Grades 6–10
5 Sessions: 1 Hour
Memoir, NarrativeLessonsAfter five sessions, students will produce fully written and revised memoirs. These narratives will come to life through dialogue that shapes character personality, and descriptive details which transport readers to a special place in the writer’s memory.
Student Writing Samples
by Sharoya Bracey, 826NYC
In this memoir, the narrator recounts the struggle of being the bigger person in a very small space.
by Tammy Fong, 826NYC
A soccer-filled, feud-fueled memoir.
Students will be able to identify the differences between memoir and fiction writing and brainstorm ideas for their memoir. This activity was adapted from Girls Write Now.
Memoir Brainstorming — Handout
Dry erase board and markers
15 Minutes
If memoir writing is new to your students, it’s important to establish a foundation within this new genre. What is memoir writing? Take a few responses and jot down key ideas as students share. Then, students should take 5 minutes to write their responses to Part 1: Exploring the Genre questions found in the Memoir Brainstorming — Handout. Then do a share out with the class, adding new ideas to the board. Ask whether anyone has ever had someone else (a parent, a teacher, a friend) tell a story about them but they got it all wrong. Emphasize that writing memoir is a good way to capture our lived experiences in our words, to take ownership over our stories.
15 Minutes
Explain that the memoirs we’ll be writing will focus on place. Students should respond to Part 2: Where’s Your Happy Place? of their Memoir Brainstorming — Handout to brainstorm ideas about meaningful places in their lives. If they can’t come up with an answer for every question, that’s okay! They just need to brainstorm as much as they can. Afterward, invite students to share some of their ideas in pairs or small groups.
30 Minutes
With the remaining time, students can move on to Part 3: Deep Dive Description of the Memoir Brainstorming — Handout. They will choose which memory and place they’d like to write about and write a description of that place with a focus on sensory details.
Students will be able to outline their memoirs.
15 Minutes
Remind students that last session we thought of places where we felt certain emotions and connected with clear memories. We then began to describe those places. Today, we’ll discuss how we can structure our narratives. To do that, we’ll read a short memoir written by a tenth grader.
In small groups or as a whole class, students read the mentor text. Use the following questions to guide discussion:
20 minutes
Have the class sketch out a memoir arc for Bigger Than You Think on the dry erase board. Help students find a beginning, middle, and end in the mentor text. Use the following questions to structure the creation of the arc:
25 Minutes
Students will sketch out the structure of their own narratives using the Memoir Arc — Handout. Remind students that when choosing their topic, they should choose a place and memory that they can write as a scene. Encourage students to think about the same questions as they did in Step 1 when creating their memoir arc:
When students finish plotting out their memoir narratives, they can begin to write the beginning of their pieces.
Students will be able to identify how descriptions of setting can change based on the mood of a scene.
Before you begin, create a list of emotions. Write each emotion on a separate slip of paper. Put all the slips of emotions in a bowl, hat, or other container for students to later choose a slip from. Make sure you have enough slips for each group to pick a different emotion. Note that the emotions you choose for these slips will affect the level of difficulty of the exercise (i.e. happy, sad, angry vs. grateful, anxious, disgusted).
If your students don’t typically sit in groups, you may want to arrange small groups before you start.
5 Minutes
As a class, brainstorm what objects one would find in an apartment (kitchen table, paintings, windows, couch, etc.) Write them down on the board or projector for students to reference in the next activity. Depending on the size of your group, shoot for a list of 10-15 objects, or enough objects so that every student can contribute at least 2-3 descriptions to their group.
15 Minutes
Pass around the bowl of emotions and have each group choose one. As a group, students will describe the apartment objects, using the collective list you’ve created, from the perspective of someone who feels their chosen emotion. For example, a happy person’s apartment might have sunny yellow walls, windows that are wide open, etc.
Make sure students only discuss their emotions quietly within their own group and don’t share them with other groups.
10 Minutes
After groups have finished their descriptions for each object in the apartment, have a group spokesperson share their details with the rest of the class. Encourage the class to guess what emotion each group has based on their descriptions. For each group, ask how they were able to figure out the emotion, and what details gave away the emotion. This is a great time to explain that narrators and characters will notice and describe objects and settings based on their emotions.
30 Minutes
Students should spend the rest of class time continuing to write the first draft of their story, including details and descriptions of setting based upon their associated emotion(s).
Students will be able to use dialogue as a tool to show a character’s personality.
5 Minutes
Ask students to define the craft skill “dialogue” and ask why we might use dialogue in a story or memoir. Make sure to highlight that dialogue often helps us understand a character’s personality. It shows us how a character interacts with the people around them. Effective dialogue should reveal more about characters.
10 Minutes
Read Tammy Fong’s piece (or an excerpt) in table groups. Either as a whole class or in small groups, lead a discussion on the piece using the following questions:
10 Minutes
Ask each student to find one piece of dialogue in the memoir and change it to portray another personality and share in small groups, then with the class.
35 Minutes
Explain that even if a memoir writer cannot remember exactly what someone said, they can come up with dialogue that fits that character’s personality and what they remember of the situation. Students return to their own memoir drafts and add three pieces of dialogue to illustrate their characters’ personalities. Then, they keep writing.
Students will be able to revise a draft of their memoir pieces.
Before you begin, ensure every student has their memoir and that everyone has a copy of the Polish Your Piece — Handout.
10 Minutes
Explain that this is the last session we’ll be working on our memoirs together, and the focus will be on revision. Have students review what they’ve written so far and make a list of everything they want to accomplish today.
10 Minutes
Remind students that when they are done writing their memoirs—that means they have a beginning, middle, and an end—they can start revising. Inform students that the first step to revising your work is to first read your story aloud, either to yourself or to a peer. Before they begin, ask students, why does it help to read your story aloud?
Some answers to highlight are:
40 Minutes
Students will revise their memoirs for the rest of the class period. For additional resources, use the Polish Your Piece — Handout to help students critically think about how they can enhance and expand their story.
by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia
Students will find gratitude all around as they thank ordinary objects in their lives in the form of an ode.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
Students will identify something they have inherited from their families, conduct interviews, and write a narrative essay. This lesson is especially well suited for English Language Learners.
by 826 National
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.
by Jory John, 826 Valencia
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.
by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA
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.
by Miriam Nash, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
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.
by Allie Mariano, 826 New Orleans
Students will tell stories about their neighborhoods and create maps that document change. The end result is a better understanding of a map’s ability to demonstrate the history behind fixed points.
by Robert Paterno, 826LA
A mock crime scene kick-starts this lesson, getting students to hone their inferencing skills and serving as inspiration for crime stories.
by Summer Medina, 826NYC
Self-power comes from many places. In this lesson, students will discover the power that comes from speaking and writing in multiple languages through poetry.
by Mindy Misener, 826michigan
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.
by Lindsay Ringwald, 826LA
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.
by Ola Faleti, 826CHI, with an introduction by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S.
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.
by Karla Brundage, 826 Valencia
What’s in a name? Students will consider how language can impact identity and create an illustrated name poem that reflects their identities.
by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
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.
by 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students have an opportunity to write a letter expressing their views on issues that matter to them most surrounding an election.
by 826 National
What happens when we start from a place of gratitude? In this lesson, students will use Ross Gay’s "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" as a catalyst for a daily gratitude journal.
by Tony Weaver, Jr., educator and author of the graphic novel Weirdo
What makes a hero? In this lesson, students will develop a complex character that defies traditional archetypes and then write a superhero story featuring that character.
by Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D, 826NYC
In this lesson, students experiment with the multimodal composition of Instagram and use this social media platform to promote a social justice issue.
by Rebecca Escoto and Cynthia Aguilar, 826LA
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.
by Kelly Jones, 826 New Orleans
Through writing, drawing, mapping, and researching a chosen fruit, students will become more familiar with the often complex history of food and how people access it.
by Mariama J. Lockington & Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC
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.
by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City.
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.
by 826 National
Students will act as members of The Cryptid Convention—the world's only secret, not-so-secret society devoted to discussing new cryptids—and write an informational poster about an original cryptid.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
Ekphrastic poems vividly describe a piece of art. In this lesson, students will write ekphrastic poems, while exploring and creating connections between text and image.
by Jessica Barbaria, 826NYC
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.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
In this lesson, students explore the genres of historical and speculative fiction before they reimagine a time they felt powerless and write a different outcome.
by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Working as budding archaeologists, students use artifacts as inspiration for several short writing pieces.
by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students will craft an argument about a controversial topic they hold a personal connection to and record their argument to persuade their audience.
by Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.
by Catherine Calabro, with inspiration from Rachel Feder, 826michigan
Your students will use free writes, writing games, cheesy pop lyrics, and revision strategies to learn how to make connections between all of the points on their journey of writing a poem.
by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
Parody is a type of writing that deliberately exaggerates for comic effect. In this lesson, students will use foundational news-writing techniques to write their own parody.
by 826 National, in partnership with Paramount Pictures
Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes! Inspired by the Paramount Pictures movie, IF, students will create their own imaginary friend to take with them on their next adventure.
by AT Bianchi & Kati Shanks, 826michigan
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.
Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use mentor texts to hone their revision skills before turning to their own poetry drafts.
by 826 National
Spooky stories are universally beloved. Read a selection of spooky stories from countries around the world, and then write your own!
by Tony Weaver, Jr., educator and author of the graphic novel Weirdo.
When was the last time you felt like a superhero? In this lesson, students will reflect on that moment and write a poem that shows off their inner strengths.
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
In this lesson, students explore the graphic novel genre with a focus on plot and character development, scripting dialogue, and visual composition.
by Nathalie Lagerfeld & Jill Carey, 826CHI
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.
by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC
A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students will become script detectives, searching for the underlying structure of every play, and then use their own memories to inspire original plays.
by Saiya Miller, 826 New Orleans
Students will collect dirt, map their neighborhood, and listen to music that explores low sound, soil depth, and the psychological landscape of New Orleans.
by Tony Weaver, Jr., educator and author of the graphic novel Weirdo, with inspiration from Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
What if you could change the ending to a memory that left you powerless? In this lesson, students will retell a story with a new ending, reclaiming their power in the process.
by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. This lesson will support students in processing the changes in their everyday lives and help them to identify the creativity their community has exhibited.
by Jayne Kennedy, 826LA
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
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia
Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.
by Lisa Lutz, 826 Valencia
In this lesson by a young adult author and self-confessed superfan Lisa Lutz, students will learn letter-writing tips and create a fan letter.
by Allison Peters, 826michigan
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.
by Gem Carmella, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
In this lesson, students will learn how to write comedy sketches inspired by "Monty Python’s Flying Circus."
by Christopher Ankney, AT Bianchi, & Amy Wilson, 826michigan
Using Twitter as a storytelling medium, students will improve their understanding of perspective, editing for brevity, and the importance of word choice.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826MSP, and Skylar Burkhardt, 826 National
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.
by Emily Gerstner, 826 Valencia
Students will practice writing strong interview questions to learn new perspectives. This lesson can be used for community building or to support a research project.
by Tim Campos, 826 New Orleans
Through discussion, map-making, and writing, students will investigate the ways in which our knowledge of places is constructed and will uncover the ways that this knowledge is distorted by biases.
by Dr. Bunny McFadden, 826 Valencia
Imagination opens doors to new possibilities. This lesson allows students to exercise their creativity by describing an imaginary door to the future and picturing what is beyond it.
by Di Jayawickrema, 826NYC
Welcome to the Poetry Test Kitchen, where students will work together to cook up a delicious collective poem using metaphors, concrete details, and descriptive language.
by 826 National
Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.
by Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.
by Jane Roschen, 826LA
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.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
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.
by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan
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.
by KQED Education
This lesson from KQED Education asks students to choose an issue they care about and create an editorial cartoon advocating for change on a local, national, or global level.
by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
Extra, extra, read all about it! In this lesson, students will learn the basics of print journalism and write an editorial for a classroom newspaper.
by Tony Weaver, Jr., educator and author of the graphic novel Weirdo
World-building is a vital part of writing compelling science fiction. In this lesson, students will develop a new, in-depth world for their science fiction story.
by Aran Donovan, 826 New Orleans
Students (virtually) explore a local cemetery and write a monologue from a famous person buried there, including facts from their research and imagined details from a mapping exercise.
by Marya Spont-Lemus, 826CHI
Through brainstorming and drafting activities, students will learn the basics of personal narrative writing and craft an essay that they can use for college, scholarships, job applications and more.
by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader
This lesson invites students to write a modern day fairy tale. Students will reconstruct classic fairy tales by choosing to focus on altering one story element: setting, point of view, or resolution.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students will work collaboratively to construct a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and educators.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Students will read a poem by Eve L. Ewing and learn to write a poem that retells or reimagines an experience.
by Kim Adelman, 826LA
In this lesson, students imagine trading lives with a fictional character for a day and write about the fantastic possibilities that would ensue.
by Ellen Lathrop and Malia Urbina, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use descriptive language to write a poem about a favorite animal.
by Paris Hyun, 826LA
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.
by Bryan Wilson, Educator Leader, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas
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.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students examine relationships between art, poetry, politics, and current events, and reflect on personal experiences while writing social justice poetry.
by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans
In this Spark, students will create a “pourquoi tale,” or origin story, of how a local delicacy came to be.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Over the course of this lesson, students produce memoirs, poems, and essays that explore what it means to be a member of the LGBTQIA community in America today.
by Tom Molanphy, 826 Valencia
Students will learn to see home in a fresh way, to walk through doors and open windows they never noticed, and to find the stories that home holds.
by Neil Gordon, 826LA
Adventure unfolds in this lesson, where students design a treasure hunt using precise, clear instructions to help any landlubber to discover the secret location of buried treasure!
by Abigail Jacobs & Taylor Jacobson, 826 Valencia & 826LA
This lesson teaches students to write proposals so convincing no parent can resist them.
by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA
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.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.
by Julius Diaz Panoriñgan, 826LA
Through an upcoming zombie apocalypse, students will explore multiple STEM disciplines and the importance of scientific modeling. They'll write technical notes and create an ongoing narrative.
by Rebecca Darugar, Liz Levine, and Brancey Mora, 826NYC and 826 National
Invite students to write about their personal experiences with social media and online platforms with this lesson from 826NYC.
by Mandy Seiner, 826NYC
In this lesson, students will learn about different types of rhymes, identify rhymes in lyrics and generate rhymes to use in their own lyrics.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.
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