Grades 6–9
50 Minutes
PoetrySparksYour students will learn about the haiku form, and write haikus about people in power they admire.
Your students will write haikus about people in power they admire.
STEP 1 (10 minutes)
Start by projecting the below quote from Gwendolyn Brooks:
“Look at what’s happening in this world. Every day there’s something exciting or disturbing to write about. With all that’s going on, how could I stop?” — Gwendolyn Brooks
Ask students to brainstorm what is happening in their life or the world right now that is exciting, disturbing, or otherwise worthy to write about. Students can list ideas, sketch, create a mind map—however they’d like to jot down their ideas.
After a few minutes, students should pick one thing from their list to write about. Students will have five minutes to free write on their topic(s). Once students are done writing, open up the class to share what they wrote about or one line from their piece.
STEP 2 (20 Minutes)
Read Sonia Sanchez’s poem “9 haiku (for Freedom’s Sisters)” —...
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…
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.
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Leslie Margolis invites students to consider their own personhood and what determines or defines it with two short prompts.
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 author Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket
Students will anthropomorphize an inanimate object to produce interview questions and answers.
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 826 National
This Spark provides students with the opportunity to get to know their classmates by sharing personal stories about a specific topic.
by Mariama Lockington, novelist and poet
Students revisit powerful memories to generate personal stories filled with heart.
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 Julia Sweeney, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will revise a piece of writing for sentence fluency.
by 826 National
With a little folding and loads of creativity, students make their own zines that feature abstract recipes.
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by Jessica Goodman
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by 826 National
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by 826 National
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
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by Maria Villarreal, 826CHI
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Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
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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 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 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 Jessica Thompson, 826 Dallas Project, and the Dallas Free Press
This Spark uses a popular improv game to show students the value of their ideas and the importance of keeping an open mind while writing.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
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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
This activity reinforces the role of dialogue in a story, with students creating realistic conversation in A-Z fashion.
by 826 National
These 10 prompts ask students to browse the 826 Digital Student Writing Gallery for writing inspiration.
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.
by Phil Stamper, author
With this pair of prompts, students look to the past and future for writing inspiration.
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 Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Students consider the influence that labels hold and write poetry to become empowered to describe themselves however they want.
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 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 Julianna Lee Marino, 826NYC
In this Spark, students put on their detective hats and sleuth out places to add more details into their writing.
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
This activity prompts students to write words unspoken, in letters undelivered.
Inspired by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
In this Spark, students will play a game of bingo to improve their narrative 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 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 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 Isaac Fitzgerald
In this Spark, students will mine their home and their habits for story and personal essay ideas.
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 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 826 National
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by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA
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by Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
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by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
What are students made of? This activity prompts students to reimagine recipes and write about their life experiences.
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 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 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 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 Daniel José Older, author of Flood City
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by the Team at 826CHI
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A fun, free-writing task which challenges students to take cheesy pop lyrics and make them into their own original poems.
by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA
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by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
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by Jane Roschen, 826LA
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by 826 National
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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 Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
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by Ada Limón
This poetry prompt from Ada Limón invites students to consider a personal connection to an animal.
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 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 Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students create an identity chart and write about parts of their identity most salient to them.
by Summer Medina, 826NYC
The “meet cute” is a tried-and-true way of introducing two characters destined for love or friendship. In this Spark, students will learn about the meet cute and then write their own.
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 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 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 Rebecca Stead
Using a place with personal meaning, students will learn a strategy for getting over the hurdle of beginning the writing process.
by the Programs Team at 826 Boston
Writers have the power to make choices about the words and structures they use in their writing. In this Spark, students will learn how to wield that power with purpose.
by Kiley McLaughlin & Dana Belott, 826 Valencia
Students experiment with alternative ways of writing poetry by reordering and rearranging pre-existing text.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
This activity prompts students to use words related to community and identity to reframe ancestral stories of resistance, growth, and survival.
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 Maria Villarreal, 826CHI
In this activity, students illustrate a favorite word and explore what makes words meaningful through illustration, research, and discussion.
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 826 National
IT’S ALIVE! In this Spark, students will play a version of the classic Exquisite Corpse activity to create new monster characters.
by Amani Nephew and Danny Kim, 826NYC
Writers have the power to evoke all kinds of emotions in their pieces. In this Spark, students will learn how to wield that power and develop the mood of a story.
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 Anna Griffin, 826 National
Students plot significant memories on a timeline in this reflective writing activity.
by 826 National, in partnership with Academy of American Poets
What words do we carry with us? This Spark introduces students to the Poem in Your Pocket Day celebration and invites them to create a pocket-sized poetry zine.
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students pose questions to the magic 8 ball in this activity centered on character motivation.
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.
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 David Ehrenhaft
Daniel Ehrenhaft asks students to consider perspective in a piece of their writing with this reflective spark.
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 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 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 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 Jessica Thompson, 826 Dallas Project, and the Dallas Free Press
In this Spark, students will learn more about conducting interviews and practice by interviewing a classmate.
by the Programs Team at 826 Boston
How is a scene different from a summary? In this Spark, students will explore the answer to that question and put both techniques into practice.
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 Nathalie Lagerfield, 826CHI
Students will imagine (and write about) their own fantastical worlds, using the cover illustrations of magazines as inspiration.
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.
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