Writing Realistic Fiction in 1st and 2nd Grade!

Writing realistic fiction is a genre I hadn't taught before two years ago, but once we hit the ground running with it, I knew it was going to stay for the long run.

My first graders LOVE coming up with their very own character and the problems/solutions their character will face. I find that this is when they really, truly feel like authors.

In my classroom, I teach this unit in the spring (March-April). It is in this unit that my students really draw on everything they have learned so far in their previous writing units. By the time I teach this unit, we have already been through all the other genres of writing so my students have a lot of knowledge they can apply to their realistic fiction pieces.

Many of my higher writers take this opportunity to stretch their learning and publish their own chapter books or series and we turn it into a little box-set by decorating a cereal box. They LOVE this and it is such a fun keepsake!

We use many mentor texts throughout this unit to highlight why authors choose to add certain things to their writing. Here are a few of my favorite mentor texts for this unit:

Like many of my other writer's workshop units, I have laid out this unit as a guide for you to follow with your first or second grade students. The unit includes the following:

Here is a closer look at some of the anchor charts included:

If you think your first or second grade students would enjoy this unit, take a closer look by downloading the preview below:

I also bundled my latest 3 writer's workshop units for a discounted price below! This unit includes the realistic fiction unit, my how-to unit, and writing reviews unit!

Happy writing folks!