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.
Longer than a long weekend, more thorough than a thoroughbred, and more fun than a funhouse, it’s … “The Science of Superpowers”! True to its subject, this is a super lesson, covering a wide range of STEM and poetry concepts in its four action-packed sessions. But don’t feel like you need to be a hero—do as many or as few as you like.
We all know some heroes have special powers. But how exactly do their powers work? Do you know how Iron Man flies? Want to know how the Black Widow uses her superhuman strength? In this lesson, students explore the science and engineering behind superpowers and heroic adventures using DNA extraction, paper airplane construction, Q-tip tower building, and egg drop design. In addition to lab journal writing, each activity is paired with a different genre of poetry inspired by the session’s theme and hands-on activity.
This is a very flexible lesson. Of course, it was designed to be taught as a series and while the science content is different in each lesson, there is a flow to the overarching themes. That said, it also works well as an abbreviated series—doing only sessions 1 and 2, or teaching only sessions 3 and 4.
In this session, students explore the heritable qualities (meaning characteristics that can be passed on from parents to offspring) of living things. Students look at the interplay between that inheritance and who a person becomes, sometimes discussed as nature versus nurture. This session is adapted from "Strawberry DNA Extraction," https://seplessons.org/node/217.
STEM to Story: Enthralling and Effective Lesson Plans for Grades 5-8 inspires learning through fun, engaging, and meaningful lesson plans that fuse hands-on discovery in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with creative writing. The workshop activities within the book are the innovative result of a partnership between 826 National's proven creative writing model and Time Warner Cable's Connect a Million Minds, an initiative dedicated to connecting young people to the wonders of STEM through hands-on learning. Authentically aligned with both the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, this book provides teachers, after-school and out-of-school providers, and parents with field-tested lessons, workshops, and projects designed by professionals in each field. Including reflective observations by arts and science celebrities like Jon Scieszka, Mayim Bialik, and Steve Hockensmith, lessons feature bonus activities, fun facts, and teaching points for instructors at every level. These quirky, exploratory lessons will effectively awaken student imaginations and passions for both STEM and creative writing, encourage identity with scientific endeavors, and make both science and writing fun.
by Emilia Rivera and Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia
Students will report about their favorite neighborhood places and write a review about the most special one.
by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will explore different holidays people celebrate around the world and then create a new holiday of their own.
by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC
A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.
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 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 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 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 Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia and 826 National
Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.
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 Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA
In this lesson, students consider the perspective of a villain they love to hate. They will create a compelling backstory for the character and write short stories from the villain’s point of view.
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 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 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 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 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 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 826 National and Cartoon Network
This lesson encourages students to consider and write about the myriad ways to include someone, stop bullying before it starts, and make a difference.
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 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 Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Emotions play a big role in how we remember places that are important to us. Students explore this idea by writing memoirs, using plot, dialogue, and description to bring their stories to life.
By Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students write vegetable-inspired superhero stories.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students will work collaboratively to construct a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and educators.
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 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 826 National and Cartoon Network
Students write two stories focused on the power of inclusion with this downloadable, printable, DIY publishing kit.
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 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 Ellen Lathrop and Malia Urbina, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use descriptive language to write a poem about a favorite animal.
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 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 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 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 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.
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 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 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 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 Kathy Seipp, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students will illustrate the literal and figurative meaning of idioms and write using idioms.
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 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 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 Rebecca Glaser, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students craft campaigns to take on an issue in their community, using formal and informal writing to convince others to take action.
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 Nesley Rojo, 826 Valencia
Students will practice identifying personification and then use sensory detail and figurative language to express it in their writing.
by Amani Nephew, 826NYC
Behind every superstition lives a tale worth sharing. In this lesson, students will conjure their own urban legend or superstition to explain the unknown.
by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA
In this lesson, students write letters to someone special and reflect on the impact of being kind towards others.
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 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 Brandan Pierce, 826michigan
In this Lesson, students will identify a problem in their community and publish a zine for a target audience to advocate for change.
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 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 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 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 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 Amani Nephew, 826NYC
Have you ever had a day go from bad to worse? Blame it on Murphy’s Law! In this lesson, students will create snowballing conflicts for their character to confront.
by 826 National, inspired by a workshop by Daniel Johnson
Engineers, ahoy! Students put their skills to the test designing tinfoil boats, learning about density along the way. Then, they incorporate their newfound knowledge into thrilling tales.
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 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 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 Kendra Lappin, 826 Valencia
Students will become naturalists for the day by performing field observations and recording their thoughts in a field journal.
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 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 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.
Bryan Wilson, 826 Digital Educator Leader with Julie Solarek, Literacy Specialist
In this lesson, students reflect on their year of writing and become mentors for next year’s class by sharing their reflections in letters or zines.
by 826 National, based on a workshop by Mai Lee
In this lesson, students will learn the basics of engineering to craft awesome paper airplanes and practice technical writing to recreate their designs.
by Abigail Jacobs & Taylor Jacobson, 826 Valencia & 826LA
This lesson teaches students to write proposals so convincing no parent can resist them.
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 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.
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 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 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 Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA
Students team up to write collaborative short stories about a character who stands up to a bully and discover how they can help end bullying.
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 Emily Lam, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will go through the steps in the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) to produce a zine that highlights what makes them special.
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 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 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 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 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 Ellen Fee, 826 MSP
Students will learn about endangered species, how animals become endangered, and then write either a poem or a story about a day-in-the-life about an endangered animal of their choosing.
by 826 New Orleans
Students will imagine what they would do if they were someone or something else.
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 Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Working as budding archaeologists, students use artifacts as inspiration for several short writing pieces.
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 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 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 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 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 826 National
Spooky stories are universally beloved. Read a selection of spooky stories from countries around the world, and then write your own!
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 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 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 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 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 Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.

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