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How to Plan for a Writing Project

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It’s that time again. You’re probably starting to do some homeschool planning for next year. The browser history on your phone might be full of pages from your favorite homeschool websites. You might even have notes either typed or handwritten comparing and contrasting the textbooks you might switch to. But deciding what curriculum to use is only one piece of the planning process for next year. There’s also planning the day-to-day schedule, extra activities, chores, household details . . .  You understand.

Planning a writing project may not be quite as involved as planning for the next homeschool year, but in both situations the results are affected by how well we prepare. Just as you use a homeschool planner to organize your day, your child can use graphic organizers to plan his writing project. Let’s take a look at some planning tips and graphic organizers that can help your child succeed with his writing projects.

Planning, the first step in the five-step writing process, helps make writing the first draft easier by creating a clear framework for the entire project. The writer (your child) is able to see the flow of thought he wants to communicate. A good way to start planning is by having him answer these questions.

  • What topic are you writing about?
  • Why are you writing?
  • Whom are you writing for?
  • How are you going to format your writing?

As he answers these questions, have him take time to brainstorm (and possibly research) ideas and information related to his topic. A practical way to group these details together and decide the order to arrange them in is with a graphic organizer. Some graphic organizers work better with different writing projects.

Plot Pyramid

A word web is one type of graphic organizer. It can be used to organize details about a topic, an event, or even a character in a story. After listing out details, your child can number them in the order in which he wants to write about them.

Creating a senses chart is another way your child can plan out a writing project. Just like it sounds, this chart relates to the five senses and is great for helping your child write a description. Have him draw five columns on a blank piece of paper and answer the following questions:

  • How does it look?
  • How does it sound?
  • How does it taste?
  • How does it smell?
  • How does it feel?

Have your child list sensory words in each column to describe the object. This list of words should include terms that help the reader mentally see, hear, taste, smell, or feel what is being read. (Sometimes only a few senses can be used to describe an object.)

A plot pyramid is a graphic organizer that establishes the beginning, middle, and end of a story. (Its counterpart for planning nonfiction writing would be a time-order chart.) Visually showing the arc that takes place in a creative story is important to help children see that the problem (usually a conflict between characters) and the solution are the transition points of their whole story.

You and I both know that taking time to plan brings benefits in multiple areas of life. Teaching your child to be a good, clear communicator for the glory of God begins with the planning stage.

Find more graphic organizers and writing resources in the BJU Press elementary English curriculum.

How to Teach Paragraph Writing

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We could argue that paragraph writing is a lost art these days. Technology has brought about huge changes in written communication. From status updates to texting, messages seem to be reduced down to abbreviations. But does that approach work for your child’s writing project? Maybe, maybe not.

The answer mainly depends on how well the entire written message communicates. And that’s where the need for paragraph writing comes in.

Paragraph Definition

A paragraph sets up a logical flow of complete thoughts (sentences) about a particular topic. The first sentence gives the main idea of the paragraph. All of the other sentences tell more about that idea.

In its simplest form, the paragraph includes these three elements: a topic, a topic sentence, and supporting sentences. Once your child has developed some writing and grammar skills, the sentences should also add interest and explain details.

Spring Word Web

Writing Activity

You can introduce the paragraph to your child by using this word web about spring. The first sentence of the paragraph should introduce the season and the main idea of the paragraph. Each sentence that follows adds more detail about the main idea.

Mastering paragraph writing looks different for each child, but this foundational skill is typically developed in second or third grade. By communicating his thought process through the use of multiple paragraphs, your child can launch into more advanced types of writing such as personal narratives, book reports, letters, and creative stories.

Extra Practice

If your child needs some extra practice in paragraph writing, assign a paragraph topic and then discuss these questions with him when he’s finished writing.

  • What’s the main idea?
  • Does the first sentence give that idea?
  • Are the sentences written in an order that makes sense?
  • What else would you like to know?

Having him read the paragraph aloud will allow him to see if the flow of thoughts is logical. Repeating these steps strengthens your child’s understanding and application of the paragraph so that he can then be guided through the five-step writing process.

Writing projects should be simple at first and then build on your child’s skills as he matures in his writing and grammar. Teaching writing this way helps prepare him for the next writing project without overwhelming him. It also places emphasis on communicating a clear written message, which is something Christians need to be good at doing.

Find writing exercises and projects like the ones suggested above in BJU Press elementary English.

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