How-To Essay

See Lesson Ideas for this topic

A how-to essay explains a process, or how to do something. The purpose of a how-to essay is to inform, or give informationm, to the reader. A how-to essay can describe how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, how to play baseball, or how do well on tests. How-to essays allow the writer to share and teach what they know or have learned. Your children should understand that finding the right topic for a how-to essay is important. The topic should be something they can break down into clear steps for the reader. Encourage them to ask the right question to explore. For example, “Why are pencils better than pens?” is not an appropriate question for a how-to essay, but “How do you sharpen a pencil?” has an answer that is clear. Encourage them to research resources to learn the different ways to do their chosen activity.