Don't Forget to Write for the Elementary Grades: 50 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons

by 826 National, Dave Eggers (Foreword), Jennifer Traig (Editor)

Creative strategies for getting young students excited about writing Don't Forget to Write for the Elementary Grades offers 50 creative writing lesson plans from the imaginative and highly acclaimed 826 National writing labs. Created as a resource to reach all students (even those most resistant to creative writing), the lessons range from goofy fun (like "The Other Toy Make Your Toys Come to Life") to practical, from sports to science, music to mysteries. These lessons are written by experts, and favorite novelists, actors, and other celebrities pitched in too. Lessons are linked to the Common Core State Standards. 826 National is a nonprofit organization, founded by Dave Eggers, and committed to supporting teachers, publishing student work, and offering services for English language learners.

Genres: Education, Writing, School

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2011

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book saves my bacon on a regular basis. I cannot recommend it enough for teachers seeking to bring out kids' innate creativity and seeking to use literature as a powerful jumping off point for students' own creative writing. A light in the darkness.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to love this more, because I love what I understand 826 is hoping to do. Perhaps I am missing more activities that encourage connection with pieces of literature. The lessons here lean just a little more towards the photocopied fill-in-the-blank sheets, which doesn't seem quite fresh enough to me.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I wrote for this book.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this already!
Our multiple-times-a-day joint told stories are getting a little, well, stale and somewhat predictable so I was looking for a not too obviously coercive way to make them a bit more interesting. In looking through the lessons, I started laughing aloud, which made F ask what was so funny. I'd read him parts of the lessons and just in discussing some of the "writing lessons" from this book, he is already planning new stories. Who knows if they'll ever be written down. But, I have to imagine they'll improve.

[Christine Braid]

creative, interesting, different ideas for writing projects in class. From the 826 National project

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ditto, great ideas like the middle school book of the same name.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very creative lessons in here!