National Endowment for the Humanities
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Literary Humor
Young scholars examine Nathaniel Hawthorne's style of humor and compare it to other humorists. They discuss the purpose of literary humor and determine how it develops characters and plots in stories. They analyze the use of different...
Curated OER
Writing Up a Spanish Storm: Using Creative Thinking for Creative Writing
Students in a Spanish class are introduced to the techniques of creative writing. In groups, they focus on the pre-writing section of creative writing and keep a folder of their works throughout the instructional activity. They end the...
Curated OER
Essay Writing
Students complete essay writing activities. In this essay writing instructional activity, students use an outline activity to learn about the advantages and disadvantages for various essay writing types. Students also break down the...
Curated OER
Conflict
Pupils outline the action in their narrative writing assignments by brainstorming about conflict. In this conflict analysis lesson plan, students define conflict and discuss the different types of conflict. Pupils brainstorm about a...
Curated OER
Creative Writing: Sentence Story Board
For this sentence story board worksheet, students write 4 to 6 sentences outlining their story containing a beginning, middle and ending paragraph.
Curated OER
Exercise for Writing a Summary Paragraph
Students examine how to write article summaries of abstracts. In this writing skills instructional activity, students edit the noted sections of an abstract that is already written on the Old Testament Abstracts.
Curated OER
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Fourth graders examine the new vocabulary associated with the book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly before listening to a teacher read aloud of the book. They complete a choral reading of the story, sequence it, and write...
Curated OER
Greeting Card to A Character
Students create a greeting card from one character to another after finishing a novel. Individually, they use their imagination to write the paragraph using the text to support their ideas. They share their greeting card with the class...
Curated OER
Writing Drama-Trying Your Hand at being a Playwright
Fifth graders chart the elements of drama. In this performing arts lesson, 5th graders discuss the role of a playwrite, practice doing some Reader's Theatre scripts, write a paragraph about a problem between two people, and perform...
Curated OER
ReQuest and Motor Imaging with My Side of the Mountain
Fifth graders read "My Side of the Mountain." They create a pantomime using vocabulary words from the story. Students create three questions about the reading. They discuss the passage they read and act out words to help them better...
Curated OER
Shifting Gears
In this activity, students will write a personal narrative that is designed to help them reflect on the nature and meaning of change in their lives.
Curated OER
Understanding Realistic Fiction
Students write a story. In this genres lesson, students learn the meaning of realistic fiction and write a short story in that genre.
Curated OER
The Golden Spike
Students investigate modern transportation in the 19th century by examining artifacts. In this U.S. history lesson, students read the story Joseph's Railroad Dreams, and discuss the Golden Spike used in the first transcontinental...
Curated OER
Picture This
Students examine how to create mental images to help them comprehend what they read. They discuss what it means to visualize and they draw a mental picture of what they read. Students draw a picture of what they see in their minds while...
Curated OER
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
Students read the story The Day Jimmy's Boa At the Wash and put the event boxes in order from the beginning to end of the story. In this sequencing lesson plan, students do this on the computer.
Curated OER
Communicating Who I Am
Students practice their Spanish grammar, vocabulary, punctuation and pronunciation skills by creating a personal portrait and personal narrative, and sharing it with native Spanish speakers via email.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
6 Traits: Sentence Fluency
Students practice writing with sentence fluency in order to make the story more enjoyable for the reader. In this sentence fluency lesson plan, students focus on rhythm and flow.
Curated OER
Activity 5: Creative Writing/Expression About Child Labor
Young scholars research child labor using Internet resources. They present the information in a creative writing piece and post it on Chalkboard.
Curated OER
Crazy Critters are Figuratively Fantastic
Eighth graders use creatures created from their imaginations to practice hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and alliteration in association with creative writing. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their writing.
Curated OER
Writing a News Article
In this writing worksheet, students learn the essentials about how to write a newspaper article in journalistic style. Students read about style, headlines, bylines, first, middle and ending paragraphs. After reading this, students will...
Curated OER
Just Write It!
Learners use a planning sheet to complete a story focusing on details, good word choice, and transition words. They share their stories with the class.
Curated OER
Writer's Block: Key Questions To Ask Before Composing
Students engage in a lesson plan that presents strategies to overcome the hurdles that discourage writers under pressure. They develop a paragraph of narrative text in response to a quote, motto or poem.
Curated OER
Amazing Speeches
Students study the speeches of Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and Chief Joseph. Students write a story set during the Nineteenth Century Era. Students present their story to the class. Handouts and worksheets are included in the...
Curated OER
Fairy and Folk Tale Museum
Students create tales about items that might belong to fairy tale characters. The items and writings are displayed in a class-created museum for parents to visit and observe.