Do you know creative kids who will be home until in-school instruction resumes? Do you want to inspire a kiddo to work on their reading and writing in an engaging, playful way? Are you looking for a fun activity to do as a household or to assign to your students? I'd like to suggest these five straightforward and inspiring lessons plans, crafted by Writing the Community teaching artists. While they were originally developed for K-5 students in classroom settings, these lessons are easily adapted for all ages (grown ups, too!) and for at-home learning and play. Happy writing! (And if you'd like more inspiration, be sure to check out our lesson plan archive.)
In this lesson plan by teaching artist Kristen Nelson, students are invited to draw pictures of and write a short poem about their favorite animal. This is a perfect activity for students still learning to write, who love to draw, budding zoologists and vets, and for early elementary students working in collaboration with their favorite adults.
Kids who don't know where to begin when it comes to writing will get a jumpstart in this lesson plan, inspired by fridge magnet poetry. Teaching artist Chalese "Chay the Poet" Potts asks students to draw from pre-made lists of words to create their own collage poems. Magazines and newspapers could provide some great source material, if you have a stack lying around!
Nature sounds are the star of this lesson, in which kids write poems about the night. What magical things happen in the night?, asks teaching artist Rachel Mindell, What can you see and hear in the night but not during the day? What do animals and plants do at night? This lesson plan is sure to inspire elementary-aged writers, naturalists AND musicians, and can easily be done collaboratively, in a mixed-age group.
Dear Blue, Dear Opal, Dear Magenta: Writing Epistolary Poems to Every Color of the Rainbow
In this smash-hit lesson plan, students write letters to colors. While teaching artist Lisa M. O'Neill hands out paint swatches to students, you can adapt the lesson by asking kids write to colors around your house, in your yard, or from books and magazines. I've taught this lesson plan many times, and it's always particularly popular with young visual artists.
Comparison Odes with Pablo Neruda
Did you know that Pablo Neruda wrote an ode to his socks? This lesson plan, by Library Director Sarah Kortemeier, offers young poets the opportunity to write odes to every day objects, either on their own or in collaboration with one another or a favorite adult.