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Resources to Celebrate National Poetry Month!

Tools for Educators

Grades 3–12
Educator Tools
Writing Poetry
by 826 National

This Educator Tool is designed to support and inspire you and your students wherever you are in your poetry journey.

Poetry

A guide to teaching and writing poetry with students in grade 3-12, featuring favorite poetry resources from across 826 Digital

Grades 1–12
Educator Tools
Writing for Change
by 826 National

A collection of 826 resources and Mentor Texts that foster creating social change through writing.

Memoir
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

See resources to help your students use writing to create positive social change across their communities.

Grades 1–12
Educator Tools
How to Co-Create a Safe and Brave Space with Students
by 826 National

This resource will support educators through the process of co-creating Community Agreements with students.

Center students in the community-building process by co-creating community agreements.

Grades 1–12
Educator Tools
Building Community Through Writing
by 826 National

This resource will support educators in building a classroom community through writing.

Find activities and Sparks for promoting inclusion, connection, and community through writing.

Grades 1–12
Educator Tools
Guide to Revision
by 826 National

This tool provides educators resources for engaging in the revision process with students.

Find strategies for approaching and practicing revision, including tips from authors like Amanda Gorman and Tiphanie Yanique.

Grades 1–12
Educator Tools
Short Stories
by 826 National

This guide offers an abundance of resources to help students practice the basic elements that make up a short story.

Narrative

See resources from 826 that focus on short story elements, including plot development, characterization, conflict, and dialogue.

Grades 9–12
Educator Tools
Write Your Way Curriculum: Grades 9-12
by 826 National

A flexible, stackable series of weekly writing units that invite students to write with authentic purpose.

Memoir
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

Students will write to reflect, write to connect, write to create, and write to advocate for themselves and their community.

Grades 6–8
Educator Tools
Write Your Way Curriculum: Grades 6-8
by 826 National

A flexible, stackable series of weekly writing units that invite students to write with authentic purpose.

Memoir
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

Students will write to reflect, write to connect, write to create, and write to advocate for themselves and their community.

Grades 3–5
Educator Tools
Write Your Way Curriculum: Grades 3-5
by 826 National

A flexible, stackable series of weekly writing units that invite students to write with authentic purpose.

Memoir
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

Students will write to reflect, write to connect, write to create, and write to advocate for themselves and their community.

Grades 1–2
Educator Tools
Write Your Way Curriculum: Grades 1-2
by 826 National

A flexible, stackable series of weekly writing units that invite students to write with authentic purpose.

Fantasy/SciFi
Persuasive

Students will write to reflect, write to connect, write to create, and write to advocate for themselves and their community.

Grades 3–12
Educator Tools
Publishing Student Writing
by 826 National

A guide to publishing student writing, filled with best practices from the 826 Network.

Why publish student writing? This Educator Tool dives into the many benefits of publishing student work and shares best practices for making it happen in your learning spaces.

Featured Authors

Grades 7–12
Sparks
The Beast with Ada Limón
by Ada Limón

This poetry prompt from Ada Limón invites students to consider a personal connection to an animal.

Poetry

This poetry prompt from Ada Limón invites students to consider a personal connection to an animal.

Grades 7–12
Sparks
Last Times with Amanda Gorman
by Amanda Gorman, 2021 Inaugural Poet

Students recall “last times” in their lives and revisit the depth of their experience through writing.

Memoir

Students recall “last times” in their lives and revisit the depth of their experience through writing.

Grades 7–12
Sparks
A Place Worth Being with Jason Reynolds
by Jason Reynolds

Students will write a personal narrative where they describe themselves as a place. Not a specific place, but all the things a "place" consists of.

Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

In this Spark from Jason Reynolds, students will write a personal narrative where they describe themselves as a place. Not a specific place, but all the things a "place" consists of.

Grades 7–12
Sparks
Elevate Your Voice with Rachel Eliza Griffiths
by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

This Spark asks students to write a poem that celebrates the ordinary objects and figures in their lives.

Memoir
Poetry

This poetry prompt from Rachel Eliza Griffiths asks students to consider the ordinary in their lives—then write a poem that celebrates those ordinary objects and figures.

Grades 7–12
Sparks
Playing with Words with Aracelis Girmay
by Aracelis Girmay

What lives inside a word? Find out how to trace connections between two dissimilar words with this playful Spark from award-winning poet Aracelis Girmay.

Poetry

What lives inside a word? Find out how to trace connections between two dissimilar words with this playful Spark from award-winning poet Aracelis Girmay.

Social and Emotional Learning

Grades 6–9
Sparks
Identity Statements
by Rebeca Darugar, 826NYC

Students create an identity chart and write about parts of their identity most salient to them.

Informational

Students create an identity chart and write about parts of their identity most salient to them.

Grades 1–12
Sparks
Sensory Heart Mapping
by 826 National

Students will identify their favorite sensory memories and transfer them to a visual heart map.

Memoir

Students will identify their favorite sensory memories and transfer them to a visual heart map.

Grades 1–3
Sparks
What's Your Happy?
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI

In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students create a poem that shares the "happys" in their life.

Poetry

In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students create a poem that shares the "happys" in their life.

Grades 1–3
Sparks
Kindness Counts
by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA

Why does kindness count? Students consider acts of kindness that they’ve experienced and reflect on the difference that kindness makes in the world.

Informational

Why does kindness count? Students consider acts of kindness that they’ve experienced and reflect on the difference that kindness makes in the world.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Misunderstood Monsters
by Lindsay Ringwald, 826LA

In this lesson, students will imagine a narrative in the form of a craigslist advertisement to showcase a typically scary monster as a down to earth creature.

Narrative

In this lesson, students will imagine a narrative in the form of a craigslist advertisement to showcase a typically scary monster as a down to earth creature.

Write Where You Are: Place-Based Writing

Grades 3–5
Lessons
Welcome to Where You Are
by Emilia Rivera and Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia

Students will report about their favorite neighborhood places and write a review about the most special one.

Informational

Students will report about their favorite neighborhood places and write a review about the most special one.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
The Pandemic and Creative Communities
by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia

Students write to process change in their communities as a result of the pandemic.

Informational

The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. This lesson will support students in processing the changes in their everyday lives and help them to identify the creativity their community has exhibited.

Grades 6–10
Lessons
Looking Out the Window: A Place Memoir
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC

Emotions play a big role in how we remember places important to us. Students explore this notion, writing a memoirs about a significant place.

Memoir

Emotions play a big role in how we remember places important to us. Students explore this notion, writing a memoirs about a significant place.

Grades 6–12
Sparks
Your Front Door
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI

An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.

Narrative

An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.

Grades 7–9
Sparks
Neighborhood Poem
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC

Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.

Poetry

Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.

Watch and Write

Get writing inspiration directly from authors, poets, and friends of 826.