Oct 06
If there’s one topic that instantly gets upper elementary students talking, it’s superheroes. Instead of battling their obsession (we all remember the Great Spider-Man Drawing Phase of September), why not harness it for learning? These superhero writing activities turn capes, villains, and secret identities into creative writing gold. I’ve pulled together five of my favorite …
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Sep 28
Persuading students to write can sometimes feel like convincing your dog to take a bath. You offer snacks, encouragement, maybe a pleading tone… and they still look at you like, “Are you serious?” Luckily, switching up writing prompts can work wonders. When students get excited about what they’re writing, their pencils (and imaginations) start to …
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Sep 22
Have you ever noticed that newspaper articles don’t waste time with suspense? They hit you with the most important facts right away. Boom—who, what, when, where, why, and how—all in the first few lines. That’s not laziness; it’s strategy. It’s called the Inverted Pyramid, and it’s the writing style journalists have been using for over …
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Sep 15
Getting students to write with purpose, voice, and a clear sense of audience can be challenging. That’s where the RAFT writing strategy comes in. It’s your secret weapon for turning “What do I write?” into “I’ve got this!” Lesson Handout This handout includes all the RAFT examples in student-ready format. Just print and teach. Get …
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Sep 08
This is the third post in my series on teaching persuasive techniques (sometimes called propaganda devices). In this lesson, we’ll focus on loaded terms—words designed to stir emotions—and explore how they’re used in commercials to influence an audience. To make the lesson even more practical, I’ve also included a short video on using analogies in argument …
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Sep 01
Teaching middle schoolers to write a thesis statement can feel like trying to convince them that comma rules actually matter or that no, emojis do not count as textual evidence. It’s one of those uphill climbs where clarity meets resistance, and every lesson feels like a mix of grammar boot camp. But once students crack …
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Aug 25
Varying sentences is one of those sneaky skills students often overlook until their writing starts sounding like a robot stuck on repeat. While young writers often default to short, choppy, or run-on sentences, mastering sentence variation is key to creating engaging writing. But don’t worry; I’ve got fun strategies (and some teacher-tested survival tips!) to …
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