Grades 9–12
3 Sessions: 1 Hour Each
Fantasy/SciFi, Narrative, PoetryLessonsYour students will learn the fundamentals of historical and speculative fiction, and use those fundamentals to create their own stories.
Over the course of this lesson, students will read two short stories and explore the boundaries of the historical and speculative fiction genre. They will work together to define common terms, some identity-based and others genre-based, and use those definitions in their own writing, which will span both genres. Their final writing piece will reimagine a time where they felt powerless as a time where they were powerful and fully in control of their narrative. This lesson is just one part of the longer journey that is building a culture of trust and community within the classroom; it also serves as a conduit for students from historically marginalized communities to see themselves and their stories represented as a reminder of how powerful they are as individuals.
Students will work together to create word banks for identity-related themes, dive into a short story and make connections to today’s world, and write about the dominant narrative of their ancestors versus their personal narrative of their ancestors.
by College Essay Guy and 826 National
This lesson from College Essay Guy introduces students to two types of effective college essay structures: Montage and Narrative.
by Tim Campos, 826 New Orleans
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.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia
Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.
by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City.
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.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
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.
by Karla Brundage, 826 Valencia
In this Lesson, students will further their understanding of how language can impact identity through the process of naming.
by Allie Mariano, 826 New Orleans
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.
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.
by Rebecca Darugar, Liz Levine, and Brancey Mora, 826NYC and 826 National
Invite students to write about their personal experiences with social media and online platforms with this lesson from 826NYC.
by Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.
by 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.
by Gem Carmella, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
In this Lesson, students will learn how to write comedy sketches inspired by "Monty Python’s Flying Circus."
by Ola Faleti, 826CHI, with an introduction by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S.
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.
by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader
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.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
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.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826MSP, and Skylar Burkhardt, 826 National
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.
by Aran Donovan, 826 New Orleans
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.
by 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students have an opportunity to write a letter expressing their views on issues that matter to them most surrounding an election.
by 826 National
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.
by 826 National
Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.
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.
by Lisa Lutz, 826 Valencia
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.
by Tom Molanphy, 826 Valencia
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.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
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.
by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
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.
by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
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.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students examine relationships between art, poetry, politics, and current events, and reflect on personal experiences while writing social justice poetry.
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.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
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.
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students become script detectives in this lesson, searching for the underlying structure of every play. Student then draw from memories to inspire original plays.
by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC
A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.
by Kelly Jones, 826 New Orleans
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.
by Saiya Miller, 826 New Orleans
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.
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
In this lesson, students explore the graphic novel genre with a focus on plot and character development, scripting dialogue, and visual composition.
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