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Grades level iconsGrades 6–12
Session time icon25 minutes
Genre information iconMemoir
Video resource type iconVideos

Writing & Mental Health with Arielle Johnson (AJ)

by 826 National
In this lesson, you will learn a strategy for writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly.
What Your Students Will Produce
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Grades 6–8
Videos
Character Choices

by Sarah Richman, 826DC

Narrative

Writer and staffer at 826DC, Sarah Richman, shares an original writing prompt that will help you get aquainted with your new characters.

Grades 6–8
Videos
Side Character Stories with Emily Harding

by Emily Harding

Narrative

Author and TV producer, Emily Harding shows side characters some love in this writing prompt.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Write With . . . Life Stories: Excavate Your Story with Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis
by Life Stories

by 826 National and Life Stories

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, you will learn about Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis’s life, an idea she calls “fierce-love,” and the importance of learning to love yourself.

Grade 7
Videos
Day & Night: Rhyme Schemes

by 826 National, featuring Eloise Combs, Grade 3, Michigan

Poetry

Not all poems have to rhyme, but when they do, they generally use “rhyme scheme.” In this lesson, students will write a poem with a unique sound and rhyme scheme.

Grades 6–8
Videos
Story Shapes with Tom Perrotta

by 826 National

Narrative

Author Tom Perrotta reads "Peter, Who Went on the Best Adventure Ever." In this lesson, you will learn about 3 shapes that will help the events of your story unfold naturally.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Write With. . . Life Stories: Soundscape Poems with Jason Reynolds
by Life Stories

by 826 National and Life Stories

Poetry

You will write a “soundscape” poem filled with familiar sounds of your neighborhood or home.

Grades 6–8
Videos
Pickup Lines Cheesier Than Cheddar with Carter Higgins

by 826 National

Narrative
Poetry

Author Carter Higgins reads "Pickup Lines Cheesier Than Cheddar," a piece written by fifth-grader Uma (826NYC).

Grades 9–10
Videos
The 5 Speeds of Scene with Sean Prentiss

by Sean Prentiss

Narrative

Essayist, poet, and National Outdoor Book Award winner Sean Prentiss shares 5 techniques to use when writing scenes.

Grades 4–8
Videos
Inspiration in the Everyday with Charlotte Yeung

by Charlotte Yeung

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

Midwest Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador, Charlotte Yeung, shares one of her favorite brainstorming strategies for creating a new piece.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Remix Your Writing

by Robin Reid Drake, 826CHI

Poetry

826CHI Teaching Artist, Robin Reid Drake, shares an original writing prompt that encourages students to borrow lines from their favorite pieces of writing and then remix them into something new.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Floor Plan

by Amy Dupcak, 826NYC

Memoir
Narrative

Writer and teaching artist with 826NYC, Amy Dupcak, shares a memoir writing prompts that helps students use specific sensory language to describe a place they love.

Grades 2–12
Videos
Hear Me Out with Javier Zamora

by Javier Zamora, 826 Valenica alumni and New York Times bestselling author

Memoir
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

Author Javier Zamora invites you to raise your voice and write to the next President of the United States.

Grades 4–8
Videos
Interviewing Inanimate Objects with Daniel Handler

by Daniel Handler

Narrative

Author Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, shows there are no limits to imagination with this interviewing activity.

Grades 9–10
Videos
Writing & Empathy with Dr. Matthew Bucknor

by 826 National

Memoir
Narrative

Radiologist Matthew Bucknor shares while it's important for students studying STEM fields "not to sleep on the Humanities."

Grades 6–8
Videos
Why This Story Matters with Soledad O’Brien

by 826 National

Informational
Media

Award-winning documentarian and journalist,Soledad O'Brien, shares about why she loves her job and how she builds credibility out in the field through thorough research.

Grade 6
Videos
The Wolf: Point of View Poem

by 826 National, featuring Nayeli Karunasekara, grade 6, Michigan

Poetry

Through this mentor text, students learn more about the types of point of view and how different points of view impact their writing.

Grades 6–12
Videos
Battling the Page with Johan Bergenas

by 826 National

Informational
Narrative
Persuasive
Poetry

In this lesson, you will build your confidence as a writer by battling the page on a consistent basis.

Grades 9–10
Videos
Place As a Character with Sean Prentiss

by Sean Prentiss

Narrative

Essayist, poet, and National Outdoor Book Award winner Sean Prentiss shares his favorite way to develop the setting of a story or essay as a fully formed character.

Grades 9–10
Videos
Writing & Advocacy with Brenda Quintanilla

by 826 National

Informational

Law student Brenda Quintanilla shares how writing is a vital tool to use when advocating for your community.

Grades 3–12
Videos
Book Scavenger Hunt Poetry with Amanda Gorman

by Amanda Gorman

Poetry

Presidential Inaugural Poet, activist, and bestselling author Amanda Gorman shares one of her favorite techniques for starting a poem or getting over writers' block.

Grades 4–6
Videos
Silly Scenes with Sean Thomason

by 826 National

Media
Narrative

In this lesson, you will create a character and show how a character would respond in a specific situation by writing dialogue, resulting in a silly scene.

Grades 1–12, k
Videos
Write. Read. Feel. with Mychal Threets

by Mychal Threets, librarian and literacy ambassador

Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

Librarian and literacy ambassador Mychal Threets invites you to write about your feelings, your way with four writing prompts to explore your emotions on the page.

Grades 5–8
Videos
Climactic Cliffhangers with Mac Barnett

by Mac Barnett

Narrative

Mac Barnett, a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children, illustrates how to end a story...or not.

Grades 6–12
Videos
Meaning from Shape (Secondary)

by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP

Poetry

Journalist and 826 MSP staffer, Cristeta Boarini, shares a poetry prompt that walks students through using shapes to convey meaning.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Notice What You Notice with Austin Bunn

by Austin Bunn

Narrative

Fiction writer, playwright, and screenwriter Austin Bunn shares a writing prompt that will get you noticing--and reimagining--the objects you see everyday.

Grades 9–10
Videos
Writing for TV with Tim McKeon

by 826 National

Media
Narrative

Television writer and showrunner Tim McKeon shares how he became a scriptwriter and the valuable skills you'll need if you'd like to become one too.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Write With . . . Life Stories: Singing Through Struggles with Gloria Estefan
by Life Stories

by 826 National and Life Stories

Media

Songwriters are powerful storytellers. Their lyrics can connect us, uplift us, and even heal us. In this lesson, you’ll identify a story of your own and turn it into original song lyrics.

Grades 8–10
Videos
1947: Stories as Records

by 826 National, featuring Priyanna Kumar Singhania, Grade 8

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, you will write down a story that’s been passed down to you, using precise words and phrases and sensory language, to convey a vivid picture of the event.

Grades 9–12
Videos
The Art of Revision with Shavon Doyle-Holton

by 826 National

Informational
Narrative

Revision is the process of making substantial changes in your writing. In this lesson, you will use revision strategies to strengthen a current piece of writing you’re working on.

Grades 6–8
Videos
The Egg Dozen Dilemma: What’s the Central Idea?

by 826 National, featuring Kaiden Griggs, Grade 6

Informational
Media

In this lesson, students will identify the main idea and supporting details of an informational text and summarize this idea objectively.

Grades 11–12
Videos
I Remember… with Natalie Moore

by Natalie Moore

Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, you will use journal entries as inspiration for a dynamic narrative poem.

Grades 9–12
Videos
For Every One

by Jason Reynolds

Memoir
Narrative

Part letter, part long-form poem, "For Every One" offers reflections and courageous words about unraveling and rebuilding one's dreams.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Write With… Life Stories: Storytelling Is Who We Are with Tova Friedman
by Life Stories

by 826 National and Life Stories

Narrative

Stories can bridge our past to our future—but only if we build them. In this lesson, you will reflect on a story from your personal history that you think others could learn from.

Grades 9–10
Videos
Writing & Creativity with NaBeela Washington

by 826 National

Narrative

Writers are guided by their personal and artistic values as they work to achieve their goals. But what are those values built on? In this lesson, you will discover that for yourself.

Grades 9–12
Videos
How to Ask Why with Nicole Dungca

by 826 National

Informational
Media

Nicole Dungca, Investigative Reporter at The Washington Post and President of the Asian American Journalists Association, shares strategies for asking key questions.

Grades 6–8
Videos
How Did You Get There?

by Amanda Dettmann, 826NYC

Narrative

Poet and teaching artist with 826NYC, Amanda Dettmann, shares a simple and fun writing prompt that asks the question, "How Did You Get There?"

Grades 6–12
Videos
Reflections on Writing from Jason Reynolds

by Jason Reynolds

Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and NYT Bestselling Author, Jason Reynolds, joined 826 students for a conversation on his video project, "For Every One."

Grades 9–12
Videos
Write With . . . Life Stories: Moments as Poetry with Reginald Dwayne Betts
by Life Stories

by 826 National and Life Stories

Poetry

In this lesson, you will hear about the life and art of Reginald Dwayne Betts and write a poem that captures a meaningful moment from your everyday life.

Grades 4–6
Videos
Superhero-O-Matic with Lisa Brown

by 826 National

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Author and illustrator Lisa Brown reads "Owl Girl. In this lesson, you will write a superhero story that introduces your character and establishes the context for your reader.

Grades 9–12
Videos
Writing & LinkedIn with Erin Polgreen

by 826 National

Memoir
Narrative

Senior Business Development Manager Erin Polgreen shares more about the ways she sees LinkedIn users engaging with writing on the platform.

Grades 3–6
Videos
Honey Bee: Lessons in Fables

by 826 National, featuring Isaac Reynolds, Grade 6

Narrative

What’s the moral of the story? In this lesson, students practice identifying and summarizing a moral in a fable written by a sixth grader.

Grades 9–10
Videos
TV Narrative Study with Tim McKeon

by 826 National

Informational
Media

Television writer and showrunner Tim McKeon shares how you can study your favorite TV show to learn about screenwriting.

Grade 8
Videos
Paper Doll: Concrete Poems

by 826 National, featuring Soeun Lee, Grade 8, NJ

Poetry

In this lesson, you will create poems that look completely different from poems you have written before!

Grades 11–12
Videos
If I Were a Poet: Ironic Narratives

by 826 National, featuring Alistar Bedell, Grade 11, CA

Narrative

In this lesson, you will practice analyzing different types of a narrative technique called irony. Then, you will write your own scene that uses irony to develop an imaginary experience or character.