Duration: 7 parts, including six 45-50 minute periods

Printable version: Pocahontas lesson plan 

The Double Life of Pocohantas by Jean Fritz Pilot Prompt

Imagine that Pocahontas kept a diary. Choose a particular event in her life and write about it from her point of view. Tell about the event as if you were Pocahontas writing in her own private diary. (more…)

Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 Minutes
Printable: The Giver Lesson Plan (PDF)

The Giver by Lois Lowry Intellimetric Prompt:

After experiencing the feeling of love from the Giver and his memories, Jonas thought about the way life must have been when there was love and realized it was probably a “dangerous way to live.” Think about what Jonas meant. What was “dangerous” about that kind of life, and what was a “safe” life like? What were the advantages and disadvantages of each choice? (more…)

What made you decide to be an author, and at what stage in your life were you when you made that decision?

Well, there are probably two different questions in there, and one is “author,” and the other is “children’s author.” For me that was two different decisions. I wanted to be an author or a writer since I was a child. It’s what I always did best, what I loved best. I went to college and majored in writing. But I married young and had children young, so everything got deferred. When I did turn my attention back to it, I was then in my thirties and I was writing for adults. It was a request from a children’s book editor that I write a book for young people that made me turn my attention in that direction. Then, it was the reaction to that book, A Summer to Die, my first novel for young adults. The reaction from young readers made me become aware of the importance of literature for young people, and so gradually, I turned my attention entirely to writing for kids.

Do you ever look back and wonder “What if?”

Do any of us not do that? There was no “what if” for me in terms of becoming a writer. There was nothing else I wanted to do. The only thing I suppose I look back on is, “What if I hadn’t dropped out of college and married at age 19?” That seems to me now a foolish thing to have done. On the other hand I have grown children and grandchildren, and I wouldn’t have those if I hadn’t done what I did. So I think we make our decisions, sometimes they’re foolish, but most often they turn out to be the right ones at the time. (more…)

Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 minutes
Printable: “Advice to a Candidate” Lesson Plan (PDF)

Advice to a Presidential Candidate Prompt:

As the U.S. Presidential election season heats up, the voices of America’s diverse citizenry cry out, expressing the people’s needs, opinions, and visions for the future.  In the midst of all these competing voices, the Presidential candidates have to carefully consider what they say in return.  Imagine that you have the opportunity to speak privately to the candidate of your choice before he or she makes an important speech.  What would you tell him or her to say to America? (more…)

Duration: 2 class periods of 45-55 Minutes
Adaptations: Upper Elementary (4-5), “A Person You Admire” Prompt, Expository Writing
Printable: “Admirable Woman in History” Lesson Plan (PDF)

An Admirable Woman in History Prompt:

Throughout our history, there have been many admirable women who have had an important impact on our lives.  Whether they were great leaders, writers, or individuals who broke new ground and gender barriers, the roles of many women throughout history are to be admired.  What woman in history do you admire most?  What did she contribute to the world or accomplish in her life that earned your admiration? (more…)

Ralph Fletcher, author of many picture books and novels for young readers, provides us with the latest installment in our Author Series. Aside from his works of fiction, Mr. Fletcher has also published a series of instructional writing books including How to Write Your Life Story, A Writer’s Notebook, Live Writing, How Writers Work, and Poetry Matters. Stop by http://www.ralphfletcher.com to learn more about Mr. Fletcher, his books, and more! 

What Should I Write About?

I’m not a big believer in “story starters”. I believe that the best ideas are living inside you. Your challenge is to dig them out. Do the writing only you can do. But every writer gets stuck from time to time so I’ve included a few ideas to jump-start your imagination. (more…)

What made you decide to be an author, and when did you reach that decision?

When I was in eleventh grade, one of my high school English teachers said that I was very creative, and that I should consider being a writer. No one had ever suggested that to me, and it had never occurred to me. I always was a reader, and I would devour armloads of books during my youth, but this was the first time the thought of being a writer was presented to me. Reading has been really, really huge. I think the single most important thing about being a writer is that you must love to read.

What role did writing play in your life before your eleventh grade English teacher suggested it to you?

I started playing electric guitar when I was eleven, and at that point I really started writing a lot of songs. Also, my friend and I would make little, homemade, independent newspapers and magazines. I just always knew that I got great joy from putting words on paper.

A Writer’s Beginnings (2:07)

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These blogs are a medium to learn and share ideas for writing instruction using MY Access! You will find lesson plans on controversial subjects, interviews with authors, and ideas for teaching writing as a process. We encourage you to read the blogs, then share your own ideas, debate, and ask questions.  We have outstanding content that we are excited to share and are always looking for new blog material.  So please let us know if you have any interesting topics by posting them to our Forum.  Navigate between both the blogs and the forums to learn more about using MY Access! to its fullest instructional potential. We hope you will find the material in the Community timely, enlightening and useful. And we look forward to talking to you! (more…)

Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 minutes
Adaptations: High School (9-12) “Recommending Literature” Prompt, Persuasive Writing
Printable: “Banning Books” Lesson Plan (PDF)

Banning Books Prompt:

Some members of your school board want to ban certain books from the public library.  They feel that these books contain topics unsuitable for young readers.  Do you agree that some kinds of books should be banned from the library?  Do you disagree? Write a letter to your school board persuading the members that these books should be banned or that these books should not be banned. (more…)

What made you decide to be an author?

I wrote my first book at age 35, Running Loose. It was an evolutionary process, and after finding the guts to write the first one, I realized by the third or fourth one that I was an author with a publisher and a deadline. It may have started in high school with two teachers that motivated me to write, not in the traditional sense, though. For English, I would knock off my essay in 15 minutes for the C-minus. It was my biology/shop teacher and the band teacher that inspired me to write. When I would get in trouble with either one of them, I had a choice – the wooden paddle or a 500 word essay. I chose the essay and would stay up until two o’clock in the morning trying to write something that would make them laugh. I wrote those just like I write now; I’d write it, I’d read it out loud, I’d fix it. I wrote it with the idea that I had something in mind, a purpose behind the writing.
Beginning as a Writer (1:44)

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