CCSS ELA Standard: 5.W.3

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Characters’ Faults Can Also Be Strengths

Strength and weakness are often two sides of the same coin. Students will explore how a character's flaw can be a benefit.

Halloween Problems and Solutions

When we try to solve a problem, sometimes we end up creating new problems. Which lead to new solutions. Which lead to new problems.

St. Patrick and Other Legends

How would real people feel about the legends that have been created about them?

Change A Story’s Genre

What if we rewrote a story's climax into a totally different genre?

Holiday Emoji Story ⛷️

Students will create a story about ⛷️🌨️🌲🐻🤝

Holiday Emoji Story 🍪

Students will create a story about 🍪🥛🔍🐾🦌

Holiday Emoji Story ☃️

Students will create a story about ☃️👑🏔️🔭✨

Holiday Emoji Story 🎅

Students will create a story about 🎅🛷🌀🚀🌍

Holiday Emoji Story 🚚

Students will create a story about 🚚🎁🤔🐶🫣

Halloween Emoji Story 🎃

Students will create a story about 🎃🕯️📖💥👻.

Halloween Emoji Story 🌕

Students will create a story about 🌕🌲👣😱💨.

Halloween Emoji Story 🕷️

Students will create a story about 🕷️🕸️📩🔑🚪.

Emoji Stories 🦁

Students will create a story about 🦁👑🐗🎶🌄

Emoji Stories 🐌

Students will create a story about 🐌📬✈️🏛️ 📜

Emoji Stories 🚚

Students will create a story about 🚚🤖📻🛸🌌

Emoji Stories 🏟️

Students will create a story about 🏟️🏹🍞🐦🔥

Emoji Stories 🕰️

Students will create a story about 🕰️🎩🐀💎🕺

Emoji Stories 👁️

Students will create a story about 👁️🔮🌩️🚷🌲

Emoji Stories 🚗

Students will write a story about 🚗🗺️🌋🐉🌉

Emoji Stories 🤖

Students will create a story about 🤖💃🎵🕺🐔.

Emoji Stories 🐻

Students will create a story about 🐻🎩🎙️🐰🤣.

Emoji Stories 🏰

Students will create a story about 🏰📚🔍🔐🚪.

Emoji Stories 🛥️

Students will write a story about 🛥️🏊🌊🐙🤝 .

A Halloween Costume Gone Wrong

Let's go roller skating in a Halloween costume! What could possibly go wrong?

Discussing An Important Decision from History

How would people with two different perspectives discuss a decision from history?

Back to School: Rewriting The Beatles’ “Help!”

Can your students come up with a one-syllable word to sum up their time away from school? And then rewrite The Beatles' song Help!?

Think Like A Philosopher

What would Socrates have thought if he watched Frozen?

Characters Dressed as Other Characters for Halloween

What if one character dressed up as another for Halloween? Would the Cat in the Hat pick Captain Jack Sparrow, because they're both chaotic yet good-natured people? Would Elsa dress up as The Ice King since they are both lonely?

Create A Creature

Create a new creature based on the adaptations of existing creatures from the same biome.

Better Stories Part 5: Plot Structure

Ever read a student's story that was just event after event after event and then a very sudden ending? They lack an understanding of a plot's structure. With the help of Finding Nemo, I break down how to set up a well-structured plot.

Better Stories Part 2: Types of Conflict

If your students' stories are packed with endless ninja fights or arguments between frenemies, it's time to expose them to a wider range of conflicts.

Better Stories Part 3: Literary Themes

A typical student narrative includes plot and characters but lacks a larger idea to hold it all together. This is where a lesson on themes comes in…

Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea

We open our unit on narrative writing with a big idea: "structure increases creativity." I show how this is true by bringing in examples from across all disciplines.

Better Stories Part 4: Character Archetypes

Are students' characters a bit flat? Archetypes give them a strong foundation on which to build their own characters as well as a tool to analyze existing stories.