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Grades level iconsGrades 5–6
Session time icon1 Session: 2 Hours
Genre information iconInformational
Resource type iconLessons

Build Your Own Treasure Hunt

Neil Gordon, 826LA
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.
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Lesson Instructions
What Your Students Will Learn

Students will practice the often-overlooked skill of providing precise, easy-to-follow instructions.

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Grades 5–6
Lessons
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 3–6
Lessons
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 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 5–8
Lessons
Ekphrastic Poetry

by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia

Poetry

Students write ekphrastic poems, exploring and creating connections between text and image.

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 6–8
Lessons
Writing to Discover

by Allison Peters, 826michigan

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 3–5
Lessons
Include Someone, Make a Difference
by Cartoon Network

by 826 National and Cartoon Network

Media
Narrative

This lesson encourages students to consider and write about the myriad ways to include someone, stop bullying before it starts, and make a difference.

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 3–5
Lessons
Endangered Perspectives

by Ellen Fee, 826 MSP

Narrative
Poetry
STEM

Students will learn about endangered species, how animals become endangered, and then write either a poem or a story about a day-in-the-life about an endangered animal of their choosing.

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 6–8
Lessons
Infinite Recess

by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Poetry
STEM

Students will create infinite poems using fractals, imagine life on a doughnut, and speculate about a universe where time goes crazy. Along the way, they'll explore cool, new math facts and concepts.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Misunderstood Monsters

by Lindsay Ringwald, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

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.

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

by AT Bianchi & Kati Shanks, 826michigan

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 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 3–5
Lessons
Welcome to Where You Are

by Emilia Rivera and Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia

Informational
Persuasive

Students will report about their favorite neighborhood places and write a review about the most special one.

Grades 3–5
Lessons
All About Me Zines

by Emily Lam, 826 Valencia

Narrative

In this lesson, students will go through the steps in the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) to produce a zine that highlights what makes them special.

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 1–5
Lessons
Me…a Villain?
by Cartoon Network

by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

In this lesson, students consider the perspective of a villain they love to hate. They will create a compelling backstory for the character and write short stories from the villain’s point of view.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
State Your Claim: Argumentative Writing

by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Persuasive

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

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 6–12
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 3–5
Lessons
Veggie Stories

By Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

In this lesson, students write vegetable-inspired superhero stories.

Grades 3–5
Lessons
New Holiday

by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia

Narrative

In this lesson, students will explore different holidays people celebrate around the world and then create a new holiday of their own.

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 3–5
Lessons
Stand Up with a Story: Anti-Bullying Strategies
by Cartoon Network

by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA

Narrative

Students team up to write collaborative short stories about a character who stands up to a bully and discover how they can help end bullying.

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 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 1–5
Lessons
From a Friend
by Cartoon Network

by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA

Narrative

In this lesson, students write letters to someone special and reflect on the impact of being kind towards others.

Grades 4–8
Lessons
King Cake Pourquoi Tales

by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans

Narrative

In this workshop, students will create a pourquoi tale, or origin story, of how a local delicacy came to be.

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 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 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 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 1–8, k
Lessons
Big Book of IFs

by 826 National, in partnership with Paramount Pictures

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 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 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 6–8
Lessons
LA Confidential

by Robert Paterno, 826LA

Informational
Narrative

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

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 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 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 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 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 1–5
Lessons
Write for Inclusion Publishing Kit
by Cartoon Network

by 826 National and Cartoon Network

Narrative
Poetry

Students write two stories focused on the power of inclusion with this downloadable, printable, DIY publishing kit.

Grades 1–5
Lessons
If Poems

by 826 New Orleans

Poetry

Students will imagine what they would do if they were someone or something else.

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 3–5
Lessons
Personification Poetry

by Nesley Rojo, 826 Valencia

Poetry

Students will practice identifying personification and then use sensory detail and figurative language to express it in their writing.

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 3–5
Lessons
Playing with Words: Idioms

by Kathy Seipp, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative

In this lesson, students will illustrate the literal and figurative meaning of idioms and write using idioms.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Super Sentences Rhymes

by Naomi Solomon, 826NYC

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 6–7
Lessons
#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 4–8
Lessons
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 5–8
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 3–5
Lessons
Field Journals

by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia

Informational
STEM

Students will become naturalists for the day by performing field observations and recording their thoughts in a field journal.

Grades 3–5
Lessons
Make a Change: Formal and Informal Campaigns

by Rebecca Glaser, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Persuasive

Students craft campaigns to take on an issue in their community, using formal and informal writing to convince others to take action.