Bite Size Writing Assignment: When I Grow Up

This week, have your student(s) consider what he or she would like to do for a job in the future. You may want to have a brainstorming session for students who do not have any ideas. Have the student write down a list of things they like to do and things they are good at. Then, help them come up with some jobs that fit those skills and talents, if they need the help.

Perhaps your student is musical and organized. That might be the making of a piano teacher. Maybe your student is mathematical and loves to sit and solve problems. Perhaps he or she will grow up to be an accountant. Maybe your student is everyone’s mommy and loves to help around the house and bake cookies. She may stay home and take care of her family.

You may find that your student(s) already have some ideas of their own about what to do for a living someday. Perhaps your younger student(s) will want to be a fireman or circus performer. Go ahead and let them be anything, in their imagination.

When brainstorming is done, ask your student(s) to write anywhere from a few sentences (very young students) to an entire page (older students). If your students are your own children, make sure you tuck this writing assignment away for later, just to see if their youthful dreams come true!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Write, Show, and Tell

Show and tell has been a long-standing favorite of elementary school students. It doesn't have to be exclusively for younger students, though. It doesn't have to be just show and tell, either. Why not have your students write about something they love - and read it aloud - along with a show and tell project.

Have students pick out an object they enjoy. It can be a pet, a favorite picture, a relic from grandpa, or anything they choose. After observing the object for a time, each student should write a paragraph about it.

If the object is a pet, for example, the student should write about the type of pet it is and how it came to be part of the family. If the item is a relic, like an old watch, the student should tell where it came from and anything known about its history. If the object is a picture, the student should go into detail describing the people in it or the place where it was taken.

Encourage your students to have fun with this project. Then, after the writing is done, have the class or family members gather for an oral presentation of "Write, Show, and Tell."