Putting the "FUN" in Functional Writing

The purpose of teaching Functional Writing is for students to understand that they need to step by step explain all of the details involved in whatever process they are writing about. To illustrate this point in a "FUN" way, I asked students how many of them knew how to make Kool-Aid. Almost every student said that they had, especially since we made it several times in Kindergarten. I had students write and draw the steps on their papers. Then... I read two different student papers and followed the steps exactly how they were written. Which resulted in the following pictures and actions below, including pouring water and Kool-Aid on the table (because the direction just said "pour the water", but didn't specify where and how much) and drinking the Kool-Aid from the table in one picture and from the packet in another (again because the students didn't specify the details). This demonstration was fun and engaging and really helped students see the importance of sequencing their steps and providing lots of DETAILS!