📖

Testing Your Instructions

Informative Writing: How-To

Day 155of 180
Week 31of 36
25Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)

Learning Objectives

1

Understand how to evaluate written instructions

2

Learn to revise writing for clarity

3

Practice sharing and receiving feedback

Proverbs 15:22

Without counsel, plans go wrong; but with many advisers, they are established.

Proverbs 15:22 (WEB)

Learning to get feedback helps improve our work

📦 Materials Needed

  • How-to writing from previous day
  • Pencil
  • Helper (parent or sibling)
  • Graphic organizer

Lesson Plan

1Opening (5 min)

Review what how-to writing is about. Remind students that good instructions help people understand exactly what to do.

💭 Review Question: What makes instructions easy to follow?
2Teaching (8 min)

Today we'll test our instructions to make sure they make sense to someone else.

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Good writers ask others to read their work
  • Feedback helps make writing clearer
  • It's okay to change our writing
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • Who can help you read your instructions?
  • What might make instructions confusing?
3Activity: Instruction Testing (8 min)
hands-on

Find a helper and have them try to follow your how-to steps exactly as written.

📝 Instructions:
  1. Read your how-to writing to your helper
  2. Watch carefully to see if they understand
  3. Take notes on where they get confused
  4. Ask your helper for suggestions
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Have an adult help you read the instructions

Challenge: Try to follow someone else's instructions without asking questions

4Closing (4 min)

Share what you learned about making instructions clear

📝 Review Questions:
  • Was it easy or hard for someone to follow your steps?
  • What would you change to make your instructions better?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank You for helping us learn to communicate clearly. Help us be patient and kind when sharing instructions.

Coming up: Next week, we'll learn more about writing that teaches others

Proverbs 15:22

Without counsel, plans go wrong; but with many advisers, they are established.

Proverbs 15:22 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Hand motions: Thumbs down for 'go wrong', thumbs up for 'established'

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

First-grade students are learning that writing is a process of communication that can be improved

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Be patient and encouraging
  • Focus on clarity, not perfection
  • Help child see feedback as helpful, not criticism
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children may feel discouraged if their first draft isn't perfect

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Willingness to listen to feedback and make small changes

Extension Activities

  • Create a visual illustration of instructions
  • Record a video of instructions being followed
  • Make a poster showing how to improve writing

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 156Back to Language Arts