Procedural Writing Teaching Resources
Explore procedural writing worksheets, templates, prompts and more to teach your students how to write a procedure text.
This collection of resources is aligned with the TEKS and Common Core English curriculums, and each teacher-created resource has undergone a careful review process by a member of our ELA teacher team. That means it's ready for your lesson plans and your students!
Is this your first year teaching this part of the expository writing curriculum? Or maybe you just need some fresh ideas? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Procedural Writing?
Sometimes called procedure writing or "how to" writing, procedural writing is the process of writing step-by-step instructions or directions that tell the reader how to complete a task, such as playing a game or cooking a meal.
Why Do We Teach Procedure Writing?
There is a lot to cover in the writing curriculum, so why should you take the time to plan lessons around procedures?
Simply put, learning to write directions helps kids learn to think logically and may even help them learn to follow directions more closely!
The procedural writing for kids that we teach in elementary and middle school also paves the way for more technical writing skills as students advance and become more experienced writers. Maybe one day, one of your students will write the standard operating procedure manual for a device you pick up at the store!
Tips for Teaching Kids How to Write Procedures
Looking for some tips to form your lesson plans? Our collection is full of ready-made ideas, but we didn't stop there!
Here are some ideas from our teacher team!
- Expose your students to procedural writing in a variety of formats. From numbered lists that walk a reader through a process step by step to some of your favorite picture books that use a more narrative format, there are plenty of formats that this text type can take.
- Empower students to think of themselves as experts. Procedural writing can be a lot of fun for kids when we allow them to choose a topic that they know a lot about and become the "teacher" as they write the procedure of how to complete a task they know well.
- Brush up on verb tenses. Procedural writing is typically written in the present tense, directing the reader to do something right now. It may be helpful to revisit what present tense verbs look like!
- Scaffold writing with a graphic organizer. This may be obvious, but mapping out what happens first, next, etc., before sitting down to write the entire text ensures students can organize their thoughts and don't miss any of the important steps in their procedures!
Procedural Writing Examples for Kids
So, what sorts of texts fall under the procedural writing umbrella? There are countless examples that your students will likely have seen out in the real world and right in your classroom, including:
- Recipe instructions
- Driving directions
- Classroom procedures
- Video game menus
- Laundry instructions on clothing
- Board game instructions
- Some classroom anchor charts
Students have plenty of topics that they know well and may draw upon to write their own procedure texts — like how to wash your dog!
Need more ideas to share with the class? You can also explore the variety of procedural text examples throughout our resource collection, with resources created to help students write guides on any of the following topics:
- How to carve a pumpkin
- How to make a sundae
- How to cook a turkey
- And more!
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How to Build a Snowman - Procedural Writing Worksheets
Explain how to build a snowman with a pack of printable procedural writing worksheets
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How to Decorate a Christmas Tree - Year 1 Procedural Writing
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive ‘How to Decorate a Christmas Tree’ slide deck and differentiated writing prompts for 1st grade.
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Interactive Build A Snowman Sequencing Activity
Practice sequencing and writing procedural texts with an interactive How to Build a Snowman game.
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How to Decorate a Christmas Tree - Kindergarten Writing Worksheet
Practice kindergarten writing skills with a Christmas procedural writing prompt.
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Procedural Writing Sequencing Worksheet – How to Wash Your Dog
Use this procedural writing worksheet to teach your students about the importance of sequence in procedure texts.
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Procedural Writing – Printable Recipe Book Template
Download this printable recipe book template to use when teaching procedural writing to your 1st- and 2nd-graders.
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Build a Procedure Text – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use these different examples of procedure writing to teach your students about the structural features of procedure texts.
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Sequence a Procedural Text – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Use these procedural writing examples to teach your students about sequencing instructions in a logical order.
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Recycling Writing Prompts - Primary
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
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How to Make a Paper Airplane – Procedural Writing Worksheet
Explore how to make a paper airplane while your students fine-tune their procedural writing skills.
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Procedural Writing Topic Cards
Use these ideas for procedure writing with your students to help them hone their procedural writing skills.
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How To Make Pancakes – Procedural Writing Activity
Get your students writing a procedure for their favorite breakfast foods with this example procedure text and writing scaffold.
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Exploring Procedural Writing Teaching Slides
Teach your students about writing a procedure using this detailed slideshow targeted at 1st- and 2nd-graders.
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How to Grow A Sunflower – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this printable sunflower craft template to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How to Make a Salad – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this engaging craft activity on making a salad to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How to Make A Jelly Sandwich - Procedural Writing Craftivity
Teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing by exploring how to make a jelly sandwich!
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How to Build a Sandcastle – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this engaging, hands-on sandcastle craft activity to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How To Build a Snow Globe – Procedural Writing Craftivity
Use this engaging, hands-on snow globe craftivity to teach your students all they need to know about procedural writing!
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How to Make a Milkshake – Procedural Writing Worksheet
Explore how to make a milkshake while your students fine-tune their procedural writing skills.
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How to Stay Healthy – Procedural Writing Project
Get your students writing high-quality procedure texts with this fun “How to Stay Healthy” procedural writing project.
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How to Plant a Garden – Procedural Writing Project
Get your students writing high-quality procedure texts with this fun “How to Plant a Garden” procedural writing project.
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Procedural Writing Prompt Task Cards
Need some procedural writing ideas? Download these task cards to use as a writing center activity during your procedure writing unit.
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How to Make Waffles - Procedural Writing Project
Get your students writing high-quality procedure texts with this fun “How to Make Waffles” procedural writing project.
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How to Make Fairy Bread Flipbook
Use this “How to Make Fairy Bread” procedural writing activity to help familiarize your students with the structural elements of procedure texts.
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How to Wash Your Hands Flipbook
Use this “How to Wash Your Hands” procedural writing activity to help familiarize your students with the structural elements of procedure texts.
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How to Make Hot Chocolate Flipbook
Use this “How to Make Hot Chocolate” procedural writing activity to help familiarize your students with the structural elements of procedure texts.
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Procedural Writing Posters
Display this set of 5 procedural writing anchor charts in your classroom during your procedural writing unit.
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How to Make an Ice Cream Sundae Interactive Activity
Use this “How to Make an Ice Cream Sundae” procedural writing interactive activity to model the purpose, structural elements and language features of procedure texts.
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How to Make a Pizza Interactive Activity
Use this “How to Make a Pizza” procedural writing interactive activity to model the purpose, structural elements and language features of procedure texts.
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How to Brush Your Teeth Flipbook
Use this “How to Brush Your Teeth” procedural writing activity to help familiarize your students with the structural elements of procedure texts.
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Procedural Writing Flipbook
Get your students to write a procedure text using this easy-to-compile flipbook scaffold.
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Procedural Writing Templates – "How to" Prompts
Get your students to write procedural texts with this set of differentiated procedure writing prompt templates.