×
Grades level iconsGrades 9–12
Session time icon3 Sessions, 1 Hour Each
Genre information iconNarrative
Resource type iconLessons

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.
What Your Students Will Learn

Students will learn how to identify an impactful memory and expand it into narrative prose—focusing especially on sensory detail, plot, character development, and dialogue.

Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B Common Core Standards Icon
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D Common Core Standards Icon
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.B Common Core Standards Icon
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D Common Core Standards Icon
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
What Your Students Will Produce

Students will produce a personal essay draft.

Login Blurred Image

See More Lessons at this Level

Grades 11–12
Lessons
The Great College Essay Project: Write Your Way In
by 826 National and Reach Higher

by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans

Narrative

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.

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 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 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 7–12
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 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 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 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 6–12
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 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 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 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 6–9
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 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 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
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 11–12
Lessons
How to Write a College Essay

by College Essay Guy and 826 National

Memoir
Narrative

This lesson from College Essay Guy introduces students to two types of effective college essay structures: Montage and Narrative.

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 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 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 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 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
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 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 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 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 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 6–9
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 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 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
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 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.

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 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.