Latest Lesson Plans
The Taste of Happiness
Teaching Students to Describe Emotions in Poetry FROM THE ARCHIVES: This article was originally published in Teachers & Writers Magazine,…
Hidden Beauty: Using a Poem by Jayne Cortez
FROM THE ARCHIVES: This article originally appeared in Teachers & Writers Magazine Volume 29, Issue 3. By Mark Statman Jayne…
Using Douglass Narrative to Inspire Student Writing
I have found that one of the most successful pieces of literature for motivating students to read and write is…
Embrace Recitation
By Karen Decker In a cabinet in my classroom, I keep a stash of small books of Edgar Allen Poe’s…
Questions Without Answers
By Christian McEwen One summer, I taught a poetry workshop at the Edinburgh Book Festival, working with a mixed group of seven-to-thirteen-year-olds. The classes were held in an open tent with two long trestle tables and a scatter of folding chairs, and our theme was “Questions Without Answers.” I told the children about my brother…
2020 Bechtel Prize
For an Innovative Creative Writing Classroom Project The submission deadline for the 2020 Bechtel Prize has been extended to January 31, 2020! Teachers & Writers Collaborative is now accepting submissions for the 2020 Bechtel Prize in support of literary arts education. In keeping with the tradition of the award but with an updated focus, this…
The Decline of Daring
by Marvin Hoffman Marvin Hoffman was an early Director of Teachers & Writers Collaborative, from 1969-71. The photos included here were originally published in Teachers & Writers Magazine volume 4, issues 1 & 2, 1971. Wisdom is an automatic by-product of age. At least that’s what most people believe, but my experience suggests otherwise….
Embrace Recitation
By Karen Decker In a cabinet in my classroom, I keep a stash of small books of Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry. At least once a year, a student comes in and says, “Can I recite ‘The Raven’ next time I go to the podium?” My answer is, of course, yes, and I hand him or…
Rigorous Play and Necessary Joy: An Interview with Poet and Teacher Ross Gay
Ross Gay is the author of three books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. His collection of essays, The Book of Delights, was released by Algonquin Books in 2019. Ross is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit,…
Ricordiamo – We Remember
Using Creative Writing to Inspire Choreography By Matthew Burgess The following was originally published in the Teachers & Writers Magazine, Summer 2010 issue. This piece is dedicated to the memory of David Martinez. David had been hired to teach Martha Graham technique at summer dance festivals in Italy, so the obvious question was, Can I…
Gone Awry
By Katherine Watkins For Back to School Night, my principal requested an extra police officer on campus and asked all administrators to take 15-minute shifts in my classroom to ensure I was never left alone with the parents. The tension was incredible. Threats of violence and death pervaded my thoughts instead of my anticipated “Welcome…
KidSpirit, a global community for young writers
In a way, KidSpirit is fostering a future generation of adults that will have the ability to make our world a more constructive and peaceful place because they value the importance of understanding their next-door neighbors and their global neighbors, as well.
The Advanced Class
Memoir Writing at Frasier Meadows Retirement Community by Naomi Rachel Telling our stories is good for our brains and it can also be a great deal of fun and help build community. We all have great stories to share and only need help getting started. Last year, a friend in Canada told me about the…
The Character Sketch
This is one of three lesson plans that accompany the essay The Advanced Class. By Naomi Rachel The Character Sketch assignment was very popular among my students at the Frasier Meadows Retirement Community in Boulder, Co., because we first created an imaginary character together. The point of that exercise was for students to realize how…