Provide students with examples of creative writing related to the particular activity your class will attempt. Appropriate examples include simple poems, either by published authors or previous students. Students in the fourth grade can easily emulate a limerick or haiku. Students can also attempt free verse poetry, which follows no set structure. Creative letters, such as to a famous inventor from the past, or a narrative essay about an important event in a person's life can also serve as suitable examples. Discuss the samples together and ask students what makes them effective or interesting.
Prompt students with topics or encourage them to come up with their own topic. If this is a student's first time writing this particular kind of text, she may be unsure of what to write about. Assign haiku about nature or a narrative essay about their favorite birthday.
Demonstrate mind mapping on the board (write a topic in the center and circle it, branching out with supporting ideas) or provide students with templates to get them started. Brainstorming ideas gets the creative juices rolling and motivates students to become interested in their assignment.
Prepare outlining templates for students. Outlines help students organize their ideas in a way that makes sense. Stories should follow an introduction-rising action-climax-denouement format, while haiku requires three lines of five, seven and five syllables respectively. Letters begin with a salutation, a reason for writing, supporting paragraphs and an ending.
Help students as they write by coming around to their desks and checking on their progress. Students writing poetry for the first time may struggle to formulate the first line. Aid them in structuring sentences, counting syllables, spelling words correctly or generating ideas.
Share the students' finished work with the rest of the class. Creative writing expresses a person's individuality and sharing them with other students or placing them in plain view on a bulletin board instills a sense of pride in students.