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...

Based on Northern Nevada's 6-traits of writing, this lesson plan focuses on teaching young scholars how to revise a rough draft. Links to the 6-traits are included.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem discover that their seemingly "feeble" father has an astonishing ability with a rifle. For this assignment, writers will compose a letter to a parent or loved one, asking for a return letter that...

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...

For this lesson, sentence fluency is the focus. The mentor text entitled Mrs. Wishy Washy is used to help students explore how using repetition techniques can enhance the meaning of a story. After reading the text, students will write...

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 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...

For this lesson, the first chapter of the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring is used as a mentor text. Students will identify metaphors and then create their own unique metaphorical descriptions that they will begin to collect in their...

In this lesson plan, the book Dear Mr. Henshaw, written by Beverly Cleary, is used as a mentor text. Each student will generate a list of questions for his/her favorite author. Then each student will write a letter to the favorite author...

This site focuses on the 6+1 TraitTM Writing framework.

This site focuses on the 6+1 TraitTM Writing framework.

This lesson focuses on teaching the vocabulary used in the rubrics for 4 of the 6 Traits of Writing. It requires students to learn the vocabulary used in the rubrics and to define the traits so they understand what is expected of them...

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...

The focus trait for this lesson is idea development; young scholars will use the pre-determined structure of a "poem for two voices" to explore unique ideas. The text used is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis...

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,...

This lesson is designed to help students understand plot dimensions and literary devices while writing a multi-faceted short story that has many possible outcomes. For inspiration, students will analyze songs that tell stories for both...

Students think that classic literature and historic events have little in common with life today, right? Think again! In this instructional activity, students get a chance to compare themes from classic novels or from American history to...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...