Grades 5–9
Fantasy/SciFi, NarrativeSparksStudents will write a journal entry from the perspective of a Flood City resident or character.
1) Introduce Daniel José Older as an author who builds other worlds through writing his sci-fi and fantasy novels. Tell students that today, they will write from one of those worlds set in the future, called Flood City.
2) Play the Welcome to Flood City video from Daniel to help students familiarize themselves with Flood City. As a class, read the Flood City Synopsis. To further establish the world, you can also read an excerpt from the first chapter available online.
3) Introduce the “day in the life” prompt to students. For younger grades, we recommend modeling how to get started by choosing one of the suggested questions and writing the first few sentences in the first person point of view.
Prompt:
Imagine you live in Flood City—the last city left on earth, which is now completely covered with water. You travel only by jet boots. You eat mostly stale food rations. You’re watched by Chemical Barons, circling the skies above you. And don’t forget to watch out for attacking Iguanagulls! Your mission: Write a daily journal from the perspective of a Flood City resident.
Not sure how to start? Try answering at least one of these questions!
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Author bios offer students another opportunity to express themselves through writing and to feel like a real author. This Spark walks students through the process of writing one.
by 826 National
I Spy is a classic guessing game. In this Spark, students will play a game of I Spy to practice adding details to their writing.
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by The New York Public Library
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by G.D. Falksen
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by Ada Limón
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Bryan Wilson, 826 Digital Educator Leader with Julie Solarek, Literacy Specialist
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by author and activist P. Carl
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Daniel Ehrenhaft asks students to consider perspective in a piece of their writing with this reflective spark.
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by Jason Reynolds, The New York Times Best-Selling Author & National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
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by the Team at 826CHI
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In this Spark, students will revise a piece of writing for sentence fluency.
by 826 National and Cartoon Network
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by 826 National
IT’S ALIVE! In this Spark, students will play a version of the classic Exquisite Corpse activity to create new monster characters.
by Kathy Seipp, 826 Digital Educator
Invite students to write freely with this lesson that includes directions for students to set up a writer's journal and favorite journal prompts.
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by 826 National
Imagine you’re free to write about anything: no rules, no limits, only possibilities. "Infinite Words" invites students to share their writing for a chance to become a published author!
by Asia Calcagno, 826CHI
Writing can be a powerful tool when working through feelings of grief, sadness, or anger. This Spark creates an intentional opportunity for youth to write and speak about what is on their minds.
by 826 National, inspired by student authors of 826 New Orleans
Usually, an ode is written in celebration, but this Spark asks students to write an anti-ode—a poem about something they can’t stand!
by 826 National, inspired by student authors of 826 New Orleans
In this Spark, students will pretend to be their favorite food and write about what that food would do on an average day.
by 826 National
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
by 826 National and Cartoon Network
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by 826 National
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by Shani Foster, 826LA
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by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
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by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
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by 826 National
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by 826 National
Students discuss the 2021 inaugural poem by Amanda Gorman and write their own poems in response to "The Hill We Climb."
by the Team at 826CHI
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by Mandy Seiner, 826NYC
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by 826 National
Candy hearts are a Valentine’s Day staple, with their funny—even punny—sayings about love. In this Spark, students will lean into the world of youth slang to write some “sweet” sayings of their own.
by Brittany Thierry, 826 New Orleans
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by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.
by 826 National, inspired by student authors of 826 New Orleans
We are all parts of a whole, just like a pizza! In this Spark, students will think about all the things that make them who they are and then write a poem in the shape of a pizza.
by author 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.
by Louise McClune, 826 Valencia
In this activity, students work as budding archeologists and creatively reimagine ways for archaeologists and historians to use artifacts to tell stories.
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