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Grades level iconsGrades 6–8
Session time icon60+ Minutes
Genre information iconNarrative
Video resource type iconVideos

How Did You Get There?

by Amanda Detttmann, 826NYC
Poet and teaching artist with 826NYC, Amanda Dettmann, shares a simple and fun writing prompt that asks the question, "How Did You Get There?"
About the Author

Amanda is a poet and a teaching artist who is dedicated to telling stories that educate, inspire resilience, and encourage vulnerability. She strongly believes that supporting diverse communities will lead to a more equitable and inclusive future.

What Your Students Will Learn

You will learn how to build an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3.A Common Core Standards Icon
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.A Common Core Standards Icon
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.A Common Core Standards Icon
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
What You Will Do

STEP 1

Watch the video. Then, answer this question in your writing journal: “If you woke up in an alien’s basement, what’s the first thing you would do, to try and figure out how you got there?”

STEP 2

First, you will brainstorm a list of unusual locations on page 1 of the How Did You Get There?—Handouts. Don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild!  After you’ve created your list, choose 1 of the locations and circle it. This will be the setting of your story. 

STEP 3

Next, imagine you’ve just woken up in the unusual location you chose. You’d probably have a few questions (OK, maybe a lot of questions!) that you’d ask yourself. On page 2 of the handout, there is a variety of questions your character might ask themselves to try and figure out where they are and why...

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