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Picture Prompt: Penguins and Christmas Tree
What happens when penguins put up a Christmas tree? Only your students know for sure, since they're the ones writing the story! A picture of penguins around a Christmas tree is sure to inspire even your most reluctant writers to begin,...
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Picture Prompt: Skunk
In this writing worksheet, students examine a picture prompt showing a skunk and some garden friends. Students write a story about the picture.
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Editing for AP (and Newspaper's) style
Learners edit and revise a news story picked out by the teacher. For this editing lesson plan, students edit in AP style and then revise the story. It should have no errors in the end.
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Scrimshaw/Soap Carvings
Students discover scrimshaw art. In this art instructional activity, students discover the history of scrimshaw and create their own scrimshaw art. Students write a poem, a short story, or a description about the image they chose to make.
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The Last Lecture: Text Impressions
To pique interest in The Last Lecture, readers are given a list of key terms and ask to craft a story inspired by the terms.
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Out of the Dust: Questioning Strategies
Bloom's Taxonomy is a great way to address the many levels of comprehension. With explanations and examples of each level, you can create questions that focus on knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Teach-nology
Author’s Purpose
What is the author's purpose when writing a narrative story? Kids read a short narrative passage before answering three questions about author's purpose.
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Illustrating and Writing a Short Story
Students create a drawing of a scene that they have found. In this art instructional activity, students describe their artwork by writing a short story. Students use their creativity to develop detailed stories about the scene in their...
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Understanding Characters
Students analyzing characters from a story by creating an article about one. In this story analysis lesson, students read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and pick one character to write descriptively about. Students...
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Tall Tales
Students examine the characteristics of tall tales and how exaggerations are used. They create a character that is larger than life, they brainstorm attributes for their character, before writing a Tall Tale. They plan out their story,...
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Headline News
Students create stories using words cut from newspaper headlines. They put together words to create headlines and demonstrate creative thinking and creative writing skills.
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Drafting
Students engage in the writing process. In this drafting lesson, students research different types of genres to find which they enjoy reading and writing. They review the drama in a story and discuss different story prompts.
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The House on Mango Street & Woman Hollering Creek & Other Stories - Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 3 short answer and essay questions about the works of Sandra Cisneros. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the stories at the bottom of the page.
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Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse
Students complete activities to analyze points of view in different texts. In this point of view lesson, students read Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Circle and discuss the points of view. Students choose a character from the story and...
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The Mural of the Story
Young scholars write a description of what they believe is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. After reading an article, they discuss the restoration of the mural on its ceiling. They brainstorm a list of important buildings and...
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Writing with Alliteration
Students read Thank You for the Thistle and understand what alliteration is. In this alliteration lesson, students write sentences using alliteration. Students choose a letter of the alphabet and the class writes an alphabet book of...
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Creating Characters
Students examine the methods of effective characterization. In this writing skills lesson, students discuss how emotions, dialogue, actions, and physical descriptions build believable characters. Students then use the methods of...
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Writing Applications: Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics
Twelfth graders rewrite a story in a different format to understand the effects of the author's style. In this writing style instructional activity, 12th graders read Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and...
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Fantasy Stories
Students create fantasy stories. In this creative writing lesson, students write a fantasy where they can use characters that they have read about in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
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Creative Writing Story
In this creative writing worksheet, students consider the stories they are writing as they respond to 6 short answer questions designed to help them shape their stories.
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Grandfather Tang's Story
Students construct tangram patters. For this geometry lesson, students read the book Grandfather Tang's Story and visit various websites to practice covering figures with tangrams. Students attempt to construct animal shapes using puzzles.
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Miss Nelson is Missing! Love Two Teach
In these reading and math skills worksheets, students complete a series of activities for the story Miss Nelson is Missing! Students create a missing poster, a Venn Diagram, a story map, activities for multiplication, addition,...
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Comparing Themes and Plots
Students compare theme and plot in two short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this theme and plot analysis instructional activity, students read Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black Veil as well as take notes about the theme...
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Lady of the Tomahawk: Your Story to Tell
Students put themselves in the role of a historical person and have to write a short story of dramatic dialogue about an event or person that has NOT been depicted in a work of historical fiction yet. This person is Hannah Dustin. A...