by Kendra Stanton Lee “All I have are Iggy Pop and dirt-biking before I got locked up,” one student shared with the class. That sounds like plenty of material to me, I said, as I began to jot some of the student’s memories on the board. First, I drew a large rectangle box in dry…
Bats in the Belfry by Jayden (7th grade) I have always wondered what it feels like when you die. What channels it? I have been thinking about this ever since my mother died on April 3, 2013. Yet, I have faced worse challenges than this. Welcome, take a seat while I talk to you about…
by Jennie Weng Character analysis is an important skill for writers to learn. However, too often students label characters with one-dimensional terms (e.g., good, bad, funny, evil, protagonist, antagonist). Well-crafted characters are a lot like real people; they are complex. If students can understand this integral component of character analysis, they will not only be…
By Bushra Rehman In the following lesson plan writer Bushra Rehman considers diary writing as a vehicle to explore personal experience. Grade: 5 Genre: Prose Download: Dear Diary… Common Core State Standards: (Refer to the ELA Standards > Writing > Grade 5) ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.B: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and…
by Tricia Ebarvia This article was originally published at movingwriters.org. The school year is winding down—and I find myself thinking more and more of warm poolside days—yet everywhere I turn, rich mentor texts seem to come my way. I’ll find something and think, “Oh, that would have been perfect to use with ____” or “That would have…
By Kelly Quayle Richie is five foot nothing and not even a hundred pounds, just months out of elementary school. He wears a SpongeBob backpack high on his shoulders and Gap Kids khakis picked out by his mother. He’s never seen an R-rated movie, never been reprimanded in school, and rarely comes to class without…
By Merna Ann Hecht Poets and writers who work as teaching artists understand that establishing a space where mutual regard and a sense of belonging can flourish is of utmost importance. The creative spark and humanizing impulse we find within literature and language is our medium for generating such an atmosphere, where all feel honored…
By M.K. Rainey The young woman in the corner of the classroom opens her journal and begins to read aloud. “Today, the world seemed to fall silent,” she says. The room itself is hushed, the students hanging on the next words she will speak. The door blocks out the rattle of other girls elsewhere in…
By Marissa E. King and Karen Sheriff LeVan I am what I am. I am the sun after a storm, fireworks at night, and finding a shooting star. But when you see me in English, I am the bottom of the lake, in the closet, and under the bed. Like a prism, I am multi-sided….
Christian McEwen’s essay, “Alastair Reid: Traveling Light,” was selected as the recipient of the 2016 Bechtel Prize. Teachers & Writers Collaborative awards the Bechtel Prize to the author of an exemplary essay that explores themes related to creative writing, arts education, and/or the imagination. This year’s Bechtel winner is a lovely portrait of poet and…