“I use Byrdseed TV to differentiate for my clustered students. I LOVE all the ideas!” ~ a teacher in Washington

CCSS ELA Standard: 6.W.3

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Characters’ Faults Can Also Be Strengths
Characters’ Faults Can Also Be Strengths
Strength and weakness are often two sides of the same coin. Students will explore how a character’s flaw can be a benefit.
Gr 1-8
Halloween Problems and Solutions
Halloween Problems and Solutions
When we try to solve a problem, sometimes we end up creating new problems. Which lead to new solutions. Which lead to new problems.
Gr 1-8
St. Patrick and Other Legends
St. Patrick and Other Legends
How would real people feel about the legends that have been created about them?
Gr 2-8
Change A Story’s Genre
Change A Story’s Genre
What if we rewrote a story’s climax into a totally different genre?
Gr 1-8
Holiday Emoji Story ⛷️
Holiday Emoji Story ⛷️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Holiday Emoji Story 🍪
Holiday Emoji Story 🍪
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Holiday Emoji Story ☃️
Holiday Emoji Story ☃️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Holiday Emoji Story 🎅
Holiday Emoji Story 🎅
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Holiday Emoji Story 🚚
Holiday Emoji Story 🚚
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Halloween Emoji Story 🎃
Halloween Emoji Story 🎃
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Halloween Emoji Story 🌕
Halloween Emoji Story 🌕
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Halloween Emoji Story 🕷️
Halloween Emoji Story 🕷️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 🦁
Emoji Stories 🦁
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 🐌
Emoji Stories 🐌
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 🚚
Emoji Stories 🚚
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Emoji Stories 🏟️
Emoji Stories 🏟️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Emoji Stories 🕰️
Emoji Stories 🕰️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 👁️
Emoji Stories 👁️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Emoji Stories 🚗
Emoji Stories 🚗
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 🤖
Emoji Stories 🤖
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 🐻
Emoji Stories 🐻
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Emoji Stories 🏰
Emoji Stories 🏰
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Emoji Stories 🛥️
Emoji Stories 🛥️
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 1-8
Bobbing for Apples
Bobbing for Apples
What is bobbing for apples like… for an apple?
Gr 2-8
A Halloween Costume Gone Wrong
A Halloween Costume Gone Wrong
Let’s go roller skating in a Halloween costume! What could possibly go wrong?
Gr 1-8
Super Specific Similes: Stinky Seaweed
Super Specific Similes: Stinky Seaweed
Start with a basic simile. Now make it more specific. Now even more. Watch how much better writing gets with each round.
Gr 1-8
What If… Unreliable Water?
What If… Unreliable Water?
What would the consequences be if a town’s tap water became… unreliable?
Gr 3-8
What If… No Sleep?
What If… No Sleep?
What would the consequences be if no one had to sleep anymore?
Gr 1-8
Looking Closely at Holiday Photos
Looking Closely at Holiday Photos
Let’s write from multiple perspectives using an old timey holiday photo!
Gr 1-8
Holiday Writing: Packing Crates
Holiday Writing: Packing Crates
An old photograph. A holiday scene. Pick one object in the picture and write from its point of view.
Gr 1-8
Thanksgiving Photo Writing
Thanksgiving Photo Writing
Starting with an old-timey photo, students will write from a particular item’s point of view.
Gr 1-8
Writing About Art: Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons
Writing About Art: Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons
Look closely at Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.
Gr 1-8
Writing About Art: Chōshi in Shimosha
Writing About Art: Chōshi in Shimosha
Get your students writing some pretty darn impressive poetry based on Japan’s most famous artist.
Gr 1-8
Writing About Art: Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
Writing About Art: Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
Look closely at Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.
Gr 1-8
Writing About Art: Twilight in the Wilderness
Writing About Art: Twilight in the Wilderness
Look closely at Twilight in the Wilderness. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.
Gr 1-8
A Lunar Survival Mission
A Lunar Survival Mission
A favorite of mine! This task is delightfully complex and ambiguous, forcing students to make choices without enough information and with no right answer. How will they survive on the moon for three days?
Gr 1-8
Writing Sample: A Christmas Carol (Cold)
Writing Sample: A Christmas Carol (Cold)
A passage from White Fang to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Writing Technique: Opposite Adjectives
Writing Technique: Opposite Adjectives
A specific technique to help students add some spice to their writing. We’ll be using antonyms to describe the same topic!
Gr 1-8
Story Starter: A Day At School
Story Starter: A Day At School
Students use 12 random phrases to create a story that takes place at school.
Gr 1-8
Story Starter: Out To Eat
Story Starter: Out To Eat
Students pick from 12 random phrases to create a story about an incident in a restaurant.
Gr 1-8
Story Starter: Amusement Park
Story Starter: Amusement Park
Students use 12 random phrases to write a story that takes place in at an amusement park.
Gr 2-8
Story Starter: A Magical School
Story Starter: A Magical School
Students use 12 random phrases to create a story that takes place in at a magical school.
Gr 1-8
Story Starter: Somewhere In Space
Story Starter: Somewhere In Space
Students use 12 random phrases to create a story that takes place in space!
Gr 3-8
Writing Sample: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Falling)
Writing Sample: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Falling)
A passage from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Writing Sample: The Velveteen Rabbit (The Toys)
Writing Sample: The Velveteen Rabbit (The Toys)
A passage from The Velveteen Rabbit to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Writing A Thanksgiving Letter
Writing A Thanksgiving Letter
What if an inanimate object could express thanks for a special person in your life? What would it write?
Gr 1-8
Writing Sample: Peter Pan
Writing Sample: Peter Pan
A passage from “Peter Pan” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Writing Sample: Anne of Green Gables
Writing Sample: Anne of Green Gables
An intriguing passage from Anne of Green Gables to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Do Narrators Have Too Much Power?
Do Narrators Have Too Much Power?
Imagine being a character in a story. Are you worried that your story’s narrator may inaccurately describe you? What if they reveal something you wanted to be kept secret? Do narrators have too much power!?
Gr 1-8
The Personalities of Rocks
The Personalities of Rocks
What would an igneous rock be like? Would it get along with a sedimentary rock? Could they handle the hot personality of a metamorphic rock?
Gr 2-8
Showing A Character’s Trait
Showing A Character’s Trait
We tell students to ‘show, not tell’ — but that advice is useless until they experience the difference. This lesson makes it click.
Gr 2-8
Elements of The Fantasy Genre
Elements of The Fantasy Genre
Every fantasy story has patterns hiding underneath the magic. Once your students see the elements, they’ll spot them everywhere — and use them in their own writing.
Gr 1-8
Literary Technique: Juxtaposition
Literary Technique: Juxtaposition
Put a grumpy character next to a joyful one and they make each other stand out even more. Opposites are powerful!
Gr 1-8
Writing Summaries in Haiku
Writing Summaries in Haiku
Let’s write a summary. A very short summary. With VERY strict rules.
Gr 1-8
Better Stories Part 5: Plot Structure
Better Stories Part 5: Plot Structure
Ever read a student’s story that was just event after event after event and then a very sudden ending? They lack an understanding of a plot’s structure. With the help of Finding Nemo, I break down how to set up a well-structured plot.
Gr 1-8
Better Stories Part 2: Types of Conflict
Better Stories Part 2: Types of Conflict
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.
Gr 1-8
Better Stories Part 3: Literary Themes
Better Stories Part 3: Literary Themes
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…
Gr 1-8