Students select and explore a scientific topic in detail using Simon's nonfiction science books and then use what they learn to write original poetry on the topic.

Students brainstorm a list of human rights issues, research their group's issue in depth, examine the way journalists cover a story, and create articles for a classroom newspaper.

Students explore varying points of view, one of Van Allsburg's common themes, by rewriting a traditional story.

Students brainstorm a list of civil rights-related issues and use the Acrostic Poems interactive to create poems.

Students examine imagery in the work of Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa.

After hearing Maya Angelou's poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," students infer information about the speaker and her feelings about America and reflect on how one's life and experiences can influence one's writing.

Students discuss Dickinson's poem "This Is My Letter To The World" and use it to focus on how audience affects voice.

Students write a script for A Christmas Carol on a level that primary students can read and perform. Older students record the performance and create a website to showcase photographs.

Students choose a small aspect of their lives to develop into a story, poem, or brief essay inspired by Cisneros' work.

Students have fun with language by creating a special kind of pun with its origin in a literary source.

Students write imitation poems, review grammatical structures, and use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press or Stapleless Book to publish their finished work.

Students are introduced to a Silverstein verse and asked for their impressions. They then draw that they imagine when they read one of his lines and then write a line or two to continue the passage.