Encourage your fifth-graders to practice their writing regularly, which will give them a good head start when they are required to write an essay for class. They should develop their skills by writing about both fiction and nonfiction topics.
Give students lessons on how to improve their writing by proofreading and editing it when they see or suspect mistakes. If they are typing their work on a word processing program, they should use the spell check function. They should also be instructed to ask someone else, such as a teacher, parent or other older family member, to take a look at their work and edit as necessary.
Tell your students about the pre-writing process, during which they can create a drawing of their ideas before they actually begin writing.
Assign your students essay topics they will enjoy writing about, or allow them to choose their own.
Instruct your fifth-graders to research their essay topics by visiting the school or local library. They can also do some Internet research on their computers at home for homework.
Have your fifth-graders sit down and write a draft of their essay. Inform them that their opening sentence should instantly catch the reader's attention and interest, and have them develop a good, in-depth thesis on their topic.
Teach your students to finalize their draft after it has been revised and edited to ensure it is ready to be presented to their teacher.