Wordshops
Curricula

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For Elementary School Students (grades 3-5)

Name of Lesson Objective Writing Prompt Model Texts, Multimedia, And Activities
Celebrating Setting (prose) Students will be able to identify the elements of setting in narrative and demonstrate their understanding of these elements in their own writing. Students will describe where they were and what they were doing the last time they were proud of themselves. Guess the Setting icebreaker.Model text:The House on Mango Street. Setting Creator (card game).
Celebrating Characterization (prose) Students will be able to recognize the ways authors use characterization to describe the distinctive nature/features of characters in literature and apply them in their own writing. Students will write about a time they were helped by someone or a time they helped someone else. “It’s A…” Improv Game. Luxo Jr Pixar Short. S.T.E.A.L. Clue Cards Game. Model Text : Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson.
Celebrating Figurative Language (Traditional Poetry) Students will be able to define poetry, simile, and metaphor and will use figurative language to write a compelling poem of their own. Students will write a Fruit Salad Poem using figurative language. Love It or Leave It.(game) Model Texts:My Family by Stacy Zeiger, Metaphor by Open Books Staff. Noun Pair Simile & Metaphor (game).
Celebrating Performance (Slam Poetry) Students will understand what makes Slam Poetry unique and write/perform their own poem focusing on performance techniques [including: volume, expression and/or body language]. Students will write a Slam Poem about an emotion that they have felt. Video Examples: Cat Poem By Brave new Voice LA Team 2015, I Can’t Read Lamont Carey. Emo Statues (performance game).

For Middle/High School Students (grades 6-12)

Name of Lesson Objective Writing Prompt Model Texts, Multimedia, And Activities
Anthropormorphic (Slam Poetry) Students will understand what makes Slam Poetry unique and write/perform their own poems using anthropomorphism and performance techniques [including: volume, expression and/or body language]. Students will write their own Slam Poem from the perspective of an inanimate object. Video Examples: I Can’t Read By Lamont Carey, A Love Letter from a Toothbrush to a Bicycle Tire by Sarah Kay. Emo Statues (performance game). I wasn’t expecting this…(performance game).
Sweet Like a Poem (Traditional Poetry) Students will be able to define poetry, simile, and metaphor and will use figurative language to write a compelling poem of their own. Students will write a poem about a loved one using the similes and metaphors. Ice Breaker Intro (game). Model Text and Video Example: Sweet like a Crow by Michael Ondaatje.
Build Your Own Bridge (simile and metaphor practice).
An Open Letter (persuasive writing) Students will understand what persuasive writing is, some elements used in persuasive writing, and why it is used. Students will write a persuasive open letter to their classmates about an opinion of their choosing. Pizza Topping Icebreaker (game). Media Examples: Burger King, Powerade, and Pepsi Commercials. Oreo Partners / Guess the Noun (game).