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Grade 8

TEKS ELA Standard: 8.11.A

compose literary texts such as personal narratives, fiction, and poetry using genre characteristics and craft

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Writing Haiku in Primary
Writing Haiku in Primary
Your youngest students will learn to write Japanese Haiku poetry.
Gr 1-2
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 2-8
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 1-8
Comparing Characters’ Bedrooms
Comparing Characters’ Bedrooms
What item’s in a character’s bedroom would reflect their deepest desires? And what if they toured a similar character’s room?
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 2-8
Emoji Stories 🐻
Emoji Stories 🐻
Five emoji. One story. Where will your imagination take you?
Gr 2-8
Lipogram: Rewrite “Twinkle, Twinkle”
Lipogram: Rewrite “Twinkle, Twinkle”
What if we rewrote a piece of writing without using certain letters?
Gr 2-8
Looking Closely at Holiday Photos
Looking Closely at Holiday Photos
Let’s write from multiple perspectives using an old timey holiday photo!
Gr 2-8
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 2-8
Thanksgiving Photo Writing
Thanksgiving Photo Writing
Starting with an old-timey photo, students will write from a particular item’s point of view.
Gr 2-8
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 2-8
Writing About Art: Impression, Sunrise
Writing About Art: Impression, Sunrise
Look closely at Impression, Sunrise. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.
Gr 2-8
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 2-8
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 2-8
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 2-8
Writing About Art: The Scream
Writing About Art: The Scream
Your students will turn the iconic painting The Scream into a vivid, sensory poem.
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 2-8
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 2-8
Identifying Author’s Voice
Identifying Author’s Voice
What if… Edgar Allen Poe wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?
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
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 2-8
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 2-8
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 2-8