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How-To Writing: Clear Steps Anyone Can Follow

Write instructions a reader can follow: name the goal, list materials, give one action per step in order, start steps with verbs and add a safety tip.

Grades 3–5 · 15 practice questions · Original material
Learning objectiveWrite a short how-to text with a clear goal, a materials list and numbered steps in the right order, where each step starts with an action verb, gives one action and includes the detail a reader needs.

The idea

In the last lesson you used time-order words such as first, next and finally to connect ideas. A how-to text, also called procedural writing or instructions, depends on order more than any other kind of writing. If the steps are in the wrong order, the reader cannot follow them.

Most how-to texts have the same parts. A title says what the reader will make or do: How to Build a Snow Fort. A materials list tells the reader what to gather before starting. Then come the steps, usually numbered, in the order the reader should do them. Some how-to texts end with a tip or a check, such as 'Your fort should be taller than your knees.'

Good steps have three habits. First, each step starts with an action verb that tells the reader what to do: Fill, Pack, Stack, Pour. This is called giving a command. Second, each step gives one main action, so the reader does not lose track. Third, each step includes the detail the reader needs: how much, how long, where or how. 'Add water' is vague; 'Add 250 mL of warm water' can be followed.

The best test of a how-to text is to imagine a reader who has never done the task. Could they follow it without asking you a question? If not, a step is missing, out of order or too vague.

See the difference

A first attempt

Making hot chocolate is easy. You need some milk and stuff. Heat it up and put the powder in and stir it and it's done, but be careful. Oh, and get a mug first.

A clearer version

How to Make a Mug of Hot Chocolate. You will need: 1 mug, 250 mL of milk, 2 spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder, a spoon and a microwave. 1. Pour the milk into the mug. 2. Heat the mug in the microwave for 1 minute with an adult's help. 3. Add the powder. 4. Stir for 20 seconds until no lumps are left. 5. Let it cool for a minute before you drink it, because the mug will be hot.

Why this works: Both versions (an invented example) describe the same task, but the first hides the steps inside one long sentence, leaves out amounts and puts 'get a mug' at the end, after you would need it. The clearer version names the goal, lists the materials first, numbers the steps in order, starts each step with a verb, gives one action per step, adds exact amounts and times, and explains the safety tip.

Worked examples

Example 1 · Put the steps in order

Order these steps for planting a bulb: Cover the bulb with soil. Dig a hole about 15 cm deep. Water the soil. Place the bulb in the hole, pointy end up.

  1. Ask what has to happen first: you need a hole before anything can go in it.
  2. Next comes the bulb, then the soil on top of it.
  3. Watering comes last, once the bulb is covered.

1. Dig a hole about 15 cm deep. 2. Place the bulb in the hole, pointy end up. 3. Cover the bulb with soil. 4. Water the soil.

Example 2 · Start with a verb

Rewrite as a command: 'Then you should probably put the boots on the tray.'

  1. Find the action: put.
  2. Move the verb to the front and drop the extra words (you should probably).
  3. Keep the useful detail: on the tray.

Put your boots on the tray.

Example 3 · One action per step

Split this step: 'Roll a big snowball, roll a medium one and lift the medium one onto the big one.'

  1. Count the actions: roll, roll, lift. That is three.
  2. Give each action its own numbered step.
  3. Keep the order the reader must follow.

1. Roll a big snowball for the base. 2. Roll a medium snowball. 3. Lift the medium snowball onto the base.

Example 4 · Add the missing detail

Make this step followable: 'Bake the cookies.'

  1. Ask what a new baker would need to know: how hot and how long.
  2. Add the temperature and time.
  3. Add how to tell they are done.

Bake the cookies at 180 °C for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden. (Times are an invented example; follow your recipe.)

Common mistakes

Listing a material only when it is needed in the middle of the steps.

Why this fails: The reader may already have started. Put everything in the materials list first so they can gather it before step 1.

Putting several actions in one step.

Why this fails: A reader doing the task looks back at the steps often. If one step holds three actions, they easily miss one.

Using vague words such as 'some', 'a bit' or 'stuff'.

Why this fails: The reader cannot see inside your head. Say how much, how long or which one.

Telling a story instead of giving commands.

Why this fails: 'Then I poured the milk' tells what you did. 'Pour the milk' tells the reader what to do.

Foundation

Foundation practice

Find the parts of a how-to text and choose the strongest step.

Name the part

1. "You will need: a shovel, mittens and a bucket." Which part of a how-to text is this?

  1. The title
  2. A step
  3. The materials list
  4. A safety tip
Choose the command

2. Which step starts with an action verb?

  1. Stack the blocks of snow in a circle.
  2. I stacked the snow blocks.
  3. The snow blocks go in a circle.
  4. It is fun to stack snow.
Find the vague word

3. "Add some salt to the steps." Which word is too vague?

  1. Add
  2. salt
  3. steps
  4. some
Choose the title

4. Which is the clearest title for a how-to text?

  1. Lunch
  2. How to Pack a Healthy Lunch
  3. My Lunch Story
  4. Food Is Good
First step

5. For 'How to Make a Snow Angel', which should be step 1?

  1. Move your arms up and down.
  2. Stand up carefully.
  3. Find a flat patch of fresh snow.
  4. Look at your angel.

Practice

Practice practice

Order the steps, split crowded steps and add the details a reader needs.

Order the steps

6. Brushing teeth: (A) Rinse the brush. (B) Put toothpaste on the brush. (C) Brush for two minutes. (D) Wet the brush. What is the best order?

  1. D, B, C, A
  2. B, D, A, C
  3. A, B, C, D
  4. C, B, D, A
Count the actions

7. "Open the lid, scoop the seeds and pour them into the feeder." How many steps should this be?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 3
Add the detail

8. Which step gives the reader the detail they need?

  1. Get water.
  2. Fill the watering can halfway with cool water.
  3. Fill it.
  4. Use the right amount.
Fix the step

9. Rewrite as a command: 'After that, I tied my skates really tight.'

Missing step

10. Steps for mailing a letter: 1. Write the address on the envelope. 2. ___ 3. Drop it in a mailbox. What is missing?

  1. Write the letter.
  2. Open the mailbox.
  3. Stick a stamp on the envelope.
  4. Wait for a reply.
Safety tip

11. Where does a safety tip fit best: 'Ask an adult to use the stove'?

  1. In or right next to the step where the stove is used
  2. In the title
  3. At the very end
  4. Nowhere; tips are not needed

Think

Think practice

Test instructions as a reader who has never done the task.

Reader test

12. A friend follows your slime recipe and asks, "How much glue?" What does that tell you?

  1. The friend is not good at reading.
  2. You need a longer title.
  3. Remove the materials list.
  4. A step is missing an amount; add how much glue.
Why numbers?

13. Why do many how-to texts number their steps?

  1. To make the text longer
  2. So the reader can follow the order and find their place again.
  3. So the reader can follow the order and find their place again
  4. Because numbers are always needed in writing
  5. To show which step is most important
Evaluate

14. Is 'First, have fun!' a good first step for 'How to Build a Snow Fort'? Explain.

Order words

15. Your steps are numbered. Do you also need words like first and next?

Your turn to write

Write a how-to text for something you know how to do in four to eight steps: making a snack, building a snowman, packing a school bag, caring for a plant or a game you play. Include a title, a materials list and numbered steps. Then read it as if you had never done the task.

Helpful sentence starters

  • How to ...
  • You will need: ...
  • 1. (Verb) ...
  • 2. (Verb) ...
  • Tip: ...
  • You will know it worked when ...

Write in a notebook or a document. The model and checklist are available without signing in.

Check and improve

  • My title says exactly what the reader will make or do.
  • My materials list includes everything the reader needs before step 1.
  • My steps are numbered and in the right order.
  • Each step starts with an action verb and gives one main action.
  • I added amounts, times or places where the reader needs them.
  • I included a safety tip or a 'how you know it worked' check if it helps.

This checklist is for parent-and-child self-review. No automatic writing score is assigned.

Answer key

  1. 1. The materials list
    It lists what to gather before starting. A step would tell the reader to do something, a title names the task, and a tip comes after the steps.
  2. 2. Stack the blocks of snow in a circle.
    Stack is a command that tells the reader what to do. The others start with I, The or It and describe instead of instructing.
  3. 3. some
    Some does not say how much. A clearer step: 'Sprinkle a handful of salt on each step.' Add, salt and steps are all clear.
  4. 4. How to Pack a Healthy Lunch
    It names exactly what the reader will learn to do. 'Lunch' is too broad, 'My Lunch Story' sounds like a story, and 'Food Is Good' is an opinion.
  5. 5. Find a flat patch of fresh snow.
    You need the right place before you lie down. Moving your arms, standing up carefully and looking at your angel all come later.
  6. 6. D, B, C, A
    Wet the brush, add toothpaste, brush, then rinse the brush. Rinsing first or brushing before adding toothpaste would not work.
  7. 7. 3
    There are three actions: open, scoop and pour. Each one can be its own step so the reader does not skip one.
  8. 8. Fill the watering can halfway with cool water.
    It says how much (halfway) and what kind (cool water). The others leave the reader guessing what, how much or which.
  9. 9. Tie your skates tightly.
    Start with the verb and speak to the reader. 'I tied' tells your story; 'Tie your skates tightly' tells the reader what to do. (Really tight becomes tightly.)
  10. 10. Stick a stamp on the envelope.
    Without a stamp the letter may not be delivered, and the stamp goes on before you mail it. Writing the letter would come before step 1, and opening the mailbox is part of step 3.
  11. 11. In or right next to the step where the stove is used
    The reader needs the warning at the moment of danger. At the end, they may already have used the stove; in the title, it gets lost.
  12. 12. A step is missing an amount; add how much glue.
    A reader's question shows where the writing is unclear. The friend asked about one detail, so add it rather than rewriting everything.
  13. 13. So the reader can follow the order and find their place again.
    Numbers show the order and help a reader look back mid-task. They do not make the text longer or turn it into a story.
  14. 14. No. It does not tell the reader an action that builds the fort. A better first step is 'Choose a spot with deep, packing snow.'
    A step must be something the reader does toward the goal. 'Have fun' is a wish, not an instruction.
  15. 15. Not always. Numbers already show order; time-order words help when instructions are written as a paragraph.
    Both show order. Use whichever fits the format, and do not let them disagree (for example, step 3 starting with 'Finally').

Related practice

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