Students use an essay by de la Peña as a model for writing their own literacy autobiography.
Author Matt de la Peña was born today.
Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was born today.
Students examine the painting that inspired Sondheim's Pulitzer-prize winning musical and then create a story of their own based on image they choose.
Author Amy Tan was born today in 1952
Students watch an excerpt of an interview with Tan and apply some of her principles to writing a story of their own.
Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series, was born in 1939.
After students have read one of Brian Jacques' Redwall stories, a class newspaper is created based on the story.
Henry David Thoreau was born in 1817.
Students make mental "snapshots" of a natural setting, then capture the details of their setting by writing and then creating a class booklet of the nature walk.
Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832.
Students brainstorm important events and people that might serve as the beginning of an interesting piece of writing. They then use the Bio-Cube to plan their writing and write an essay about a memorable person.
Celebrate Louise Erdrich's birthday today.
Students watch a short video about Erdrich's love of books and write their own memory piece.
Sandra Cisneros was born today in 1954.
Students choose a small aspect of their lives to develop into a story, poem, or brief essay inspired by Cisneros' work.
Time Magazine launches its "Tom Swifty" contest today in 1963.
Students have fun with language by creating a special kind of pun with its origin in a literary source.
On the Road author Jack Kerouac embarked on his first cross-country road trip in 1947.
Students read a section from On the Road that deals with cross-country travel and reflects Kerouac's unique writing style. Students then attempt to write a narrative using Kerouac's stream-of-consciousness style.