Grades 1–5
Media, NarrativeSparksStudents consider the perspective of other character(s) to write stories that highlight the importance of being kind.
Student Writing Samples
by Alondra, 826CHI
An epic story of a princess who seeks acceptance among the stars.
by Natalia, 826CHI
A story told by her grandfather leads Betty on a journey where fiction and reality collide.
This Spark comes from a lesson developed as part of the Inclusion Storytelling Project, a collaboration between 826CHI, 826 National, and Cartoon Network’s award-winning “Stop Bullying: Speak Up” campaign. The Spark is centered on writing as a vehicle for Social-Emotional Learning and is designed to encourage youth to share their individual stories about kindness and empathy in an effort to stop bullying before it starts.
Before you begin, either print, project, or share the Cartoon Network character illustrations, which feature one or more Cartoon Network characters. You may also choose to add images of characters from other representational works of art.
Start the activity with a Gallery Walk. Whether you place the illustrations around the room or ask students to click through the images on their own devices, students should spend a couple of minutes viewing each picture, paying special attention to the character(s) in each. Students should note the details that stand out to them in their notebooks. Tell students that after viewing the four images, they will choose one illustration to use as inspiration for a new story.
Next, share the two prompts on empathy and friendship with your students. For both prompts, if students are familiar with the character they chose, ask them to imagine a new, original back story for the sake of the activity.
Option A:
Are there more than two characters in your illustration?
If so, include something in your story about how they became friends! Here are some questions to help you along:
Now, imagine that you are one the characters in your illustrations. Who are you? Write from the character’s perspective using “I” to narrate the story. What’s the best thing about being friends with the other character? What do you admire about them?
Option B:
Do you have only one character in your illustration?
If so, imagine that they are someone you know who is having a bad day. Maybe you’re best friends with them, or maybe you’re just acquaintances, or maybe this is the first time you’ve ever met each other. Why was the character having a bad day? What do you do to help them feel better?
To close the activity, ask students to get into groups based on the illustration they chose so that all students who selected the same image can share their work. Ask students to read part or all of their story with group members and listen for common themes across their writing.
by Naomi Solomon, 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 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 Rae Baum, 826 Digital Educator Leader
This quick writing prompt invites students to jump into the fantasy genre, imagining what happens when faced with the unexplainable!
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 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 826 National
Students will write a poem about nature using sensory details to capture the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feeling of the subject.
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 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 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 Paris Hyun, 826LA
Students will use creative thinking to innovate an imaginary elixir that targets a problem they see in the world.
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 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 826 National
In this Spark, students will use backward thinking to create a four-panel comic strip story using the backward problem-solving skills of software developers.
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 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, with inspiration from Naomi Soloman, 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-emotional learning writing prompt, students reflect on the sound of feelings and use onomatopoeias in their poetry.
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 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 Mariama J. Lockington and Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC
In this session, students will write haikus that includes two perspectives, one of a hero and one of an engineer, to design a secret lair for a superhero.
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 Nathalie Lagerfield, 826CHI
Students will imagine (and write about) their own fantastical worlds, using the cover illustrations of magazines as inspiration.
by author Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket
Students will anthropomorphize an inanimate object to produce interview questions and answers.
by Naomi Solomon, 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 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
By combining two classic games, students will learn how storytelling and art can build community or help them break through writer’s block.
by 826 National
Students will identify their favorite sensory memories and transfer them to a visual heart map.
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 Neil Gordon, 826LA
Students teach a "pirate" how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and learn how to give effective instructions in the process.
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 826 National
This Spark provides students with the opportunity to get to know their classmates by sharing personal stories about a specific topic.
by 826 National
A BINGO board full of fun, engaging writing prompts to keep skills sharp over the summer break!
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
In this Spark, students will explore the many ways you can connect to a poem.
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
In this Spark, students will learn more about voice: what it is exactly, and how to name the elements of it.
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 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 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
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 New Orleans
Students will imagine what they would do if they were someone or something else.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
With this collection of 826 Digital poetry activities, young writers will explore a range of feelings and strengthen their emotional vocabulary. Activities are available in print and web versions!
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 Kiley McLaughlin & Dana Belott, 826 Valencia
Students experiment with alternative ways of writing poetry by reordering and rearranging pre-existing text.
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 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 Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students create a poem that shares the "happys" in their life.
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 Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students write a poem describing the silliest creature they can imagine.
by 826 National
With a little folding and loads of creativity, students make their own zines that feature abstract recipes.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students write about strategies for recognizing and overcoming the feeling of overwhelm.
by Liz Levine, 826NYC
Challenge students to rewrite a classic nursery rhyme with a twist.
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.
by 826 National
This activity reinforces the role of dialogue in a story, with students creating realistic conversation in A-Z fashion.
by Naomi Soloman, 826NYC
In this Spark, students put on their detective hats and sleuth out places to add more details into their writing.
by the Team at 826CHI
Students learn to incorporate setting as a key element of a story, starting with inspiration from collages.
by Julius Panoriñgan, 826LA
Students will use their knowledge of popular music to learn basic computer programming concepts.
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 Andrea Nelson, 826DC
In this Spark, students will develop a setting that captures the environment of an alternate world.
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 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.
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