Hello! Today’s free middle school writing lesson focuses on developing self-awareness, in particular, on encouraging students to notice something they are good at. Students will read a short piece of writing in which the author expresses their own ability to be a good listener. They will answer some questions that help them take a closer look at the text, then follow the instructions to complete a short writing assignment in which they describe something they have noticed they, themselves, can do well.

This lesson includes basic instructions for Language Arts teachers of Grades 6 to 8 – how you use these materials is up to you. Let’s get started!

Keep reading, or download the lesson in Word format:

Grade 6 Writing Activity: A Simple Skill

This author takes great pride in his own ability to be a good listener. It may seem like a simple sort of talent – however, some simple skills are not only surprisingly difficult, but also remarkably important.

As You Read

This short piece of writing is simple, vivid, and effective. Every word has its place.

Read it over several times and try to appreciate how well the author expresses himself. Notice that he uses a symbol called an m-dash, which looks like this: —. Its name comes from the fact that it takes the same amount of space as a lowercase ‘m’. This signals a break in the sentence, as if a person who was speaking would interrupt themselves to make a side comment, before continuing with what they were saying. If you use this symbol in your own writing, be sure you are not using the simple n-dash (which is narrower) or the hyphen (which is used only to connect two words).

Descriptive Paragraph: A Simple Skill

My favourite pastime is to listen to others speaking. I never seem able to think of any topics worthy of conversation myself, but I am almost inclined to say that my ability to listen amounts to an art. I can remain silent with an air of absorbing interest, and once in a while offer brief comment, not to set forth an opinion or display any knowledge—for I have none to spare—but merely to suggest new channels to the speaker and introduce variety, that he may not tire of hearing himself speak.

Questions

1. The description begins with the words ‘my favourite pastime’. Do these three words immediately grab your interest as a reader? Why or why not?
2. It seems a bit strange that the author uses so many words to describe how good he is at keeping silent, because keeping silent involves using no words at all! Do you think the author prefers writing to speaking? Do you think they are perhaps not being completely honest about not wanting to talk?

A Simple Skill: Self-Awareness Assignment

In three carefully-crafted, structurally-varied sentences, describe a simple – but important – activity that you feel you do well. Do not choose something others have told you that you do well, but something that you have observed about yourself on your own.

Middle School Language Arts and Writing Lessons

This and other lessons from Canadian Winter Homeschool Materials can be used in any English Language Arts class, either in a classroom or homeschool setting. Our short English Language Arts assignments are an excellent way to introduce students to more challenging reading and writing activities in small steps.

Looking for more resources aimed at Middle School readers who are ready to develop more self-awareness? Several of our titles have a special focus on learning to observe oneself and one’s environment, including Raven’s End, by Ben Gadd, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, by Roald Dahl, and The Player King, by Avi.

Free lessons on this blog are divided into Level One (Grade 6), Level Two (Grade 7) and Level Three (Grade 8) according to difficulty, but please use whatever resource suits your student(s)!  This lesson can be found in our complete Reading and Writing collection: Sundry Snippets Level One.

If you enjoyed this resources why not drop by our store at Teachers Pay Teachers or Tes? Happy learning!