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115 Exciting 4th Grade Writing Prompts for 2024 (Free Slides!)

Journal writing, essay topics, story starters, and much more!

Fourth grade is a time for students to continue to hone their writing chops as they put to use the skills they’ve learned and gain confidence in their abilities. All writers can have a little trouble getting started, though, which is why you need this big collection of 4th grade writing prompts. They include essay writing prompts, creative writing story starters, journal prompts, and much more. Sharpen your pencils and get ready to write!

You can get 50 of these 4th grade writing prompts in a free PowerPoint slideshow bundle! They make it easy to share these writing ideas with your students.  Grab your free PowerPoint bundle by filling out the form on this page .

• Journal Writing Prompts
• Funny Writing Prompts
• Persuasive and Opinion Writing Prompts
• Descriptive Writing Prompts
• Narrative Writing Prompts
• Creative Writing Prompts
• Story Starters
• Current Events Writing Prompts

4th Grade Journal Writing Prompts

• What’s the best book you’ve read recently? What was it about, and why did you like it?
• What is the worst book you ever read?
• Write five rules for staying organized.
• What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten? How did it make you feel?
• One of your little cousins is very nervous about starting kindergarten. What would you tell them to make them feel better?
• There’s an old saying: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” What do you think this saying means?
• Write about an adult you look up to.
• What’s the nicest thing anybody has ever done for you?
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
• What makes your family unique?
• What would you say is your greatest strength? Greatest weakness?
• Are you a patient person? Why or why not?
• What is something you’ve never done that you would like to try?
• What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you?
• What’s your favorite holiday? What makes it so special?

Funny Writing Prompts for 4th Grade

• What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?
• Imagine you came to school one day and found your teacher had turned into an animal. What animal would it be, and what would happen?
• Write a poem where most of the words start with the letter K.
• Imagine you and your pet switched bodies for a day, and tell the story of what would happen.
• Who is the funniest person you know? Describe them, and explain why they’re funny.
• When was the last time you laughed so much you couldn’t stop? What happened?
• What is something adults do that you think is funny or strange?
• Write a review of a restaurant that serves the worst food in the world.
• What is the funniest thing that someone could become famous for? Tell the story of how it happened.
• Write a story about someone who could never lie, no matter what.

Persuasive and Opinion 4th Grade Writing Prompts

• Are 4th graders ready to stay home alone? Why or why not?
• Would you rather be good at sports or good in school? Why?
• Would you rather have lots of money or lots of friends? Why?
• What is your favorite subject in school? Why?
• Name two characters from different books that you think might be good friends. Why?
• Which is more important for success, skill or luck?
• Should kids be paid an allowance to do chores around the house? Why or why not?
• Why are classroom rules important?
• If you had a time machine, what era of history would you visit?
• Why is math important?

• Which would you rather read: a scary story that gives you goosebumps or a funny story that cracks you up? Why?
• Why is science important?
• Should 4th graders have cell phones? Why or why not?
• If you could open a store, what type of store would it be and why?
• What is the hardest thing about being a 4th grader?
• If I were the ruler of the world, the first law I would pass would be … because …
• Is it ever OK to tell secrets? Why or why not?
• What animal makes the best pet? Why?
• Is it better to spend an hour a day reading or an hour a day exercising? Why?
• Do you like nonfiction books or fiction books better? Why?

Descriptive 4th Grade Writing Prompts

• If you won a million dollars, how would you spend the money?
• If you had a YouTube channel, what would you talk about?
• Describe what you think of as perfect weather.
• Describe how to build a birdhouse step-by-step.
• Imagine you are in a hot-air balloon above your house. Describe everything you can see.
• Describe the physical appearance of someone in your family in detail.
• Describe how to play your favorite board game.
• Explain the right way to do one of your household chores, like making your bed or cleaning your room.

• Describe your perfect day.
• Imagine you are an adult and describe your dream job.
• Explain your morning routine in detail, from waking up to arriving at school.
• Describe the perfect meal, including what you’d eat and where you’d dine.
• Share what you do on a typical non-school day.
• Describe your favorite room at home in detail.
• How do you prepare for a big test? Describe the ways you study or practice.

Narrative Writing Prompts for 4th Grade

• Share one of the stories your family has told you about when you were a baby.
• If you found a backpack filled with dollar bills, what would you do?
• Write about a time when you felt proud of yourself.
• Imagine your parents let you plan your next family vacation. Tell about what you’d do, and how your family would react.
• Write about a time you felt like quitting but didn’t. How did you keep yourself going?
• Tell about an event that happened recently at your school or in your town.
• Start a story in the middle, and use “flashbacks” to fill in what happened earlier.
• Describe the most exciting game or sports event you ever saw or participated in.

• What is your earliest memory? Describe it in detail.
• Write about a time you tried something new and how you felt before, during, and after.
• Tell a story that a family member loves to share over and over again.
• Tell the story of your favorite field trip of all time.
• If you could relive any day in your life, what would it be? Would you want it to be the same or different?
• Write about a time you visited a haunted house or other scary place.
• Tell a story about a time you visited someplace new.

Creative Writing Prompts for 4th Grade

• Pretend you ate a magic pill that made you as tall as a redwood tree. Where would you go and what would you do?
• If you met an alien, what three questions would you ask them?
• Pretend you drank a magic potion that made you as tiny as an ant. Where would you go and what would you do?
• What would the world be like if dinosaurs still existed?
• If you could invent something new the world really needs, what would it be? How would it work?
• Describe a world where it rains fruit juice and snows M&Ms.
• Come up with the most ridiculous excuse possible for why you are unable to turn in your homework today.
• Describe a world where all the adults are robots, but kids are still human kids.
• Imagine a conversation between yourself and a talking animal.
• Describe the kind of creature you’d create if you were a mad scientist. Would it be scary and mean? Nice and friendly?
• Invent a new kind of candy. Give it a name, and write a commercial jingle for it.

4th Grade Story Starters

• Retell a classic story, making the villain the hero instead.
• Write a story that includes these five words: keys, spaghetti, uncle, jellyfish, spaceship.
• Imagine that one day you woke up and found everyone in the world could no longer talk. What would happen next?
• Write about a day where kids are in charge instead of grown-ups.
• Imagine you’re lost in a haunted wood, and tell the story of your escape.

• Describe a night in the life of the tooth fairy.
• Tell a story that ends with these words: “… and that’s how we all learned to fly.”
• Use these words to start a story: “When I opened the box that came in the mail, I never expected to find …”
• Write a new chapter of your favorite book, with yourself as a new character.
• Imagine you woke up one morning with a superpower, like invisibility or the ability to fly. Describe your experiences learning how to use that power.

Current Events Writing Prompts for 4th Grade

• Learn about an endangered animal, and describe what we can do to help it.
• If you made a time capsule for this year, what would you put in it?
• Describe something that you saw in the news recently and how it made you feel.
• What do you think is one of the world’s biggest problems right now, and how would you solve it?
• Read a news story about something happening in another country and summarize it.
• Write a news article about something important that happened to you this week.
• Create a poem about something in the local news right now.
• Write a letter to the editor about a current issue, explaining your opinion.
• Find a “good news” story, and share why it makes you happy.
• What living famous person do you most admire and why?
• What do you think kids today can do about climate change and global warming?
• What does the word “racism” mean to you?
• What is one thing you would do to make your school or town a better place?
• Choose an upcoming sports event, and explain who you think will win.
• Describe a current fashion trend or something that’s very popular in your school right now and how you feel about it.
• What can we do to help people with different opinions get along with one another better?
• Interview a grown-up you know, and write a news article about them.
• What do you think is the best new song right now? The worst? Why?
• Describe an event that’s happening in the world right now that you don’t understand. What questions would you ask a grown-up about it?

Looking for more? Check out 150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity !

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Essay for Class 4 Children in English | Essay Topics for 4th Grade Students

Essay Writing enhances your thinking capability to put your perception in words. It’s not an easy job to think of a topic and frame sentences on it. Thus, to make your struggle easy we have compiled Frequently Asked Essays for Class 4 all in one place. Prepare whichever topic you want from the list and get different ideas. To make it easy for you we have written the 4th Standard English Essays in a simple language.

List of Essay Topics of Class 4

Explore our collection of most common essays for 4th Grade Children. You will have both Short & Long Essays written on different topics to give you the necessary ideas. You will also find the 10 Lines Essays on numerous topics from here that will help you improve your writing skills. Read them and bring out the imagination in you and write essays on your own for your speeches or competitions.

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• Health is Wealth Essay for Class 4
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• Essay on Mango for Class 4
• Essay on Horse for Class 4
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• If I were a bird Essay for Class 4
• My Country India Essay for Class 4
• Essay on Elephant for Class 4
• Essay on Sunny Day for Class 4
• Essay on Cow for Class 4
• Essay on Ideal Student for Class 4
• My Dream House Essay for Class 4

FAQs on Essay for Class 4

1. How Can I Improve my Essay Writing Skills?

Make an outline of what you want to write before you begin and use the right vocabulary. Analyze the topic and know how to write the introduction, body, and conclusion.

2. How do you Start an Essay?

The Most Common Way to Start an Essay is to Introduce Your Topic.

3. Where do I find the List of Frequently Asked Essay Topics for Grade 4 Students?

You can find the List of Frequently Asked Essay Topics for Grade 4 Students on our page.

Hoping the information shed regarding Essay for Class 4 has been useful to you. If you want anything to be added to the list feel free to reach us via the comment box. Stay in touch with our site Worksheetsbuddy.com for the latest info on Essays of different Classes.

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Fourth Grade Essay Writing Worksheets and Printables

Activity: Story mountain

Complete the story mountain to plan your story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Activity: Perform a poem

Read a poem, talk about what it means, and perform it to an audience.

5. Find story inspiration

You can find fun story ideas anywhere! Why not raid your kitchen cupboards or hunt through the attic to find lost treasures? Anything from an old hat to a telescope will do the trick. What could the object be used for? Who might be looking for it? What secrets could it hold? Suggest different genres such as mystery or science fiction and discuss how the item might be used in this kind of story.

Real-world facts can also be a great source of inspiration. For example, did you know a jumping flea can accelerate faster than a space rocket taking off into orbit? What crazy story can your child make out of this fact? Newspapers and news websites can be great for finding these sorts of ideas.

For more storytelling ideas, download our free Story idea generator  or our Character profile activity sheet .

Activity: Story idea generator

Activity: Character profile

6. Draw your ideas first

If your child isn’t sure where to start with a story or even a piece of non-fiction, it can sometimes be helpful to sketch out their ideas first. For instance, can they draw a picture of a dastardly villain or a brave hero? How about a scary woodland or an enchanted castle?

Your child might also find it useful to draw maps or diagrams. What are all the different areas of their fantasy landscape called? How is the baddie’s base organised?

Some children might enjoy taking this idea a step further and drawing their own comics. This is great practice – it stretches your child’s creativity, gets them thinking about plot, character, and dialogue, and is a big confidence boost once they’ve finished and have an amazing story to look back on.

What your child will learn

In Year 4 (age 8–9), your child will be aiming to build upon the goals and expectations they were first set in Year 3. They will be expected to:

• Discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
• Discussing and recording their ideas.
• Composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures
• Organising paragraphs around a theme
• In narratives, creating settings, characters and plot
• In non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices (for example, headings and sub-headings).
• Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
• Proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences .
• Proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors.

Handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all important aspects of writing too. You can find out more about them on our dedicated pages:

Handwriting in Year 4 (age 8-9)

Find out more about handwriting in Year 4 at Primary School.

Find out more

Spelling in Year 4 (age 8-9)

Find out more about spelling in Year 4 at Primary School.

Grammar and punctuation in Year 4 (age 8-9)

Find out more about grammar and punctuation in Year 4 at Primary School.

• Age 5–6 (Year 1)
• Age 6–7 (Year 2)
• Age 7–8 (Year 3)
• Age 8–9 (Year 4)
• Age 9–10 (Year 5)
• Age 10–11 (Year 6)
• Year 1 (age 5–6)
• Year 2 (age 6–7)
• Year 3 (age 7–8)
• Year 4 (age 8–9)
• Year 5 (age 9–10)
• Year 6 (age 10–11)
• Grammar glossary
• Grammar books

4th Grade Writing Prompts

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Students in fourth grade need varied practice developing their writing skills. According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative , fourth-grade writing should include opinion pieces, informative or explanatory texts, and narratives about real or imagined experiences. Additionally, a fourth-grade writing curriculum should include short research projects. 

These writing prompts offer diverse forms of inspiration for every student.

Opinion Essay Writing Prompts

In an opinion essay , students must state their opinion and back it up with facts and reasons . Ideas should be organized logically and supported by details.

• Best Friends Forever. Write an essay explaining what makes your best friend the best best friend. 
• Awesomeness.  Describe the most awesome thing about being in fourth grade.
• New Worlds. Would you rather help start a colony on a new planet or a city under the ocean? Why?
• School Food. Name one thing you would like to change about your school’s menu and explain why.
• Someday. If you could be a race car driver, an astronaut, or president of a country, which would you choose and why?
• Cityscapes . If you had a friend visit from another state, what is the one place in your city you would insist he or she had to see? What makes this place so special?
• Shipwrecked. You find yourself stranded on a deserted island with only three items in your backpack. What would you want those items to be and why?
• Flat Earth. Some people still believe that the Earth is flat . Do you agree or disagree? Include supporting facts.
• Extra! Extra! Name one class, sport, or club you wish your school offered and explain why it should be available.
• Seasons. Which season is your favorite and why?
• One-star . What is the worst book you have ever read and what made it so terrible?
• Fandom. Who is your favorite TV, movie, or music star? What makes him or her the best?
• Progress.  Identify a way in which you would like to improve as a student this school year. Explain why you would like to get better and list some steps you can take to make it happen.

Informative Essay Writing Prompts

When writing an informative or explanatory essay, students should introduce the topic clearly, then develop the topic with facts and details. When explaining a process, students should outline the steps in a logical order.

• Bullied. Explain how you would handle being bullied and the steps you would take to stop a bully.
• Mad Skills. Describe an unusual talent, hobby, or skill that you possess.
• Cuisine. Describe a food that is unique to your family or area of the world to someone who has never tasted it.
• Role Model. Think of a person who has made an impact on your life and describe the role they’ve played.
• Pay It Forward. What is one thing you would like to do—either now or in the future—to make the world a better place?
• Packing. Explain the most effective way to pack for a trip to ensure that you have everything you need.
• Wild Kingdom. Of all the animals wild or domesticated, write about your favorite. Include interesting facts about this animal in your essay.
• Gaming. Explain how to play your favorite video or board game to someone who has never played it before.
• Problematic. Describe a problem you’re facing and three ways you could possibly solve it.
• Extreme Weather. Choose an extreme weather condition or a natural disaster such as a tornado or a volcanic eruption. Explain its causes and effects.
• Sweet Treats. Explain the process of making your favorite dessert.
• Learning Styles. Think of the way you prefer to learn, such as by reading, listening, or doing. Explain why you think you learn best that way.
• Edison. Thomas Edison said that he didn’t make mistakes, he just learned 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb. Describe a mistake you made and the lesson you learned from it.

Narrative Essay Writing Prompts

When writing narrative essays about real or imagined experiences, students should use descriptive details and logical sequence. They can use dialogue and sensory details to develop their essay .

• Microscopic Details. Imagine being microscopic. Describe an adventurous trip through your body.
• Alone. You find yourself locked in your favorite store alone overnight. Where are you and what do you do?
• Homeless. A friendly stray dog follows you home from school. What happens next?
• Time Travel. Imagine you could travel back in time to when your mom or dad was your age. Write an essay about your relationship with your fourth-grade parent.
• Mismatched. Write a story about someone your age. The story must include a giraffe, a mouse, a flying carpet, and a large birdcage.
• Pet Peeve.  Recount a moment when something really got on your nerves. Describe the experience and why it irritated you so much.
• Surprise! Think of a time your teacher surprised your class. Describe what happened and how the class reacted.
• Special Moments. Think of a specific day or event that you will always remember. What made it so special?
• Travel Through History. Imagine you could travel back in time to live through one event from history . Describe the event and write about your experience.
• The Most Terrible Day. Write an essay about a day when everything went wrong. How did the day start and end, describe the experience.
• Road Trip. Write about a favorite family vacation or road trip. Where did you go? What made it special?
• Funny Pet Tricks.  Can your pet do a funny or unusual trick? Describe it.
• President. If you could be president for a day (or the principal of your school), what would you do?

Research Project Essay Writing Prompts

Fourth-grade students should also complete short research projects using books, magazines, and online sources . Students should take notes and provide a list of the sources they used in their research.

• New Puppy. You want a new puppy. Do some research to determine the best breed for your family and write about it.
• Battles . Research and write about what you consider the most significant or famous battle in history.
• Famous People. Choose a famous person from history or science and write about their lives and contributions.
• Animal Kingdom. Select an animal to research. Include facts about its behavior, habitat, and diet.
• Countries. Choose a country. Investigate its culture and holidays, and find out what life there is like for kids your age.
• States. Pick a state you’ve never visited. Learn three to five unique facts about the state to include in your essay.
• Inventions. What do you think is the greatest or most useful invention of all time? Find out who invented it and how and why it was invented.
• Native Americans. Choose a Native American tribe. Learn about where they lived, their culture, and their use of natural resources in their area.
• Endangered Species. Research and write about an animal that is endangered. Include facts about why it is endangered and any changes that people can make to help increase its population.
• Fine Arts. Learn more about an artist or composer. Include facts about their life and death and most well-known works.
• Authors. Research an author whose books you enjoy. Include facts about what inspired him or her to start writing.
• Dig Deeper.  Research something you’ve studied in history, science, or literature but would like to know more about.
• State Standouts. Choose a famous person from your state. Learn about his or her life and contributions.
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Year 4 Writing

Discover year 4 writing standards.

Now that your child has reached Year 4, they’ll be consolidating, refining and building upon English language knowledge that they’ve developed in previous years.

As they embark on the second half of their primary school journey, Year 4 students will be encouraged to start thinking, analyzing and processing information more independently, which can be quite a big jump from previous years. They’ll be expected to research various topics and produce articles utilizing their reading comprehension skills. There are many higher-level thinking skills involved in the writing process in Year 4 and this could prove challenging for your child at times.

This guide will take you through the key writing skills your young writer will need to develop in order to ensure that their academic progress is seamless.

10 Important Year 4 Writing Goals

• I can write independently
• I can compose clear and coherent articles and stories
• I can refine written text by revising and redrafting
• I can complete a plan before beginning to write
• I can use technology to publish articles and stories
• I can structure articles and stories correctly
• I can produce writing for different purposes and audiences
• I can use my research skills to compose an informative report
• I can use structured paragraphs and complex sentences
• I can establish a clear theme throughout an article or story

Year 4 learners will work towards achieving these goals by writing in the following forms:

Opinion Writing

• Explanatory/Informative Writing

Narrative Writing

Children in Year 4 should be familiar with these styles of writing, and understand the features and structure of each text type.

To level up their writing skills, children will need to both increase the level of detail in their articles and stories, and the sophistication of their vocabulary and grammar usage to impress their reader.

In Year 4, your child should be writing with the intention of persuading or convincing the reader.

Here are some guidelines on how to structure an opinion piece:

• Focus on a single, strong idea.
• State your opinion on the topic.
• Provide reasons for the argument, with relevant evidence and supporting thoughts, organized in clear paragraphs.
• Use persuasive writing techniques such as emotive language to influence the reader.
• Use linking words and phrases to ensure their article flows.
• End with a summary of the most important points made in the argument and conclude with a memorable sentence.

Practice Tip

Challenge your child to share their opinion on a topic of your choice. Ask them to take on their own research project to ensure that their arguments are valid, and then ask them to present these to you verbally with reasons to support their opinion. It can be very beneficial for children to talk about their writing before they put pen to paper.

Informative Writing

Children in Year 4 should be able to report factual information in an organized and clear way.

Here’s how your young writer can succeed at informative writing:

• Learn about a specific topic and list out the most important aspects to include in their piece of writing.
• Include facts, details and definitions in order to provide accurate information.
• Write in the first or third person.
• Use appropriate language, such as precise, topic-related vocabulary.
• Organize different points in clear headings, sections and paragraphs.
• Review the whole piece when it is completed. Informative writing requires precise use of facts, so it’s important that your child double-checks that the information they’ve provided is truthful.

Our printable report writing activity pack shares top tips on how to structure informative writing pieces and guides learners through developing a topic that includes facts, details, and definitions. It introduces topic related vocabulary and supports children to then use these words in their own writing.

In Year 4, children will develop their narrative writing skills to include a clear sequence of events , descriptive detail, and an established narrator and characters .

Alongside character development and plot, learners in Year 4 need to control and direct their narrative using transitional words and phrases. Conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositions can all be used to link and sequence sentences and paragraphs within a story.

Some narrative writing techniques to have in mind are:

• Get your child to base narrative stories on real events or, if they’re super-creative, fictional scenarios!
• Set established settings and surroundings, characters and details which can give the reader a sense of immersion. Use literary devices such as similes and metaphors to make the writing piece even more captivating!
• Provide a wider context for the story. For example, if the plot takes place in a forest, where is the forest located? What can the characters see when they're there?
• Ensure that the story follows a logical narrative structure - beginning, middle and end.
• Good stories need a good ending! End the narrative with a happy ending, a cliffhanger or even a plot-twist!

Encourage daily writing! The more your child practises, the better they’ll become at describing and using figurative language to grab the reader’s attention. Daily writing can be done in many different ways, including journalling, using writing prompts, and playing writing games on Night Zookeeper!

How Night Zookeeper can help

Our writing program makes learning to write fantastically fun by gamifying the writing process in the magical world of the Night Zoo!

Night Zookeeper covers the full English National Curriculum, and has been created to help your child develop fundamental writing skills.

Designed by primary school teachers, our program includes writing lesson plans that you can use to map out your child’s learning experience, creative writing prompts on all styles of writing, printable Year 4 writing worksheets, and much more!

Sign up today to get a 7-day free trial!

Related articles

• Writing (overview)
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• Primary English Curriculum
• Year 4 Reading
• Year 4 Grammar
• Year 4 Spelling
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Essay Writing: A complete guide for students and teachers

P LANNING, PARAGRAPHING AND POLISHING: FINE-TUNING THE PERFECT ESSAY

Essay writing is an essential skill for every student. Whether writing a particular academic essay (such as persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository) or a timed exam essay, the key to getting good at writing is to write. Creating opportunities for our students to engage in extended writing activities will go a long way to helping them improve their skills as scribes.

But, putting the hours in alone will not be enough to attain the highest levels in essay writing. Practice must be meaningful. Once students have a broad overview of how to structure the various types of essays, they are ready to narrow in on the minor details that will enable them to fine-tune their work as a lean vehicle of their thoughts and ideas.

In this article, we will drill down to some aspects that will assist students in taking their essay writing skills up a notch. Many ideas and activities can be integrated into broader lesson plans based on essay writing. Often, though, they will work effectively in isolation – just as athletes isolate physical movements to drill that are relevant to their sport. When these movements become second nature, they can be repeated naturally in the context of the game or in our case, the writing of the essay.

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Planning an essay

The Boys Scouts’ motto is famously ‘Be Prepared’. It’s a solid motto that can be applied to most aspects of life; essay writing is no different. Given the purpose of an essay is generally to present a logical and reasoned argument, investing time in organising arguments, ideas, and structure would seem to be time well spent.

Given that essays can take a wide range of forms and that we all have our own individual approaches to writing, it stands to reason that there will be no single best approach to the planning stage of essay writing. That said, there are several helpful hints and techniques we can share with our students to help them wrestle their ideas into a writable form. Let’s take a look at a few of the best of these:

BREAK THE QUESTION DOWN: UNDERSTAND YOUR ESSAY TOPIC.

Whether students are tackling an assignment that you have set for them in class or responding to an essay prompt in an exam situation, they should get into the habit of analyzing the nature of the task. To do this, they should unravel the question’s meaning or prompt. Students can practice this in class by responding to various essay titles, questions, and prompts, thereby gaining valuable experience breaking these down.

Have students work in groups to underline and dissect the keywords and phrases and discuss what exactly is being asked of them in the task. Are they being asked to discuss, describe, persuade, or explain? Understanding the exact nature of the task is crucial before going any further in the planning process, never mind the writing process .

BRAINSTORM AND MIND MAP WHAT YOU KNOW:

Once students have understood what the essay task asks them, they should consider what they know about the topic and, often, how they feel about it. When teaching essay writing, we so often emphasize that it is about expressing our opinions on things, but for our younger students what they think about something isn’t always obvious, even to themselves.

Brainstorming and mind-mapping what they know about a topic offers them an opportunity to uncover not just what they already know about a topic, but also gives them a chance to reveal to themselves what they think about the topic. This will help guide them in structuring their research and, later, the essay they will write . When writing an essay in an exam context, this may be the only ‘research’ the student can undertake before the writing, so practicing this will be even more important.

RESEARCH YOUR ESSAY

The previous step above should reveal to students the general direction their research will take. With the ubiquitousness of the internet, gone are the days of students relying on a single well-thumbed encyclopaedia from the school library as their sole authoritative source in their essay. If anything, the real problem for our students today is narrowing down their sources to a manageable number. Students should use the information from the previous step to help here. At this stage, it is important that they:

●      Ensure the research material is directly relevant to the essay task

●      Record in detail the sources of the information that they will use in their essay

●      Engage with the material personally by asking questions and challenging their own biases

●      Identify the key points that will be made in their essay

●      Group ideas, counterarguments, and opinions together

●      Identify the overarching argument they will make in their own essay.

Once these stages have been completed the student is ready to organise their points into a logical order.

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

There are a number of ways for students to organize their points in preparation for writing. They can use graphic organizers , post-it notes, or any number of available writing apps. The important thing for them to consider here is that their points should follow a logical progression. This progression of their argument will be expressed in the form of body paragraphs that will inform the structure of their finished essay.

The number of paragraphs contained in an essay will depend on a number of factors such as word limits, time limits, the complexity of the question etc. Regardless of the essay’s length, students should ensure their essay follows the Rule of Three in that every essay they write contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Generally speaking, essay paragraphs will focus on one main idea that is usually expressed in a topic sentence that is followed by a series of supporting sentences that bolster that main idea. The first and final sentences are of the most significance here with the first sentence of a paragraph making the point to the reader and the final sentence of the paragraph making the overall relevance to the essay’s argument crystal clear. 

Though students will most likely be familiar with the broad generic structure of essays, it is worth investing time to ensure they have a clear conception of how each part of the essay works, that is, of the exact nature of the task it performs. Let’s review:

Common Essay Structure

Introduction: Provides the reader with context for the essay. It states the broad argument that the essay will make and informs the reader of the writer’s general perspective and approach to the question.

Body Paragraphs: These are the ‘meat’ of the essay and lay out the argument stated in the introduction point by point with supporting evidence.

Conclusion: Usually, the conclusion will restate the central argument while summarising the essay’s main supporting reasons before linking everything back to the original question.

ESSAY WRITING PARAGRAPH WRITING TIPS

●      Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea

●      Paragraphs should follow a logical sequence; students should group similar ideas together to avoid incoherence

●      Paragraphs should be denoted consistently; students should choose either to indent or skip a line

●      Transition words and phrases such as alternatively , consequently , in contrast should be used to give flow and provide a bridge between paragraphs.

HOW TO EDIT AN ESSAY

Students shouldn’t expect their essays to emerge from the writing process perfectly formed. Except in exam situations and the like, thorough editing is an essential aspect in the writing process. 

Often, students struggle with this aspect of the process the most. After spending hours of effort on planning, research, and writing the first draft, students can be reluctant to go back over the same terrain they have so recently travelled. It is important at this point to give them some helpful guidelines to help them to know what to look out for. The following tips will provide just such help: 

One Piece at a Time: There is a lot to look out for in the editing process and often students overlook aspects as they try to juggle too many balls during the process. One effective strategy to combat this is for students to perform a number of rounds of editing with each focusing on a different aspect. For example, the first round could focus on content, the second round on looking out for word repetition (use a thesaurus to help here), with the third attending to spelling and grammar.

Sum It Up: When reviewing the paragraphs they have written, a good starting point is for students to read each paragraph and attempt to sum up its main point in a single line. If this is not possible, their readers will most likely have difficulty following their train of thought too and the paragraph needs to be overhauled.

Let It Breathe: When possible, encourage students to allow some time for their essay to ‘breathe’ before returning to it for editing purposes. This may require some skilful time management on the part of the student, for example, a student rush-writing the night before the deadline does not lend itself to effective editing. Fresh eyes are one of the sharpest tools in the writer’s toolbox.

Read It Aloud: This time-tested editing method is a great way for students to identify mistakes and typos in their work. We tend to read things more slowly when reading aloud giving us the time to spot errors. Also, when we read silently our minds can often fill in the gaps or gloss over the mistakes that will become apparent when we read out loud.

Phone a Friend: Peer editing is another great way to identify errors that our brains may miss when reading our own work. Encourage students to partner up for a little ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’.

Use Tech Tools: We need to ensure our students have the mental tools to edit their own work and for this they will need a good grasp of English grammar and punctuation. However, there are also a wealth of tech tools such as spellcheck and grammar checks that can offer a great once-over option to catch anything students may have missed in earlier editing rounds.

Putting the Jewels on Display: While some struggle to edit, others struggle to let go. There comes a point when it is time for students to release their work to the reader. They must learn to relinquish control after the creation is complete. This will be much easier to achieve if the student feels that they have done everything in their control to ensure their essay is representative of the best of their abilities and if they have followed the advice here, they should be confident they have done so.

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Narrative Writing for Grade 4

Narratives tell stories.

These worksheets and writing prompts focus on creative and effective story writing for kids . 

Writing hooks : 5 ways to get your reader's attention

Plot structure : 5 stages of plot structure

Creating settings : place, time and environment of a story

Character development : create character traits through Q&A

Show, don't tell! : actions and details rather than exposition

Sensory details : writing about what characters see, smell, taste, feel & hear

Descriptive writing : create a complete mental picture of a scene

Small moments writing : write in great detail about a specific moment

Point of view : first, second and third person

Writing personal narratives : organize and write a personal recollection

Narrative writing practice : tying together characters, setting and plot

Narrative writing prompts : creative prompts for grade 4 students

Narrative writing worksheet for grade 4

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In this page, you will find some examples of what is expected of Year 4 writers who are meeting all the age-related requirements.  SCROLL DOWN  to find out what to expect from your children and some of the reasons why this is expected at Year 4. All the examples below are from "extended writing" sessions, which are generally over two lessons and are completed independently having spent previous lessons building up and practising writing skills.

Why is this writing at the age-related expectation (ARE) for the end of Year 4?

• Use paragraphs to group information.
• Capital letters, full stops, question and exclamation marks, possessive apostrophes and commas are used accurately.
• Spell all common words correctly and spell most of Year 3 and 4 common exception words, attempting longer words.
• Neat, legible and joined handwriting.
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e.g. “Look, I used punctuation inside the inverted commas,” said Ian

• Accurate use of tense, including present perfect ( e.g. She has walked to the shops ).
• Use prepositions ( e.g. under, in, on, with, at ) and conjunctions ( e.g. and, because, since, although ) to extend and add detail to sentences.
• Proof read their writing to check for errors and correct these independently.
• Use adjectives and adverbs to add detail to their writing.
• Parents notes for year 4 - ARE.pdf

Examples of writing expectations at the end of the Autumn Term

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Free Printable Narrative Essay Structure Worksheets for 4th Year

Narrative Essay Structure: Discover a collection of free printable worksheets for Year 4 Reading & Writing teachers, designed to enhance students' understanding and skills in crafting compelling narrative essays.

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Explore printable Narrative Essay Structure worksheets for 4th Year

Narrative Essay Structure worksheets for Year 4 are essential tools for teachers looking to enhance their students' reading and writing skills. These worksheets are specifically designed to help young learners in Year 4 understand the fundamentals of writing organization and structure. By incorporating these worksheets into their lesson plans, teachers can provide their students with a solid foundation in narrative essay writing. These worksheets cover various aspects of narrative essay writing, such as creating engaging introductions, developing characters, setting the scene, and crafting compelling conclusions. As a result, students will be better equipped to express their thoughts and ideas in a clear, organized manner, ultimately improving their overall reading and writing abilities.

Quizizz, a popular online platform for creating and sharing educational content, offers a wide range of resources for teachers, including Narrative Essay Structure worksheets for Year 4. In addition to these worksheets, Quizizz also provides other offerings, such as interactive quizzes and engaging games, which can be used to supplement the learning experience. Teachers can easily integrate Quizizz into their lesson plans, providing students with a fun and interactive way to practice their reading and writing skills. By utilizing Quizizz's vast library of resources, teachers can create a comprehensive and engaging curriculum that caters to the unique needs of their Year 4 students. This will not only help students improve their writing organization and structure but also foster a love for reading and writing that will last a lifetime.