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Educator Tools provide strategies, best practices, and essential frameworks for teaching—and publishing—young writers. Discover the methods behind 826’s magic.

Educator Tools provide strategies, best practices, and essential frameworks for teaching—and publishing—young writers. Discover the methods behind 826’s magic.

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Watch and Write videos and lessons deliver writing inspiration directly from authors, professionals, friends of 826, and students. Each video includes a writing prompt and lesson aligned to Common Core State Standards.

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Whether it’s back to school or spooky stories time, find the most recent and relevant resources. This collection rotates, so check back often so you don’t miss a beat!

Whether it’s back to school or spooky stories time, find the most recent and relevant resources. This collection rotates, so check back often so you don’t miss a beat!

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Hear from your favorite authors as they share writing prompts, strategies, and more.

Hear from your favorite authors as they share writing prompts, strategies, and more.

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Learn how writing is essential in all types of careers—from journalists to TY show writers.

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Check out writing prompts and favorite student writing from friends of 826.

Check out writing prompts and favorite student writing from friends of 826.

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See videos of student authors from across the country and get inspired to write.

See videos of student authors from across the country and get inspired to write.

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826LA_2019_48954586933_d35a334be3_o-scaled
Grades 11–12
Lessons
How to Write a College Essay
by College Essay Guy and 826 National

This lesson from College Essay Guy guides students to choose a topic for their college essay, and introduces them to two effective structures for their essay: Montage and Narrative.

Memoir
Narrative

This lesson from College Essay Guy guides students to choose a topic for their college essay, and introduces them to two effective structures for their essay: Montage and Narrative.

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826Boston_BostonInternationalNewcomersAcademyWritersRoom2_PhotobyMelTaing
Grades 9–12
Sparks
Writers' Moves and the Golden Rule
by the Programs Team at 826 Boston

Writers have the power to make choices about the words and structures they use in their writing. In this Spark, students will learn how to wield that power with purpose.

Narrative

Writers have the power to make choices about the words and structures they use in their writing. In this Spark, students will learn how to wield that power with purpose.

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826-Boston_Girl-Student-Writing_1920-scaled
Grades 11–12
Lessons
The Uncommon Essay for the Common Application
by Marya Spont-Lemus, 826CHI

Through brainstorming and drafting activities, students will learn the basics of personal narrative writing and craft an essay that they can use for college, scholarships, job applications and more.

Memoir
Narrative

Through brainstorming and drafting activities, students will learn the basics of personal narrative writing and craft an essay that they can use for college, scholarships, job applications and more.

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Grades 11–12
Sparks
Scene vs. Summary
by the Programs Team at 826 Boston

How is a scene different from a summary? In this Spark, students will explore the answer to that question and put both techniques into practice.

Memoir
Narrative

How is a scene different from a summary? In this Spark, students will explore the answer to that question and put both techniques into practice.

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Grades 11–12
Lessons
The Great College Essay Project: Write Your Way In
by by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans

This lesson supports college-bound students in writing compelling personal statements. Students will go from blank page to finished draft as they brainstorm, develop, and analyze personal statements.

Memoir
Narrative
STEM

This lesson supports college-bound students in writing compelling personal statements. Students will go from blank page to finished draft as they brainstorm, develop, and analyze personal statements.

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Grades 7–12
Sparks
Personal Narratives with Mariama Lockington
by Author Mariama Lockington, 826NYC

Students revisit powerful memories to generate personal stories filled with heart.

Memoir
Narrative

Students revisit powerful memories to generate personal stories filled with heart.

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Grades 6–9
Sparks
Our Values
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Students will work in a collaborative, constructive setting to create a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and teachers.

Memoir
Narrative

Students will work in a collaborative, constructive setting to create a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and teachers.

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826-MSP-2019-20-Photo-10-Big-Smiles-at-Open-House
Grades 1–12
Sparks
Writing to Discover Yourself
by 826 National

This Educator Tool is designed to help you support students along their journeys in positive identity development.

Memoir
Narrative

This Educator Tool is designed to help you support students along their journeys in positive identity development.

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Write Your Future: College Essay Resources

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Tools for Educators

Grades 3–12
Educator Tools
Journal Writing: Implementing an Intentional Practice
by 826 National

This Educator Tool shares a variety of prompts to help you springboard into journal writing with your students.

Memoir
Narrative

Like a new notebook, journal writing is full of possibilities. Consider how to intentionally implement journal writing with your students with this Educator Tool. Includes a range of prompts to get started.

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Grades 1–12
Educator Tools
Writing and Mental Health
by 826 National

Writing can be a powerful tool for supporting mental health. The writing resources and activities in this Educator Tool are designed to help your students process and reflect on how they’re feeling and help them to have a little fun while they’re expressing themselves, too.

Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

Writing can be a powerful tool for supporting mental health. The writing resources and activities in this Educator Tool are designed to help your students process and reflect on how they’re feeling and help them to have a little fun while they’re expressing themselves, too.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Featured Authors

Grades 9–12
Videos
Soundscape Poems with Jason Reynolds
by presented by Life Stories

Students will create a poem filled with sounds from a chosen environment.

Poetry

Students will create a poem filled with sounds from a chosen environment.

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Grades 2–12
Videos
Hear Me Out with Javier Zamora
by Javier Zamora

Author Javier Zamora was an undocumented immigrant when he was a student. Now, he invites you to raise your voice and write to the next President of the United States.

Informational
Persuasive
Poetry

Author Javier Zamora was an undocumented immigrant when he was a student. Now, he invites you to raise your voice and write to the next President of the United States.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Grades 7–12
Sparks
Objects and Habits with Isaac Fitzgerald
by Isaac Fitzgerald

In this Spark, students will mine their home and their habits for story and personal essay ideas.

Memoir
Narrative

In this Spark, students will mine their home and their habits for story and personal essay ideas.

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Grades 7–12
Sparks
Screenwriting with Spike Jonze
by Spike Jonze

A pair of prompts that invites students to consider how time, location, and dialogue can be used to construct a scene and build meaning.

Narrative
Playwriting

A pair of prompts that invites students to consider how time, location, and dialogue can be used to construct a scene and build meaning.

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Grades 7–12
Sparks
Social Movements with Lisa Ko
by Lisa Ko

This writing prompt from author Lisa Ko invites students to explore the impact of social movements by envisioning and writing from an ideal future.

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Narrative

This writing prompt from author Lisa Ko invites students to explore the impact of social movements by envisioning and writing from an ideal future.

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Write. Read. Feel. with Mychal Threets
Get to know our Educator Tools by starting with our most-downloaded resources.
Get inspiration directly from friends of 826, including organizations like Cartoon Network and authors like Jason Reynolds. Watch these videos to write with the people who inspire you.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Grades 1–5
Videos
What Do Feelings Sound Like?
by by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI and Denise Ervin, 826michigan

Students learn how to pair sound words (onomatopoeia) with feelings to create vivid, specific descriptions of different emotions.

Poetry

Students learn how to pair sound words (onomatopoeia) with feelings to create vivid, specific descriptions of different emotions.

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Short Story Elements

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Meet Your Protagonist!
by Ryan Harty, 826 Valencia

By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.

Narrative

By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.

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Grades 6–8
Videos
Character Choices
by Sarah Richman, 826DC

Through a series of meaningful prompts, students develop an authentic character to use in their next story.

Narrative

Through a series of meaningful prompts, students develop an authentic character to use in their next story.

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Grades 6–8
Sparks
Authentic Dialogue
by Leah Tribbett, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Students will learn how to write authentic dialogue that reveals information about the characters, plot, and conflict.

Narrative

Students will learn how to write authentic dialogue that reveals information about the characters, plot, and conflict.

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Grades 9–12
Lessons
Fairy Tale Reconstruction
by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader

This lesson invites students to rewrite a classic fairy tale, with a modern day twist.

Narrative

Students will reconstruct classic fairy tales by choosing to focus on altering one story element: setting, point of view, or resolution.

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Grades 4–8
Sparks
Setting the Tone
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC

This activity explores the way emotions change how we perceive settings. Students work in groups to create descriptions of apartments based on an emotion they draw from a hat.

Narrative

This activity explores the way emotions change how we perceive settings. Students work in groups to create descriptions of apartments based on an emotion they draw from a hat.

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Grades 3–5
Lessons
Writing Alternate Worlds
by Andrea Nelson, 826DC

Students will produce a short story that includes a setting in an alternate world.

Narrative

Students will produce a short story that includes a setting in an alternate world.

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Grades 4–7
Sparks
Character-O-Matic
by 826CHI, with inspiration from Ryan Harty

In this activity, students practice analyzing a character’s internal motivations and fears and develop their own original characters.

Narrative

In this activity, students practice analyzing a character’s internal motivations and fears and develop their own original characters.

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Grades 7–9
Lessons
Details (Golden), Character (Immortal), and Setting (Rural India)
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia & 826 National

Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.

Narrative

Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.

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Write. Read. Feel. with Mychal Threets
Write. Read. Feel. with Mychal Threets
Play
For Every One
For Every One
Play
Book Scavenger Hunt Poetry with Amanda Gorman
Book Scavenger Hunt Poetry with Amanda Gorman
Play
Hear Me Out with Javier Zamora
Hear Me Out with Javier Zamora
Play
Reflections on Writing from Jason Reynolds
Reflections on Writing from Jason Reynolds
Play

Watch and Write

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

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