Foreword xv
Acknowledgments xvii
The Authors xix
The Contributors xxiii
1 Tragic Love Tales (by6-Year-Olds) 1
byjoan kim and roberto carabeo
Just what it sounds like.
2 Writing For Pets 6
byjennifer traig
Students gain confidence in their language skills by writing a short story for a pet, then reading it to a pet audience. Ideal for very young writers, kindergarten through fourth grade.
3 Fort Party! 9
bymaggie hanks
In this workshop, students build forts using tables, couches, sheets, clamps, whatever you have around. They then go into the forts and do writing exercises. Best for grades two and up.
4 Make-Believe Science 14
byamie nenninger
Facts take a backseat to fiction in this incredibly inventive workshop. Students compose their own wacky faux-science journal. A great way to get more science-minded students interested in creative writing. Ideal for students fifth grade and younger.
5 Oh, You Shouldnt Have, Really (Or, How To Write A Jon Scieszka Picture Book) 22
byjon scieszka
Students learn how a master childrens book author gets his ideas, and are invited to create their own. Great for grades two through four.
6 Space Exploration for Beginners: What to Do When You Meet an Alien 29
bymoira cassidy
Junior Space Explorers get the opportunity to travel to other worlds, record their experiences in their personal Space Exploration Logs, and make a scale model of one of the alien creatures they meet on their journey. NO SPACE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Ideal for grades two through four.
7 Magic Realism 34
byaimee bender
What if sneezes brought good luck? What if you wrote about it? Our favorite magic realist invites students to imagine a world thats just slightly off Ideal for older writers, fifth grade and up.
8 Recycled Elves: Fairy Tale Do-Overs 36
bylucas gonzalez and chris molnar
Rewriting fairy tales. Good for grades three to six.
9 Creating a Guide to Modern Girlhood 40
bymeghan adler
Learn how to write your autobiography, using a variety of techniques and styles popular in best-selling books for girls. We will do numerous drawing and writing activities. Best for grades five and up.
10 How to Write a How-To 47
byjory john
Author Jory John teaches students how to write incredibly useful howtos, like How to Avoid a Bath or Shower for as Long as Possible, and Maybe Even Longer. Ideal for grades four and up.
11 Talking Trash! 51
byholly mdunsworth and juliet weller dunsworth
Students learn the basics of artifact/trash interpretation and create their own fascinating descriptions of found objects and trash artifacts. Neanderthals welcome. Ideal for grades three to six.
12 Why did the chicken cross the lesson plan? Writing jokes and riddles 59
bymarcy zipke
This introduction to writing jokes and puns encourages language play. Ideal for the very youngest writersthird grade and younger.
13 Spy School 62
bykate pavao and jennifer traig
This intensive spy-training program encourages descriptive writing, code wordplay, and imaginative reporting. Best for slightly older writers, fourth grade through sixth.
14 Literary Mash-Ups 72
bysusan voelker and susan meyer
Kids write genre mash-ups (like a romantic horror story). Best for grades five and up.
15 Brain Spelunking 76
byscott beal
Using Rorschach blots, picture prompts, and automatic writing techniques, we will plumb the inner depths of our minds and see what comes of it. Best for grades five and up.
16 PJ Party 80
byamy sumerton, jason depasquale, and chloe durkee
Students learn to craft expert bedtime stories Trust us: wearing pajamas Helps Good for grades two through five.
17 Any Which Way: Choosing Your Own Adventure 82
bylindsey plait jones
Students learn about the basic elements of telling a story, then create their own multichoice adventures. For grades two through six.
18 Life-Size Board Game! 89
bykatherine fisher and jessica morton
In this workshop, we use a life-size game boardwhere we are the moving pieces. We start off by creating the writing-inspired rules together. Once weve collectively thought up the most amazing board game that will soon sweep the nation, we play it together. Best for grades three and up.
19 Brains! Or, Writing with Zombies 91
bybrad brubaker
Students interview a real-life zombie, then use what they learn to write their own zombie stories BRAINS! Good for grades two through five.
20 How to Write a Comic 95
bytodd pound and jennifer traig
Students learn to tell stories in both written and visual media. Ideal for students who think they dont like to write. This class is designed for students in fourth grade and higher.
21 The Meaning of Life (The Short Answer): Writing Big, Large, and Small! 105
byelizabeth alexander and kathleen goldfarb
In this workshop, we bravely identify our own big questions and explore them in stories that are both goofy and serious. Best for grades three and up.
22 How to Survive Anything 108
byrebecca wasley
What do you tell your teacher when you forgot your homework? How can you get out of doing your chores? How do you stop aliens from taking over the planet? Its about time someone put together a book of how to survive absolutely anythingand that someone is you! Good for grades three and up.
23 Vindicated Villains 112
bynicholas decoulos
Telling stories from the bad guys point of view Good for grades three through five.
24 Ono-Mato-What-Now? 114
bykatherine hunt and pardis parsa
How do you capture the sound of a candy wrapper being torn open for the first time or your shiny new jacket rubbing against itself? In this lesson students explore everyday sounds to write a fabulous story. Best for grades three through five.
25 All-Star Sports Stories 120
byaaron devine and karen sama
Students learn about underdogs, dramatic moments, and other factors that make sports and storytelling great. Good for grades four and up.
26 I Wrote a Guidebook and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Travel Writing 124
bysusie nadler and laura scholes
The entire class collaborates to create a guidebook for their town and learn to observe and describe in the process. Good for grades five and up.
27 Cooking For Cryptids: The Definitive Cryptozoological Cookbook 128
byshannon digregorio
Students carefully consider the palates of the wild unknown and cater to the likes of Bigfoot and the Chupacabra with an original short cookbook. Ideal for grades one through four.
28 Science Club: Ice Cream! 131
byelaine mpalucki
In this workshop, students explore a scientific issuehere, the science of ice creamthen write about it. Ideal for grades one through four.
29 Sticky Words 139
bymaya shugart and ryan smith
Why should the ears have all the fun when it comes to poetry? Students write original poems and collage them into art for readers eyes and ears to enjoy in harmony. Good for grades three through five.
30 Maddening Mad Libs 142
bydan gershman
Students write their own Mad Libs and learn some grammar in the process.
31 If I Were a King or Queen: Creating Your Own Country 147
byjryan stradal and robert jury
Imagination gets a thorough workout as students are invited to imagine their own country, from geography to government. Anything goes. Ideal for writers from second grade through sixth.
32 How to Be a Detective 150
byamie nenninger
This dynamic lesson invites students to solve a real-life mystery, then write about it. Students really get into it. Best for fourth grade and older.
33 Harry Potter Spider-Man vs. the Evil Zombie Ninjas 157
byeric canosa
Students learn the basics of conflict in a supernatural showdown between good guys and bad guys. Good for grades two and up.
34 Out There: Drawing And Writing New Worlds: An Interdisciplinary Art and Writing Lesson 160
bymeghan mccook
Create your own 2-D piece of artwork using lots of texture, shape, and color. Then write a description or sketch of the universe only YOU could imagine! Best for grades five and up.
35 Whining Effectively; Or, How to Persuade Your Parents 163
bytaylor jacobson and abigail jacobs
Students learn the basics of persuasive writing by writing about things theyre really invested inlike later bedtimes. Best for slightly older writers, fifth and sixth grade.
36 For the Birds! 167
byscarlett stoppa
Students work together to create never-before-discovered birds and create short adventures for their character through these feathered flights of fancy. Ideal for grades two through four.
37 Theres Poetry in an Atom: Writing Creatively about Science 170
bynicole moore and ryan moore
This class seeks to make the sciences less esoteric for those who like to write, and to make writing more manageable for those who love science. Best for grades four and up.
38 Guerrilla Poetry 175
bybecky eidelman
This lesson helps students find poems that speak to them and discover ways of inserting them, unexpectedly, into other peoples lives. Ideal for grades four and up.
39 Frankenfilms 177
bylindsey robinson and jon zack
In this lesson, students take some well-loved recent movies, write in new characters, and completely redo the endings. Best for grades four and up.
40 The Rules of Magic 179
byjulius diaz panoringan
This inventive lesson plan uses the conventions of fantasy and magic to guide some very creative storytelling. Best for fifth grade and up.
41 And Now I Will Perform an Interpretive Dance: Kinetic Writing 182
byangela hernandez
This lesson translates physical storytelling to the page. Great for students who need to get up and move. Ideal for grades second through sixth.
42 Note To Self: Writing Autobiography 184
bytania ketenjian
This workshop invites you to take a close look at yourself and share it with the world. Good for grades three and up.
43 Smell This Story, Taste This Poem 186
bygabriela pereira
A story/poetry writing workshop that focuses on using the five senses for inspiration. Best for grades four and up.
44 Grammarama: Homonym Stand-Off 198
bymargaret mason
Can grammar be fun? Yes, its an extreme grammar challenge. One will win! All will learn! For grades five and up.
45 How to Be the Next President of the United States! Or, How to Write a Really, Really, Really Good Letter 204
byjenny howard
In this lesson plan inspired by the 826 book Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids Letters to President Obama, students learn how to compose meaningful letters for the president and other people they admire. Good for grades three and up.
46 Character Assassination! 208
byeric canosa
In this lesson, students learn to flesh out their characters with all the details that make them feel real. We start by killing them off (sort of), using a brief obituary to really figure out whats important in the characters life. Good for grades four and up.
47 Sonnets with Superpowers 211
bysarah green
Do you want to write poems that can: see in the dark, travel invisibly, breathe underwater, or fly faster than light? In this workshop, we look at the basics of the sonnet form, and learn how to craft creative new sonnets the likes of which youve never seen. Best for grades four and up.
48 Best Imaginary Vacation Ever! 214
bymicah pilkington
Where would you go if you could go anywhere? What would you do? This lesson plan invites students to imagine their dream vacation and turn their fantasy into a compelling story. Good for any age, but especially for fifth grade and younger.
49 Whats the Scoop? How to Get the Real Story 218
bymark de la vina
In this lesson students learn the basics of journalism and try out their newly acquired interview skills. Best for grades five and up.
50 The Illustrated Book Report 221
byrebecca stern and brad wolfe
In this inventive lesson plan, students respond to books through comic Panels. Best for grades four and up.
Appendix
Evaluation Rubric 225
Self-Assessment Checklist 226
Common Core Curriculum Standards 227
826 Centers and Staff 255
