writing process 4th grade

The Writing Process

  The Writing Process Explained

Understanding the writing process provides a student with a straightforward step-by-step procedure that they can follow. It means they can replicate the process no matter what type of nonfiction text they are asked to produce.

In this article, we’ll look at the 5 step writing process that guides students from prewriting to submitting their polished work quickly and easily.

While explaining each stage of the process in detail, we’ll suggest some activities you can use with your students to help them successfully complete each stage. 

THE STAGES OF THE WRITING PROCESS

The five steps of the writing process are made up of the following stages:

• Pre-writing: In this stage, students brainstorm ideas, plan content, and gather the necessary information to ensure their thinking is organized logically.
• Drafting: Students construct ideas in basic sentences and paragraphs without getting caught up with perfection. It is in this stage that the pre-writing process becomes refined and shaped.
• Revising: This is where students revise their draft and make changes to improve the content, organization, and overall structure. Any obvious spelling and grammatical errors might also be improved at this stage.
• Editing: It is in this stage where students make the shift from improving the structure of their writing to focusing on enhancing the written quality of sentences and paragraphs through improving word choice, punctuation, and capitalization, and all spelling and grammatical errors are corrected. Ensure students know this is their final opportunity to alter their writing, which will play a significant role in the assessment process.
• Submitting / Publishing: Students can share their writing with the world, their teachers, friends, and family through various platforms and tools.

Be aware that this list is not a definitive linear process, and it may be advisable to revisit some of these steps in some cases as students learn the craft of writing over time.

Daily Quick Writes For All Text Types

Our FUN DAILY QUICK WRITE TASKS will teach your students the fundamentals of CREATIVE WRITING across all text types. Packed with 52 ENGAGING ACTIVITIES

STAGE ONE: THE WRITING PROCESS

GET READY TO WRITE

The prewriting stage covers anything the student does before they begin to draft their text. It includes many things such as thinking, brainstorming, discussing ideas with others, sketching outlines, gathering information through interviewing people, assessing data, and researching in the library and online.

The intention at the prewriting stage is to collect the raw material that will fuel the writing process. This involves the student doing 3 things:

• Understanding the conventions of the text type
• Gathering up facts, opinions, ideas, data, vocabulary, etc through research and discussion
• Organizing resources and planning out the writing process.

By the time students have finished the pre-writing stage, they will want to have completed at least one of these tasks depending upon the text type they are writing.

• Choose a topic: Ensure your students select a topic that is interesting and relevant to them.
• Brainstorm ideas: Once they have a topic, brainstorm and write their ideas down, considering what they already know about the topic and what they need to research further. Students might want to use brainstorming techniques such as mind mapping, free writing, or listing.
• Research: This one is crucial for informational and nonfiction writing. Students may need to research to gather more information and use reliable sources such as books, academic journals, and credible websites.
• Organize your ideas: This can be challenging for younger students, but once they have a collection of ideas and information, help them to organize them logically by creating an outline, using headings and subheadings, or grouping related ideas.
• Develop a thesis statement: This one is only for an academic research paper and should clearly state your paper’s main idea or argument. It should be specific and debatable.

Before beginning the research and planning parts of the process, the student must take some time to consider the demands of the text type or genre they are asked to write, as this will influence how they research and plan.

PREWRITING TEACHING ACTIVITY

As with any stage in the writing process, students will benefit immensely from seeing the teacher modelling activities to support that stage.

In this activity, you can model your approach to the prewriting stage for students to emulate. Eventually, they will develop their own specific approach, but for now, having a clear model to follow will serve them well.

Starting with an essay title written in the center of the whiteboard, brainstorm ideas as a class and write these ideas branching from the title to create a mind map. 

From there, you can help students identify areas for further research and help them to create graphic organizers to record their ideas.

Explain to the students that while idea generation is an integral part of the prewriting stage, generating ideas is also important throughout all the other stages of the writing process.

STAGE TWO: THE WRITING PROCESS

PUT YOUR IDEAS ON PAPER

Drafting is when the student begins to corral the unruly fruits of the prewriting stage into orderly sentences and paragraphs. 

When their writing is based on solid research and planning, it will be much easier for the student to manage. A poorly executed first stage can see pencils stuck at the starting line and persistent complaints of ‘writer’s block’ from the students.

However, do encourage your students not to get too attached to any ideas they may have generated in Stage 1. Writing is thinking too and your students need to leave room for their creativity to express itself at all stages of the process.

The most important thing about this stage is for the student to keep moving. A text is written word-by-word, much as a bricklayer builds a wall by laying brick upon brick. 

Instill in your students that they shouldn’t get too hung up on stuff like spelling and grammar in these early stages. 

Likewise, they shouldn’t overthink things. The trick here is to get the ideas down fast – everything else can be polished up later.

DRAFTING TEACHING ACTIVITY

As mentioned in the previous activity, writing is a very complex process and modeling goes a long way to helping ensure our students’ success. 

Sometimes our students do an excellent job in the prewriting stage with understanding the text purpose, the research, and the planning, only to fall flat when it comes to beginning to write an actual draft.

Often, students require some clear modeling by the teacher to help them transition effectively from Stage 1 to Stage 2. 

One way to do this for your class is to take the sketches, notes, and ideas one of the students has produced in Stage 1, and use them to model writing a draft. This can be done as a whole class shared writing activity.

Doing this will help your students understand how to take their raw material and connect their ideas and transition between them in the form of an essay.

STAGE THREE: THE WRITING PROCESS

POLISH YOUR THINKING

In Stage two, the emphasis for the student was on getting their ideas out quickly and onto the paper. 

Stage three focuses on refining the work completed earlier with the reader now firmly at the forefront of the writer’s mind.

To revise, the student needs to cast a critical eye over their work and ask themselves questions like:

• Would a reader be able to read this text and make sense of it all?
• Have I included enough detail to help the reader clearly visualize my subject?
• Is my writing concise and as accurate as possible?
• Are my ideas supported by evidence and written in a convincing manner?
• Have I written in a way that is suitable for my intended audience?
• Is it written in an interesting way?
• Are the connections between ideas made explicit?
• Does it fulfill the criteria of the specific text type?
• Is the text organized effectively?

The questions above represent the primary areas students should focus on at this stage of the writing process. 

Students shouldn’t slip over into editing/proofreading mode just yet. Let the more minor, surface-level imperfections wait until the next stage.

REVISING TEACHING ACTIVITY

When developing their understanding of the revising process, it can be extremely helpful for students to have a revision checklist to work from.

It’s also a great idea to develop the revision checklist as part of a discussion activity around what this stage of the writing process is about.

Things to look out for when revising include content, voice, general fluency, transitions, use of evidence, clarity and coherence, and word choice.

It can also be a good idea for students to partner up into pairs and go through each other’s work together. As the old saying goes, ‘two heads are better than one’ and, in the early days at least, this will help students to use each other as sounding boards when making decisions on the revision process.

STAGE FOUR: THE WRITING PROCESS

CHECK YOUR WRITING

Editing is not a different thing than writing, it is itself an essential part of the writing process.

During the editing stage, students should keep an eagle eye out for conventional mistakes such as double spacing between words, spelling errors, and grammar and punctuation mistakes. 

While there are inbuilt spelling and grammar checkers in many of the most popular word processing programs, it is worth creating opportunities for students to practice their editing skills without the crutch of such technology on occasion.

Students should also take a last look over the conventions of the text type they are writing. 

Are the relevant headings and subheadings in place? Are bold words and captions in the right place? Is there consistency across the fonts used? Have diagrams been labelled correctly?

Editing can be a demanding process. There are lots of moving parts in it, and it often helps students to break things down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Focused edits allow the student the opportunity to have a separate read-through to edit for each of the different editing points.

For example, the first run-through might look at structural elements such as the specific structural conventions of the text type concerned. Subsequent run-throughs could look at capitalization, grammar, punctuation , the indenting of paragraphs, formatting, spelling, etc.

Sometimes students find it hard to gain the necessary perspective to edit their work well. They’re simply too close to it, and it can be difficult for them to see what is on the paper rather than see what they think they have put down.

One good way to help students gain the necessary distance from their work is to have the student read their work out loud as they edit it.

Reading their work out loud forces the student to slow down the reading process and it forces them to pay more attention to what’s written on the page, rather than what’s in their head. 

It’s always helpful to get feedback from someone else. If time permits, get your students to ask a friend or other teacher to review their work and provide feedback. They may catch errors or offer suggestions your students haven’t considered.

All this gives the student a little more valuable time to catch the mistakes and other flaws in their work.

WRITING CHECKLISTS FOR ALL TEXT TYPES

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (92 Reviews)

EDITING TEACHING ACTIVITY

Students must have a firm understanding of what they’re looking to correct in the editing process to edit effectively. One effective way to ensure this understanding is to have them compile an Editing Checklist for use when they’re engaged in the editing process.

The Editing Checklist can be compiled as a whole-class shared writing activity. The teacher can scribe the students’ suggestions for inclusion on the checklist onto the whiteboard. This can then be typed up and printed off by all the students.

A fun and productive use of the checklist is for the students to use it in ‘editing pairs’. 

Each student is assigned an editing partner during the editing stage of a writing task. Each student goes through their partner’s, work using the checklist as a guide, and then gives feedback to the other partner. The partner, in turn, uses the feedback in the final edit of their work.

STAGE FIVE: THE WRITING PROCESS

HAND IN YOUR WRITING

Now, it’s time for our students’ final part of the writing process. This is when they hand in their work to their teacher – aka you !

At this point, students should have one final reread of their work to ensure it’s as close to their intentions as possible, and then, finally, they can submit their work.

Giving the work over to an audience, whether that audience comes in the form of a teacher marking an assignment, publishing work in print or online, or making a presentation to classmates, can be daunting. It’s important that students learn to see the act of submitting their work as a positive thing.

Though this is the final stage of the writing process, students should be helped to see it for all it is. It is another step in the journey towards becoming a highly-skilled writer. It’s a further opportunity for the student to get valuable feedback on where their skills are currently at and a signpost to help them to improve their work in the future.

When the feedback comes, whether that’s in the form of teacher comments, grades, reviews, etc it should be absorbed by the student as a positive part of this improvement process. 

Submitting TEACHING Activity

This activity is as much for the teacher as it is for the student.

Sometimes, our students think of feedback as a passive thing. The teacher makes some comments either in writing or orally and the student listens and carries on largely as before. We must help our students to recognize feedback as an opportunity for growth.

Feedback should be seen as a dialogue that helps our students to take control of their own learning. 

For this to be the case, students need to engage with the feedback they’ve been given, to take constructive criticisms on board, and to use these as a springboard to take action. 

One way to help students to do this lies in the way we format our feedback to our students. A useful format in this vein is the simple 2 Stars and a Wish . This format involves giving feedback that notes two specific areas of the work that the student did well and one that needs improvement. This area for improvement will provide a clear focus for the student to improve in the future. This principle of constructive criticism should inform all feedback.

It’s also helpful to encourage students to process detailed feedback by noting specific areas to focus on. This will give them some concrete targets to improve their writing in the future.

VIDEO TUTORIAL ON THE WRITING PROCESS

And there we have it. A straightforward and replicable process for our students to follow to complete almost any writing task.

But, of course, the real writing process is the ongoing one whereby our students improve their writing skills sentence-by-sentence and word-by-word over a whole lifetime.

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO THE WRITING PROCESS

7 Evergreen Writing Activities for Elementary Students

Text Types and Different Styles of Writing: The Complete Guide

Top 5 Essay Writing Tips

7 ways to write great Characters and Settings | Story Elements

6 Simple Writing Lessons Students Will Love

How to Improve Writing in Fourth Grade

Written by Dan

Last updated January 31, 2024

Improving fourth-grade writing skills is a crucial step in a student’s academic journey. Fourth-grade writing lays the foundation for more advanced writing skills that students need in higher grades and beyond.

However, many students may struggle with writing, and it’s up to teachers and parents to provide support and guidance to help them improve.

Related : For more, check out our article on How To Improve Writing In Second Grade  here.

Understanding the basics of writing in fourth grade is the first step towards improving writing skills. Fourth-grade writing typically involves writing paragraphs with a clear topic sentence , supporting details, and a concluding sentence.

Students are also expected to use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Additionally, students may be asked to write different types of texts , such as narratives, persuasive essays, and informative/explanatory texts. By understanding these basics, students can begin to develop their writing skills.

Developing writing skills requires practice and feedback. Teachers and parents can provide opportunities for students to write regularly, such as journaling or writing prompts.

They can also provide feedback on students’ writing, highlighting areas for improvement and suggestions for improving.

Technology can also be a helpful tool for supporting writing, such as using word processing software with spell and grammar-check features.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the basics of fourth-grade writing is essential for improving writing skills.
• Developing writing skills requires practice and feedback from teachers and parents.
• Using technology can be a helpful tool for supporting writing.

Related : For more, check out our article on How To Improve Writing In Fifth Grade  here.

Understanding the Basics of Writing in Fourth Grade

The Structure of Writing

In fourth grade , students are expected to write in a structured manner. This means that they should have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion in their writing.

The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide background information. The body should include supporting details and evidence to support the main idea. The conclusion should summarize the main points and leave the reader with a lasting impression.

The Components of Writing

Several components make up good writing in fourth grade . These include sentence structure, paragraph structure, and the main idea. Students should be able to write clear and concise sentences that convey their ideas effectively.

They should also be able to organize their writing into paragraphs that flow logically and support the main idea. The main idea should be clear and well-supported by evidence.

Understanding the Writing Process

The writing process is an important part of fourth grade writing curriculum . Students should be familiar with the steps involved in planning, drafting, revising, and editing their writing.

Planning involves brainstorming ideas and creating an outline. Drafting involves putting those ideas into sentences and paragraphs.

Revising involves making changes to improve the writing, such as adding more details or rearranging sentences. Editing involves checking for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Overall, understanding the basics of writing in fourth grade is essential for success. Students can become confident and knowledgeable writers by mastering the structure of writing, the components of writing, and the writing process.

Related : For more, check out our article on How To Improve Writing In Sixth Grade  here.

Developing Writing Skills

Writing is an essential life skill that students need to develop in fourth grade. It is a fundamental way of communicating ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Developing writing skills can be challenging, but students can improve their writing abilities with consistent practice.

Improving Spelling and Punctuation

Spelling and punctuation are critical components of writing. Students must learn to spell words correctly and use proper punctuation to effectively convey their ideas.

Teachers can help students improve their spelling and punctuation skills by providing spelling and grammar exercises focusing on common errors. They can also encourage students to proofread their work before submitting it.

Enhancing Language and Word Choice

Language and word choice are essential when it comes to writing. Students need to learn how to use language effectively to convey their ideas.

Teachers can help students enhance their language and word choice skills by providing vocabulary exercises and encouraging them to read widely. Reading helps students to understand how language works and how to use it effectively.

Building Narrative and Informative Writing Skills

Narrative and informative writing skills are crucial for students in fourth grade. Students need to learn how to write narratives that engage the reader and informative pieces that provide relevant information.

Teachers can help students build their narrative and informative writing skills by providing them with writing prompts and encouraging them to write regularly. Additionally, teachers can provide feedback on the student’s writing to help them improve their skills.

Developing writing skills is essential for students in fourth grade.

Teachers can help students improve their writing skills by focusing on spelling and punctuation, enhancing language and word choice, and building narrative and informative writing skills.

With practice and guidance, students can become confident writers who can communicate their ideas effectively.

Using Technology to Support Writing

Integrating Technology in the Writing Process

Fourth-grade students can use technology to support their writing by integrating it into their writing process. For example, they can draft and revise their writing using word processing software.

This can help them to edit their work more efficiently and make changes without having to rewrite the entire piece.

Additionally, students can use technology to brainstorm ideas, organize their thoughts, and create outlines. Mind mapping tools, such as MindMeister or Coggle, can help students to visually organize their ideas and create a clear structure for their writing.

Another way to integrate technology into the writing process is by using speech-to-text software. This can be particularly helpful for students who struggle with writing or have difficulty expressing their ideas in writing.

By using speech-to-text software, students can dictate their ideas and thoughts, which can then be transcribed into written text.

Online Resources for Writing

The internet provides a wealth of resources that can help students to improve their writing skills. For example, online writing prompts can be a great way to inspire students to write and to develop their creativity.

Websites such as Writing Prompts can provide a variety of prompts on different topics, which can help students to develop their writing skills and explore different genres.

Another online resource for writing is online writing communities. These communities provide a platform for students to share their writing and receive feedback from other writers.

This can be a great way for students to improve their writing skills and to connect with other writers who share their interests.

Finally, online writing tools can be a great way to improve writing skills. Grammarly, for example, is a popular tool that can help students to improve their grammar and spelling.

Hemingway Editor is another popular tool that can help students to improve their writing by highlighting areas that need improvement, such as sentence structure or word choice.

Overall, technology can be a powerful tool for improving writing skills in fourth-grade students. By integrating technology into the writing process and using online resources, students can develop their writing skills and become more confident writers.

The Role of Teachers and Parents in Supporting Writing

Writing is a crucial skill that students must develop from an early age. Students are expected to write more complex sentences and paragraphs as they enter fourth grade. Teachers and parents play a vital role in supporting students’ writing skills by providing feedback, encouragement, and resources.

Providing Support and Feedback

Teachers and parents can provide support and feedback to students to help them improve their writing skills. Teachers can provide students with writing prompts, graphic organizers, and sentence starters to help them get started.

They can also model the writing process by sharing their own writing and revising and editing it in front of the class.

Parents can also support their children’s writing by providing a quiet space for them to write and offering to read and provide feedback on their writing. Parents can also encourage their children to share their writing with family members and friends to build their confidence and receive additional feedback.

Encouraging Reading to Improve Writing

Reading is an essential component of improving writing skills. Teachers and parents can encourage students to read by providing them with various books and other reading materials.

Students who read regularly are exposed to a variety of writing styles, which can help them develop their own writing skills.

Parents can also read with their children and discuss the books they are reading. This can help students develop their comprehension skills and expose them to new vocabulary and writing styles.

Teachers can also incorporate reading into their writing instruction by having students analyze and respond to texts.

In conclusion, teachers and parents are critical in supporting students’ writing skills. Teachers and parents can help students develop the skills they need to become confident and proficient writers by providing support and feedback and encouraging reading.

Advanced Writing Techniques

Developing Research and Note Taking Skills

In fourth grade, students are expected to conduct research and use specific details to support their writing. To improve their research and note-taking skills, students can use tables and lists to organize their information.

Encourage students to take notes on essential facts and details, including the source of the information.

It’s important to teach students how to evaluate sources and determine which ones are reliable. Encourage students to use various sources, including books, articles, and websites. Teach them how to cite their sources properly using MLA or APA format.

Practicing Opinion Writing and Argumentation

Opinion writing and argumentation are essential skills for fourth graders to develop. Students should be encouraged to express their opinions clearly and provide reasons to support their arguments. They should also be taught how to anticipate and address counterarguments.

To practice opinion writing and argumentation, students can participate in class debates or write opinion pieces on current events. Please encourage them to use specific examples and facts to support their arguments.

Overall, by practicing these advanced writing techniques, fourth graders can improve their writing skills and become more confident and knowledgeable writers.

Related Posts

About The Author

I'm Dan Higgins, one of the faces behind The Teaching Couple. With 15 years in the education sector and a decade as a teacher, I've witnessed the highs and lows of school life. Over the years, my passion for supporting fellow teachers and making school more bearable has grown. The Teaching Couple is my platform to share strategies, tips, and insights from my journey. Together, we can shape a better school experience for all.

Join our email list to receive the latest updates.

Add your form here

4th grade writing

by: Jessica Kelmon | Updated: August 4, 2022

Print article

In fourth grade, study skills play an important role in your child’s writing. Kids do research using multiple sources. They also learn to take notes on what they research, read. and hear. And even stories are more advanced, with more developed characters who show their feelings and react to what happens. And perhaps most important, your child is expected to analyze a book’s structure, logic, details, and evidence in their writing. It’s all pretty impressive!

Building 4th grade study skills

This year taking notes is an important skill. Fourth graders are expected to use books, periodicals, websites, and other digital sources to conduct research projects — both on their own and as part of group work with peers. Your child should keep track of all the sources they check — noting what they learn, the name of the source and page number or url so they can find it again and create a source list or bibliography later.

Also, taking notes while reading fiction will help your child when it comes time to analyze what they’ve read or to give an in-depth description of a character, setting, or story event drawing on specific details.

Check out this related worksheet: •  Finding key points

bttr, better, best!

Last year’s prewriting step — planning — becomes more essential in your child’s writing process this year. Before your child sits down to write, they should use their organized notes to help create the structure of whatever they’re writing. While planning , your child may brainstorm ideas for a story or decide how to organize facts into a cohesive set of points. The more knowledge your child builds during the prewriting stage, the easier it will be to write. Encourage reading and rereading, taking notes, finding additional sources, discussing aloud how new knowledge fits in with what your child knew before, and visually organizing what they plan to write about. After the first draft is written, the teacher and possibly other students will offer feedback: asking questions to elicit new details or clarify an argument or suggest new sources of information. They should check that there’s a clear introduction and conclusion, and that the order of points or events makes sense. Your child will then do a revision (or two), adding, reordering, and refining their writing to show deep understanding.

After making revisions, your child does a final edit focusing on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and strengthening word choices. These steps — planning, writing a first draft, revising, and editing the final piece — help fourth graders understand that research, organizing, clarifying ideas, and improving grammar and presentation are all essential to strong writing.

See what your fourth grade writing looks like

Fourth grade writing: opinion pieces

Your child’s opinions always need to be supported by evidence. Persuasive writing should start by clearly introducing an opinion on a topic. To support their opinion, kids need to present their argument, which is a list of reasons why they hold that opinion. Each of their reasons needs to be supported by facts and details (a.k.a. evidence). After presenting all of their research-supported reasons, kids should close their arguments with a concluding statement or paragraph that sums up how their evidence supports their opinion.

Check out this example of good fourth grade opinion writing: • “ Zoos should close ”

Fourth grade writing: informative writing

This year, your child’s informative writing gets more organized, with headers, illustrations and even multimedia components to support specific points. To begin, your child should introduce the topic. Then they should use facts, definitions, details, quotes, examples, and other information to develop their topic into a few clear, well thought-out paragraphs. Your fourth grader should use advanced linking words (e.g. also, another, for example, because ) to form compound and complex sentences connecting their research and ideas to the point they’re making. Finally, to wrap it up, your child should have a conclusion — either a statement or, if necessary, a section labeled conclusion.

Check out these three examples of good fourth grade informational writing: • “ John Cabot and the Rediscovery of North America ” • “ Big Book of Evolution ” • “ Book report: A Tale of Despereaux ”

Can your fourth grader write an informational essay?

Fourth grade writing: narratives

A narrative means writing a story. This year your child will be expected to use storytelling techniques, descriptive details, and clear sequences to tell compelling tales. Whether inspired by a favorite book, real events, or your child’s imagination, your child’s story should use dialogue, descriptive words, and transitional language. Look for precise language and sensory details that bring characters to life. Finally, your child should keep pacing and sequence of events in mind. The events should unfold naturally, bringing the story to a natural conclusion. Are surprise endings okay? Sure… so long as the details and events plausibly lead there.

Check out this related worksheet: •  Putting sentences in order

Gettin’ good at grammar

You may want to review all those parts of speech your child learned last year because fourth grade grammar is expected to be quite accurate. Your child should know relative pronouns (e.g. who, whose, whom, which, that ), relative adverbs (e.g. where, when, why ), adjective ordering (e.g. short dark hair and small red bag ), descriptive prepositional phrases (e.g. in the air, down the block, on the grass ), progressive past, present, and future verbs (e.g. I was walking, I am walking, I will be walking ), and verbs used with other verbs to express mood or tense (aka modal auxiliaries, e.g. can, may, must, should, would ). Also, your child needs to master the distinctions between frequently confused words like to , too , and two and there , their , and they’re . Finally, your child should be able to recognize and correct run-on sentences.

Check out these related worksheets: •  Prepositions •  Compound sentences •  Punctuating a paragraph •  Its or it’s?

Learning to use language precisely

This means:

• Recognizing and explaining common idioms (e.g. bending over backwards )
• Distinguishing between similes and metaphors (e.g. quiet as a mouse and the sun is a yellow beach ball ).
• Identifying and using synonyms and antonyms
• Using increasingly specific words in writing (e.g. glamorous instead of pretty, pre-dawn instead of morning, quizzed instead of asked )

Your fourth grader should now be using relevant academic words in informational writing and research reports. Although accurate spelling should be the norm in fourth grade, when faced with spelling more academic words, your child should use a dictionary and thesaurus (print and digital versions).

Check out these related worksheets: • 4th grade weekly spelling lists • Making metaphors • Simile or cliché?

Sharing their work

Most classrooms will encourage (if not require) kids to use technology to produce and publish their writing. Your fourth grader should be able to type up to a full page in one sitting. While teachers should be there to help, your child should be doing the work. Students will also be expected to interact with peers about each other’s work. What might that look like? Your child might read a classmates’ published work online and comment on it, or cite a peer’s work when answering a question in class.

Updated August 2022

Homes Nearby

Homes for rent and sale near schools

6 ways to improve a college essay

Quick writing tips for every age

Writing on the wall

Why parents must teach writing

Yes! Sign me up for updates relevant to my child's grade.

Please enter a valid email address

Thank you for signing up!

Server Issue: Please try again later. Sorry for the inconvenience

Grade 4 Writing

Discover grade 4 writing standards.

Now that your child has reached fourth grade, they’ll be consolidating, refining and building upon language arts knowledge that they’ve developed in previous grades.

As they embark on the second half of their elementary school journey, fourth graders will be encouraged to start thinking, analyzing and processing information more independently, which can be quite a big jump from previous grades. They’ll be expected to research various topics and produce articles utilizing their reading comprehension skills. There are many higher-level thinking skills involved in the writing process in fourth grade and this could prove challenging for your child at times.

This guide will take you through the key writing skills your fourth grader will need to develop in order to ensure that their academic progress is seamless.

10 Important Fourth Grade Writing Goals

• I can write independently
• I can compose clear and coherent articles and stories
• I can refine written text by revising and redrafting
• I can complete a plan before beginning to write
• I can use technology to publish articles and stories
• I can structure articles and stories correctly
• I can produce writing for different purposes and audiences
• I can use my research skills to compose an informative report
• I can use structured paragraphs and complex sentences
• I can establish a clear theme throughout an article or story

Fourth grade learners will work towards achieving these goals by writing in the following forms:

Opinion Writing

• Explanatory/Informative Writing

Narrative Writing

Learners in fourth grade should be familiar with these styles of writing, and understand the features and structure of each text type.

To level up their writing skills, children will need to both increase the level of detail in their articles and stories, and the sophistication of their vocabulary and grammar usage to impress their reader.

In Grade 4, your child should be writing with the intention of persuading or convincing the reader.

Here are some guidelines on how to structure an opinion piece:

• Focus on a single, strong idea.
• State your opinion on the topic.
• Provide reasons for the argument, with relevant evidence and supporting thoughts, organized in clear paragraphs.
• Use persuasive writing techniques such as emotive language to influence the reader.
• Use linking words and phrases to ensure their article flows.
• End with a summary of the most important points made in the argument and conclude with a memorable sentence.

Practice Tip

Challenge your child to share their opinion on a topic of your choice. Ask them to take on their own research project to ensure that their arguments are valid, and then ask them to present these to you verbally with reasons to support their opinion. It can be very beneficial for children to talk about their writing before they put pen to paper.

Informative Writing

Children in Grade 4 should be able to report factual information in an organized and clear way.

Here’s how your fourth grader can succeed at informative writing:

• Learn about a specific topic and list out the most important aspects to include in their piece of writing.
• Include facts, details and definitions in order to provide accurate information.
• Write in the first or third person.
• Use appropriate language, such as precise, topic-related vocabulary.
• Organize different points in clear headings, sections and paragraphs.
• Review the whole piece when it is completed. Informative writing requires precise use of facts, so it’s important that your child double-checks that the information they’ve provided is truthful.

Our printable report writing activity pack shares top tips on how to structure informative writing pieces and guides learners through developing a topic that includes facts, details, and definitions. It introduces topic related vocabulary and supports children to then use these words in their own writing.

In Grade 4, children will develop their narrative writing skills to include a clear sequence of events , descriptive detail, and an established narrator and characters .

Alongside character development and plot, fourth graders need to control and direct their narrative using transitional words and phrases. Conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositions can all be used to link and sequence sentences and paragraphs within a story.

Some narrative writing techniques to have in mind are:

• Get your child to base narrative stories on real events or, if they’re super-creative, fictional scenarios!
• Set established settings and surroundings, characters and details which can give the reader a sense of immersion. Use literary devices such as similes and metaphors to make the writing piece even more captivating!
• Provide a wider context for the story. For example, if the plot takes place in the main character’s home, where is the home located? Is it in a big city or in the countryside?
• Ensure that the story follows a logical narrative structure - beginning, middle and end.
• Good stories need a good ending! End the narrative with a happy ending, a cliffhanger or even a plot-twist!

Encourage daily writing! The more your fourth grader practices, the better they’ll become at describing and using figurative language to grab the reader’s attention. Daily writing can be done in many different ways, including journalling, using writing prompts, and playing writing games on Night Zookeeper!

How Night Zookeeper can help

Night Zookeeper is a language arts program created to help your child develop fundamental writing skills. Whether used as your homeschool language arts curriculum or as a supplemental learning resource, we guarantee your child will love our approach to teaching writing skills. We use gamification to add an educational twist to video games, meaning your child will learn as they have fun!

Our award-winning content has been created by expert elementary school teachers, and includes writing lesson plans that you can use to map out your child’s learning experience, creative writing prompts on all styles of writing, printable fourth grade writing worksheets, and much more!

Sign up to our program today to get a 7-day free trial!

Related articles

• Elementary Writing
• Grade 4 Writing Prompts
• Grade 4 Reading
• Grade 4 Spelling
• Grade 4 Grammar
• Grade 4 Punctuation

Make Reading & Writing Fantastically Fun!

• Award-winning reading & writing program for kids
• Improves spelling, grammar, punctuation & vocabulary
• Over 1,000 different learning games and activities

• Book Lists by Age
• Book Lists by Category
• Reading Resources
• Language & Speech
• Raise a Reader Blog
• Back to School
• Success Guides by Grade
• Homework Help
• Social & Emotional Learning
• Activities for Kids

The Guide to 4th Grade: Reading and Writing

Review reading and writing curricula for 4th grade, including what to expect and resources to support learning..

Congratulations: Your child is officially a member of the “upper” grades! As fourth graders, students deepen their skills to prepare for middle school. That being said, they still learn like elementary school students do. Most fourth graders are developmentally very much still children — they enjoy and learn from play, and they thrive in nurturing and warm environments. However, the content of most 4th grade curricula pushes students to think, analyze, and learn in more sophisticated and structured ways than they did in the “lower” grades.

In 4th grade, students learn how to deeply think about and make connections in new material, and grasp more complex concepts across all subjects. They also write with clarity, flow, and structure similar to that of traditional essays. Fourth graders are encouraged to be more independent in how they learn, and depend less on their teacher's guidance. They research, plan, and revise their work more by themselves — setting the foundation to be lifelong, self-starting learners.

Read on for what to expect this year, and shop all books and resources for 4th grade at The Scholastic Store . 

For more book and reading ideas,  sign up  for our Scholastic Parents newsletter!

Reading in 4th Grade

Much of the 4th grade reading curriculum teaches students how to analyze the books they read. Rather than just understand the plot and information given in a text, students are encouraged to think about the messages and how they relate to their own lives. They also compare texts to each other and make connections both within one text and across multiple texts.

In short, 4th graders begin to learn how to think and talk about a text to find deeper meanings and messages. This is done both with texts students read independently and those read by the whole class or smaller groups of students. Teachers may often use a class read-aloud to show students strategies for thinking about and analyzing what they read, encouraging them to do this in their own reading. Students also do this as they write in more detail about the texts they read. 

To build reading skills, your 4th grader :

• Uses specific examples from the text to explain characters’ motivations, main events, central themes, or ideas about a text.
• Uses the context of a text to determine the meaning of a word.
• Understands and can explain the differences between narrative prose, drama, and poetry.
• Identifies and refers to the different parts of poems and plays, such as verses, settings, and characters.
• Interprets and connects information from illustrations, graphs, charts, or other sources related to the text.
• Identifies, compares, and contrasts different perspectives from which texts are written (for example, first and third person).
• Compares and contrasts the way different texts address the same issue, theme, or topic.
• Makes connections between people, events, or important ideas in a text.
• Uses previous knowledge to read unfamiliar multi-syllable words.
• Reads grade-level texts with accurate comprehension, pacing, and expression.

Fourth Grade Reading Activities

Read and Research Together : Read the same book as your child independently, together, or a combination of both. Talk about the book as you read it, reviewing main ideas and plots and expressing your opinions. Then read an additional book or books on the same subject and compare and contrast how they dealt with the same issue. 

Compare Perspectives : Read two texts — one written in first person and one in third person — about the same event. Talk with your child about the differences and why they thinks these differences exist. Or, try it yourself! After sharing an experience with your child, each of you can write about it from your own perspective. Talk about the differences between what you wrote to gain a better understanding of perspective.

Read magazine and newspaper articles. Focus on the illustrations, graphs, or charts. Point out to your child what they show, ask them to help you interpret them, and discuss how they help explain or elaborate on the text. 

Writing in 4th Grade

Much of the 4th grade writing curriculum focuses on developing writing that has clarity and structure, and that uses reasons, facts, and details to support and strengthen arguments. Fourth graders are taught to organize their writing, ensure that it flows well, and group together related components. As students learn to think more deeply about concepts they are taught, they are encouraged to write in deeper ways as well. They do this by going beyond simply stating the facts — they express ideas, make connections, and provide details and emotions when appropriate.

To build writing skills, your 4th grader :

• Writes opinion pieces that express a point of view; have an introduction, a conclusion, reasons, and facts to support the opinion; and group together related ideas.
• Writes informative/explanatory pieces that present information on a topic, use facts and details, and group together related topics; provides introductions and conclusions in these pieces.
• Writes narrative pieces that use specific details, descriptions, and dialogue to convey a real event; includes an introduction and conclusion in each piece.
• Plans, revises, and edits their writing.
• Uses technology to publish, research, and communicate with others under the proper guidance of an adult or teacher.
• Types with a beginner’s accuracy and ability (for example, types one page of text within one sitting).
• Completes research projects by taking notes, organizing them, and presenting them; lists the texts and resources used.
• Writes for both long (over weeks) and shorter (one sitting or a couple of days) periods of time.

Fourth Grade Writing Activities

Ask Why : When your child expresses their opinion about something, ask them why they think that or how they know it is true. This will help them learn to support their opinion with reasons and/or facts. Do the same when you express your opinion or ideas about something.

Email with your Child : Set up an email account for your child and write emails describing your days to each other. Include details, conversations, thoughts, and emotions you had. This can be done in addition to generally encouraging (and supervising) your child’s use of technology — helping them use it for research, writing, and communicating with others. As always, be cautious of your child’s technology use by monitoring and supervising how much it is used and with whom they communicate.

Practice Note Taking : When you and your child go somewhere like a museum or a new city, pretend to be reporters and take notes (give them a journal they'll love to take notes in, like the Klutz: Decorate This Journal ). Later on, use those notes to describe what you learned. You can even relay your “reports” like a newscaster would.

Shop the best resources for fourth grade below! You can find all books and activities at  The Scholastic Store . 

Explore other grade guides: 

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Third Grade
• Fifth Grade
• Sixth Grade
• Seventh Grade
• Eighth Grade

Your 4th Grade Book Checklist

Sign up and get 10% off books.

Implementing the Writing Process

About this Strategy Guide

This strategy guide explains the writing process and offers practical methods for applying it in your classroom to help students become proficient writers.

Research Basis

Strategy in practice, related resources.

The writing process—prewriting, drafting, revising and editing, rewriting, publishing—mirrors the way proficient writers write. In using the writing process, your students will be able to break writing into manageable chunks and focus on producing quality material. The final stage, publishing, ensures that students have an audience. Students can even coach each other during various stages of the process for further emphasis on audience and greater collaboration during editing.  Studies show that students who learn the writing process score better on state writing tests than those who receive only specific instruction in the skills assessed on the test. This type of authentic writing produces lifelong learners and allows students to apply their writing skills to all subjects. Success in writing greatly depends on a student’s attitude, motivation, and engagement. The writing process takes these elements into account by allowing students to plan their writing and create a publishable, final draft of their work of which they can be proud. It addresses students’ need for a real audience and to take the time to draft and redraft their work. You can help your students think carefully about each stage of their writing by guiding them through the writing process repeatedly throughout the year and across various content areas.

The writing process involves teaching students to write in a variety of genres, encouraging creativity, and incorporating writing conventions. This process can be used in all areas of the curriculum and provides an excellent way to connect instruction with state writing standards. The following are ways to implement each step of the writing process:

• Prewriting—This step involves brainstorming, considering purpose and goals for writing, using graphic organizers to connect ideas, and designing a coherent structure for a writing piece. For kindergarten students, scribbling and invented spelling are legitimate stages of writing development; the role of drawing as a prewriting tool becomes progressively less important as writers develop. Have young students engage in whole-class brainstorming to decide topics on which to write. For students in grades 3-5, have them brainstorm individually or in small groups with a specific prompt, such as, “Make a list of important people in your life,” for example. Online graphic organizers might help upper elementary students to organize their ideas for specific writing genres during the prewriting stage. Examples are the Essay Map , Notetaker , or Persuasion Map .
• Drafting—Have students work independently at this stage. Confer with students individually as they write, offering praise and suggestions while observing areas with which students might be struggling and which might warrant separate conference time or minilessons.
• Revising and Editing—Show students how to revise specific aspects of their writing to make it more coherent and clear during minilessons. You can model reading your own writing and do a think aloud about how you could add more details and make it clearer. Teach students to reread their own work more than once as they think about whether it really conveys what they want to their reader. Reading their work aloud to classmates and other adults helps them to understand what revisions are needed. Your ELLs will develop greater language proficiency as they collaborate with their peers when revising.
• Rewriting—Have students incorporate changes as they carefully write or type their final drafts.

Rubrics help to make expectations and grading procedures clear, and provide a formative assessment to guide and improve your instruction. The Sample Writing Rubric , for example, can be used for upper elementary students.

As you work with your students to implement the writing process, they will begin to master writing and take it into all aspects of life. Peer review, with clear guidelines for students to give feedback on each other’s work, motivates students, allows them to discuss their writing with their peers, and makes the work load a little lighter for you. The Peer Edit with Perfection! PowerPoint Tutorial is a useful tool to teach students how to peer review and edit. You can also have students can edit their own work using a checklist, such as the Editing Checklist . Editing is when students have already revised content but need to correct mistakes in terms of spelling, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and word choice. Use minilessons, small-group lessons, or individual conferencing if necessary to make sure that students have made thoughtful changes to their writing content before moving on to the final draft.

• Publishing—Encourage students to publish their works in a variety of ways, such as a class book, bulletin board, letters to the editor, school newsletter, or website. The ReadWriteThink Printing Press tool is useful for creating newspapers, brochures, flyers and booklets. Having an authentic audience beyond the classroom gives student writing more importance and helps students to see a direct connection between their lives and their literacy development.
• Lesson Plans
• Student Interactives
• Calendar Activities

It's not easy surviving fourth grade (or third or fifth)! In this lesson, students brainstorm survival tips for future fourth graders and incorporate those tips into an essay.

Students are encouraged to understand a book that the teacher reads aloud to create a new ending for it using the writing process.

While drafting a literary analysis essay (or another type of argument) of their own, students work in pairs to investigate advice for writing conclusions and to analyze conclusions of sample essays. They then draft two conclusions for their essay, select one, and reflect on what they have learned through the process.

The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.

The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

The Stapleless Book can be used for taking notes while reading, making picture books, collecting facts, or creating vocabulary booklets . . . the possibilities are endless!

Students examine the different ways that they write and think about the role writing plays in life.

• Print this resource

Explore Resources by Grade

• Kindergarten K

• Character Education
• Classroom Management
• Cultural Responsive
• Differentiation
• Distance Learning
• Explicit Teaching
• Figurative Language
• Interactive Notebooks
• Mentor Text
• Monthly/Seasonal
• Organization
• Social Emotional Learning
• Social Studies
• Step-by-Step Instruction
• Teaching Tips
• Testing and Review
• Freebie Vault Registration
• Login Freebie Album
• Lost Password Freebie Album
• FREE Rockstar Community
• In the News
• Writing Resources
• Reading Resources
• Social Studies Resources
• Interactive Writing Notebooks
• Interactive Reading Notebooks
• Teacher Finds
• Follow Amazon Teacher Finds on Instagram
• Rockstar Writers® Members Portal Login
• FREE MASTERCLASS: Turn Reluctant Writers into Rockstar Writers®
• Enroll in Rockstar Writers®

What is the writing process? The writing process is a way to promote successful writers. It provides steps for students to use when writing. Every writing program out there will stress the importance of encouraging students to use steps in a writing process. This post shares the steps I found useful and ideas that help students in my classroom become confident and successful in their writing. The 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.  

The writing process found on this post has six steps. (prewriting, rough draft, revising, editing, peer reflections, and final copy) Follow these steps with your students and see their writing improve! The following writing process posters are available in my store!

1. Prewriting: Brainstorming and Graphic Organizer

The first part of prewriting is brainstorming ideas. If there is not a prompt to follow, have students go back to their “Ideas” section in their interactive notebooks. Remember where we brainstormed ideas for our I, heart, hand, home, question mark in Lesson 1 ? This will get students thinking about a topic that is interesting to them. If there is a prompt to follow, tell students to think of as many ideas, plots, or ways they can use the prompt.

The second part of prewriting is using a graphic organizer. Whether it is a free writing paper or a prompt, students will need a graphic organizer that will work well for that type of writing. Click on the graphic organizers below for a free download!

2. Rough Draft

For this step, I tell my students to JUST WRITE! Don’t worry about spelling or anything else. Put your story together by writing writing writing! Get your thoughts down without distractions and deal with proper grammar or spelling later! I tell my kiddos to skip lines to have room to revise later. I love to model this step and make tons of mistakes (purposely) and my students want to correct all my mistakes. I tell them, “Let me write! I don’t want to lose my thoughts!” I also allow them to get comfortable, sit around the room, or find a place or seat that will help them enjoy writing.

3. D.A.R.E. to Revise

For the revising stage, I find it helpful to have students read their stories out loud! It is fun to have students record themselves reading their own stories and then go back and listen to it. I guarantee they will find fragments, run-ons, or words that just don’t make sense!  What does DARE stand for? D stands for delete, A stands for add, R stands for rearrange, and E stands for exchange. In later mini lessons, I will go in more depth with each of the DARE to revise components. While revising, I require my students to use a different colored pen or pencil so I can see attempts to making their writing better. So many times these little cherubs think their rough draft is their best draft so I DARE them to revise!

4.  C.U.P.S. to Edit

The next step is using CUPS for editing . It stands for Capitals, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling. I first review the rules for each of the CUPS so students know what to look for in their own writing. When my students are editing, I ask them to use a different colored pen or pencil. However, if they want to use multiple colors, I allow that as well. My philosophy is as long as they are editing and I can see their attempts, that is what matters! Don’t forget that National Punctuation Day is September 24th!!!

5. Peer Reflection

I like this step so students can get feedback from a peer. Supply each student with a reflection form or sticky notes and a writing checklist. Ask your students to take this step seriously and pretend they are a teacher or editor. Go over the checklist as you read the story. Remind students that they not only give advice on how to fix their peer’s paper, but also let them know the parts of the paper that ROCK! I like to use two positives and a wish. Tell two things you like about the paper and one wish to make it better. Students should not write on each other’s papers. Many students take such pride in their work and don’t want anyone else writing on it. This is where sticky notes are a blessing! After peer reflections, it is completely the writer’s decision on what they want to change OR not. This is their last chance to make their papers better!

6. Final Copy

Time to be neat! Depending on your instructions, students need to write final copies neatly. If they are handwritten, I ask them to sit a desk or table to help assure proper handwriting posture to optimize their final outcome. If it is a typed paper, it must also be neat and free from typos.

Click here for WRITING POSTERS . There are a few different versions of these posters. Notice in the picture below, I have clothespins. I have my students mark the step of writing they are on so I can quickly glance and see who may need help. I can’t take credit for this nifty idea- found it on Pinterest, but I do LOVE it!

Check out my FREE writing masterclass! CLICK HERE

LAST LESSON: Writing Mini Lesson# 8- Table of Contents

NEXT LESSON: Writing Mini Lesson #10- 3 Steps to Prepare for Narrative Writing

This lesson is also included in the STEP-BY-STEP WRITING ® Program with mini-lessons designed to scaffold through the writing process. Writing units included are sentence structure, paragraph writing, narrative writing, opinion writing, and informative writing. See what is included in the image below and click on it to learn more about them! You will turn your reluctant writers into ROCKSTAR WRITERS ™! 

Excellent, comprehensive resource that has helped my students and me SO much! There’s NOTHING missing and it is very well planned and engaging! Thank you SO much, it has been a life-saver! -Angela Rutschke

Writing Mini Lesson #8- Table of Contents and Progress Grade for Notebooks

Christmas around the world web quest and more.

Free Printable Writing Process Worksheets for 4th Grade

Writing Process: Discover a collection of free printable Reading & Writing worksheets for Grade 4 students, designed to enhance their skills and understanding. Explore various topics with Quizizz's resources.

Recommended Topics for you

• Creating a Title
• Revising Writing
• Brainstorming

Explore Writing Process Worksheets by Grades

• kindergarten

Explore Writing Process Worksheets for grade 4 by Topic

Explore other subject worksheets for grade 4.

• Social studies
• Social emotional
• Foreign language
• Reading & Writing

Explore printable Writing Process worksheets for 4th Grade

Writing Process worksheets for Grade 4 are an essential tool for teachers who aim to enhance their students' reading and writing skills. These worksheets are specifically designed to cater to the learning needs of fourth graders, focusing on various aspects of the writing process, such as brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. By incorporating these worksheets into their lesson plans, teachers can provide a structured approach to help students develop their writing abilities. Moreover, these Grade 4 worksheets also cover essential topics like grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, ensuring that students have a strong foundation in reading and writing. In conclusion, Writing Process worksheets for Grade 4 are a valuable resource for teachers looking to improve their students' literacy skills.

Quizizz is an innovative platform that offers a wide range of educational resources, including Writing Process worksheets for Grade 4, to help teachers create engaging and interactive learning experiences for their students. In addition to worksheets, Quizizz also provides teachers with access to thousands of quizzes, games, and other activities that can be customized to suit the specific needs of their Grade 4 students. This platform allows teachers to monitor their students' progress in real-time, enabling them to identify areas where students may need additional support in reading and writing. Furthermore, Quizizz's user-friendly interface makes it easy for teachers to incorporate these resources into their lesson plans, ensuring that their students receive a well-rounded education in reading and writing. Overall, Quizizz is an excellent resource for teachers seeking to enhance their Grade 4 students' writing skills through the use of worksheets and other engaging activities.

Common Core State Standards Initiative

English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 4

Standards in this strand:, text types and purposes:, production and distribution of writing:, research to build and present knowledge:, range of writing:.

• Key Design Consideration
• Students Who are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, & Language
• How to Read the Standards
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
• College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
• Introduction for K-5
• Kindergarten
• Introduction for 6-12
• Grade 11-12
• Introduction
• Language Progressive Skills
• Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
• Range of Text Types for K-5
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading K-5
• Staying on Topic Within a Grade & Across Grades
• Range of Text Types for 6-12
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading 6-12
• English Language Arts Appendix A
• English Language Arts Appendix B
• English Language Arts Appendix C

• Skip to main content
• Search this site ...

Stellar Teaching Co.

Engaging Resources for Teaching Literacy

The Writing Process Posters & Anchor Charts

Are you a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade teacher who needs help teaching or reviewing the writing process with your students? These writing process anchor charts will help you teach the writing process in way that your students will remember. This set of anchor charts includes 13 ready-to-print anchor charts that will help you effectively teach your students the steps of the writing process as well as attributes of effective writing. These anchor charts will be your teacher bestie during your writing lessons!

Filed Under: *All Non SLC Resources , *Non SLC Resources (Writing) , 3rd , 4th , 5th , Anchor Charts and Posters , Homeschooler , Printables , Under $5 , Writing

More about this resource

Even though your students have probably been exposed to the writing process, sometimes they forget the steps or what exactly they should do at each stage in the process. These anchor charts clearly define and explain each step and provide acronyms and strategies to help students effectively complete each step of the writing process. Having these anchor charts will help you teach the writing process in a clear and concise way.

In this resource, you’ll get 13 Writing Anchor Charts formatted in the following ways:

Half-page anchor charts – perfect for students journals

Full page anchor charts – works great for whole group lessons

Digital version – created using Google Slides

FIll-in version – available for both the half-page and full-page versions and are great if you want your students to take notes during the lesson

LOVED BY BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: 

Your students will love having access to these anchor charts during the year. They won’t feel the pressure to remember every little grammar rule during the lesson because they know they can look back in their journals anytime they need a reminder.

You’ll love these anchor charts because they have easy-to-read font and are written with clear and concise language. Your students will understand the writing concepts you teach with these anchor charts.

So many upper elementary teachers love these anchor charts because they aren’t cluttered with excess clipart or fonts that are too “cutesy”.

And, you have options. You can choose to print them in half pages for students to glue in their journals… or you can share them with your students in Google Classroom… or you can give students the fill-in version so they can take notes during your lessons. You can pick the version that will work for you and your students.

Prep is quick and easy… Just print the anchor chart option you want to use before your writing lesson and you’re ready to go.

ANCHOR CHART TITLES INCLUDE: 

The Writing Process

Brainstorming

Characteristics of Strong Writing

Organization

Conventions

Expand Vocabulary

Sentence Fluency

TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Great resource! I use these anchor charts to support our writing lessons. Student can refer to the bulletin board or, if a student needs extra support, I give them a small anchor chart for their notebook.” Shannon M.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Thank you so much for this resource! My students always have difficulty in knowing what they need to do when revising and editing and this resource will be a great resource for them when they revise and edit their writing pieces!” -T.L.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I have these hanging in my classroom, and they’re a perfect display of the writing process. I also printed them out on a smaller scale for my students to glue into their writer’s notebooks so they always have a reference.” Kristen S.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Thank you for creating this writing resource! It has made my writing interventions run a lot smoother. There are great anchor charts for students to be able to use not only in small group but also in their general education classrooms.” Terry G.

Don't take our word for it!

Listen to our satisfied customers...

You may also enjoy these resources.

Follow Me Here

I’m Sara, your literacy lovin’ mentor and cheerleader.

With over a decade of experience working as a classroom teacher and school administrator, I understand the joys and challenges of teaching. That’s why I’m on a mission to make an impact by serving stellar upper elementary teachers just like you. Get ready, because I’m pulling out all the stops to ensure that you have the tools and confidence you need to build a literacy block that you’re proud of. One that excites you and your students while also meeting the standards. Oh yes, it’s totally possible to have both!

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.

The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services.

A Message From the Assistant Director of Content Development 

The Purdue OWL® is committed to supporting  students, instructors, and writers by offering a wide range of resources that are developed and revised with them in mind. To do this, the OWL team is always exploring possibilties for a better design, allowing accessibility and user experience to guide our process. As the OWL undergoes some changes, we welcome your feedback and suggestions by email at any time.

Please don't hesitate to contact us via our contact page  if you have any questions or comments.

All the best,

Social Media

Facebook twitter.