Grades 5–8
PoetrySparksIn this activity, students learn about how poetry tends to “break the rules.” Students practice breaking the “rules” in their own poems by challenging the expectations, assumptions, and principles found in their writing.
Here’s one way to read poetry: Look for the rules that the poem sets up, and then look to see how and where those rules get broken. As a really simple example, let’s look at the first two lines of Jim Daniels’ poem “Short-Order Cook”:
An average joe comes in
And orders thirty cheeseburgers and thirty fries.
The surprise of the second line comes from the “rule” set up in the first: that the man who comes in is an average joe. Not every poem is so explicit about how it breaks its own rules, of course, but generally speaking, one thing that makes reading poetry so rewarding is figuring out both what the rules are and how the poem plays with them.
Starting out with your most serious face, tell the writers something along the following: “This activity is going to be all about RULES, RULES, RULES. There are going to be so many rules that probably nobody is going to have any fun at all.” Next, tell the students you are going to read them one line of poetry. Slowly read ONLY THE FIRST LINE of Jim Daniels’ poem “Short-Order Cook” two or three times: An average joe comes in Ask your students to tell you about the “rules” of being an average joe. Brainstorm a short life of average characteristics....
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students pose questions to the magic 8 ball in this activity centered on character motivation.
by 826 National
Students discuss the 2021 inaugural poem by Amanda Gorman and write their own poems in response to "The Hill We Climb."
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 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 Phil Stamper, author
With this pair of prompts, students look to the past and future for writing inspiration.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
To jumpstart their own poems, students take inspiration from the poetry of the others.
by Rebecca Stead
Using a place with personal meaning, students will learn a strategy for getting over the hurdle of beginning the writing process.
by Spike Jonze, award-winning screenwriter and producer
A pair of prompts that invites students to consider how time, location, and dialogue can be used to construct a scene and build meaning.
by Liz Levine, 826NYC
Challenge students to rewrite a classic nursery rhyme with a twist.
by Christopher Ankney, Tom Bianchi, & Amy Wilson, 826michigan
In this fun, interactive game, students will build an understanding of the concept of synonyms. A strong grasp on how to use synonyms will improve students’ overall writing skills.
by, Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D., 826NYC
Students will interview each other in order to create an interesting written portrait. This is a great exercise in journalistic writing and the ability to work together with classmates.
by Sarah Kokernot, 826CHI
Students use illustrations as entry points to write stories about friendship from a new perspective.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia & 826 National
Students will collectively create a running list of golden details—details and descriptions that are singular, completely original, and make one's subject unforgettable.
by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA
In this activity, students write about a cause they are passionate about and imagine how they can create change in the world.
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
This activity prompts students to write words unspoken, in letters undelivered.
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 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 Maria Villareal, 826CHI
In this activity, students begin with the most essential details from various memories, helping them hone in on specifics without getting caught up in writer's block.
by Shavonde Chase, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this writing prompt, students are asked to reflect on the choices they make when deciding whether or not to help someone.
by Andrea Nelson, 826DC
In this Spark, students will develop a setting that captures the environment of an alternate world.
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 Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Students consider the influence that labels hold and write poetry to become empowered to describe themselves however they want.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.
by Anna Griffin, 826 National
Students plot significant memories on a timeline in this reflective writing activity.
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
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 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 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 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 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 David Ehrenhaft
Daniel Ehrenhaft asks students to consider perspective in a piece of their writing with this reflective spark.
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 the Team at 826CHI
Students learn to incorporate setting as a key element of a story, starting with inspiration from collages.
by Ola Faleti, 826CHI
Students draw inspiration from powerful change-makers to write celebratory, haiku poetry.
by author and activist P. Carl
Author and activist P. Carl asks students to write dialogue that captures two distinct and opposing voices, crafting a scene of action and discord.
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 Jason Reynolds, The New York Times Best-Selling Author & National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Students will write a personal narrative where they describe themselves as a place. Not a specific place, but all the things a "place" consists of.
by Isaac Fitzgerald
In this Spark, students will mine their home and their habits for story and personal essay ideas.
by Maria Villarreal, 826CHI
In this activity, students illustrate a favorite word and explore what makes words meaningful through illustration, research, and discussion.
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 Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S. and 2021 Inaugural Poet
Students recall “last times” in their lives and revisit the depth of their experience through writing.
by Paris Hyun, 826LA
Students will use creative thinking to innovate an imaginary elixir that targets a problem they see in the world.
by 826 National
Students will identify their favorite sensory memories and transfer them to a visual heart map.
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 Maria Villarreal, 826CHI
In this activity, students draw upon inspiration from existing text and the world around them to launch stories of their own.
by G.D. Falksen
Students draw inspiration from a real or fictional location and use this sense of place to develop an in-setting document.
by 826 National
This activity reinforces the role of dialogue in a story, with students creating realistic conversation in A-Z fashion.
Inspired by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will play a game of bingo to improve their narrative writing.
by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
Students enter a Writing Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation to embark on their writing process.
by Louise McClune, 826 Valencia
In this activity, students work as budding archeologists and creatively reimagine ways for archaeologists and historians to use artifacts to tell stories.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia & 826 National
Through a series of short drawing activities, students will explore the ways observable details can have a major impact on 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 Julius Panoriñgan, 826LA
Students will use their knowledge of popular music to learn basic computer programming concepts.
by Leslie Margolis
Leslie Margolis invites students to consider their own personhood and what determines or defines it with two short prompts.
by 826 National
With a little folding and loads of creativity, students make their own zines that feature abstract recipes.
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 New Orleans
Students will imagine what they would do if they were someone or something else.
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 Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D., 826NYC
In this activity, students explore Instagram as a form of public rhetoric and practice using hashtags as a way to engage with larger communities.
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 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 Leah Tribbett, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students tackle the art of writing authentic dialogue that reveals information about the characters, plot, and conflict.
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 author Lisa Ko
This writing prompt from author Lisa Ko invites students to explore the impact of social movements by envisioning and writing from an ideal future.
by author Tiphanie Yanique
In this Spark, students will explore two taboo emotions, desire and fear, by mapping where these feelings dwell in their bodies and using tactile language to describe their impact.
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 Kelly Jensen, writer and editor
Make space for creativity in nonfiction! Students will play with traditional nonfiction formats with these two writing prompts from Kelly Jensen, writer and editor.
by author Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket
Students will anthropomorphize an inanimate object to produce interview questions and answers.
by 826 National
A BINGO board full of fun, engaging writing prompts to keep skills sharp over the summer break!
by Kiley McLaughlin & Dana Belott, 826 Valencia
Students experiment with alternative ways of writing poetry by reordering and rearranging pre-existing text.
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 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 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.
Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will play a game of bingo to improve their poems!
by Ada Limón
This poetry prompt from Ada Limón invites students to consider a personal connection to an animal.
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
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
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 Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Students play a spin-off version of Balderdash in this activity, working as budding archeologists who must use the power of observation to solve a few artifact mysteries.
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 Catherine Calabro and Rachel Feder, 826michigan
A fun, free-writing task which challenges students to take cheesy pop lyrics and make them into their own original poems.
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 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 Karen Russell, novelist and short story writer
A hauntingly good pair of prompts! Students will reconsider the purpose of ghosts by either describing a haunted setting or writing from the perspective of a misunderstood ghost.
by Jessica Goodman
This Spark uses students’ favorite things to support their persuasive writing practice.
by The New York Public Library
At a time of rising book bans, The New York Public Library invites all teens to reflect on the essential freedom to read.
by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
This poetry prompt from Rachel Eliza Griffiths asks students to consider the ordinary in their lives—then write a poem that celebrates those ordinary objects and figures.
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 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, 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 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 Maria Villareal, 826CHI
An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.
by Nathalie Lagerfield, 826CHI
Students will imagine (and write about) their own fantastical worlds, using the cover illustrations of magazines as inspiration.
by 826 National
Candy hearts are a Valentine’s Day staple, with their funny—even punny—sayings about love. In this Spark, students will lean into the world of youth slang to write some “sweet” sayings of their own.
by 826 National
These 10 prompts ask students to browse the 826 Digital Student Writing Gallery for writing inspiration.
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, inspired by student authors of 826 New Orleans
Usually, an ode is written in celebration, but this Spark asks students to write an anti-ode—a poem about something they can’t stand!
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
Students consider perspectives of activists speaking up against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd and use imagery to capture protest scenes in writing.
by Mariama Lockington, novelist and poet
Students revisit powerful memories to generate personal stories filled with heart.
by Aracelis Girmay in collaboration with Aarti Monteiro & Nico Garbaccio, 826NYC
What lives inside a word? Find out how to trace connections between two dissimilar words with this playful Spark from award-winning poet Aracelis Girmay.
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