Curated OER
Barn Dance
Students will read historical realistic fiction, examine and recount the cultural similarities and diffferences between life and times of those characters in the story and their own life. Listen to music and learn a dance to accompany...
Curated OER
Dracula
Students read the book, Dracula and complete a variety of listed activities including: class discussion, vocabulary study, rewriting a section of the book in modern language, drawing characters, making a family tree of the characters, etc.
Curated OER
Story Telling
Learners, through the use of 4 different improvisational exercises, discover how to tell effective stories. They chose 2 selections and perform them, using the interesting methods they learned.
Curated OER
Pipe-Cleaner Stick Figures
Second graders create puppets out of pipe cleaners and, in groups, put on a puppet show based on a section of a story they have read from their readers.
Curated OER
American and Patriotic Symbols
High schoolers study the concept of symbolism. Many students know what the
different patriotic symbols are, but they do not know why these things
symbolize patriotism. They identify classic American symbols, explain why they are symbols...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Story Writing With Arthur
This series of 12 downloadable activities teach students some basics of story writing, using books or videos from the PBS "Arthur" series as a springboard. Activities include creating story maps, asking questions about characters and...
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Extension: Character Ed "Not What It Seems"
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes enhancing students understanding of metaphors, creative writing, and using life experiences to create poems and writing pieces.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "I Am Me"
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This activity includes promoting students' understanding of themselves through self-expression, critical thinking skills, and creative writing and thinking skills...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Unique Imaginary Friends
The writer will first create an original imaginary friend, inspired by Ted from Tony DiTerlizzi's wonderful picture book. The writer will then think of an ordinary activity done on a daily basis, like feeding the family dog. The writer...
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Extension: Character Ed "I Have a Story to Tell"
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes acquainting students with the narrative writing process, emphasizing the importance of writing, encouraging students to use imagination,...
Other
Writing World: Four Ways to Bring Settings to Life
A great resource outlining four major ways to make settings appear more real and genuine in fiction. Deals with themes such as motion, experience, mood, and the senses. W.11-12.3d Sensory/precise lang narratives
Other
Writing Is Exciting!
Students and teachers can use this site to find detailed information on effective and creative story writing.
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Pacing Anxiety, or How to Stop Padding and Plot!
This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Writing Advice: Beginner's Four Faults
This site is a personal site from Caro Clarke. The third installment in this series looks at the four major mistakes made by beginning authors. The main idea of this article is that the author needs to be able to combine dialogue with...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Scrapbook Book Report
After reading independently a novel or biography, students in this creative writing activity demonstrate their understanding of characterization and point of view by creating the main character's personal scrapbook.
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Super Gene [Pdf]
In this instructional activity, 5th graders learn about basic genetics and how genes can affect someone's behavior. They will write their own narrative about a character they create as a class in order to illustrate the effects of...
British Library
British Library: Teaching Resources: Macbeth: Lady Macbeth
This varied series of activities is designed to encourage learners to exercise independence of thought when exploring the presentation of Lady Macbeth throughout the play. The tasks draw learners' attention to the varied ways in which...
Caro Clarke
Not Stopping the Reader: How to Avoid Stumbling Blocks
This is the eighth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article looks at how the author can avoid creating stumbling blocks that disrupt the flow of the novel.
Caro Clarke
Explaining Too Much: Why More Is Less
This is the eleventh article in a series that is designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how to eliminate needless information in your novel. The key is to not explain too much about the action.
Caro Clarke
Historical Fiction: Who Rules?
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
Other
Fiction Factor: The Importance of Setting
An interesting article concerning the importance of setting to any piece of fiction. Gives good information about how setting affects characters and "world-building."