Descriptive Writing Activities

• Descriptive writing uses colorful words to describe a place, person, event or object so that the reader can visualize the topic. A practice exercise might include having students write a description of a monster. Pass their description to another student who has to draw the monster based on the description. For another activity, post a complex picture on the wall, like a picture from an I-Spy book. Have students record as many verbs, nouns and adjectives they can see in the picture. Pass the list to students in other grades and challenge them to come up with 100 words. In another exercise, have students pretend they are aliens writing a letter to their planet describing an object they found on Earth, such as a Hershey's kiss. Students have to use words to describe how the object looks, feels, tastes, sounds and smells.
  
  

Narrative Writing Activities

• Narrative writing tells a story and generally includes characters in a setting. To practice narrative writing, ask students to write a story that includes as many words as possible related to a theme, such as weather (rain, snow, wind, sleet), Christmas (tree, lights, Santa, presents), or summer (beach, pool, bathing suit, sunburn). Have students pick a favorite book or movie and write a different ending. Brainstorm a list of famous people and then ask students to pick one and write a story about that person. Ask students to write a story about the best day of their life or their most embarrassing moment.
  
  

Persuasive Writing Activities

• Persuasive writing convinces readers to have a certain opinion or response, such as in editorials or advertisements. Ideas for persuasive writing practice might include having students write a letter to the principal telling them why they deserve a day off from school. Specify the number of points the student's argument must have. Suggest students write a letter to Santa. The challenge is to convince Santa to bring them everything on their list, give all the toys to needy children or to use a jet instead of his sled. In other exercises, have students write a flier to sell their family's car or write a letter applying for a job.
  
  

Expository Writing Activities

• Expository writing explains or gives instructions, such as a recipe. Have students write the instructions to bake a cake, wash a car, or address an envelope. Build a list of common quotes or proverbs, such as "Don't judge a book by its cover" or "Birds of a feather flock together." Have students pick a proverb out of a hat and then write a paragraph to explain what it means. Ask students to explain how to make someone laugh. Have them write a list of supplies for and explain all the details of setting up and running a lemonade stand.
  
  

Technical Writing Activities

• Technical writing provides specific information to a specific audience for a specific purpose, such as instructions to operate a piece of equipment or directions to a location. To practice technical writing, have students write directions for getting from their house to school. For a unit on recycling, ask students to write about how one item in the classroom, such as an empty milk carton, can be reused or recycled.