Best Practices for Writing a 5th-Grade Level Blog Post

byapache1

13.7K followers

1 year ago

Writing a blog post that is easy to read helps more people understand and enjoy your content. Here are some tips to make your blog posts clear and fun for 5th graders.

Note:

Anything from 4th to 8th grade it great. I prefer to focus more on 5th grade and here is why.

• Use simple words
• Keep sentences short
• Be clear and direct
• Make it fun and engaging
• Use visuals
• Be supportive and encouraging
• Edit and Revise

Best Practices for Writing at a 5th-Grade Level

1. Use Simple Words / Language

Use words that a 5th grader would know. Use common words that are easy to understand.

Avoid jargon and complex vocabulary. For example, instead of "utilize," say "use."

Write short sentences. This helps maintain clarity and makes the text easier to read and understand.

For example, "Dogs are great pets. They are loyal and fun."

This helps maintain clarity and makes the text easier to read.

Get to the Point:

Start with the main idea and avoid lengthy introductions. Make your purpose clear from the beginning.

For example, "Recycling helps the Earth. Here’s how you can do it."

Remember if you can't get your reader to want to read more in the first 5 seconds you most likely lost them. They will click elsewhere to find what they are looking for.

Use Headings and Subheadings:

Break your text into sections with headings. This helps readers find what they need in an easier format.

Engage the Reader

Ask Questions:

Use questions to engage readers and encourage them to think about the topic.

At the end of the post, you can also create some FAQs to add more engagement with your readers.

Ask questions to make readers think. For example, "Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue?"

Use Examples

Give simple examples to explain ideas. For example, "Just like how plants need water, our bodies need exercise."

Provide simple examples to explain concepts. Relatable examples help readers understand and remember the information.

We already know adding images or videos helps break up long content.

Make sure any images or videos you add relate to the topic of the post, not some random type for the sake of it.

Plus, don't overdo it with images, use them when or where needed for added clarity.

Doing so makes the content more engaging plus breaks up any long-form text.

Use Bullet Points or Lists:

Break down information into bullet points or lists to make it easier to read and digest.

At the top, I added a key takeaway you can also use the Content of Tables as well at the top of your blog posts.

For example:

• Apples are healthy
• They are sweet and crunchy
• They come in many colors

Use Humor:

Light humor where you can make the content more enjoyable to read plus it shows the human element.

Interactive Elements:

Include activities or prompts that encourage readers to engage and be a part of.

This could be simple wording such as "Try this at home!" or "Share your thoughts in the comments!"

Think of your CTA's (Call to Action)

Positive Tone:

Use a friendly and encouraging tone. Make readers feel good about learning and exploring new ideas.

Celebrate Efforts:

Acknowledge that learning can be challenging.

If you are teaching your readers on a topic or course. Let them know it's Ok to make mistakes which is part of the learning process.

Yet at the same time encourage readers to keep trying and practicing.

You can do the same yourself.

Check for Clarity:

Read the post aloud to ensure it sounds good and is easy to understand.

Get Feedback:

If possible, ask a 5th grader or someone with a similar reading level to review the content to provide added feedback.

Anything that may sound complicated or unknown like PPC etc. you can explain the terms.

Another great option we have here in Wealthy Affiliate is the Give Us Feedback section

Added Question You May Ask

With the content you create on your website writing at a lower grade level can be beneficial.

Here are some best practices and insights you can adopt.Why a Lower Grade Level Works Best

Accessibility:

Writing at a 5th-grade level makes your content easy to understand for most readers.

This ensures that your content is accessible to a broader audience.

Including those with lower literacy levels or non-native English speakers.

Engagement:

Simple language and clear sentences help keep readers engaged.

They are more likely to read through your entire post if it’s easy to follow.

SEO Benefits:

Search engines favor content that is easy to read and understand. This can improve your search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic.

General Recommendations

5th to 8th Grade Level:

In General, when writing your blog posts both informational and promotional. It is often recommended to aim for a 5th to 8th-grade reading level.

Note that Kyle mentioned our AI-assisted platform here in Wealthy Affiliate is created is based in general at an 8th Grade Level.

Remember the term Keep It Simple?

This range ensures clarity and broad accessibility.

Tools for Checking Readability:

Use tools like the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. Although this one may not be as popular as it used to be, it is still a good guide to work from.

I prefer using the Hemingway Editor to check the reading level of my content.

They have both a free and paid version. I recommend the free version, which does an excellent job.

These tools can help you simplify your language and structure.

Always remember whatever tool you use; it is just a tool, and you still need to put your human spin on it.

This post is written at a 5th-grade level and here are the results according to the Hemingway Editor

The blue section is an alternative word was the result I used as an example at the top which was

"For example, instead of "utilize," say "use."

Conclusion:

• Writing a blog post for 5th graders means using simple words, short sentences, and clear ideas.
• Keep it simple and direct to the point, especially at the beginning.
• Make it fun with questions, examples, and pictures.
• Be friendly and supportive.
• This can make your content more accessible, engaging, and effective.

If your content has some complicated or technical terms explain briefly what it means.

You can also where needed, create a separate blog post on such terms especially if you are doing affiliate marketing relating to SEO, etc.

That way you can use another opportunity to internal link to that post.

This can help increase your visibility and ranking opportunities with search engines.

Questions to ask you.

What grade level are you writing your content, and if so, what tool do you use or love to use?

Do you take time to read your content or ask someone else to read it themselves?

Was the content above easy to digest and understand?

Your comments are of great benefit to all as many can learn and further their knowledge and experiences along the way.

We all learn and gain much-needed knowledge from each other along the way.

As Always