This activity prompts students to write words unspoken in letters that are undelivered.
Grades 7–12
Narrative
Your Front Door
by Maria Villareal, 826CHI
Spark Summary
An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.
Grades 3–9
Narrative, Visual, Performing, and Media Arts
The Dialogue Shuffle
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
Spark Summary
This spark activity is designed to get your students on their feet while reinforcing the need for strong dialogue in narratives.
Grades 6–9
Narrative, Visual, Performing, and Media Arts
Magic 8 Ball: Character Desires
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Spark Summary
Students pose questions to the magic 8 ball in this activity centered on character motivation.
Grades 1–5
Narrative, Social-Emotional Learning
Friends Help Friends, Always
by Sarah Kokernot, 826CHI
Spark Summary
Students use illustrations as entry points to write stories about friendship and empathy.
Grades 1–3
Social-Emotional Learning
Kindness Counts
by Nicolien Buholzer, 826LA
Spark Summary
Why does kindness count? Students consider acts of kindness that they’ve experienced and reflect on the difference that kindness makes in the world.
Grades 7–12
Poetry
Write with Pride
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Spark Summary
Students consider the influence that labels hold and write poetry to become empowered to describe themselves however they want.
Grades 6–12
Poetry
Emulation Poetry
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
Spark Summary
To jumpstart their own poems, students take inspiration from the poetry of the others.
Grades 6–8
Informational, Narrative
Black Box Archaeology
by Louise McClune, 826 Valencia
Spark Summary
In this activity, students work as budding archeologists and creatively reimagine ways for archaeologists and historians to use artifacts to tell stories.
Grades 6–8
Informational, Narrative
Artifact Detective Balderdash
by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Spark Summary
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.
Grades 6–12
Narrative, Poetry
No Lab Coats Required: The Writing Laboratory
Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
Spark Summary
Students enter a Writing Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation to embark on their writing process.
Grades 1–6
Narrative, Poetry
Creative Recipes
Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
Spark Summary
What are students made of? This activity prompts students to reimagine recipes and write about their life experiences.