Back To School Writing

Kids walk into class on the first day & are often asked to write about their summer. This can be intimidating for many students. Help them out by spending time brainstorming. Tell students that if they did not do anything exciting, they can make it up. Some examples:
water park, Disney, scuba diving, rode a horse, mountains, cruise, jet ski, dirt biking, shopping, Chuckie Cheese, and so on.
Help students turn their writing into a fun & exciting experience.

Many students love summer break.

Before you begin writing, think about what you did over summer break.

Now write to explain what you enjoyed about summer break.

In order to avoid making some students nervous about this task, give directions telling students how long you want the writing to be: one paragraph or a 5 paragraph essay. In either case, it is best if you model first to show students what you expect. Make the first writing prompt an unstressful event for students!