by Erika Luckert In Erika Luckert’s lesson plan, students explore “ranting” as a practice for relieving emotional angst and building an argument. Grade: 7th Genre(s): Poetry and prose Download: Rants: Not Just for Complaining! Common Core State Standards (Refer to the ELA Standards > Writing > Grade 7): ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.A: Engage and orient the reader by establishing a…
by Mary Ann Caws The beginning of the 20th century witnessed what Mary Ann Caws has called “The Manifesto Moment” —a ten-year period of “glorious madness” in which nearly every -ism that we identify with Modernism proclaimed its existence. These manifestos were written predominantly by young writers and artists; one might even say that the…
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 that…
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…
STUDENT WRITING Samples of student writing from the Lesson Plan: Ain’t I a Teacher? Teaching Persuasive Writing Inspired by Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Bushra Rehman Untitled Liz You say it’s an abomination to be gay. You say I can still be saved, or that I’m too far gone in my…
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…
LESSON PLAN In this lesson on developing supporting evidence, Fulbright Fellow and long time Teachers & Writers Collaborative teaching artist Sarah Dohrmann attempts to generate student interest by appealing to these young writers’ favorite topic: themselves. In “This I Believe,” high schoolers are asked to take a scene from their lives and turn it into powerful…
Download: Sarah Dohrmann “This I Belive” LP Genre(s) taught: argumentative writing, poetry, & personal essay writing Grade(s) taught: 9th & 10th Lesson Objective: Each student will write a scene from their life that will later serve as the “supporting evidence” of something they believe in; then they’ll write one sentence that simply states the belief that…