Back to School Procedures

Overview

Today students practice the writing and discussion skills needed to plan for a new school term. They will quickly share ideas collaboratively and then draft a short “procedures” page that introduces the topic, organizes related information, and orients readers with a simple scenario.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to introduce a topic clearly and state why procedures matter.
• Students will be able to organize related information logically using headings.
• Students will be able to write a short sequence of events that fits a real classroom situation.
• Students will be able to participate in collaborative discussions by building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Success criteria

• I can write a clear introduction sentence about our back-to-school procedures.
• I can group procedures into logical categories with headings (for example: Hallways, Materials, Listening).
• I can write at least 3–5 procedures and organize them in a way that makes sense to readers.
• I can speak clearly during group discussion, responding to others’ ideas.

Curriculum links

• Writing: introduce a topic clearly and group related information logically; include formatting/structures to aid comprehension.
• Writing: produce clear and coherent writing with development and organization appropriate to purpose and audience.
• Speaking and Listening: engage in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook & norms. Teacher posts a simple prompt: “What should a new student know about how we act in our classroom?” Students turn-and-talk, sharing one idea using complete sentences.

2. 5–12 min · Mini-lesson: procedure writing. Teacher models a short example on chart paper with: (a) an introduction sentence, (b) headings, and (c) 3–5 grouped procedures. Teacher points out: headings help readers, and procedures can be written as event steps (what to do first, next, then).

3. 12–22 min · Collaborative planning (small groups). Students work in groups of 4 with a planning template that lists three categories they will use for headings. Teacher circulates and prompts students to add specifics (time, place, what to say/do). Students ensure each group has: one category for hallway/campus movement, one for materials/belongings, and one for listening/participation.

4. 22–32 min · Shared oral rehearsal. Teacher calls on groups to share their best procedure ideas. Students listen for “build-on” responses (example: “I agree with… because…” or “We can make it clearer by adding…”). Teacher records strong phrases under headings on a class draft board.

5. 32–42 min · Independent writing. Students draft their own “Back to School Procedures” page. Requirements:

• 1–2 sentence introduction
• 3 headings (must match class categories)
• 3–5 procedures total, written as clear directions
• At least one procedure written as a short event sequence (first/next/then) to orient the reader Students use their template and the teacher’s model.

6. 42–48 min · Quick peer review. Partners exchange drafts and use two prompts:

• “What is the topic and why is it important?”
• “Which heading helps you find information quickly? Is anything out of place?” Students suggest one improvement using a kind, specific sentence.

7. 48–50 min · Exit ticket. Students answer on a half-sheet: “One procedure I wrote clearly is…” and “One way I organized my information is…” Teacher collects for quick feedback.

Resources

• Planning template with heading lines (Hallways, Materials, Listening/Participation) and space for procedures
• Class chart paper or board for a model “procedures” example
• Sample student-friendly model paragraph with headings and a short event sequence
• Draft paper or writing notebooks
• Two-column peer review checklist (topic/importance + heading clarity)
• Timer and discussion sentence stems (Agree/Build-on/Clarify)

Assessment

• During group planning: teacher checks that students are grouping procedures logically and adding concrete, actionable details.
• During shared rehearsal: teacher listens for clear speaking, responses that build on others’ ideas, and evidence of understanding category headings.
• During independent writing and peer review: teacher uses a quick checklist (introduction present, headings used, procedures grouped clearly, at least one sequence phrase first/next/then).
• Exit ticket: verifies students can name the topic/purpose and explain how their organization helps readers.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for procedures (“When we… we should…”, “First… next… then…”) and a word bank (listen, wait, raise hand, return, keep, prepare).
• Support: offer a partially filled template where students only add the procedure steps and examples.
• Extension: students add a brief “common mistake” callout under one heading and revise a procedure to be more precise.
• EAL/SEN considerations: allow oral rehearsal before writing; accept drawing plus a short caption if needed, then require the final product to include headings and at least 3 clear procedures.