Hello, this a mexican teacher who wants to share another writing idea which has been very good for my pupils because they have learned to plan space, be specific without redundancy, classify topics, write clear introductions and instructions, stick to topic. This idea is also good for practicing spelling and can be used with any sort of theme.
I call it the wheeled- triptic.
What you need are 2 cardboard circles (one bigger than the other, about the size of a dessert plate and a dinning plate) and a pin (the ones used for making cardboard clocks, because they allow rotation)
What to do:
1. Open 2 windows in the small circle. One will show the writing and the other one a drawing.
2. Place it on top of the big circle and put the pin in the middle.
3. Based on the space shown by the windows, divide the big circle (as if you were cutting slices in a cake). Each division will be a subtitle.
4. Students write specific and relevant information of each subtitle in each window as well as a drawing.
5. At the front, in the space left on the small circle, they write the title and an introduction.
6. They colour it and make sure it's got a nice presentation.
I've done this for topics like Ancient Rome, Aztecs, Tales and even dictionaries. My children have improved a lot when it comes to writing structure and spelling and it's also a nice piece of work, very attractive to read to other children at school.