Procedural Writing Teaching Resources
Explore procedural writing worksheets, templates, prompts and more to teach your students how to write a procedure text.
This collection of resources is aligned with the TEKS and Common Core English curriculums, and each teacher-created resource has undergone a careful review process by a member of our ELA teacher team. That means it's ready for your lesson plans and your students!
Is this your first year teaching this part of the expository writing curriculum? Or maybe you just need some fresh ideas? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Procedural Writing?
Sometimes called procedure writing or "how to" writing, procedural writing is the process of writing step-by-step instructions or directions that tell the reader how to complete a task, such as playing a game or cooking a meal.
Why Do We Teach Procedure Writing?
There is a lot to cover in the writing curriculum, so why should you take the time to plan lessons around procedures?
Simply put, learning to write directions helps kids learn to think logically and may even help them learn to follow directions more closely!
The procedural writing for kids that we teach in elementary and middle school also paves the way for more technical writing skills as students advance and become more experienced writers. Maybe one day, one of your students will write the standard operating procedure manual for a device you pick up at the store!
Tips for Teaching Kids How to Write Procedures
Looking for some tips to form your lesson plans? Our collection is full of ready-made ideas, but we didn't stop there!
Here are some ideas from our teacher team!
- Expose your students to procedural writing in a variety of formats. From numbered lists that walk a reader through a process step by step to some of your favorite picture books that use a more narrative format, there are plenty of formats that this text type can take.
- Empower students to think of themselves as experts. Procedural writing can be a lot of fun for kids when we allow them to choose a topic that they know a lot about and become the "teacher" as they write the procedure of how to complete a task they know well.
- Brush up on verb tenses. Procedural writing is typically written in the present tense, directing the reader to do something right now. It may be helpful to revisit what present tense verbs look like!
- Scaffold writing with a graphic organizer. This may be obvious, but mapping out what happens first, next, etc., before sitting down to write the entire text ensures students can organize their thoughts and don't miss any of the important steps in their procedures!
Procedural Writing Examples for Kids
So, what sorts of texts fall under the procedural writing umbrella? There are countless examples that your students will likely have seen out in the real world and right in your classroom, including:
- Recipe instructions
- Driving directions
- Classroom procedures
- Video game menus
- Laundry instructions on clothing
- Board game instructions
- Some classroom anchor charts
Students have plenty of topics that they know well and may draw upon to write their own procedure texts — like how to wash your dog!
Need more ideas to share with the class? You can also explore the variety of procedural text examples throughout our resource collection, with resources created to help students write guides on any of the following topics:
- How to carve a pumpkin
- How to make a sundae
- How to cook a turkey
- And more!
- Plus Plan
Sequence a Procedural Text – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use these procedural writing examples to teach your students about sequencing instructions in a logical order.
- Plus Plan
Interactive Build A Snowman Sequencing Activity
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive How to Build a Snowman game.
- Plus Plan
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree - Year 1 Procedural Writing
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive ‘How to Decorate a Christmas Tree’ slide deck and differentiated writing prompts for 1st grade.
- Plus Plan
How to Build a Snowman - Procedural Writing Worksheets
Explain how to build a snowman with a pack of printable procedural writing worksheets
- Plus Plan
How to Make a Sundae - Informational Writing Craftivity
Inspire students to write informational text with a fun, summer-themed end-of-year writing assignment and craft.
- Plus Plan
My Family Fire Escape Planning Worksheet
Plan ahead and encourage families to develop a fire escape plan with a pair of printable fire escape planning worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Recycling Writing Prompts - Primary
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
- Plus Plan
Easter Craft – How to Catch the Easter Bunny
Show off your students’ writing skills this spring with a “How to Catch the Easter Bunny” craft activity.
- Plus Plan
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree - Kindergarten Writing Worksheet
Practice kindergarten writing skills with a Christmas procedural writing prompt.
- Plus Plan
Election Day Writing Craftivity
Learn about Election Day, the voting process, and procedural text with an election-themed writing and craft activity.
- Plus Plan
Write About It! How to Cook a Turkey
Bring Thanksgiving dinner into the classroom with a group of leveled informational writing prompts about turkey!
- Plus Plan
How to Carve a Pumpkin - Accordion Book
Get crafty and inspire potential pumpkin carvers to write with a “How to Carve a Pumpkin” accordion book.
- Plus Plan
Fall Themed Informational Writing Prompt Worksheets
Celebrate Autumn and write an informational piece using these handy fall writing prompt worksheets.
- Plus Plan
End-of-Year Writing – How to Make S'mores
Use this set of graphic organizers and mini-book to practice procedural writing.
- Plus Plan
First Grade Informational Writing – How To Prompt Worksheets
Help your first graders learn how to write an informational piece using these handy writing prompt worksheets
- Plus Plan
The Science Behind Shaping Pretzels – Worksheet
An activity for students to practice procedure and sequence.
- Plus Plan
Assessment Rubric - Procedural Writing
An assessment rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' procedural writing.
- Plus Plan
Writing Procedural Texts Teaching Slides
Use this procedural writing PowerPoint to teach your students about the purpose, structural elements and language features of procedure texts.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing Word Wall
Display this set of 30 procedural writing words in your classroom when teaching your students how to write a procedure.
- Plus Plan
Improving Procedure Texts Worksheets
Download these procedural writing worksheets to get your students bumping-up some simple procedure texts.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing – Printable Recipe Book Template
Download this printable recipe book template to use when teaching procedural writing to your 1st- and 2nd-graders.
- Plus Plan
Exploring Procedural Writing Teaching Slides
Teach your students about writing a procedure using this detailed slideshow targeted at 1st- and 2nd-graders.
- Plus Plan
Procedure Text Type Poster With Annotations
Display this procedure text with annotations to help students identify the structure of a narrative.