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!
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How to Grow A Sunflower – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this printable sunflower craft template to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How to Make A Jelly Sandwich - Procedural Writing Craftivity
Teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing by exploring how to make a jelly sandwich!
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How to Make a Salad – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this engaging craft activity on making a salad to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How to Build a Sandcastle – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this engaging, hands-on sandcastle craft activity to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How To Build a Snow Globe – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this engaging, hands-on snow globe craftivity to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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Interactive Build A Snowman Sequencing Activity
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive How to Build a Snowman game.
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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.
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How to Build a Snowman - Procedural Writing Worksheets
Explain how to build a snowman with a pack of printable procedural writing worksheets
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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.
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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.
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Recycling Writing Prompts - Primary
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
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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.
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How to Decorate a Christmas Tree - Kindergarten Writing Worksheet
Practice kindergarten writing skills with a Christmas procedural writing prompt.
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Write About It! How to Cook a Turkey
Bring Thanksgiving dinner into the classroom with a group of leveled informational writing prompts about turkey!
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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.
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Fall Themed Informational Writing Prompt Worksheets
Celebrate Autumn and write an informational piece using these handy fall writing prompt worksheets.
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End-of-Year Writing – How to Make S'mores
Use this set of graphic organizers and mini-book to practice procedural writing.
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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