D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Every Purpose

Writing How-To (Procedural) Texts

D2.1 D1.4 D1.1About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can write a how-to text with a title, a materials list and numbered steps.
I can put the steps in the right order without skipping any.
I can start each step with a bossy (action) verb.
I can check my steps by having someone follow them.

Words to know

procedural text
A text that teaches how to do or make something, step by step. Also called a how-to.

materials
The things you need to do the job.

steps
The actions you do, in order.

bossy verb
An action word that tells the reader what to do, like mix, cut, pour, fold or tie. It usually comes first in a step.

Remember from Grade 1

You wrote how-to texts with a title, a list of what you need, and steps in order using first, next, then, last. In Grade 2 you will write a full materials list, numbered steps that each start with a bossy verb, and you will test your steps to make sure none are missing.

A model how-to text

How to Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder

You will need: a pine cone, a piece of string, sunflower seed butter, a spoon, birdseed, and a plate.

Tie the string tightly around the top of the pine cone.
Use the spoon to spread sunflower seed butter all over the pine cone.
Pour birdseed onto the plate.
Roll the pine cone in the birdseed until it is covered.
Hang your feeder on a tree branch outside.

Now watch from a window to see which birds come to visit!

A black-capped chickadee eats from a pine cone covered in birdseed hanging from a snowy branch. — The finished pine cone bird feeder from the model how-to text, with its first visitor! AI-generated image

Part	What it does	In the model
Title	Tells the goal, usually How to ...	How to Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder
You will need	Lists the materials	pine cone, string, sunflower seed butter, spoon, birdseed, plate
Numbered steps	Tell what to do, in order	1 to 5
Bossy verbs	Start the steps with an action	Tie, Use, Pour, Roll, Hang
Ending	Tells what to do with the finished thing	Now watch from a window...

The parts of a procedural text

Worked example

Let's find the bossy verbs

Look at step 4: "Roll the pine cone in the birdseed until it is covered."

Ask: which word tells the reader what to do?
Roll is the action, and it is the first word.
A bossy verb talks right to the reader. We don't say "You should maybe roll...". We just say Roll.

The bossy verb is Roll.

Worked example

Let's fix a how-to with a missing step

Ivan wrote: How to Brush Your Teeth. 1. Put toothpaste on your toothbrush. 2. Rinse your mouth with water. 3. Put your toothbrush away.

Pretend to follow the steps exactly. Toothpaste on brush... then rinse? Wait!
He skipped the most important step: brushing!
Add the missing step after step 1: Brush all your teeth, top and bottom, for two minutes.
Renumber: 1. Put toothpaste... 2. Brush... 3. Rinse... 4. Put away.

Testing the steps helped Ivan find the missing step.

Pretend to follow Ivan's steps exactly. Toothpaste, then rinse? The brushing step was missing! Add it, then renumber the steps 1 to 4.

The five steps of the bird feeder, each with its bossy verb.

Test it!

The best way to check a how-to is to have someone follow it exactly, doing only what the words say. If they get stuck or do something silly, a step is missing or unclear. Fix it!

Just for fun

What if a robot followed your how-to exactly? If you wrote "Put jam on the bread" but forgot "Open the jar", it might plop the whole jar on your toast!

Hands-on activity

The exact-instructions game

You need: bread, a butter knife, a spread (like jam or sunflower seed butter), a plate, a grown-up partner.

Write a how-to: How to Make a Jam Sandwich. Include You will need and numbered steps with bossy verbs.
Read the steps to your grown-up. They must do exactly what you say and nothing more. (If you forget "open the jar", they can't get the jam!)
Laugh, then fix any step that was missing or unclear.
Eat your sandwich!

Your turn

What does a procedural text teach?

Find the bossy verb: "Fold the paper in half."

What section lists the things you need?

Why are the steps numbered?

Put in order: Put on your boots. Put on your snow pants. Go outside to play.

Write a title for a how-to about making a snowman.

Change this into a step with a bossy verb: "You should probably wash the carrots."

More practice: warm-up

Is a recipe a procedural text?

Find the bossy verb: "Stir the soup slowly."

What is the title of the model how-to?

Name one material for the bird feeder.

What do most how-to titles start with?

More practice: on your own

Write a materials list for How to Make a Paper Snowflake.

What is missing? How to Plant a Seed: 1. Fill a pot with soil. 2. Water the soil. 3. Put the pot in a sunny window.

Write three steps for washing your hands, each starting with a bossy verb.

Why is it important to put the steps in the right order?

Why does a how-to use bossy verbs?

Challenge

Write a full how-to for How to Make Hot Chocolate with a title, a materials list and 4 numbered steps.

A how-to says: "Put it in there and do the thing." Why is this step confusing? Rewrite it.

How is a how-to different from a personal narrative?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the purpose of a procedural text?

Which step starts with a bossy verb?

Where do you list what the reader needs?

Ivan forgot a step in his how-to. What is the best way to find missing steps?

Which is the best title for a how-to?

Why are steps numbered?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D2.1, D1.4): Grade 2 students draft procedural texts, organizing information in the sequence the form requires.

How to help at home:

Cook together and read recipes aloud. Point out the materials list, numbered steps and bossy verbs.
Play the exact-instructions game. It is the most powerful (and funniest) way to show why every step matters.
Encourage simple labelled pictures beside the steps.

Common difficulties:

Skipping "obvious" steps. Children know what to do, so they forget the reader doesn't. Testing helps.
Writing it as a story ("First I got the bread..."). Show how to drop the I and start with the bossy verb: "Get the bread."
Vague words (it, the thing, there). Ask "What thing? Where?"

Safety: the activity uses sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter, which many schools ask families to avoid.