Students discuss some of the ways in which illustrations can enhance a story and then become illustrators, using a variety of media.

Students do a Bradbury author study and then create flyers to advertise their favorite story using the ReadWriteThink Printing Press.

Students discuss how the form of a film script affects the story, why the author may have selected this writing style, and write a story using a similar format.

Students explore their own roots by interviewing family members and use their family history to write a fictional account of their roots.

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 research the concept of immortality from beliefs around the world and compose a short story, myth, or poem that addresses immortality.

Students examine the ways different authors treat the subject of war in their writing and compare and contrast using the Venn Diagram interactive.

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 share family stories of their own by writing original poems and reviewing parts of speech using the Diamante Poems tool.

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

After students have read one of Brian Jacques' Redwall stories, a class newspaper is created based on the story.

Students work in small groups or as a class to map the plot of a selected Cynthia Rylant story and create original literary works using the plot diagrams.

Students brainstorm a list of modern news sources and from previous centuries. Groups then research one of these sources and create a timeline showing the evolution of news.

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

Using one of Numeroff's books as a model, students use the circle plot structure as a culminating project for a unit of study completed in the classroom.

In a small group or as individuals, students write letters related to a unit of study or particular topic they have studied.

As a class, students discuss Neil Armstrong's famous quote when he landed on the moon and explore the difference that one word can make, as well as the gendered language that Armstrong uses.

Each student chooses a book that is special and writes a short story about why it deserves special mention. Students can plan the pages of their own stories and then make a Stapleless Book or use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press.

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.