Informative Essay Writing Practice - Collaborative Activity for Middle School
Use these printable task cards to review informative essay writing structure with your middle school students that's EASY to grade! The students will work in groups, review what they know about the parts of an essay, and even write an essay with this interactive resource.
What's included:
✅ Informative Writing Prompt
✅ TWO texts about Machu Picchu
✅ One Informative organizer/checklist
✅ Answer sheet
✅ THIRTY Task Cards
✅ Answers to the task cards and a fully filled-out answer sheet for the skeleton essay!
Your students will love the movement and ah-ha moments that come from collaboration and you will love that they finally "get it"!
How it works:
1. Go through the essay writing process with the included writing prompt and texts with your students.
2. Place (tape) task cards on the desks in groups of 4.
3. Have students work collaboratively to answer those task cards.
4. Students copy the complete answers on the answer sheets. (not just the answer choices because when they are done, they will have "built" an essay!)
5. As groups finish their set of 4 task cards, they rotate to a new group of 4 more task cards.
6. By the time they have filled in all 30 spaces on the answer sheet, they have a skeleton essay!
7. Then using the organizer/checklist, students mark where paragraphs should be on the skeleton.
8. Finally, students write out their essays on notebook paper (or special test paper) - not included. Every student should end up with the same essay as there is only 1 best answer per task card. This means EASY GRADING for you!
TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ashley B. said, "Great way to review!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Milca A. said, "My students were very engaged while we used this resource in class. Students loved collaborating with each other! Thank you for this resource." - from the printable and digital version
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Debbie F. said, "This product will guide students to understand and recreate the essay writing process. For struggling students, it makes so much sense that they will be relieved and excited to write! For higher-level students, it will be a great refresher guide and basic reminder for how to write an essay correctly. Thank you so much!" - from the printable and digital version
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Steeler's Fan said, "Okay, WOW! This is the perfect activity for my students to see how an essay is written and then they fill like they accomplished something by now having a completed essay. GREAT! Thank you." - from the printable and digital version
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Blog - Mrs. Spangler in the Middle
©Mrs. Spangler in the Middle (Elizabeth [Lisa] Spangler)
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Thanks, and Enjoy!
Take a look at the video preview!
This activity produced the most effort and understanding of anything I have done this year with my ELL students in terms of essay writing. They finally "got it"! :)
