Years ago, when I was doing contract negotiations for a small advertising agency, the CFO gave me some good advice at the start. Always know what you’re talking about, she said. If you do, you’ll do fine. I’d never negotiated contracts before but nevertheless, was placed to work for their biggest client, JCPenney. I renewed our client’s media contracts with small circulars, monthly or weekly newspapers all over the U.S. I had to do a lot of talking. I had to know what I was talking about.Now, I teach my son to read and understand what he’s reading. It is a skill, to comprehend what is unfamiliar. More still, it takes a good grasp of this unfamiliar material to be able to speak about it with others, to share it with confidence. My son, like me, is starting to hone that instruction I was given on the job. Sounds like tired advice, but really, it is something we tend to overlook. In my previous post, I wrote about how young writers can use the reconstruction method into their writing process repertoire. I mentioned how in the homeschool, I give my son source material to create a keyword outline. This outline is what he uses to orally introduce his subject. He reads from the outline, summoning familiar information and details cued up from the outline. It is a rudimentary exercise, for my fifth grader, since he will produce a written work only after he can listen to himself present it in public speaking. When we write, we cannot hear the words, until they are vocalized. And this is when we are able to catch nuance, extraneous information that may not fit our written purpose. It develops over time, to know the material well enough to the point where an outline is only a guide, and not a script. He is getting closer and closer to learning this well. Aren’t we told as writers of the long form to read aloud our work anyway? The principle is the same and reveals much of may be left out or vice versa. One way to train the young writer to exercise confidence in their writing with the outline as a guide to speaking the material is to have your writer observe public speaking. My husband teaches Bible study at our church and my son will observe similarities between his father and his own practice at home. We are happy that the language arts curriculum my son uses has encouraged him to bolster his outlining performance, and I throw in the public speaking factor for good measure! After he’s confident about how the acquired knowledge of the material he’s learned sounds (whether he is writing about Peyton Manning, or writing a story based off three pictures in a series), then he can proceed to draft it, and dress it up with because and who/which clauses, adverbial clauses, strong verbs, quality adjectives, prepositions, and all other manner of mechanics, devoid of banned words. The benefits of sounding the key word outline as a precursor to writing a draft go transcend to other skills that will eventually grow writing, public speaking and reading comprehension.
Teaching Children
Resources for Teachers of Writing
Here are just a few websites and programs that can be helpful for teaching creative writing for students. From lesson plans to book suggestions, these websites have a lot to offer for anyone who wants to encourage children to write. National Writing Project The National Writing Project is made up of University-based groups around the United States and help to bring teaching methods that will develop students’ passion for writing. Get in contact with a group near you, or explore their online resources. For teachers and homeschooling parents, there a variety of lesson plans available on the Resources page. They also have lists of recommended teaching books, as well as a stimulating podcast on education called NWP Radio. Teachers and Writers Collaborative Teachers & Writers Collaborative (T&W) is one of the original writers-in-the-schools programs in the United States. Founded in 1967 by a group of writers and educators—including June Jordan, Kenneth Koch, Herbert Kohl, and Phillip Lopate—T&W has spent more than fifty years developing innovative approaches to teaching creative writing that increase access to the arts, build community, and amplify youth voices. What Teachers Will Find Teachers & Writers Magazine — A free online publication offering a continually updated selection of lesson plans, essays, and interviews tailored for creative writing educators. The magazine covers kindergarten through college and non-classroom settings, featuring practical classroom-tested exercises alongside reflective essays on pedagogy. Recent topics include aleatory exercises for young poets, writing prompts using banned books as inspiration, coaching reluctant writers, and reimagining the creative writing classroom for disabled access. Books and Publications — T&W has published over 80 books on teaching creative writing, with 42 titles currently in print. Notable titles include the Handbook of Poetic Forms (76 entries on traditional and modern forms), Educating the Imagination (essays from 55 creative writers), Luna, Luna: Creative Writing Ideas from Spanish, Latin American, and Latino Literature, Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy, & Social Justice (NAACP Image Award nominee), and The Writing Workshop by Alan Ziegler. Digital Resource Center — A searchable archive of T&W materials plus resources from other members of the Writers in the Schools Alliance. Teachers can search for lesson plans, exercises, how-to pieces on teaching specific writers, essays on creative writing pedagogy, and profiles of creative writing programs. Writer-in-Residence Programs — T&W partners with New York City schools and community organizations to place professional writers in classrooms. Programs are Common Core-aligned and can be funded through NYC Department of Education contracts, school funds, or T&W grants. Poetry Out Loud — T&W manages the New York State Poetry Out Loud competition, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation that encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. T&W also coordinates the New York Youth Poet Laureate program. The Bechtel Prize — An annual award honoring exemplary articles about writing or teaching, with winning work published in Teachers & Writers Magazine. Who Is This For? T&W serves classroom teachers seeking to incorporate creative writing into their curriculum, teaching artists working in schools and community settings, and writers interested in arts education. The organization’s philosophy centers on several key principles: that students can engage with sophisticated literary works, that students are artists with meaningful things to say, that play is a powerful creative tool, and that centering marginalized voices creates a culture where all can flourish. The resources span all grade levels and are particularly valuable for educators looking to move beyond formulaic writing instruction toward approaches that honor the creative process and treat young people as emerging artists rather than simply students learning skills. —Summary written by Claude, AI assistant to Stone Soup PBS LearningMedia Browse the English Language Arts section of PBS Learning media to find helpful videos and lesson plans to help illustrate writing concepts for your students. Search by grade level to find resources and teaching ideas, some of which have been submitted by teachers who have found success with their lessons. Additionally, when you create a free account, you can use the tools such as the Quiz Maker and Storyboard Maker. The Brown Bookshelf The Brown Bookshelf is a curated resource designed to elevate awareness of Black authors and illustrators creating books for young readers. Founded in 2007 by a collective of Black children’s book creators, the site serves as an essential discovery tool for teachers, librarians, parents, and booksellers seeking quality literature featuring Black voices across picture books, middle grade, and young adult categories. What Teachers and Parents Will Find 28 Days Later — The site’s flagship initiative, running each February during Black History Month, profiles a different Black children’s book creator daily. The archive (2008–2025) offers hundreds of author/illustrator interviews, book spotlights, and recommended titles spanning all reading levels and genres. Curated Book Recommendations — Both new releases and overlooked gems, vetted through a multi-tier selection process involving publishers, librarians, teachers, and industry professionals. Anti-Racist and Social Justice Resources — Including reading lists, multimedia materials, and connections to initiatives like the KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives and the Amplify Black Stories fellowship program (developed with the Highlights Foundation). Links to Partner Organizations — Coretta Scott King Book Awards, The Conscious Kid, Social Justice Books, Lee & Low Books, Just Us Books, and other diversity-in-publishing resources. Who Is This For? Teachers seeking to diversify classroom libraries, parents looking for books where Black children see themselves reflected, librarians building inclusive collections, and anyone committed to ensuring young readers encounter the full range of Black storytelling traditions—from contemporary fiction to historical narratives to fantasy and beyond. The site has been recognized by the American Library Association and is regularly used in culturally responsive teaching initiatives. —Summary written by Claude, AI assistant to Stone Soup
Writing Activity: Stories about trust, truth and lying
The Mother’s Day Gift by Mathew Thompson, age 11, Dallas, Oregon
The Clay Pot by Naomi Wendland, age 12, Lusaka, Zambia
These two stories deal with the same problem: the tempation to lie to hide a mistake. The temptation to lie to cover up a mistake is a common one, and most people, at some point in their lives, give in to the temptation to pretend they haven’t done something that, in fact, they have.
