In this lesson plan, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is used to get young scholars to explore point of view and issues related voice in writing and social justice. This lesson plan requires the students to analyze...

In this lesson, the writer first writes a personal decalogue (a list of ten personal beliefs) about something important to him/her. The writer then creates a decalogue for a fictional character they will invent and envision. The final...

In this PDF lesson students study a topic on which people tend to have differing opinions; they create five dialogue bubbles that would represent five different viewpoints: one in complete support of the topic, one completely opposed,...

In this PDF lesson, students study topics on which people might have differing feelings; they then create three dialogue bubbles that represent three different viewpoints: one that loves the topic, one that dislikes it, and one with a...

Students read the books like I Am the Dog. I Am the Cat by Donald Hall and Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman and read the lyrics while listening to the song "Shallow End of the Gene Pool" by the Austin Lounge Lizards. Then students learn...

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...

In this lesson students will create a backwards poem based on descriptive settings and characters.

In this instructional activity students will write a personal decalogue for themselves, create a decalogue for an imaginary character and then, in the spirit of Because of Winn Dixie By Kate DiCamillo, they will write a short story where...

Excellent online instructional activity based on N. Scott Momaday's The Way to Rainy Mountain. Students create a three-voice narrative based on the novel in studying and learning about myths and folktales. W.9-10.3a,3b,3d,3e Narratives,...

This writing assignments asks students to assume the voice of a character from a novel they are reading. Focusing on a topic or belief the character shows passion about in the novel, the students write an essay modeled after NPR's "This...

This mystery-writing lesson focuses on the structure of a short story and the elements of a mystery in particular. Middle schoolers complete the entire writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Students...

In this instructional activity, writers will create a detailed journal entry from the point of view of a character who never actually existed. The journal entry will be for a day in history that the writer has researched and found...

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, students will create an original extended metaphor about love in...

The personal narrative, apart from appearing as an option in the writing component of many state assessment tests, is a form of writing which allows students the chance to reflect seriously and honestly on important events in their own...