Writing how-to books

Writer's Workshop is one of my favorite times of the day. Every few months we learn about a new style of writing, and this month's is how-to books. To begin the unit, we needed to understand what "how-to" books are. Grown-up readers use many how-to books on a daily basis, including recipes, manuals, and self-help books, so it's good for kids to get comfortable with them as another type of text. So we looked at How To books from the library for some inspiration. Some of the most treasured books were really goofy ones like How to Mash Monsters and How to Babysit a Grandma. 

We talked about how authors think of something they are experts at, and then break down how to do it into steps. We learned about using transition words such as "first," "then," and "finally." We also studied adding in warnings (such as "don't forget to tie your shoes first!"), detailed pictures, and funny endings.

Then we got started writing! Here are some of our authors writing on things they are experts on. Each day, three authors share what they've written so far. We will work a few more days on these drafts, then put them all together into one big "How To" book. Feel free to ask your child what he/she is writing about!