Engaging writing activities for middle school that build confidence and student voice! This Writing with Purpose unit helps students explore writing to entertain, inform, and persuade through creative, low-pressure tasks that get reluctant writers excited about writing again.

Students explore the three main purposes of writing — to entertain, to inform, and to persuade — through engaging activities that feel relevant and fun, while quietly strengthening organization, clarity, audience awareness, and word choice. Instead of starting with rules, paragraphs, or correctness, this unit invites students into writing through creative, low-pressure, real-world tasks that build confidence first — and skills naturally.

Why Teachers Love It

• Builds writing confidence without overwhelming students
• Perfect for reluctant and struggling writers
• Emphasizes voice, choice, and purpose
• Reduces fear around “getting it right”
• Clear student-facing directions with scaffolded planning sheets
• Flexible pacing (whole-class, small group, or independent)
• Encourages digital or paper-based options
• This unit isn’t about perfect writing — it’s about getting students to enjoy writing again.

What’s Inside

9 Creative Writing Lessons & Exercises - 3 Weeks of Lessons

Writing to Entertain

Low-risk, creative activities that help students ease into writing and rediscover their voice:

• Comic Strip storytelling
• Daily Inspiration writing (Horoscopes & Inspirational Messages)
• Moments That Matter: Poetry and Anecdote writing scaffolded step-by-step
  

Writing to Inform

Fun, accessible activities that focus on clarity and explanation:

• Recipe of Me (informational writing through metaphor)
• Infographic (students explain something they know well using a visual format)
• Care & Maintenance Guide - explanatory writing on a topic students care about
  

Writing to Persuade

Modern, student-friendly persuasive writing experiences:

• Product Advertisement (persuasive word choice and design)
• Mini-Pitch activity (speech-style planning into a persuasive paragraph)
• This or That? decision-based persuasion with reflection

Teaching Notes & Pacing Guide

• Detailed Teacher Notes explaining the purpose and mindset behind each activity
• Clear student-facing directions written for accessibility and confidence
• Scaffolded planning sheets and organizers
• Sample responses to model expectations
• Flexible 3-Week pacing guide (whole-class, small group, or independent use)
• Activities that work on paper or digitally

How This Unit Is Different

Unlike traditional writing units, this resource:

• does not start with grammar drills or paragraph formulas
• does not pressure students to write “perfectly”
• does not require long essays or heavy revision

Instead, students write often, successfully, and with purpose — building the confidence they need to tackle more formal writing later.

Perfect For

• Middle school writing or struggling/hesitant high school writers
• Writing intervention or enrichment
• Writer’s workshop
• Confidence-building before sentence or paragraph instruction

Why It Works

This unit creates a powerful bridge to sentence writing, paragraph development, and essay instruction. Once students trust their ideas and voice, they are far more receptive to learning how to strengthen their writing through structure and craft. If you’re ready to help your students stop fearing writing — and start seeing themselves as writers — this Writing with Purpose unit is the perfect place to begin.