Narrative writing is about telling a story and is the type of writing most often involved in creative or literary works. To practice this type of writing, students need to tell a story using a beginning, middle and end. An amusing idea is to write a story imagining yourself as a pair of shoes. Before writing the actual story, students should create an outline of the plot and setting, and do brief character sketches. This helps to put the story together and can be a means to brainstorm ideas. Another idea is to write a narrative essay about the first day of school.
A daily journal entry is a good way to practice expository writing. This type of writing is informative, so keeping a journal allows students to inform the teacher (or whoever reads the journal) of what is going on in their everyday lives and what is on their minds. This can be a cathartic exercise for students, even if this journal activity is kept personal. Organization is important for this type of writing, so another good activity is to get students to explain how to do a task, step-by-step, such as saving music on an MP3 player or building a bird feeder.
These activities should help the reader create a clear picture in his mind. Ask students to recreate a scene from their favorite vacations. Let the students know that not only should they describe what they see, but other sensory details, such as what they hear, smell, taste and touch, create a complete picture. Another writing idea -- this one can be done in pairs -- is to get a student to describe an object at home so another student can draw it. The better the description, the more accurate the drawing will be.
Pose a yes or no question and have students take a position on one side or the other. For example, should weekends be increased to three days instead of the current two days? Most students undoubtedly will say yes, but they should give good reasons to support their stance so that they can persuade the reader to formulate the same opinion. The best questions are relevant to the students. Another worthwhile activity is getting students to write a letter to their parents trying to get their permission for something Mom and Dad initially opposed.