Fifth Grade: Writing

What’s on the Menu? 

Have your child write a menu for their very own restaurant. Start by brainstorming what food will be on the restaurant’s menu. Separate menu items by courses like appetizers, soups and salads, main courses, drinks, and desserts. Encourage your child to take whatever approach they want: The menu can be full of their favorite foods, fictional foods they make up, or modeled after a restaurant they love! 

After your child creates a list of menu items, have them write descriptions of the food. Encourage them to use detailed descriptions so customers will be able to picture the food as they read the menu. For example: 

• Use the words spaghetti or penne instead of noodles—it’s more specific. 
• Say hearty, homemade soup instead of just soup—the adjectives give the reader more details to envision the food. 
• Describe a dessert as vanilla ice cream with chocolate drizzle and sliced strawberries instead of just ice cream—the description paints a picture with words! 

Next, ask your child to reread their menu to check whether it is inclusive to people with different dietary requirements. Are there vegetarian and vegan options? If there is meat, what kinds of meat are offered? Can they mark which items are dairy-free? Encourage them to add or revise some dishes to accommodate the wide range of people who may visit the restaurant. 

Although writing a restaurant menu is a specific type of writing, the approach used here can be applied universally. By working on a menu in multiple stages, your child is practicing brainstorming, writing, and revising. They are strengthening their writing by creating a plan, adding details, incorporating feedback, and thinking about their potential audience, all important parts of the writing process.