Grades 1–5
30 minutes
Narrative, STEMSparksYour students will practice the skill of backward problem-solving.
Your students will write a comic strip story using backward thinking.
A computer programmer often starts at the end of the problem and works backward to identify the steps needed to solve the problem. In this lesson, students will build this skill by combining it with storytelling techniques.
Before you begin:
In STEP 2, you will display an image to prompt students’ practice of backward storytelling. Take a few minutes to select 1–3 pictures from the internet! Review the lesson resources: There are two versions of the Backward Storytelling — Handout, designed to be supportive of different kinds of learners: Version 1: Designed for younger students or older students who are developing their English proficiency with spaces to write their final story in simple sentences. Version 2: Designed for older students or students who are ready for more complex writing. For each of these versions, there is also a four-panel format and a five-panel format. Use this as another...
by 826 National
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Students teach a "pirate" how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and learn how to give effective instructions in the process.
by 826 National
Students will write a poem about nature using sensory details to capture the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feeling of the subject.
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In this collection of poetry activities, young writers will explore a range of feelings and strengthen their emotional vocabulary. Activities are available in print and web versions!
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This quick writing prompt invites students to jump into the fantasy genre, imagining what happens when faced with the unexplainable!
by Liz Levine, 826NYC
Challenge students to rewrite a classic nursery rhyme with a twist.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
This activity explores the way emotions change how we perceive settings. Students work in groups to create descriptions of apartments based on an emotion they draw from a hat.
by the Team at 826CHI, with inspiration from Ryan Harty, 826michigan
In this activity, students practice analyzing a character’s internal motivations and fears and develop their own original characters.
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 Nathalie Lagerfield, 826CHI
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by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
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by 826 National and Cartoon Network
Students reflect on what it feels like to stand up to bullying and write about a time when they used their voice to make a difference.
by 826 National
The Character-O-Matic is a writing tool that helps students to create new characters. In this lesson, students will use it to create a character profile that reflects their own identies.
by 826 National and Cartoon Network
Students are inspired to write about a time that they felt accepted and appreciated for who they are.
by 826 National, inspired by student authors of 826 New Orleans
In this Spark, students will write a poem that engages the reader in answering the question: Can you guess this food?
by 826 National
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
What are students made of? This activity prompts students to reimagine recipes and write about their life experiences.
by 826 National
In this Spark, students will write an acrostic poem that can be used as a tool to introduce themselves to their classmates.
by the Team at 826CHI
In this activity, students create original monsters in archetypal protagonist and antagonistic roles by focusing on internal and external characteristics.
by the Team at 826CHI
Students learn to incorporate setting as a key element of a story, starting with inspiration from collages.
by Mariama J. Lockington and Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC
In this Spark, students will write haikus from two different perspectives, one of a hero and one of an engineer, to design a secret lair for a superhero.
by Shani Foster, 826LA
Students create five rules for living in their ideal universe—each one more ridiculous than the last!
by 826 National
By combining two classic games, students will learn how storytelling and art can build community or help them break through writer’s block.
by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA
Students will be asked to take an existing 4-panel comic and create their own dialogue. This is a fun quick activity or warm-up exercise that will challenge students to write efficiently.
826 National and Cartoon Network
After writing about their personal and social identities, students discover that sometimes what makes us unique is what brings us together.
by 826 National
Students will identify their favorite sensory memories and transfer them to a visual heart map.
by Jane Roschen, 826LA
In this activity, students will explore superhero traits or superpowers that they know or admire. What kind of jobs do they do? How do their powers help them achieve this?
by 826 National
Summer is all about writing for fun! Students will engage in a variety of writing prompts, while playing tic-tac-toe, to keep their skills sharp over summer break.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students reflect on the sound of feelings and use onomatopoeias in their poetry.
by Lauren Rudewicz and David Hutcheson, 826michigan
Students will define the word “ode” for themselves and identify the people and moments in their lives they’d like to celebrate in a poem.
by 826 National and Cartoon Network
In this twist on a classic game, students will practice intentional inclusivity with their classmates, as well as brainstorm other ways to continue building community throughout the school year.
by 826 National, inspired by Julianna Lee Mariano, 826NYC
Calling all ghostbusters! In this Spark, students will learn more about what makes a spooky story and then develop their own creepy characters, with a silly twist.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social and emotional learning writing prompt, students create a poem that shares the "happys" in their life.
by Julia Sweeney, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will revise a piece of writing for sentence fluency.
by 826 National and Cartoon Network
Students write similes to express what their emotions feel like and build plans to treat others with kindness and empathy.
by 826 National
Summer is all about writing for fun! In this Spark, you’ll find a BINGO board full of engaging writing prompts to keep skills sharp over the summer break.
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 Shani Foster, 826LA
What stories would your hoodie tell? In this fun and versatile writing prompt, students write from the perspective of a favorite piece of clothing.
Bryan Wilson, 826 Digital Educator Leader with Julie Solarek, Literacy Specialist
Travel back in time and space by prompting students to reflect on their path and progress as a writer. Students will create a writing roadmap of their year and then "walk the path" together.
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
This spark activity is designed to get your students on their feet while reinforcing the need for strong dialogue in narratives.
by Mandy Seiner, 826NYC
Nouns, adjectives, verbs—and in this case—adverbs are the building blocks of super sentences. In this Spark, students will practice identifying and using adverbs in their writing.
by Julianna Lee Marino, 826NYC
In this Spark, students put on their detective hats and sleuth out places to add more details into their writing.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
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
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 Bryan Wilson, Educator Leader, Bureau of Fearless Ideas
In this lesson students will work together to revise a scene from a first draft by adding descriptive details.
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
In this Spark, designed for the "Dear Poet" project, students will learn more about voice: what it is exactly, and how to name the elements of it.
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.
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
With a little folding and loads of creativity, students make their own zines that feature abstract recipes.
by 826 National
This Spark engages students in journaling as a practice that builds writing stamina, helps sort through ideas, and makes space for processing big feelings.
by 826 National
This activity reinforces the role of dialogue in a story, with students creating realistic conversation in A-Z fashion.
by Paris Hyun, 826LA
Students will use creative thinking to innovate an imaginary elixir that targets a problem they see in the world.
by Sarah Kokernot, 826CHI
Students use illustrations as entry points to write stories about friendship from a new perspective.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students help their new friend Olly the Octopus overcome his feelings of overwhelm by writing about strategies that work for them.
by Lindsay Stinson, 826LA
Students will learn to be empathetic towards those who are different by brainstorming scary characteristics of specific monsters and then developing more positive aspects to their nature.
by Julius Panoriñgan, 826LA
Students will use their knowledge of popular music to learn basic computer programming concepts.
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.
by 826 New Orleans
Students will imagine what they would do if they were someone or something else.
by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA
Why does kindness count? Students consider acts of kindness that they’ve experienced and reflect on the difference that kindness makes in the world.
by Ashley Houston-King, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students will learn about representation, self-advocacy, and the work of Marley Dias before writing about this young advocate.
by Mindy Misener, 826michigan
This activity encourages young writers to identify the rules in their own poems and to then experience the joy of either smashing the rules outright or finding a graceful way to reimagine them.
by Mandy Seiner, 826NYC
Nouns, adjectives, adverbs—and in this case—verbs are the building blocks of super sentences. In this Spark, students share action words that bring them joy and incorporate those verbs into a story.
by author Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket
Students will anthropomorphize an inanimate object to produce interview questions and answers.
by Brittany Thierry, 826 New Orleans
In this Spark, students will write a diamante poem, using specific parts of speech to beautifully describe a topic of their choice.
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 Pedro Estrada, 826LA
In this activity, students will examine narrative structure, explore the purpose and practice of myths, and put the two together to create their own original piece.
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
In this Spark, designed for the "Dear Poet" project, students explore the many ways you can connect to a poem and the poet who penned it.
by Andrea Nelson, 826DC
In this Spark, students will imagine alternate worlds—one where the sun never sets, and one where the sun never rises—and develop a setting for a story that captures this environment.
by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City
This Spark introduces students to the fantastical world of Flood City and prompts them to write a journal entry from the perspective of a Flood City resident.
by Shani Foster, 826LA
What if the room rained with glitter every time you got excited? In this Spark, students imagine a world where their feelings are expressed as visible, out-of-this-world weather.
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