Do these look like your average peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Well, if you follow these students’ instructions, yours may look similar. 

In Professor Elizabeth Simmon’s Dual Credit English class, students were asked to write down a procedural essay on preparing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This was to help students be more specific with their writing and not make any assumptions about their readers.

Often procedural writing can be considered boring and “mind-bending” because every detail has to be considered. Simmon’s class was fortunate enough to practice procedural writing while also enjoying making a quick snack. 

“I use the PB&J sandwich so students can actively participate in ‘testing’ the written material, and, as a bonus, students can ‘reap the rewards’ by eating the final product,” Simmons said. “Students have fun and can laugh at themselves when they realize that procedural writing takes close attention to detail.”

 Students were not allowed to look at anything else besides the instructions they were given to construct the sandwiches. Every group had different sets of instructions that other groups in the class had written. Simmon’s told students to take every instruction “quite literally” and assume that the readers know absolutely nothing about how to make a sandwich, considering it’s a very common thing to do.

“It gave me insight on the importance of communication and the ability to work with others,” junior Victoria Villa said.

This activity forces students to go out and learn new skills and help expand their writing skills. 

“My intention with this writing experience is that students remember the success and failure encountered during the ‘testing’ process,” Simmons said. “Leaving out the minor details creates a lasting memory, so the next time a student communicates a process, written or oral, hopefully, they remember to succinctly communicate all steps without making assumptions.”