Teaching writing skills to children can be very rewarding.
Curriculum
4th grade writing prompts
Teaching writing skills to children can be very rewarding.
Not only are you firing up their imaginations, but you are also helping them to develop self-reflection and emotional expression.
Beyond this, good foundational writing skills can help children in many practical ways as they grow older, from academic essays to job applications and work presentations. If you can write persuasively and paint a vivid picture for others, you have an enviable ‘superpower’ that can stand you in good stead for your whole life.
Check out 80 writing prompts below!
Education resources
What types of writing will fourth graders practice?
This learning stage is all about helping children to develop their abilities in three core kinds of writing, namely:
1. Persuasive writing
This is where children will learn how to use research and evidence to offer personal viewpoints or argue a case. Persuasive writing involves presenting arguments clearly, including listing reasons and linking them together in paragraph form. It also includes providing an introduction and rounding up ideas into a conclusion.
2. Descriptive writing
This is where children will focus on presenting and arranging information, perhaps by describing past experiences. The key is to present information accurately and sequentially, ensuring that it paints a picture and makes sense to the reader.
3. Narrative writing
This type of writing is about creating imaginative stories or scenarios. It involves the use of dialogue, description, and storytelling techniques such as pacing. The ability to build a precise sequence of events is also key.
What writing skills do children learn in fourth grade?
To develop their skills in persuasive, descriptive, and narrative writing, children will practice the following:
- The writing process — preparation, drafting, revision, and editing.
- Research — taking notes, organizing information, listing resources and texts.
- Presenting arguments — use of evidence, facts, and reasoning.
- Paragraph writing — cohesion, flow, grouping together of ideas.
- Descriptions — how to use details, scene building, and sensory language.
- Structure — introduction, building an argument, transition words, conclusion.
- Storytelling — pacing, dialogue, point of view.
- Language precision — choosing the right words for different contexts and effects
- Language usage — idioms, metaphors, similes, synonyms, antonyms.
- Publishing — use technology to create a finished ‘product’ such as a magazine.
How can teachers develop fourth-grade writing skills?
In this grade, children will be expected to construct factual and fictional pieces that link together as a coherent and cohesive whole. This can be a giant leap from the more straightforward exercises of previous grades and requires a whole new skill set. Due to these challenges, some kids might suddenly find writing more daunting in fourth grade.
So what can teachers do to make things easier? There is, of course, no single answer to this — it is all down to the choice of teaching methodologies and approaches. But here are three ways to build up student confidence in writing:
1. Daily journaling in class
Keeping a journal can have several benefits. Firstly, it can help to build students ‘writing muscles’ by giving them a private space to pour their thoughts out onto paper. Also, it can help them to practice self-expression, descriptive language, and the sequential presentation of events, all in a low-pressure way. Journaling has also been shown to be a helpful mental health tool that could support the well-being of children.
2. Overcoming the fear of the blank page
Even adults can feel intimidated at seeing a sea of white in front of them. That is why it is a good idea to present students with various methods for getting started. This can include brainstorming, taking notes from a book, or even free (stream-of-consciousness) writing. And once they’ve realized that the blank page is nothing to be scared of, half the battle is already won.
3. Copying activities
For instance, give the class a book of poetry appropriate to their level, then ask them to read through it, pick out a favorite, and copy it into their workbook. This has the effect of creating the experience of the writing process but without any pressure. And once students have ‘tuned into’ writing out creative work, it can be easier to create their original pieces.
Beyond these three tips, another key way to get kids excited about writing is by using the correct prompts.
What is some excellent fourth-grade writing prompts?
It’s crucial to get the creative juices flowing by offering ideas and inspiration to kids. So you’ll want to have a wide variety of prompts at your disposal, as this way, there will be something for everyone to latch onto.
The following 80 prompts cover persuasive, descriptive, and narrative writing, giving you a variety of options for exciting writing lessons:
- Write a story using these five words: orange, hat, lion, escape, and potion.
- Rewrite the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s point of view.
- If you could be any animal, which one would you be? Why?
- Write about something funny that happened to you.
- If you could create a special outfit for yourself, what would it be?
- If you could create your dream home, what would it be like?
- If you could go on your dream holiday, what would it be like?
- If you owned a store, what would it sell? What would it look like?
- ‘Today, I woke up with the power of flight. Then —’
- What would it be like to have a dinosaur as a pet?
- ‘Today, I woke up with the power of invisibility. Then —’
- What happened on your first sleepover?
- Can you remember your first day at school? Describe it.
- What would you do if you were the world’s ruler for the day?
- Write about the things in your life you are grateful for. Explain why.
- Describe what happened last Christmas.
- ‘Today I woke up, and everyone on planet Earth had vanished. Then —’
- ‘Today I went to school, and we had a new classmate, a robot. Then —’
- Describe an adult that you admire. Why do you admire them?
- Is it ever okay to share a secret? Why?
- What do you like better — sports or studies? Why?
- What is your biggest strength? Why?
- What would you most like to improve about yourself? Why?
- ‘On the way to school today, it started raining chocolate. Then —’
- Describe your happiest memory.
- Write a story using these five words: key, unicorn, purple, jelly, and moon.
- A genie in a bottle gives you three wishes. What do you wish for and why?
- Imagine you could create a new theme park. What would it look like? What kind of food and rides would it have?
- What would you do if you could make yourself as small as a button?
- Describe a home 100 years from now.
- Should we ban cell phones? Why?
- Where would you instead visit — outer space or under the sea? Why?
- What would you do if you could make yourself as big as the Empire State Building?
- ‘If I were a time traveler, I would —’
- Write a letter to a Martian describing Earth.
- Can money buy happiness? Why?
- Should we ban flying in airplanes? Why?
- ‘One night, I woke up to see a bright light in the sky. Then —’
- Should we ban TV? Why?
- What is your favorite subject at school? Why?
- ‘One day at school, I looked out of the window and couldn’t believe my eyes because —’
- ‘On our first day in fourth grade, our new teacher told us they were an alien. Then —’
- Have you ever been to a wedding? Describe what happened.
- Would you rather have the power to become invisible or fly? Why?
- Describe the steps to building a blanket fort.
- Is it better to be an only child or to have siblings? Why?
- What is your favorite film? Can you write a new ending for it?
- Write a story about finding magic sunglasses that make everything look perfect.
- What is your favorite book? Can you write a new ending for it?
- Write a story using these five words: wizard, ocean, gold, book, and green.
- Imagine you have invented a new candy bar. What does it look and taste like? What happens when you eat it?
- Write about five things you would take to a desert island — and why.
- Write a story about escaping from a scary castle.
- Who is your best friend? Describe them and what you like about them.
- ‘One day, I found a note in my school locker. It was a map of buried treasure. Then —’
- If you were the school principal, what would you do and why?
- Who is your biggest hero in American history? Why?
- Should chocolate and candy be banned? Why?
- Should it be Christmas every day? Why?
- What was your best summer vacation ever?
- What is your favorite book? Why?
- If you won $1 million, what would you do with it?
- Write a story about finding a flying carpet in your garage.
- Write about what happened last school sports day.
- Who is your biggest hero in movies? Why?
- Write about three places you would like to travel to in the world.
- Should children get to choose if they go to school? Why?
- Write about a time when you got lost. What happened?
- Write about a time when you helped someone.
- Write about what happened on your last birthday.
- Write about being lost in a maze. How do you escape?
- Imagine your best friend is a pirate. How would you spend a day together?
- What is something you’ve never done that you’d like to try? Describe it.
- Write a letter thanking someone for something special they did for you.
- Write a letter to a relative who lived 100 years ago, describing life in the present day.
- If you were making a time capsule, what would you put in it and why?
- Write about a time you argued with a friend. Why did you argue? What happened next?
- What is your dream job when you grow up? Why?
- Describe the strangest thing that has ever happened to you.
- If you were a color, which one would you be? Why?
Writing is a crucial skill, but one of the best ways to teach it effectively is to help children overcome their anxiety and get excited about expressing themselves instead. Hopefully, these 80 writing prompts for fourth graders will be a key step toward doing so.
