching the 5-paragraph essay teaches students that:

1. They must write in paragraph form.
2. They must have a beginning, middle and ending.
3. A beginning, middle and ending is essentially the same thing as an introduction, body, and conclusion.
4. They cannot ramble. They must be headed in a direction and get there.

The five-paragraph essay is the easiest, fastest, and best way to teach all this. It teaches GOOD THINKING. I have to admit, I’m not as much a fan of “five-paragraph essay writing” as I am a fan of “FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY THINKING.”

So the Remaining Issues are:
• When?
• For how long?

1. When must the 5-paragraph essay be taught?
2. For how long must students write in 5-paragraph essay format?

The 5-paragraph essay is “essays for beginners.” All students past a certain age should be able to write a 5-paragraph essay at the drop of a hat. What is that certain age? I think it should be mastered in elementary school, but only because it CAN be mastered in elementary school. It definitely should not be an issue in high school for any student.

Even though the 5-paragraph essay is “essays for beginners” it is okay if there is still a strong emphasis put on it in high school and in college. That’s fine… but in high school and in college it should be the equivalent of knowing your multiplication tables. Students should be able to whip one out in nothing flat.

The five-paragraph essay is a tool. It is not an end in itself. The greatest benefit that comes from being able to write “the five-paragraph essay” is the awareness of “five-paragraph essay thinking.”

 “Five-paragraph essay thinking” provides value for a lifetime. Whether you are giving a speech or…  whatever task one is doing… being aware of how things tie together, where you are headed, and how you will wrap things up… will always be “in style.”

If your students write three paragraphs, seven paragraphs or fifteen paragraphs… with “five paragraph essay thinking” GREAT! If you will only accept five paragraphs, nothing more or less, your students will eventually feel as the people at the top of this page felt.

In short “five paragraph essay THINKING” is always rewarded and in style. Do you know how to teach your students to THINK in five-paragraph essay format? (“Pattern Based Writing” does!)

I have experienced these “extreme teaching situations” in both inner-city elementary schools and inner-city middle schools. No, I have not taught high school. (My guess is it is easier than middle school. It would almost have to be.)

A huge task and the main key to classroom management in these situations is you have to get the kids working. If you really want to pull the class together you have to get the kids writing. If you want to make it a “normal class” you have to get the kids writing… and it has to be thoughtful work that they take pride in.

In these middle school situations… there are some students who are reluctant to even pick up their pencil.

Can You Draw a Circle? “No. It’s too hard.”

Here is an example of reluctance. It involves a middle school student in one of the situations described above. We were drawing a rather complicated multistep illustration. The illustration starts simple enough. “Draw this circle.” He wouldn’t. “It was too hard.”

Now I assumed… it was not the circle that was too hard, but it was the aspect of the following steps that made this student reluctant to even start. I ended up having a student come over from another class and help him draw circles. That was the last time this student would not start.

So part of the solution is you need to motivate students to “begin.” They cannot give up before they even start.

A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step.
Lao-tzu (c 604-c 531 bc)

Then it’s Step-by-Step

With a lot of the writing instruction reluctant and remedial writers think, “Stop with the words. Just tell me what to do. Make this a “how-to” and not a cryptic message.”

When you tell these reluctant writers in clear and simple terms “how-to” … they will do it. No one likes to fail. Kids and adults alike will not even begin something if they know they are going to fail. “No. I’m not going to do that… because I don’t understand how to do that… and I’m not going to do something that I just know I am going to fail at.”

For many people this will remind them of how they feel about singing, public speaking, dancing, or sports. This is how these very reluctant student writers feel about writing.

The solution here is to break down the writing process into manageable steps… while also maintaining student interest. With these very reluctant writers, if you do not tie all the steps together they will lose interest or give up.

These students do not want “information.” They want “how-to.” If it does not connect you are just giving them information. They don’t want that. They already have heard that same “information” a thousand times. “How-to” means it is all connected to an end result.

Middle School and High School Reluctant Writers

If you start by saying exactly what they have already “heard a thousand times” these students will not be interested. “We know that already!” The truth is they do know it… they just don’t get it.

I’ve been getting more and more letters from middle school and high school teachers and parents asking if the “Pattern Based Writing” program will work with their remedial and reluctant writers. The answer is… YES.

Is it going to be too easy? No. This is not a childish writing program. The fact that it works with 3rd graders from the inner city just means that it’s effective… not simple. Older kids will not be insulted by the language or the ideas.

Most of the program is simply approaching all the ideas they don’t understand in a way that will make sense to them. This is a “how-to” system.

In a Perfect World

In a perfect world we would not have reluctant or remedial writers in middle school and high school. My honest (and maybe biased) opinion is that “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” is the solution.

In good conscious I have to call “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” remedial for middle school and high school. Why? Because if it is used in elementary school they will be FANTASTIC WRITERS in middle school and high school.

The questions to ask are:
• Are your students reluctant or remedial writers?
• Has other methods failed them?
• Are you planning on doing exactly what has not worked already for these kids?
• Is the language you are going to use to teach them writing boring and tired?
• Do your kids say, “We already know that?”

Here are just a few of the problems middle school and high school teachers and parent have written to me about:
• My students don’t even write in complete sentences.
• My students say the writing prompt is stupid and they won’t write about that subject. When I let them choose they can’t think of anything to write about.
• My middle school students don’t write in paragraph form. I’m shocked and am not sure what to do because… they are in middle school. Why don’t they know this?

I have had great success in the most extreme middle school classrooms that one can imagine. The program is transformational for these struggling students. No, I have not taught high school… but I have seen high school writing that I knew “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” would greatly improve.

Remember, there is a 100% “no funny business” money back guarantee… so be sure to check out the writing program on the main page. Don’t be worried that the pictures show some kids who may be younger than your students. The program will make your mind spin at times… and then when you see how the entire puzzle fits together… there will be clarity.

Here is a great list of Christmas essay and story writing ideas! Teaching your students to write using “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” will have your students starting and finishing any of these wonderful essays and stories in under 30 minutes! Now that’s a gift!

Christmas Persuasive Essay

• There definitely is a Santa Claus.
• I definitely have been a very good boy or girl this year.
• Christmas is a time to be thinking of others.
• Presents are very important on Christmas Day.
• Presents should not be important on Christmas Day.
• We should have the Christmas spirit all year round.
• How getting everything on my Christmas wish list would make the world a better place.
• Christmas is a time to be thankful and for reflection.
• We should have Christmas twice a year!

Christmas Process Essay or How-To Essay

• A kid’s perfect minute-by-minute plan for Christmas Day.
• The correct way to open Christmas presents.
• How to buy the perfect Christmas present for someone.
• How to make Christmas a special day for the entire family.
• How to prepare for Christmas Day.
• How to wrap a Christmas present.
• Santa’s process from getting started until delivering his very last present.
• How to decorate for Christmas.

Christmas Argumentative Essay

• There should be absolutely no arguing on Christmas Day.
• Christmas is the best holiday of them all.
• The real meaning of Christmas is _______
• The Christmas spirit is alive and well.

Christmas Evaluation Essay

• What is the effect that Christmas has on society?
• Has the meaning of Christmas changed over time?
• What would Jesus think of Christmas today?
• Has Christmas become too commercialized?

Christmas Narrative/ Personal Narrative Essay

• A wonderful Christmas memory.
• My favorite present I ever GAVE.
• Christmas shopping with my family.
• My favorite part of Christmas.
• Family time on Christmas.
• Christmas traditions in my family.
• The best Christmas ever.
• Funny happenings on Christmas day.
• Memorable presents.

Christmas Cause and Effect Essay

• How I feel when I give on Christmas Day.
• How the birth of Jesus affected our world.
• How the Christmas spirit affects people’s behavior and attitude.
• Preparations for Christmas Day and the outcomes of all that hard work.
• What effect does all the Christmas media promotion have?

Christmas Informational Essay

• The real truth about Santa Claus. The history of Santa Claus.
• The history of Christmas.
• Christmas through the ages.
• Christmas traditions.
• Facts about Christmas.
• The symbols and symbolism of Christmas.
• The first Christmas.

Christmas Descriptive Essay

• Describe opening presents.
• How I felt opening presents, eating delicious food, spending time with good friends and family.
• Describe the Christmas spirit or Christmas energy.
• Describe who you celebrate Christmas with. What makes them unique or special to celebrate with?
• Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of when you first walk out to the tree on Christmas morning.
• Describe how the anticipation and excitement of Christmas makes you feel.
• Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas.

Christmas Five-Paragraph Essay

• Three reasons…
• Three signs…
• Three presents…
• Three traditions…
• Three signs that Christmas is just around the corner.
• Three reasons I love Christmas.

Christmas Compare and Contrast Essay

• Christmas now compared to Christmas when I was “young.”
• What used to be important to me about Christmas compared to what is important about Christmas to me now.
• The day before Christmas, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas.
• Giving vs. receiving.
• Christmas for kids compared to Christmas for adults.
• Christmas traditions of different cultures.
• Christmas without Santa Claus compared to Christmas with Santa Claus.

Christmas Story Ideas

• A Christmas miracle.
• The greatest present ever.
• People in need on Christmas.
• The real story of Christmas.
• The day after Christmas.
• The day I met Santa Claus.
• Wooah…CRASH… Santa?
• Wow… Look at that star.

Be sure to check out the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” writing program at the home page. Also be sure to download your FREE “Guide to Writing” once you get to the homepage!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

1. Challenge students’ thinking and writing skills
2. Create interest in writing and inspire creativity
3. Get reluctant writers writing
4. Help students develop the habit of writing every day
5. Practice for writing assessments
6. You are giving a classroom assignment that involves writing

Kinds of Writing Prompts for Elementary and Middle School Writing

• Essay writing prompts – Students will explain something from their point of view. It will be explained as they see the world.
• Expository writing prompts – Students will produce writing in an explanatory or informative nature.
• Narrative writing prompts – Students will narrate either a personal story or a fiction story.
• Persuasive writing prompts – Students will take a stand and logically argue a position.
• Creative writing prompts – Students will use their imagination and enter the world of fantasy.
• Journal writing prompts – Students will explore their experiences, feelings, thoughts, and emotions… Students will explore who they are and the life they live.

Writing Prompts across the Curriculum

Often teachers think of writing across the curriculum simply as “giving an assignment.” When they are teaching social studies, they gave a social studies assignment, and now it’s science, so they will give a science assignment…

The truth is “A WRITING TEACHER” teaches writing:
1. So that our students may fall in love with writing.
2. So that WE get to read good writing.
3. So that our students may thank us when they receive their Pulitzer Prize in Literature.
4. So that our students will become effective communicators.
5. So that our students will write well across the curriculum, so that THEY will be HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL students!

Don’t wait for language arts to “teach writing.” Give “writing prompts” across the curriculum.

Tips and Tricks for Using Writing Prompts

1. Have a purpose or objective for giving the writing prompt. Be sure to read “How to Use Writing Prompts in Teaching Writing.”
2. Make the prompt simple, yet complex. This is what is at the heart being both engaging and compelling. Simple enough that they understand it and can write about it confidently, but complex enough that students will engage in new thoughts and new ways of thinking.
3. Vary the type and purpose of your writing prompts. Predictable is the opposite of compelling and engaging.
4. Be prepared. Do not create writing prompts on the spur of the moment.

Letting the Class Create the Writing Prompts: Pros and Cons

Pros:
• Kids will think of things that adults never would! (or at least in a way that adults never would)
• You get to learn more about what your students think about and what interests them.
• It is great fun to have students create the prompts. There is usually an air of excitement in the class and the discussion is almost always lively.
• It inspires students and engages the group. What they think about has value!

Cons:
• Can take on too strong a “voting” or “popularity contest” aspect.
• Not all the students will like the prompt, especially when the prompt is not coming from their inner circle of friends.
• Who exactly is in charge here? Students may start to wonder…
• Students may start to perceive it as busy work. “Boy, the teacher doesn’t have to do anything… and we just write and write and write…”
• The same ideas start to repeat themselves. Sometimes students change just one or two words from the last writing prompt.

My experience is that it is best to set a routine for letting students choose the writing prompts. You want to keep all the pros without any of the cons. (Kids like to know what they can expect.)
• From time-to-time
• Once a week
• Every day

Having Students Individually Choose their Own Topics to Write About: Pros and Cons

Pros:
• Gives student the freedom to develop their own writing voice and their own style of writing.
• Teaches self-reliance. Students must learn that often people are not going to tell them what to do. However, it is still their job to not only produce the work, but to also “wow them.”
• Students will likely choose a subject they are an expert in. This will give them confidence in their writing. They will likely develop certain writing skills quicker since they do not have to learn the information at the same time they are doing the writing.
• Many students enjoy the freedom. For many students, this is the way they will develop a true love for writing.
 
Cons:
• Some will want to write about the same thing every single time. If you don’t closely monitor their writing… many students will.
• Some students will prefer to write about rather superficial things without exploring any real “deep thoughts.” (Video game #1, video game #2, movie #1, video game #3, movie #2, TV show #1…)
• Students may perceive it as busy work. (Having students read it to at least one other person reduces this.)

When you are having students choose what they want to write about you really need to set up what you expect (and hope) the students will get from this. Students that love to write won’t need an explanation. Those that don’t love to write… yet… do need an explanation… and some inspiration…

The term “essay,” can be a little confusing to many students (and teachers.) What exactly is an essay?  There is also a little confusion as to when and how to teach essay writing. The truth is much of what students write in both elementary and middle school can be considered an essay.

Aldous Huxley, a famous essayist said, “The essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.”

That’s quite a… vague, yet accurate description. Essay writing is a little easier to understand when you see what it has in common with reports and stories.

Here are Five Common Types of Writing that Students do in School

1.     Essay – From the author’s personal point of view 

2.     Report – Based on research

3.     Fiction story – Story from the imagination

4.     Short answer – Usually gives an answer to a specific question; a short answer can be anywhere from one word to possibly a couple paragraphs

5.     Poetry – Artistic use of language

There are Lots of Different Kinds of Essays

Here are just a few: Narrative essay, personal narrative essay, cause and effect essay, descriptive essay, compare and contrast essay, argumentative essay, definition essay, 5-paragraph essay, expository essay, evaluation essay, persuasive essay. A general guideline for the term “essay” is:

v An essay is written from the author’s personal point of view.

v An essay discusses, explores, describes, or analyzes one subject or topic.

v An essay is a multi-paragraph piece of writing.

Is an Essay a Story? AND Is a Story an Essay?

Let’s Take a Look:

v Personal Narrative Essay – Narrative story from the authors point of view based on the author’s personal experience

v Fiction Story – A narrative story that comes from the author’s imagination

These are both “stories.” One is a true story, one comes from the imagination. Though they are both stories, they are not both essays. Notice that the “Fiction Story” is not an essay.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay does teach essay writing. However, when looking at the Aldous Huxley definition of what an essay is, I think you will find that the program greatly improves all writing that elementary and middle school students will do, including both stories and reports.

The essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.

Aldous Huxley – Famous essayist