×
Grades level iconsGrades 7–8
Session time icon1 Session, 90 Minutes
Genre information iconFantasy/SciFi, Media
Resource type iconLessons

#TeamWolf: Writing Fairytales for Twitter

Christopher Ankney, AT Bianchi, and Amy Wilson, 826michigan
Using Twitter as a storytelling medium, students will improve their understanding of perspective, editing for brevity, and the importance of word choice.
Download Includes
Lesson Instructions 3 Lesson Handouts
What Your Students Will Learn

Students will learn about and utilize features unique to Twitter to adopt a famous fairytale character persona and construct a Twitter profile from this perspective.

Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2 Common Core Standards Icon
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3 Common Core Standards Icon
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.A Common Core Standards Icon
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.D Common Core Standards Icon
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.4 Common Core Standards Icon
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5 Common Core Standards Icon
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.6 Common Core Standards Icon
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2 Common Core Standards Icon
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3 Common Core Standards Icon
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.D Common Core Standards Icon
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4 Common Core Standards Icon
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5 Common Core Standards Icon
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6 Common Core Standards Icon
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
What You Will Do
Session 1
Timer
In this session, students will learn about the features of Twitter and apply those lessons by taking on the persona of famous fairytale characters and constructing a Twitter profile for them. In the end, each student will have used Twitter to completely re-tell a famous fairytale from the perspective of one of its characters.
Introduction :

Twitter plays an important part in our collective culture. It connects people across the world in real-time. It showcases diverse perspectives, authentic voices, and gives us access to new worlds of information, ideas, and opinions previously unknown to us.

Here are some essential questions that will come up in this lesson:

  • If I only had a certain number of words to say what I wanted to say, how could I get across the most meaning?
  • Are the words I’m using getting across my actual meaning or is there a better way to say this?
  • If the Big Bad Wolf had a Twitter account, what would he tweet about?
Session 1:

Students apply the features of Twitter to construct a profile for the persona of a Fairytale character.

You Will Need
  • Optional: access to a Character Counter such as Charcounter.com
  • Physical and/or online copies of several popular fairy tales. It’s important to choose fairy tales from around the world, such as:
  • The Thunder and The Lightening (Nigeria)
  • Urashima Taro (Japan)
  • Little Red Riding Hood (France)
  • Vasilisa The Fair (Russia)
  • Hansel and Gretel (Germany)
  • The Rabbit and The Coyote (Brazil)
  • Copies of the “Anatomy of a Tweet 101” handout
  • Copies of the “Fairy Tale Characters in 700 Characters” handout
  • Copies of the “#TeamWolf Synonym Game” handout
Login Blurred Image

See More Lessons at this Level

Grades 6–7
Lessons
#SaveOurSlogans

by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA

Media
Persuasive

In this lesson, students write about a cause that they are passionate about, imagine how they can create change, and come up with slogans to convince other people to take action.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
State Your Claim: Argumentative Writing

by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Persuasive

Students will craft an argument about a controversial topic they hold a personal connection to and record their argument to persuade their audience.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Meet Your Protagonist!

by Ryan Harty, 826michigan

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.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Writing to Discover

by Allison Peters, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Discover what’s possible through writing. In this lesson, students will write a thrilling new story about their future selves inspired by their curiosity and imagination.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
LA Confidential

by Robert Paterno, 826LA

Informational
Narrative

A mock crime scene kick-starts this lesson, getting students to hone their inferencing skills and serving as inspiration for crime stories.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
True Connections: Personal Experiences with Social Media

by Rebecca Darugar, Liz Levine, and Brancey Mora, 826NYC and 826 National

Informational
Media
Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

Invite students to write about their personal experiences with social media and online platforms with this lesson from 826NYC.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Artifact Detectives

by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia

Informational
Narrative

Working as budding archaeologists, students use artifacts as inspiration for several short writing pieces.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
How to Write a Fan Letter Without Getting a Restraining Order

by Lisa Lutz, 826 Valencia

Informational

In this lesson by a young adult author and self-confessed superfan Lisa Lutz, students will learn letter-writing tips and create a fan letter.

Grades 6–12
Lessons
Dear Election

by 826 New Orleans

Narrative
Persuasive

In this lesson, students have an opportunity to write a letter expressing their views on issues that matter to them most surrounding an election.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Meet Your Protagonist!

by Ryan Harty, 826michigan

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.

Grades 5–8
Lessons
Animal Poems

by Ellen Lathrop and Malia Urbina, 826 Valencia

Poetry

In this lesson, students will use descriptive language to write a poem about a favorite animal.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
Rewriting the Zombie Apocalypse

by Julius Diaz Panoriñgan, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Narrative
STEM

Students explore multiple STEM disciplines and the importance of scientific modeling, all in context of an upcoming zombie apocalypse. They'll write technical notes and create an ongoing narrative.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Story Threads: Art, Identity, and Community

by 826 National

Narrative
Poetry

Stories are the thread that connect communities. In this lesson, students learn more about culture and identity through Dakota and Hmong textile arts, as well as reflect on their own identities.

Grades 7–10
Lessons
Fake News: A Lesson in Media Literacy

by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC

Informational
Media

A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
Where I’m From Poems

by 826 National

Poetry

Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
Concrete Poems

by Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
Inheritance: A Family Interview Project

by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP

Narrative

Students will identify something they have inherited from their families, conduct interviews, and write a narrative essay. This lesson is especially well suited for English Language Learners.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Be a Maker: Hashtag Activism and the Instagram Essay

by Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D, 826NYC

Media
Persuasive

In this lesson, students experiment with the multimodal composition of Instagram and use this social media platform to promote a social justice issue.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
Talking to Ghosts: Stories in the Cities of the Dead

by Aran Donovan, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Media
Poetry

Students (virtually) explore a local cemetery and write a monologue from a famous person buried there, including facts from their research and imagined details from a mapping exercise.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
Poets in Revolt!
by Amplifier.org

by Ola Faleti, 826CHI, with an introduction by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S.

Poetry

The pen is mightier than the sword. In this lesson, students learn there's no better evidence of this than the poetry behind social movements.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Poetry as Retelling

by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC

Narrative
Poetry

Students will read a poem by Eve L. Ewing and learn to write a poem that retells or reimagines an experience.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
Our Values

by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Informational

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

Grades 7–12
Lessons
Write with Pride: An LGBTQIA+ Writing Workshop

by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI

Informational
Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

Over the course of this lesson, students produce memoirs, poems, and essays that explore what it means to be a member of the LGBTQIA community in America today.

Grades 3–9
Lessons
Beyond the Page: Writing Graphic Novels

by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI

Media
Narrative

In this lesson, students explore the graphic novel genre with a focus on plot and character development, scripting dialogue, and visual composition.

Grades 4–8
Lessons
Metaphoraging

by Bryan Wilson, Educator Leader, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas

Poetry

What do you get when you mix foraging with metaphors? Metaphoraging, of course! In this interactive lesson, students will forage their learning space for metaphors.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Polishing a Poem

Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia

Poetry

In this lesson, students will use mentor texts to hone their revision skills before turning to their own poetry drafts.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
The Pandemic and Creative Communities

by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia

Narrative
Poetry

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 6–9
Lessons
Dramarama!

by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI

Media
Memoir
Narrative

Students become script detectives in this lesson, searching for the underlying structure of every play. Student then draw from memories to inspire original plays.

Grades 5–8
Lessons
The Science of Superpowers

by Mariama J. Lockington & Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Poetry
STEM

In this superlesson, students isolate DNA, design planes, build lairs, and engineer safe transport to help a hero save the day. Students will also take technical notes and explore new forms of poetry.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Choosing My Name

by Karla Brundage, 826 Valencia

Poetry

In this Lesson, students will further their understanding of how language can impact identity through the process of naming.

Grades 4–12
Lessons
Essential Words: Letters of Gratitude to Essential Workers

by Cristeta Boarini, 826MSP, and Skylar Burkhardt, 826 National

Informational
Narrative
Persuasive

Few expressions of gratitude are more meaningful than a personalized letter. In this lesson, students reach out to essential workers and return their acts of service and kindness by giving thanks.

Grades 5–8
Lessons
Ekphrastic Poetry

by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia

Poetry

Students write ekphrastic poems, exploring and creating connections between text and image.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Super Sentences Rhymes

by Naomi Solomon, 826NYC

Poetry

In this lesson, students will learn about different types of rhymes, identify rhymes in lyrics and generate rhymes to use in their own lyrics.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
Map Your Streets & Tell Us Its Stories

by Allie Mariano, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Media
Narrative

Students will tell stories about their neighborhoods and create maps that document change. The end result is a better understanding of a map’s ability to demonstrate the history behind fixed points.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Homestyle: Writing About the Place Where You Live

by Tom Molanphy, 826 Valencia

Informational
Narrative

Students will learn to see home in a fresh way, to walk through doors and open windows they never noticed, and to find the stories that home holds.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
(Judge)mental Distortions

by Tim Campos, 826 New Orleans

Narrative

Through discussion, map-making, and writing, students will investigate the ways in which our knowledge of places is constructed and will uncover the ways that this knowledge is distorted by biases.

Grades 4–8
Lessons
King Cake Pourquoi Tales

by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans

Narrative

In this workshop, students will create a pourquoi tale, or origin story, of how a local delicacy came to be.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
Low Down Dirty Maps

by Saiya Miller, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Media
Narrative

Students will collect dirt, map their neighborhood, and listen to music that explores low sound, depth of soil, and the psychological landscape of New Orleans.

Grades 1–8, k
Lessons
Big Book of IFs

by 826 National, in partnership with Paramount Pictures

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes! Inspired by the new Paramount Pictures movie, IF, students will create their own imaginary friend to take with them on their next adventure.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
You Can’t Mix Oil and Water

by Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans

Informational
STEM

In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.

Grades 6–12
Lessons
No Lab Coats Required: The Poetry Laboratory

by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA

Poetry

Students enter The Poetry Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation and playful strategies to embark on the process of writing poetry.

Grades 5–9
Lessons
Write for the Flood City Gazette!
by New Leaf Literary & Media

by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City.

Informational
Media

Students will work together to produce a newspaper for the fictional Flood City. In the process, they will take on the roles of editor and journalist to source, draft, and present their newspaper.

Grades 4–10
Lessons
Comedy Writing Inspired by Monty Python

by Gem Carmella, Ministry of Stories and BBC History

Media

In this Lesson, students will learn how to write comedy sketches inspired by "Monty Python’s Flying Circus."

Grades 8–12
Lessons
It Ain’t Just Bananas

by Kelly Jones, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Poetry

Through writing, drawing, mapping, and researching a chosen fruit, students will become more familiar with the often complex history of food and how people access it.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Details (Golden), Character (Immortal), and Setting (Rural India)

by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia

Narrative

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

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Infinite Recess

by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Poetry
STEM

Students will create infinite poems using fractals, imagine life on a doughnut, and speculate about a universe where time goes crazy. Along the way, they'll explore cool, new math facts and concepts.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
A Poem Mix Tape for Road Trips

by Catherine Calabro, with inspiration from Rachel Feder, 826michigan

Poetry

Your students will use free writes, writing games, cheesy pop lyrics, and revision strategies to learn how to make connections between all of the points on their journey of writing a poem.

Grades 6–10
Lessons
Looking Out the Window: A Place Memoir

by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC

Memoir
Narrative

Emotions play a big role in how we remember places important to us. Students explore this notion by writing memoirs, using plot, dialogue, and description to bring their stories to life.