Writing Procedural Text

Grade 2, CRM 4, Arcs 7-8

(2 Weeks of Lessons)

Resources Needed for this Unit:

Mentor Texts:
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, by Marjorie Priceman
Let’s Play, Traditional Games of Childhood, by Camilla Gryski
Sidewalk Games Around the World, by Arlene Erlbach
The Science Book of Things That Grow, by Neil Ardley
How to Lose All Your Friends, by Nancy Carlson
Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehlert
Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert

How to Draw a Bunny, adapted from www.craftsy.com

Additional Resources:
Texas Write Source, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
NOTE: Adjust these mini-lessons and student writing times as appropriate for
your students. Some lessons may take more than one day to complete.

Unit Materials:
Real life examples of procedural writing (recipe, game directions, how to
assemble a household item), procedural texts from school (math game,
science experiment), index cards for introductions in Day 6, colored pencils
for peer editing on Day 9.

Websites:
Cooking with Kids
30 Classic Games for Simple Outdoor Play
Outdoor Activities for Children
Rules to Favorite Card Games
A Variety of Procedural Activities
Science Buddies .org
Water Molecules on the Move
 Teaching Notes:
When writing informational articles, the author writes from the perspective of an expert
on a subject and draws upon what he/she knows about a subject in addition to
information from other sources. There are several type of procedural writing such as
brochures, recipes, posters, directions, and signs.

Be sure to modify the following lessons to meet the needs of your students.

Day 1: Introducing Procedural Texts

Mini Lesson
1. Tell the students that today they will begin a new writing project called Procedural Writing.
Explain that procedural writing can be found in many of their everyday activities, such as
games, recipes, science experiments, and directions on how to make or do something new.
2. Briefly show examples to the children of directions for how to play a math game, how to play
a playground game, how to play a board game, recipes, and science experiments. Also show
examples of procedural texts they might find at home, such as directions to assemble a bird
feeder or directions to operate a small appliance.
3. Explain that these are all different kinds of procedural texts and they can be found in books,
magazine articles, newspapers, brochures, manuals, and websites. You will also be sharing
with them some picture books that have procedural text.
4. Inform the children that writers of how-to books are experts in their topics. They know how
to perform the activity because they have done it many times, and they also know what can
go wrong when performing this activity. A part of writing a good procedural text is to be able
to warn the reader about what to avoid and how to make sure everything turns out as planned.

Active Engagement

5. Allow time for the children to explore the books, articles, and various examples of directions
and procedural texts you gathered for today’s lesson.
6. After 10-15 minutes of exploration, bring the class together and ask the following questions.
Write their responses on a chart and ask for specific examples whenever possible.

Peer Sharing

What did you notice about these procedural texts you were exploring? (The students will
probably say that these texts tell them how to do something and that they look like fun activities.)
When do we read procedural texts? (We read procedural texts when we want to find out how to
make something or how to do something new.)
When in your lives will you find procedural texts? Ask for specific examples as they share their
responses. (When we’re cooking – a recipe for how to make Rice Krispy Treats; When we buy
something new, we learn how to put it together – Directions for assembling a lamp; etc.)
See the sample chart below.

Procedural Texts:
We read to find out how to make something or how to
do something.

Connections to our lives:

 Cooking – a recipe for Rice Krispy Treats
 Buy something new – directions for putting
together a lamp
 Playing a game – game rules for Connect 4

(Continue to add to this chart over the next few days as students offer other connections they
notice.)
Day 2: What We Notice About Procedural Text

Mini Lesson
1. Share with the students that sometimes we may want to learn how to do something like play
a new game or how to do a science experiment. “We will need to read directions to learn how
to do something. As a writer, we may want to explain to someone how to do something we
already know how to do. We’ll need to write directions for our readers.”

2. Provide a copy of the How to Draw a Bunny procedural writing to pairs of students. Read
the text aloud from beginning to end before having the students follow the directions.

Active Engagement

3. Have the students read each part of the text in a shared reading and follow the directions to
draw their own bunny.
4. After they finish their drawings, tell the students, “Look carefully at this procedural text and
think about how this text is different from other stories or articles you have read. What do
you notice that is special about this type of writing?”
5. Chart the students’ responses. Typical responses at this beginning stage may include:

What We Notice About Procedural Writing

 It tells us how to draw a bunny
 It includes pictures to help us
 It gives steps to follow
 It tells what materials to use

If the students do not notice, point out the following items:

 It gives step numbers
 It has an introduction (the writing at the beginning)
 It has a conclusion (the writing at the end)

6. Ask, “What do you notice about the way the directions were written?” Lead the students to
conclude that the directions were clear and were written in the correct order so that the end
product was successful.

Peer Sharing

Have the students turn to a partner to discuss what they learned about procedural writing today.
Day 3: Writing a Procedural Text of a Game

Mini Lesson

1. Choose one of the outdoor games or card games from the websites listed in the Unit
Resources above. Have the students join you in a shared reading of the directions for the
game.

2. Allow time for the students to play the game, keeping the directions handy for them to re-
read on their own, if questions arise. Monitor their playing of the game. If you notice
students playing incorrectly, ask them to reread the directions to make sure they are playing
correctly.

3. After playing the game for about 5-10 min., ask the students what problems they ran into or
what questions they had once they began playing. Point out that when they are writing
directions for a procedure, they will want their directions to be very clear, so the reader does
not have any questions.

4. Ask the students what kind of words in the directions help the reader to know exactly what to
do? (Words that tell where to place something: above, below, around, next to, along the side,
etc. Words that tell in what order to do things: before, next, after, now, finally)

5. Ask the students whether they have suggestions or strategies for how to win the game. These
strategies can be added to a procedural writing to make the writing more interesting.

6. Pick up the directions for how to play this game from the children. Each student will work
with a partner to write a procedural text about this game, but we want them to practice
writing the steps clearly and in the correct order without the help of the directions they read.

7. Remind the students of the parts of a procedural writing. Use your chart from Day 2, ‘What
We Notice About Procedural Writing’ and rewrite it to apply to all different types of
procedural writing.

8. Ask the students what new ideas you should add to the chart about how to write the
directions. (Directions should be clear and in the correct order. And they can include
suggestions to make the activity more successful.)

Procedural Writing:
 Tells us how to do or make something
 Includes illustrations to help the reader
 Gives steps to follow and step numbers
 Tells us what materials to use
 Has an introduction and a conclusion
 Directions are written in the correct order
 Directions use clear language, such as above, below, around
and before, after, next
 Can include suggestions or strategies
Shared and Partner Writing

1. Together in a shared writing, have the students help you to write a title and a brief
introduction. You might write about how fun it is to play games with your friends and why
you recommend this game.

2. Continue to write the materials list and the first step in the process with your students. Add a
quick illustration.

3. Have the students write with a partner the remainder of the steps in the process of how to
play this game. Encourage them to add illustrations.

(This partner-writing will give you information to pre-assess which students understand how
to write using procedural language, whether they are aware of the importance of writing the
steps in the correct order, as well as the need for clarity when writing directions.)

4. Have the students talk to their partner about the kind of advice they might tell someone to
help them win the game or to make the game more fun. Tell them to write an additional
paragraph of a strategy to help the reader win the game. This paragraph should not be
numbered and does not need an illustration, unless the illustration is necessary to make sure
the reader understands the strategy.

5. Together as a class, write a conclusion to this game procedural writing. Be sure to add a few
words of encouragement, such as “Have fun playing with your friends!” or “Remember this
game the next time you are looking for something fun to do with your friends.”

Peer Sharing

Ask, “How is writing the directions to a game different from writing how to draw a cat?”

Writing Conventions: Prepositional Phrases

Teacher should provide explicit instruction and modeling of the writing conventions during modeled
and shared writing. In addition, teacher should keep anecdotal notes to guide further instruction in
small group and individually.
Day 4: Brainstorm Ideas and Audience for an Independent Procedural
Text

Mini Lesson

1. Tell the students how proud you are of the procedural writings they have completed with the
class and with partners over the last few days.
2. Today they will begin the process of writing their own procedural text. First you will help
them to brainstorm ideas and think about who their audience will be.

Active Engagement

3. Begin a chart of all the possible ideas the class can think of for procedural writing. After each
idea is written, ask “Who would the audience be for this type of writing?”
4. Begin with all the possible games they know well and about which they could write. Write
on your chart the exact names of the games, such as Connect 4, Crazy 8s, Kickball, etc.
Remind students to think about board games, play-ground games, card games, math games,
and any other classroom games they have played. The audience for a game procedural
writing will probably be students from a younger class.
5. Have your students write their own brainstorming list in their Writer’s Notebooks. Students
should only write ideas for games they have played before and enjoyed and games they know
well. They may copy games from your chart, and they may add any additional games they
think of while writing.

6. Allow time for writers to think and write quietly.

7. After a few minutes of quiet thinking and writing, continue adding to your chart(s) some
classroom or school routines that will work well as a procedural writing. These might
include preparing to go home at the end of the day, checking out a book from the library,
reading with reading buddies, what to do during a fire drill, etc. The audience for these types
of procedural writing is most likely a new student to the school.
8. Allow time for your students to add to their own brainstorming list in their Writer’s
Notebooks. Again, students should only write ideas on their personal brainstorm list for
school routines they have done many times before and know well. They may copy ideas
from your chart, and they may add any additional routines they think of while writing.

9. Allow time for writers to think and write quietly.

10. After a few minutes, you can make another list of chores the students do at home. Examples
include getting ready for a school day, taking care of a pet, cleaning the dishes, and more.
 The audience? (The robot who will take over all the household chores some day!) Their
parents would probably be most interested in hearing the procedures for home chores.
11. This list can also include recipes for snacks they have frequently made.
12. Allow time again for writers to add chores they do at home that they feel they could explain
in an expository writing.

Peer Sharing

Ask writers to continue to think about more ideas as they continue through their day. Challenge
them to come up with 1-2 new ideas before writing time tomorrow.

Day 5: Orally Practicing How a Procedure Will Sound

Mini Lesson

1. Ask 1-2 students to read their personal brainstorm lists from yesterday’s lesson. Ask what
new ideas they thought of since yesterday and allow time for them to add these new ideas to
their lists.
2. Direct the students’ attention to the charts you generated yesterday. Model for the students
how you think about each of these categories of ideas to choose one topic for your own
writing. Think aloud about which topics sound like they would be fun to explain and those
that you know a lot about. Be sure to point out a few topics that you don’t know much about
and, therefore, you know you shouldn’t write about them.
3. Remind them that procedural writers need to be experts at the topic they will explain. Orally
think through how you will explain a topic that you are interested in, to see if you know
enough about it to be able to explain it thoroughly. You are modeling the thinking that you
will want your writers to do once they think they have determined their topic.

Partner and Independent Writing

4. Ask writers to think quietly about the topics they wrote on their personal brainstorm lists.
Have them narrow the selection down to 3 topics that they will draw a star next to.
5. Now have them circle the one topic that they feel excited to write about today.

6. Tell your writers that you want them to orally practice what they might write for this topic, to
help them decide whether they know enough about it.

7. Organize partners and have them orally practice with their partner how they will explain the
procedure to perform the game, activity, or chore they have chosen.

8. If students realize they don’t know how they will explain the procedure, or that they don’t
have much they can say about that procedure, this is a sign that they should rethink their
topic. They should try explaining another topic, to find out if it will work better as a topic for
this writing.

9. Once writers have determined their topic, have them go to their Writer’s Notebook and write
the title and materials needed for their procedural writing. Have them write the steps they
practiced orally with their partner. They can number their steps at this point.

10. This is only a beginning draft. Do not worry if their steps are not complete or if they are not
in the correct order. They will check and revise for these details later in the process. For
now, we just want them to get down as many steps in the procedure as they can think of.

Peer Sharing
Organize writers into a different set of partners so they can share their procedural steps with
someone new. Before students begin sharing, you might want two students to show the class
what this type of sharing will look like, while you coach them.

As each writer shares his/her steps in the process, ask listeners to listen carefully to determine
whether the steps are in the correct order and whether the writer missed any steps that will
change the outcome of the activity.

Listeners write their feedback on a sticky note, read their note aloud, and give their note to the
writer.
Partners switch jobs so the opposite partner is now the writer, and the writer is now the listener.
Day 6: Writing an Introduction and Conclusion

Mini Lesson
Prior to this lesson, have a basic set of steps written for your own procedural topic that you
can use for today’s lesson. Include a place between two steps where a small step is missing –
not too obvious—or where a step is out of order. (You will revise this error in tomorrow’s
lesson.)
Note that this lesson includes an extra lesson/ teacher model. You may want to complete this
lesson in 2 separate days.

Writing Conventions: Sentence Combining

Teacher should provide explicit instruction and modeling of the writing conventions during
modeled and shared writing. In addition, teacher should keep anecdotal notes to guide further
instruction in small groups and individually.

1. Have the students read the notes they received while sharing their procedures with a partner
yesterday.
2. Allow time for your writers to make changes to their procedures using the notes they
received. (Writers may need to ask their partner to help them remember what change they
recommended.)
3. The students should add illustrations as needed to help the reader to know exactly how to
follow the directions.
4. Review the criteria chart for writing a procedural text. Tell them that today, you will model
for them how to write an introduction and a conclusion.
5. Read your steps in the procedure that you have chosen.
6. Go back to any one of the procedural texts you have shared in prior lessons and re-read how
those authors wrote their introductions. Point out that you want to get the reader’s attention
and you want the reader to know what this writing will be about. These are important items
to include in all introductions.
7. Write your introduction in only a few sentences on a small chart that can be taped to
beginning of your procedure.

Independent Writing

8. Now ask your students to write their introductions on an index card that can be taped to the
beginning of their procedural steps. Advise them to read some mentor procedural texts to
give them ideas about ways to write an introduction for this type of writing.
9. Allow time for quiet writing and thinking.
10. When the students finish, they should re-read their introduction and their steps to make sure
it makes sense and all the steps are included in the correct order. The students should make
any changes they feel will make their writing more clear.

Mini Lesson – Teacher Continues to Model

11. When most students have finished writing their introductions, provide the same type of
instruction for writing your conclusion. Reread mentor texts to get ideas about how to write
a conclusion.
12. Read your procedural writing from beginning to end and write a conclusion for your writing.

Independent Writing

13. Have your students write their conclusions at the end of their procedural steps in the same
way that you just modeled. Remind them to read some mentor procedural texts to get ideas
for their conclusions.

14. Allow time for quiet writing and thinking.

15. When the students finish, they should re-read their procedural writing from beginning to end,
to make sure all parts of the writing are connected and make sense. The students should make
any changes they feel will make their writing more clear.

Peer Sharing

Have the students share their writing with the same partners from yesterday. They will read their
complete writing, from beginning to end. Listening partners will listen to decide whether the
introduction and conclusion make sense with the steps to the procedure.

Model for the students how to use polite language when giving feedback to their partner.

Use a polite voice when giving feedback

to your partner:

“It sounds to me like your introduction is not

connected to your steps…”

“Your introduction will sound better if you…”

“It sounds like something is missing. Let’s see

if we can figure out what is missing…”
Day 7: Revising to Make Sure All Steps Are in the Correct Order

Mini Lesson

1. Tell your students that when writers draft, they often work quickly to get their thoughts on
paper. Then they go back to look for places where they can make the writing sound better.
This is called revising.

2. Today, the students will make sure they have included all the steps in the correct order, and
revise to add more specific details.

3. Read your procedural text aloud to the class. When you get to the steps in the process, have
your students pretend to act out each of the steps.

4. You may need to do a little pretending here yourself, but show them how their acting helped
you to see that you were missing a step or that one of your steps is in the wrong place in the
sequence.

5. Show them how you circle the words that need to be moved and draw an arrow to show the
place in the text where the words should be moved.

Active Engagement

6. Have the students work with a partner to read their procedural writing and have their partner
pretend to act out the steps in the process.

7. The acting partner should help the writer to notice steps that are missing or steps that are in
the incorrect order.

8. Together, they should use Post-It Notes or draw a circle and arrow to revise their draft and
show how to move sentences around in the draft.

9. Writers should repeat the process with the opposite partner reading and the other writer
acting.

Peer Sharing

Ask, “How did having your partner act out your procedure help you as a writer?”
Day 8: Revise to Add a Strategy, Tips or Advice

Mini Lesson

1. Review the revising strategy the students applied to their writing yesterday.
2. Remind the students that when they looked at procedures for games, these texts often
included some strategies for ways to win the game.
3. Show them how you can add a strategy or 2-3 tips to the procedural writing you have been
writing. Explain that these tips or strategies are usually found at the bottom of the steps,
before the conclusion.

Independent Writing

4. Ask the students to turn to a partner to read their writing and talk about what kinds of
strategies or tips they could add to their procedural writing.

5. Allow time for quiet thinking and writing.

Peer Sharing

Have all writers share their entire writing from beginning to end, including all the revisions and
tips/strategies with a different partner. Listeners may still make recommendations to the writer
to improve the writing.
Day 9: Peer Edit and Final Draft

Mini Lesson
1. Review all the grammar and editing skills you have taught your students so far this year that
apply to this genre of writing.
By the end of 2nd Grade, students are expected to:

 Use capital letters and end punctuation in sentences

 Use a capital letter for the word “I”
 Use capital letters for the names of people and proper nouns
 Use apostrophes to show possession
 Spell base words and endings (-ing, -ed –s) correctly
 Spell simple contractions correctly
 Spell high-frequency words correctly. See High Frequency Word List.

Note: You should only have your students edit their drafts for the mechanics and editing
skills you have already taught them. The above list is a reminder of the expectations for
2nd graders at the end of the year.

Partner Writing

2. Have the students sit side-by-side with a partner to read, first, one student’s paper, then the
other student’s paper. The writer reads the paper aloud and holds a colored pencil (any color
other than red).

3. Remind your writers of one mechanics or editing skill you have taught them. Write the rule
on your chart, along with one example of the rule.

Example: Editing Expectations:

1. Every sentence begins with a capital
letter and ends with end punctuation.
Example: The game of Crazy 8s is fun to
play on a rainy day. It is best to play it
indoors where the wind will not blow your
cards away!

(Continue to add more skills and examples, one at a

time, while students check their papers.)
4. As the writer reads his/her writing aloud, the other partner checks for only the one editing
point you just wrote on the chart. If the partner finds an error, he/she points to it in the
writing, and the writer makes the correction on his/her own paper.

5. Partners switch roles, reading and checking for the same editing skill.

6. Have one partner stand and move to a new desk where he/she sits with a new writer.

7. Repeat the process with a new editing skill.

8. Continue to have writers move to a new partner. The writer reads, and the partner checks for
only one editing skill at a time. Partners switch roles so that both writers have checked their
papers for only one skill before moving to another partner.

Peer Sharing

The students have already shared their writing with several other writers today. It is not
necessary for them to share again. Instead, if time remains, have your writers begin to write their
final drafts.
Day 10: Expectations for a Final Draft
Mini Lesson
1. Congratulate your writers on the hard work they have put forth to come to this final stage of
their writing process!
2. Tell them that today, they will write the final draft of their procedural writing.
3. Tell the students, “When writers write their final drafts, they think about their audience.
They think about all the things they can do to help their reader understand their writing. This
includes all the revisions and editing corrections they made during the past few days.”
4. Together with your students, create a chart of your expectations for the final drafts of their
procedural writing. Your chart may look like this:

Writing Your Final Draft:

 Write all parts of your draft, including words and

sentences you added during revision.
 Write the numbered steps in a list.
 Draw your illustrations neatly next to the steps
they go with.
 Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
 Correct all errors you found while editing.
 Do not cross out words, erase neatly.
 Use your neatest handwriting.

5. Using your own procedural writing, model for your writers what you mean by including the
words and sentences you added during revision and write the numbered steps in a list. Show
them what the first part of your final draft looks like.

6. Remind your students that writing a final draft takes a lot of concentration, because it is their
only chance to get everything right! This is no time to get lazy or work too quickly because
that can lead to mistakes that their audience will notice. They need to make sure their final
draft reflects all the thinking and hard work they have given to this piece of writing.

Independent Writing
7. Provide students with the tools (special papers or pens) they will need to work quietly for
most of your writing time today. Insist that students stay quiet so everyone can concentrate
on their best writing. The only voices you should hear are questions about how to spell a
word or questions about the writing.
8. Walk around the room to assist students as needed. Your monitoring of their work today
shows them how serious you are about the quality of their work.

9. When students finish their final drafts, they should practice reading their writing smoothly
and fluently, to prepare themselves for reading in front of an audience.

Peer Sharing

It is not necessary to share today, since all students will have the opportunity to share their final
draft with an audience. Use this extra time to give all writers time to finish their final drafts.

Publish and Share with An Audience

1. Invite parents and family friends to come to your classroom for this important publishing
event.

2. If some students chose younger students to be their audience, arrange with a Kindergarten or
1st Grade teacher to allow the students to read their writing to their class or a small group
audience (perhaps during a center.)
3. If some students chose to write their procedural piece for new students to the school, they can
read their piece today for any class of students, but you should gather their writing into a
portfolio that can be stored in the school office, so visitors and new students to the school can
read it.
4. All students should have the opportunity to read their writing to some type of audience, even
if it is not the audience they originally intended.

After the parents have left and all students have returned to the classroom, debrief the experience
with the students. How did it feel to share your writing with an audience? How did they react to
your writing? How did you feel while you were reading? What do you think we should do
differently next time?

Celebrate Writing!