Grades 6–10
SparksYour students will learn how to create short messages using common slang from their everyday lives.
Your students will produce a short list of slang-filled sayings to write on a heart cutout.
Before You Begin:
STEP 1
First, ask students to think of a positive or complimentary slang word or phrase that they’re loving right now and free write for a couple minutes in their writing journals:
Then, ask students if they’re ever heard of candy hearts, conversation hearts, or Sweethearts and either ask a student to share a description of them or pass out the real candy hearts you brought in or show pictures from online. The important thing to share with students is that these are small, heart-shaped sweets that always...
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Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.
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by author Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket
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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.
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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.
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Students consider the influence that labels hold and write poetry to become empowered to describe themselves however they want.
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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.
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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.
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by The New York Public Library
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IT’S ALIVE! In this Spark, students will play a version of the classic Exquisite Corpse activity to create new monster characters.
by G.D. Falksen
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Students pose questions to the magic 8 ball in this activity centered on character motivation.
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Students teach a "pirate" how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and learn how to give effective instructions in the process.
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Students will use creative thinking to innovate an imaginary elixir that targets a problem they see in the world.
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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.
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