How-to writing: teach a partner a secret handshake, 1st grade
What it is: a 1st grade procedural writing activity where partners invent a secret handshake and write clear steps so another student can learn it. The test is real: if a reader can't follow the steps, the writer revises them.
Time: about 30 minutes. Grade: 1st grade.
Materials: a how-to paper with 4 numbered boxes for a picture and a sentence each, pencils, and a list of order words (first, next, then, last).
- Model with a simple handshake: "First, high five. Next, bump fists. Then, wiggle your fingers. Last, wave."
- Partners invent a handshake with 4 moves and practice it 3 times.
- Each student writes the steps in order, one move per box, with a drawing and an order word.
- Swap papers with another pair. They try to do the handshake by reading only the steps.
- If a step was confusing, the writer adds a word or fixes the drawing.
Safety: keep handshakes gentle: hands, fists and waves only.
Differentiation: students who need support write a word for each step and draw the rest. Students who are ready add a tip at the end: "Go slow the first time." English learners can use the order word bank and act each step out.
Quick check: ask a student to read their steps while you follow them exactly, and see if you get it right.
Need it for another grade or subject? Ask us on the request page and our team will write it.
Found this helpful? Get the week's best posts like it.
About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades K–2
- Subject
- Writing
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.