"How To" Writing Brought to Life

Have you ever done "how to" lessons with your class?  I believe these lessons and strategies teach the students transitional or temporal words as well as the importance of sequence.

I taught my students various methods of writing a "how to" informational piece.  The students had the option to select their own topic, but they had to actually do the "how to" in front of the whole class, while following their own steps.  I know this idea has been floating around for years, but I never had the students carry out the actual "how to" in my own class.

The students followed my "how to" lessons and they completed their final drafts. The class has been doing the "how to" lessons all week and I am amazed with the creativity.  Some of the students called up volunteers to see if their sequencing worked with other classmates.  Their accuracy was amazing. This is a lesson the entire class enjoyed.

Here is a list of some "how to" ideas from the week:

* make a fortune paper
* play a song on the piano- Thanks to the piano in the cafe!
* throw, catch, and hit a baseball
* shoot a basketball
* blow up a balloon using baking soda, vinegar, and an empty bottle
* making slime This student made her own video with the necessary steps!
* origami- Shirts and pants

* how to make an origami star

* card tricks
* washing hands
* make animation
* yoga
* dance
* use a tennis racket properly
* wash your hands properly
* be a model citizen in the class
* skateboard safety
* make a volcano

Some of the highlights from this lesson included student creativity, actual demonstrations, class participation, follow-through, speaking, listening, patience from the students and overall success.