In this lesson, students Use Ben Harper's "With My Own Two Hands" and John Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change" to ponder their roles in changing the world. After analyzing how a variety of important people changed the world,...

After listening to the song "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band, and the song "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell, students will explore the lyrics and discover what role color can play when combined with a particular setting. Students...

In this lesson, students will Use "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", sung by Gordon Lightfoot as a model. They will write poems that tell a detailed story of a historical event. The poem will be brought to life using a combination of...

Inspired by Mem Fox's Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge which includes four metaphors for memory, this writing prompt asks learners to think of an original abstract noun. Students will brainstorm details as they come up with ideas for...

Jack Johnson's "Inaudible Melodies" creates an interesting paradox of how society perceives itself versus the reality of how society really behaves. After listening to a second song using paradox in order to further understand the...

Inspired by the opening events in The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman, students are asked to create an original parallel world that is similar to ours but different in certain ways. They will focus on the similarities and differences...

Students will read chapter four of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, noting both the time traveler's descriptions of the new world of 800,000 ACE, and the conclusions the main character draws as a 19th century man. Students will think of a...

Each writer will brainstorm experiences where he/she has learned some sort of instructional activity about life. Each will then come up with a personal list of "Rules and Things for a Funner Life," such as those shared in Bud, Not Buddy...

In this lesson, learners will describe a setting, attempting to set a mood for their readers in two paragraphs. Borrowing a technique from Stephen Kramer's two-page introduction to Caves, they will begin with a paragraph that explains...

This is a printable page of checklists that students can use during revision and editing of descriptive and narrative writing.

After sharing Margie Palatini's charming "bad-situation-that-only-gets-worse tale", Tub-boo-boo, writers will plan a story about a humorous household accident that gets worse before it gets better. Borrowing Palatini's exciting idea from...

After listening to and sketching several scenes from the stories of Theseus and Orpheus, students will imagine a scene of themselves standing on the road of life, about to embark on a journey into the world. Inspired by the quest items...

In this lesson, students will listen to just the sounds from two YouTube videos; they will use a graphic organizer to create a mind movie. Inspired by the images that their minds created, they will then listen to Neil Diamond's...

After enjoying the story of Fox by Margaret Wild, young scholars will work in small groups to generate possible themes that the book is trying to teach its readers. Themes will be shared whole-group, and a class list of the best themes...

The character talked about in E. A. Robinson's poem, Richard Cory, is about a man with everything, a man that everyone wants to be like, a man who ends his own life without explanation. Singers Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, intrigued by...

In this lesson, students will create a school survival guide that follows the model of Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. This survival guide will serve as a "how to" instructional manual for other incoming freshman students...

In this lesson, students will engage in reflective thinking about the children's song entitled "Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?" Students will then compare their reflections to that of Jack Johnson's modern day song called...

Based on its title, student writers predict what Benatar's song means when it says that "Love Is a Battlefield." After discussing Benatar's extended metaphor as a class, learners will create an original extended metaphor about love in...

With this writing prompt generator, students will create similes that inspire an original story or a description.

Have you ever needed someone to help you out with your writing? This site offers help to young scholars and teachers. The lessons and resources are organized based on the 6 Writing Traits model. An especially interesting feature of the...

After enjoying the picture book Six-Dinner Sid by Inga Moore, students will work in small groups to generate possible themes that the book is trying to teach its readers. Themes will be shared in whole-group, and a class list of the best...

Having trouble studying for tests or comprehending new material? This in-depth guide provides a multitude of ways to help you acquire reading and critical thinking skills necessary for understanding new material.

A six-part learning module with links to videos, images, and a rubric about the six traits of writing: ideas, voice, organization, word choice, fluency, and conventions.

This is a PDF providing a handout with an extensive list of prepositions.