Students will learn how to keep their writing a consistent practice by engaging with a variety of joyful and simple prompts throughout the summer.
Students will produce at least three pieces of writing in a variety of genres in response to prompts on the Summer Writing Tic-Tac-Toe Board.
Writing is an act of joy and freedom. At 826, we believe it’s always a good time to write—especially during the summer! This Spark includes two tic-tac-toe boards, with a variety of prompts that give students the opportunity to engage in writing across a variety of genres. The Summer Writing Tic-Tac-Toe—Handout also includes different styles of writing pages. You can use the paper provided or use paper that your students are already familiar with.
Student should complete a minimum of three prompts in order (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) to win tic-tac-toe. If you prefer to create a personalized tic-tac-toe board for your students or to create one together, you can use the provided blank template and the list of prompts below. When students complete three prompts in a row, they can cut out the “I Am an Author!” badge included at the end of the handout.
The following...
by 826 National, inspired by Julianna Lee Mariano, 826NYC
Calling all ghostbusters! In this Spark, students will learn more about what makes a spooky story and then develop their own creepy characters, with a silly twist.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students help their new friend Olly the Octopus overcome his feelings of overwhelm by writing about strategies that work for them.
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 826 National
Students will identify their favorite sensory memories and transfer them to a visual heart map.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this collection of poetry activities, young writers will explore a range of feelings and strengthen their emotional vocabulary. Activities are available in print and web versions!
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 Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students create a poem that shares the "happys" in their life.
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 826 National
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students reflect on the sound of feelings and use onomatopoeias in their poetry.
by Brittany Thierry, 826 New Orleans
In this Spark, students will write a diamante poem, using specific parts of speech to beautifully describe a topic of their choice.
by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA
Why does kindness count? Students consider acts of kindness that they’ve experienced and reflect on the difference that kindness makes in the world.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
What are students made of? This activity prompts students to reimagine recipes and write about their life experiences.
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 Sarah Kokernot, 826CHI
Students use illustrations as entry points to write stories about friendship from a new perspective.
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 Kiley McLaughlin & Dana Belott, 826 Valencia
Students experiment with alternative ways of writing poetry by reordering and rearranging pre-existing text.
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
In this social-emotional learning writing prompt, students write a poem describing the silliest creature they can imagine.
by 826 New Orleans
Students will imagine what they would do if they were someone or something else.
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 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 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 Mandy Seiner, 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 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 Ashley Houston-King, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students will learn about representation, self-advocacy, and the work of Marley Dias before writing about this young advocate.
by Mandy Seiner, 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 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.
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