Bite Size Writing Assignment: When I Grow Up

Kids have been asked what they want to become when they grow up since I was a young (and probably much, much longer).

Actually, it's a great question to get the creative juices flowing and a great topic to write about!

When my own son was about three he wanted to be a fire truck! Some years later he wanted to invent kitchen gadgets to make cooking more efficient. In case you're wondering, food is the center of his world. Now, in his teens, he has no idea. It is the elementary aged students and younger who come up with the best "careers." But even many older students have dreams about what they want to be.

This week, have your little darlings write a short essay titled "When I Grow Up."

All they will need is a pen and paper or a computer. Don't set any boundaries on this assignment, except a sentence minimum. For young students five is a good minimum and for older students a whole page is reasonable.

Remind your students to:

• Have fun! 
• Be creative! 
• Dream!

Check out our writing, grammar, science, lapbooking, and notebooking units sold on currclick! All of our units are designed to promote fun and effective learning. 

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Famous Person

This week we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. He was an important person in the civil rights movement, helping Americans see the value in having equal rights for all citizens.

For a writing assignment, have students write about Martin Luther King, or any other famous American who has made a difference in society.

Some possibilities are:

• Abraham Lincoln
• Benjamin Franklin
• Helen Keller

This writing assignment might take a bit of research and can be customized for any age group.

For very young writers, have them choose a person they know that has done something to help others. It could be a grandparent, a neighbor, someone at church, or a family friend.

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Bite Size Writing Assignment: Weird Science

This week, have your students write about the strangest science concept they have learned about. The possibilities are endless! One that comes to mind is the fact that lightning strikes from the ground up! Who knew?

This assignment may take a bit of research. There are loads of Internet sites about science for kids. Two subjects in one: writing and science. It doesn't get much better than that!

Method:

Have students get out their favorite writing tools:

• pen
• pencil
• notebook
• journal
• computer

Then, conduct research, if necessary, and write!

Have students think about the following things when writing:

• What is strange about the scientific concept?
• Is it common?
• Have you ever witnessed this science in action?

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Keep the Bitter Out

It is cold outside today. I mean don't go out there cold. But here in my home it is snug and warm. Sure, there are drafts here and there, where the frigid creeps in. Those are spots that need to be insulated, blocked, protected.

The weather and my house sort of remind me of the condition of my own life from time to time. Bitterness is out there, waiting to get in. With all my efforts to keep my heart warm and  snug, the biting winds can still seep into my vulnerable areas.

Then: bitterness.

Bitterness is born and raised by a parent called Unforgiving.

I could say that any bitterness I've experienced has been because someone else has done me wrong. And while maybe that is true at times, I don't think that would do me any good. This world is full of wrong. He does it, she does it, they do it. I do it. It's the sad truth.

So within the reality of me and everyone else getting hurt in this life, what are we to do? Forgiveness is the only answer I can come up with that will keep the bitterness out.

I need to insulate, block, protect myself from being unforgiving. That is not to say I promote being a doormat. Letting others walk all over me, wiping their feet on me. But you don't need to be a doormat to get hurt. You just need to be human.

So today, it's cold outside. In nature and in my own life. But, like my home, my heart is snug and warm. I am choosing to forgive. To stuff a chunk of pardon into the spots that need insulating, a piece of mercy in the spots that need to be blocked, and a whole lot of grace in the areas that need protecting.

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Weather Poem

If folks where you live are like folks where I live, the weather is always a big topic. And today, it is cold, cold, cold! With so much talk about it, why not write about it?

My mother used to recite a weather poem when, as a child, I complained about the weather. It went like this:

Whether the weather is cold,
Or whether the weather is hot,
The weather's the weather
No matter the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

This week have students write weather poems. There are no rules. Free verse, limerick, anything! If it makes it easier for young writers, have them follow the pattern of the poem above by simply copying it on paper and changing all the words. Point out that lines two and five rhyme.

The point is to be creative, have fun, and by all means, write!