CCSS ELA Standard: 8.W.3.b

Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Bobbing for Apples

What is bobbing for apples like… for an apple?

12 Phrases: The Zoo

Given twelve random phrases, students will pick four and then write about the strange situation.

12 Phrases: A Day At School

Given twelve random phrases, students will pick four and then write about the strange situation.

12 Phrases: Out To Eat

Given twelve random phrases, students will pick four and then write about the strange situation.

12 Phrases: Amusement Park

Given twelve random phrases, students will pick four and then write about the strange situation.

12 Phrases: A Magical School

Given twelve random phrases, students will pick four and then write about the strange situation.

12 Phrases: Somewhere In Space

Given twelve random phrases, students will pick four and then write about the strange situation.

Building Creative Analogies

We'll take two seemingly unrelated pieces of content (say volcanoes and the human body) and then build analogies to connect the two ideas. In the end, students can create a skit, comic, or story relating the two concepts.

Identifying Author’s Voice

What if... Edgar Allen Poe wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

Showing A Character’s Trait

We tell students to "show, not tell" in their writing, but this advice isn't effective until they experience the difference. In this video, we'll put a famous character (of students' choosing) into a mundane situation and develop a fun scene to show off their main traits.

Literary Technique: Juxtaposition

Put a grumpy character next to a joyful one and they make each other stand out even more. Opposites are powerful!