Writing

We tell students to ‘show, not tell’ — but that advice is useless until they experience the difference. This lesson makes it click.

‘Add more variety!’ teachers say. But how? This lesson gives students actual techniques instead of vague advice.

Blow up a paragraph into individual sentences. Now reassemble it. The clues hiding in each sentence will surprise you.

We’ll start with the cliché “as cold as ice” and go somewhere much more interesting.

A passage from “The Fall of the House of Usher” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Let’s see how propaganda techniques can make even something great seem bad.

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about The Moon back into the correct order?

A specific technique to help students add some spice to their writing. We’ll be using antonyms to describe the same topic!

Rather than just demand that students “write clearly,” we’ll explore the hazards of poorly written sentences… and maybe create one of our own!

A passage from White Fang to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

What if we started a sentence with the simile?

Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn’t already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.

Read three pieces of writing from three different robots based on a beautiful painting and decide who wins!

A typical student narrative includes plot and characters but lacks a larger idea to hold it all together. This is where a lesson on themes comes in…

Let’s write a holiday song about order and chaos!

Let’s make this simile about a loud class super specific!

What if… Edgar Allen Poe wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?

A specific technique to help students add some spice to their writing. We’ll be writing sentences with three dependent clauses.

Three paragraphs about tomatoes. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Wouldn’t some holidays be better on a certain day of the week? Should Thanksgiving have a set date?

We open our unit on narrative writing with a big idea: “structure increases creativity.” I show how this is true by bringing in examples from across all disciplines.

Let’s make this simile about a strong uncle even more specific.

Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?

A passage from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Context clues lessons can be a disaster. Here, we expose students to a delightful classic packed with nonsense words (“Jabberwocky”) and ask them to decipher the meanings and parts of speech. Then, it’s only natural for students to write their own nonsense poems.

Get your students writing some pretty darn impressive poetry based on Japan’s most famous artist.

Students pick from 12 random phrases to create a story about an incident in a restaurant.

A passage from Moby Dick to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Repeating words can be what you want, if what you want is an interesting effect. (Psst, that’s an example of anadiplosis!)

What is bobbing for apples like… for an apple?

Let’s write the cleverest Mother’s Day cards you’ve ever seen!

If your students’ stories are packed with endless ninja fights or arguments between frenemies, it’s time to expose them to a wider range of conflicts.

Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about rain clouds back into the correct order?

A passage from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

What if we rewrote a piece of writing without using certain letters?

Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?

Did you ever notice that the structure of an essay is very similar to the structure of a paragraph? Hmm…

In this lesson, students will not just fix passive sentences, but break active sentences as they learn to put the star of the sentence first.

A passage from The Velveteen Rabbit to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about earthquakes back into the correct order?

Sure, Dr. Seuss wrote for young students, but can older students analyze his writing and learn to mimic his style? THEN, they can produce Seuss-style poetry about any topic: Ancient China, the electromagnetic spectrum, Pride and Prejudice, and (yes) fraction division!