High school and college students face pretty much the same learning hardships. They have issues with academic skills, time management, certain academic papers, complicated subjects, and something of the kind. They frequently need help, and it is commonly found online.
For example, many students use the help of DoMyEssay.net. It is a highly reputed writing platform, which helps youngsters to write perfect pieces of writing. You do not even have to pay a lot to get high-quality help offered by competent experts. It is one of the best ways to write perfect essays. Yet, we know a lot more! This useful guide highlights the top-10 essay writing activities, which will help all high school and college students to write flawless texts with pleasure and enthusiasm.
Table of Contents
Free Writing
One of the most popular and effective writing techniques is called free writing. It is a very useful activity, which quickly develops your writing skills and enriches your knowledge. How does it work?
The main principle of this activity is very simple. You are to pick any random topic and cover it for 15 consecutive minutes. No matter if it is completed or not, you must stop when the time runs out. Check what you have managed, and take another 15 minutes to make things sound correct.
Try this technique on a regular basis. You are supposed to cover various topics and write various essay types. You should steadily improve the level of complexity. Thus, you will sharpen your writing skills, improve other necessary academic skills, and will enlarge your knowledge in various aspects.
Build Chains
You may develop the plot of your essay by writing chains. It is better to undertake in a team of at least 2-3 friends. Find friends and choose a topic. Every participant should write one prompt about the topic.
For example, you start. The second writer reads your sentence and writes a continuation. The third writer continues the thought of the second writer. Afterward, the prompt passes to you and it goes on and on until your story is finished. This writing activity helps to boost essay writing and encourages collaboration. You can learn many useful ideas from other writers.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Stuff
Oftentimes, students lose a lot of essential grades because they use the wrong lexicon or write the so-called “watery” or “junk” sentences. Many students simply do not know what to write about, and so pour down unnecessary sentences that have little or no relation to the topic.
You should never repeat that error! Otherwise, the loss of grades will be inevitable. Try to assess your text critically and honestly. You should also get rid of:
- Slang;
- Jargon;
- Technical terms;
- Acronyms;
- Clichés;
- Stereotypes, etc.
Practice Editing and Proofreading
You should obligatorily edit and proofread your essays. Many students skip this stage, which is known as the revision stage. It helps to identify weak argumentation, gaps, illogical facts, grammar mistakes, and so on. As students skip this stage, their editing and proofreading skills are weak.
Do not repeat their error! Make a habit of checking your essays every time you write them, even if they are 200-words long. Apply various methods to be sure you have spotted all the drawbacks;
- Read aloud and in your head;
- Read from the last sentence to the first one;
- Ask others to read and provide their critique;
- Use checking apps – grammar checkers and editors.
Make Plans
Clever people always come up with a good plan, no matter what they do. Essay writing shouldn’t be an exception. Every time you are assigned an essay, write a plan that includes the main points for successful completion. Thus, you will always know what comes next. The main points are as follows:
- The main writing stages;
- Clear and realistic deadlines;
- Writing tools;
- Short explanations.
Craft Strong Thesis Statements for Your Essays
Every essay has a central idea, which is called a thesis statement. It is a one-sentence claim, which clarifies to your readers the main purpose of your essay. By writing it beforehand, you will have the foundation for the entire paper. All other sentences and sections should depend on it. This approach frequently helps students not to go astray. Only one glimpse at the thesis statement is enough to find the path.
Acrostic Associations
Another interesting essay writing activity is the use of associations. These should be acrostic associations. What does it mean?
You are supposed to practice poem writing. Each letter of a word or phrase begins a new line in the poem. It makes your brain work really hard. However, this headache is very helpful for your writing growth. By continuing lines in the poem, you also train your brain how to continue every sentence you write in the next one.
The What If Challenge
The next activity is called “What if challenge”. This activity is supposed to be completed by several students. Therefore, you should also find friends as we have recommended for building chains. The main purpose of this activity is to write suggestions with “if” in them.
For example, you write – What if the main hero chooses the wrong way? The next writer is supposed to answer the question and write his or her own with the “if-question”. This chain game helps to develop critical and problem-solving thinking.
Diary Writing
One more useful writing essay activity is to write a diary. However, it should not be about the events that happen to you during the day. These should be stories about your future. Write a diary about what you will be like in 2, 5, 10, 20 years and so on. Set different goals, assume various achievements you will reach, and so on. It develops imagination and creativity.
The Most Disgusting Sandwich in the World
The tenth activity has a very long and weird name – The most disgusting sandwich in the world. Mind that you are not obliged to write about sandwiches all the time long. It’s just an original name.
