Teachers & Writers Collaborative
Writing about the Night Tara Tandlich explains step by step how to teach young kids to write poems about the night.
Poetic Forms and Students with Special Needs Corie Feiner offers a step-by-step method for teaching the cinquain, or quintet, to students with special needs.
Character Descriptions Jenny Robinson Hartley on how to write character descriptions based on “Hairs,” by Sandra Cisneros
Childhood, Poetry, Magic, and ‘Magic’
Excerpts from a 2002 talk given by Quincy Troupe at Teachers & Writers Collaborative to a group of teaching artists.
Teaching by Listening
Los Angeles poet, novelist, and visual artist Will Alexander explains how he doesn’t come to a classroom with pre-fabricated writing assignments, but allows the students’ personalities and needs to dictate the assignments he gives.
Playwriting For Young Students
Playwright Kent Alexander’s four-stage lesson plan on teaching playwriting to young students.
Hip-hop Aaron Belz discusses how to bring hip-hop lyrics into the classroom.
Personal Dictionaries
Poet Lee Ann Brown’s lesson plan on teaching poetry via the creation of personal dictionaries.
Metaphors Jenny Browne’s exercises on creating image-rich, exciting metaphors.
Space in Poetry Tina Cane talks about space as a defining element in poetry.
Shelley & Science
Poet Julie Carr’s lesson plan on teaching Shelley and science to sixth-grade students.
Computers in the Classroom
Poet Jordan Davis describes how he has used computer technologies to teach imaginative writing.
Poetry with Learning-disabled Students
Poet Nicole Hefner’s lesson designed for learning-disabled students. Learn how Nicole incorporated visual images and collaborative exercises to teach poetry.
Classical Music and Poetry
Novelist David Hollander’s lesson on incorporating classical music in the teaching of poetry.
Bilingual Poetry Workshop
Poet Kenneth Koch on teaching Frederico García Lorca in the bilingual classroom.
Poetry Comics
Poet Dave Morice makes comics out of poetry.
Breaking the Ice
Director and playwright Frank Perez’s ideas on how to break the ice on your initial day in a writing residency. This exercise is particularly suitable for writers teaching in grades 9 through 12.
The Magic Spellbook
Poet Kristin Prevallet’s exercise based on incorporating a magic spellbook into the teaching of poetry writing. This exercise was inspired by two examples in the T&W book Luna, Luna: Creative Writing Ideas from Spanish, Latin American, & Latino Literature. (link to Luna)
Free Writing Jenny Robinson Hartley’s ecstatic account of her introduction to free writing.
Sappho
Poet Eleni Sikelianos’ lesson plan on teaching Sappho to sixth-grade students.
Sandra Cisneros Ashley Simpson’s exercise on using stories by Sandra Cisneros to evoke imaginative writing.
Teen Moms Susan Straub’s innovative exercise on encouraging teen moms to read to their babies.
Getting Started with Your First Residency
What to ask, say, and do with teachers and students.
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