Curated OER
The Pearl: Problematic Situation
Is money the root of all evil, or the answer to everyone's dreams? Analyze the role of money in John Steinbeck's The Pearl with a writing prompt where kids imagine that they have won the lottery, and must think about the ways it will...
Curated OER
Photography Narratives
Students write a narrative corresponding to a photo. They create a background story based on the person in their picture and share it with the class.
Curated OER
Art Analysis and Creative Writing
Students write an acrostic poem and analyze a work of art. In this art lesson plan, students look at a picture and answer questions about it, write a poem, write about the setting in the painting they saw, and answer short questions...
Curated OER
Write a Story Based on the Picture
In this creative writing learning exercise, students look at a picture and write a creative story based on what they imagine is happening.
Curated OER
Test Your Creative Writing Skills
In this creative writing activity, students use the given picture to write a creative story. Students use the details provided about the character and setting of the story and incorporate them into their writing.
Curated OER
Time's Up
How was your year? Create an individual timeline that document learners' personal history from the previous year. After reading an article about celebrating New Year's in Japan, pairs interview each other to gather information about...
Curated OER
The Perilous Fight: WWII - Up Close and Personal
High schoolers research World War II primary source documents and write first person historical point of view stories.
Curated OER
Narrative Writing
Students complete activities to learn narrative writing. In this narrative writing lesson students are given writing prompts in order to better understand how to write in a narrative format.
Curated OER
Autobiographical Writing
In this unique lesson on autobiographical writing, students compare and contrast three types of writing: narrative, poetry and newspaper. Students prepare to produce a short autobiographical writing based on the framework of one of the...
Curated OER
Narrative Prompt
Second graders are introduced to the style of a narrative writing. After being read a story, they use a graphic organizer to plan their writing. With a partner, they share their ideas and decide on one topic to write about. To end the...
Curated OER
Narrative Prompt
Second graders practice their writing skills on a daily basis. Using a prompt, they write about a time they surprised themselves or someone else. They use a graphic organizer to gather their thoughts before writing the first draft. ...
Curated OER
Family Stories
Students use dance to better understand the writing process. For this interdisciplinary lesson, students use their critical thinking skills to connect dance with writing. Students use thinking maps to follow the writing process, write a...
Curated OER
Lesson Four: Developing a Narrative Writing Piece
Second graders practice writing a narrative piece. In this narrative writing lesson, 2nd graders fill out a Rough Draft Organizer then write a narrative composition. Students then conference with the teacher to show their personal...
Curated OER
In Search Of Wisdom: An Interview With An Elder
The key to writing a good narrative is having good material to work with; and the key to getting good material is asking good questions. Working in groups, class members brainstorm questions that might result in the most interesting...
What So Proudly We Hail
A Lesson on Benjamin Franklin’s “Project for Moral Perfection”
Benjamin Franklin identified 13 virtues that he felt would strengthen his character if he could focus on each one. A thorough lesson explores high schoolers' personal values in the context of their lives, and compels them to strive for...
Film English
We've All Been There
What does empathy look like? Encourage your pupils to put themselves in another person's shoes with several writing and discussion activities that relate to a featured short film. Over the course of the lesson, individuals collaborate...
EngageNY
Grade 12 ELA Module 1: Unit 1, Lesson 15
Chapter 12 of The Autobiography of Malcolm X discusses Haley's narrative techniques, mainly how he uses point of view and foreshadowing to build interest and suspense. Class members read and annotate chapter 13 of the text as homework...
Film English
Everyday
What would you do if you got an extra day every week? Partners share some information about their routines and lives and write compositions about one another based on the information. Each partner tries to guess what the other person...
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 3-5
Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...
Novelinks
Walk Two Moons: Unsent Letter
Take a journey with your class as they explore the different settings from Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Middle schoolers write postcards in first person as if they were the characters of the story.
Greater Good Science Center
Thank You for Believing in Me
The fourth and final instructional activity in the Gratitude series has learners craft and deliver a Gratitude Letter to a significant person in their lives. Writers include information about how they benefitted from the attention of the...
Curated OER
Bringing Household Items to Life
Use folk tales as inspiration for learning about and using personification in creative writing. Learners brainstorm together in order to practice personification before writing their own poems or paragraphs about a household object.
Teaching Tolerance
Poetry and Storytelling Café
Academics take turns as actors in an engaging poetry cafe. Elementary learners work in small groups to create original poems or stories addressing community issues and read their work in front of a live audience. Scholars also reflect...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 1, Lesson 4
High schoolers read the final section of E. B. White’s Death of a Pig and examine the impact of the words and tone he used. In pairs, learners discuss their homework from the previous night, answer questions about the text, and write in...