This residency was made possible by the New York City College Access for All Middle School Initiative. Artist Letter to Students, Passion is something that we all must hold onto. Some of us know exactly what we want to do from when we are young and for others, it takes time. However, the best part…
By Erika Luckert This lesson from T&W teaching artist Erika Luckert helps students understand the importance of acknowledging and citing sources, and gives them an opportunity to practice revising to avoid plagiarism. Grade(s): 9–12 Genre: Nonfiction, Essay Download: Avoiding Plagiarism: The Melania Trump Speech Common Core Standards (Refer to ELA Standards > Writing > Grade…
In this lesson, T&W teaching artist Ibi Zoboi introduces herself and the topic of her residency in one fell swoop. Using name riddles, she encourages students to have fun with their names and introductions while practicing their reasoning skills. Students then build from their solved riddles, moving into a brief exercise of argumentative writing…
LESSON PLAN In this lesson, T&W teaching artist Olivia Birdsall invites students to select a topic for a Cause-Effect/Before-After essay, and instructs them to describe the changes they observed in themselves via specific, vivid description (SHOWING) instead of general summary (TELLING). Grade(s) Taught: 11th–12th Genre(s) Taught: Personal narrative essay Download: Personal Narrative Essay Lesson…
COMMON CORE RESIDENCY UNIT Poet and educator Maya Pindyck was part of T&W’s Common Core Leadership Team of writers who developed creative writing teaching resources that are aligned with the requirements of the Common Core State Standards in science and social studies. In this unit, Pindyck offers ideas for engaging students in writing about…
EXPLODED LESSON PLAN There is an intimate relationship between Artivism and the Manifesto—perhaps even an essential one. Here, Teachers & Writers Collaborative teaching artist Ibi Zoboi takes it one step further: in this Exploded Lesson Plan—filled with links to news stories, videos, lesson plans, primary sources, and more—she connects the manifesto to the teaching…
EXPLODED LESSON PLAN High school students are at an age where they are becoming increasingly aware of the social and political realities of the world, and beginning to understand how these connect to the injustices they see and experience in their own lives. This exercise from T&W teaching artist Bushra Rehman uses the revolutionary voice of Sojourner…
FROM THE ARCHIVE Ibi Zoboi From:Teachers & Writers Magazine(Fall 2013, Volume 45, Number 1) The ninth-grade students at STAR (Science Technology and Research) Academy in Brooklyn, New York, are all talking at once. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, of course. But they are not having side conversations as I wrap up…
Colorism by Krystal “I used to wish that I can wake up one day lighter or wash my face and think that it would change. I thought it was dirt and I tried to clean it off but it wouldn’t come off.” This is from a person that wasn’t comfortable in their own skin. In today’s society the youth are concerned about who’s…
FROM THE ARCHIVE This article originally appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of Teachers & Writers Magazine (Volume 43 Number 3). DOWNLOAD the original article from our Digital Resource Center! A Net for Words Using the Lune to Jump-Start the Essay by MELANIE MARIA GOODREAUX New York hustle 2000 word article faces…