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Grades level iconsGrades 6–10
Session time icon5 Sessions: 1 Hour
Genre information iconMemoir, Narrative
Resource type iconLessons

Looking Out the Window: A Place Memoir

Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
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.
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Lesson Instructions 3 Handouts 2 Student Writing Samples
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Grades 4–8
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King Cake Pourquoi Tales

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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 6–8
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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 4–10
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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 6–8
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State Your Claim: Argumentative Writing

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

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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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Memoir
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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 6–8
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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 7–8
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#TeamWolf: Writing Fairytales for Twitter

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Fantasy/SciFi
Media

Using Twitter as a storytelling medium, students will improve their understanding of perspective, editing for brevity, and the importance of word choice.

Grades 1–8, k
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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 6–7
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#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 5–8
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Students write ekphrastic poems, exploring and creating connections between text and image.

Grades 7–9
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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 5–6
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Working Superheroes

by Jane Roschen, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Media
Narrative

This lesson prompts students to explore the exciting range of things they can do when they grow up and highlights the importance of education, curiosity, and role models.

Grades 9–12
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The Uncommon Essay for the Common Application

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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.

Grades 6–8
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A mock crime scene kick-starts this lesson, getting students to hone their inferencing skills and serving as inspiration for crime stories.

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

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

Grades 3–9
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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 7–8
Lessons
Rewriting the Zombie Apocalypse

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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 4–8
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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 5–6
Lessons
Inspired by Under Milk Wood

by Miriam Nash, Ministry of Stories and BBC History

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students will emulate Dylan Thomas’ famous drama, Under Milk Wood. Students will create imaginative works of fiction that examine their neighborhood in order to bring it to life.

Grades 7–12
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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 3–6
Lessons
Doors to the Future

by Dr. Bunny McFadden, 826 Valencia

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Imagination opens doors to new possibilities. This lesson allows students to exercise their imaginations by describing an imaginary door to the future and picturing what is beyond it.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Fairy Tale Reconstruction

by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative

This lesson invites students to write a modern day fairy tale. Students will reconstruct classic fairy tales by choosing to focus on altering one story element: setting, point of view, or resolution.

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 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 6–8
Lessons
Infinite Recess

by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Poetry
STEM

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Grades 5–6
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Fantasy Sports: Designing Games That You (or Elves or Dragons) Want to Play

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Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
STEM

In this lesson, students imagine a fictional sport for fantastic beings, create a statistic for that sport, and write a newspaper article about the championship game.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Build Your Own Treasure Hunt

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Informational

Using precise, clear instructions, each student will create a treasure hunt document that provides clues for finding a treasure hidden in a location of their choosing.

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 3–6
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Take a Stand: Anti-Bullying Skits
by Cartoon Network

by Jessica Barbaria, 826NYC

Informational

In this lesson, students dive into the many forms bullying can take, create scripts and role-play bullying scenarios, and reflect on their own experiences with bullying.

Grades 8–12
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(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 5–6
Lessons
Plant Explorers

by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Informational
Narrative
STEM

Students investigate the plant life that grows within their community and then select a specific species to learn about in-depth and consider how that species interacts with the overall ecosystem.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Change the Ending, Take Back Your Power

by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students explore the genres of historical and speculative fiction before they reimagine a time they felt powerless and write a different outcome.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Trading Lives: Be a Superhero (or a Wizard or a Vampire) for a Day

by Kim Adelman, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Media
Narrative

In this lesson, students imagine trading lives with a fictional character for a day and write about the fantastic possibilities that would ensue.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Social Justice Poetry: Listening to the Trees

by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Poetry

Students examine relationships between art, poetry, politics, and current events, and reflect on personal experiences while writing social justice poetry.

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 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 5–6
Lessons
Whining Effectively; Or, How to Persuade Your Parents

by Abigail Jacobs & Taylor Jacobson, 826 Valencia & 826LA

Persuasive

This lesson teaches students to write proposals so convincing no parent can resist them.

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 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 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 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 5–6
Lessons
Your Intergalactic National Park

by Jayne Kennedy, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Narrative

Gather students around the metaphorical campfire to craft a brochure for a Nature Preserve on another planet, complete with wild critters, plant life, unique geological formations, and park history

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Amazing Stories

by Nathalie Lagerfeld & Jill Carey, 826CHI

Fantasy/SciFi
Media
Narrative

Borrowing inspiration from out-of-this-world illustrations, students will create an amazing sci-fi story with a fantastical setting, realistic characters, and page-turning plot.

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 6–8
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 5–6
Lessons
Rules, Rules, Rules

by Mindy Misener, 826michigan

Poetry

Students learn how poetry can “break the rules” then practice breaking the “rules” in their own poems by challenging the expectations, assumptions, and principles their work set up.

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 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 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 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 7–9
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 1–6
Lessons
Heroes In the Community

by Rebecca Escoto and Cynthia Aguilar, 826LA

Informational
Narrative

Students will identify the characteristics of a hero, familiarize themselves with heroes in their own community, and write an explanatory piece identifying a hero in their community.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Cataloging Gratitude

by 826 National

Poetry

What happens when we start from a place of gratitude? In this lesson, students will use Ross Gay’s "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" as a catalyst for a daily gratitude journal.

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 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 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 5–6
Lessons
How to Write a How-To

by Jory John, 826 Valencia

Informational

Students will explore the essentials of an effective “how-to” piece, while considering their own areas of interest and expertise to share with their peers and the world at large.

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 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 4–6
Lessons
Miracle Elixir: Inventing Potions to Cure Baldness and Other Things the World Needs Right Now

by Paris Hyun, 826LA

Informational
Persuasive

Students play the role of benevolent inventor. They identify and think critically about real world problems, and create an ingredients list and usage instructions for an elixir that fixes the problem.

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 3–6
Lessons
Odes to Ordinary Objects

by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia

Poetry

Students find gratitude all around as they thank ordinary objects in their lives in the form of an ode.

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
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 5–6
Lessons
A Superpowered Comics Lesson

by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Media
Narrative

Using the classic battle between superheroes and villains as inspiration, students will create their own twist on a superhero comic, featuring believable characters and Marvel-worthy dialogue.

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.