Writing Resources for K-5
Writing practices for elementary school students to explore SEL skills and how they can make them present in their lives.
- Build an Emotion Vocabulary: Have a discussion with students about feelings, both simple and complex, and provide them with a picture chart or word list of emotions. Students can then use this list to do daily writing check-ins, in which they provide their emotional status with a rationale. For example, "I feel nervous because I have a math test today and I did not study last night."
2. Imagine Stories/ Journals: Depending on age and ability, have students write a non-fiction paragraph or an essay about
their lives in which they begin each sentence with the word "imagine." For example, a student may write something like:
"Imagine living with six people in a two-bedroom apartment."
their lives in which they begin each sentence with the word "imagine." For example, a student may write something like:
"Imagine living with six people in a two-bedroom apartment."
3. Scribble Press: Using this app, students can create books about themselves, their feelings, their experiences, or even
about a character in a story they have read. This is a great tool for practicing empathy.
about a character in a story they have read. This is a great tool for practicing empathy.
4. Character Therapy: In this writing process, students become a mediator with a character from a book they are reading.
They must help the character overcome their obstacles, manage their emotions, and provide the character with reasonable
and safe ways to resolve the issue.
They must help the character overcome their obstacles, manage their emotions, and provide the character with reasonable
and safe ways to resolve the issue.
Interested in learning more? Check out Scholastic for SEL lesson plans that incorporate writing for K-5 students.