This St Patrick’s day writing activity is not only fun and engaging, but it helps students craft a detailed paragraph that is organized and expresses a complete thought. Your kids will have fun with this St. Patrick’s Day writing activity and craft.
Have you ever asked your students to write a paragraph, and they look at you like a deer in headlights? This is one skill that my students seem to struggle with year after year!
I’ve learned that the skill of writing a solid, detailed paragraph needs to be broken down into smaller steps. In turn, those smaller steps help to build a foundation of being able to write a detailed paragraph that is organized and well written.
Get your thoughts on paper!
Three words…brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm! Kids need an organized way of getting their thoughts on paper. The first part of the writing activity is to get your kiddos brainstorming the topic.
As a class, we discuss the St Patrick’s Day writing prompt then I have students brainstorm a list of things that relate to the writing prompt: “If I found a pot of gold, I would…”
Students are given some time to think about the prompt and brainstorm some ideas.
Students think about all the things they would do if they found a pot of gold and write the ideas on the graphic organizer. If I see that students are struggling, I will share some of my examples or have other students share their examples.
Examples ideas for the St Patrick’s writing prompt that students may come up with while brainstorming: (3 will be chosen from a list of many)
- give the pot of gold to my parents
- buy a new Xbox with the pot of gold
- use the gold to go on vacation
- give gold to the pour
It’s fun to see all of the ideas that the kiddos brainstorm. Each time we do this activity as a class, I am surprised at the various responses.
It's time to Dig a Little Deeper
After the students brainstorm, they choose the 3 most important details they want to include in their St Patrick’s paragraph. The 3 details are broken down even more with the “Dig A Little Deeper” page.
Students break down each of the three details by listing reasons why that particular detail is important to them.
This step really helps students when it comes to writing a detailed paragraph. This is probably the most important step to writing a detailed paragraph that is on topic.
Here is an example of digging a little deeper: (This step will be done 3 times for 3 different details.)
Example Detail 1: Give some gold to my parents.
- they give up many things for me
- they buy me clothes, shoes, games, toys
- they work very hard but don’t have much
- my parents are generous in their time and money to help me be a better person
- my parents are my heroes
Detail Sentences and Explanations are a must!
This may seem a little redundant to have students complete this part; however, it’s a great way to put all the details from the digging deeper organizer into complete sentences.
After students spend time writing the reasons for each talking point, they write complete sentences using the details and explanations to build a paragraph.
The students will write one detailed sentence then they will write an explanation to explain the detail further.
The explanation can be 1-3 sentences depending on how detailed you want to the students to be with their writing.
Example: Below is just a sample. The detail and explanation sentence should be a little more detailed.)
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- Example detail 1 (What): If I found a pot of gold, I would give half of the gold to my parents.
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- Example explanation 1 (Why): I would give my parents the gold because they give up things that they want to make sure I have what I want and need. They both work two jobs to make sure we have money to eat and to have fun.\
Time to bring it all together
After the students have written the detail and explanation sentences, they develop a catchy title and a proper closing that catches the reader’s attention and wraps up the paragraph.
For the topic sentence: The students will have an opportunity to brainstorm three possible topic sentences that go along with their paragraph content.
After brainstorming the best “catchy” title, they will write out the paragraph topic sentence the properly introduces the details discussed in the paragraph.
For the closing sentence: Like the topic sentence, students will brainstorm 3 possible closing sentences. After brainstorming, they will wrap up their writing with a strong sentence that concludes the paragraph.
Example: (The topic and closing sentence will be geared more to the 3 things talked about in the paragraph.)
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- Example topic sentence: Finding a pot of gold on St. Patrick’s Day would be awesome because I can help others!
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- Example closing sentence: Giving back to others in a time of need helps me feel like a better person.
St Patrick's Day Writing Activity Draft
After all of the the steps are completed, I have students write or type a rough draft to peer edit and/or teacher edit.
I also take this opportunity to review grammar rules with students who may be struggling. After all the editing has been completed, I have students write a final piece to submit for grading using the included rubric
St Patrick's Leprechaun Craftivity
The final addition to this fun writing activity is a craft. Students piece together a leprechaun that can be displayed on a bulletin board to show off all of the fun writing pieces.
This craft brings all of the pieces together into a fun and engaging writing activity that is easy to use and provides a foundation of writing a paragraph that is organized, on topic, and makes a complete thought.
Final Thoughts...
Getting your students to write a detailed paragraph that makes sense does not have to be hard. This simple approach to breaking down a paragraph into an easy process is a great way to build a foundation for writing.
Over time students will develop the necessary skills to writing a solid paragraph. They just need a roadmap to get them there, and this St Patrick’s Day writing activity is a great place to start.
4 Responses
Thank you for sharing. These prompts are helpful to my children. I love it.
Thank you very much! I will be adding more topics in the future. 😍
Wow, what an interesting idea! My students will be excited with this. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your kind words!