To help your learners discover their own writing styles and embrace reading, check out the fun high school language arts activities below. Support students' voices with hands-on English lessons on how to analyze poems, podcasts, and arguments, complete with videos, downloadable worksheets, and more.
29 Back-to-School Writing Prompts for Middle and High School
School's back in session, which means it's time for a fresh batch of writing prompts for the new year. Have your high school or middle school students try these Back-to-School prompts this fall.
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August 10, 2021
Mayan Pyramids vs. Egyptian Pyramids Lesson Plan Idea
Looking to include ELA instruction in your social studies classroom? This Mayan pyramids vs. Egyptian pyramids lesson plan idea has students discuss the similarities and differences between the two types of structures through writing an essay.
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August 5, 2021
25 Valentine's Day Writing Prompts and Ideas
No matter what your middle school or high school class is reading, these writing prompts about love will get them ready for Valentine's Day.
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January 21, 2021
8 Black History Month Writing Prompts
Introduce students to Black innovators with these Black History Month writing prompts and guide them into a particular type of text, such as personal narrative, informative, or persuasive.
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December 22, 2020
ELA Halloween Activities for Middle School and High School Students
Get your ELA class into the spirit with these fun Halloween activities for middle school and high school students, and learn from a few masters of horror how to really make those spines tingle and those bones shake.
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October 20, 2020
How to Write for TV: Virtual Collaboration and the Blank Page
Carmen Sandiego showrunner Duane Capizzi takes readers inside the writers room and explores how to engage in collaborative script writing. He shows how TV writing is suited to virtual environments and shares experiences and strategies for conquering the blank page.
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August 17, 2020
Literacy at Work: The Writers Room with Duane Capizzi
Have your students explore the exciting world of TV writing with a free lesson plan and insights from producer, writer, and Carmen Sandiego showrunner Duane Capizzi.
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August 17, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Never Give Up, Grades 9–12
Though the characters in these stories face challenges and obstacles, they never stop trying to do the right thing.
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August 17, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Stories You Won't Forget, Grades 9–12
These stories will probably stick with you the rest of your life—the characters and what they experience are just that unforgettable!
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August 7, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Dystopian Tales, Grades 9–12
Dystopian novels—often set in the future—depict undesirable or frightening societies where the citizens suffer from restrictions and/or injustices.
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August 4, 2020
Literacy at Work: How to Write a Rap with Dr. Chris Emdin
Have your students discover how creating and performing raps can inspire self-reflection, confidence, and an appreciation for writing.
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July 28, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Friends and Family Matter, Grades 9–12
Though we may sometimes have differences of opinion with our friends or family members, they are often the ones we rely on to see us through difficult times.
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July 27, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Graphic Books for Grades 9–12
Graphic novels are hugely popular with readers of all ages. They capture our attention and keep us turning pages compulsively.
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July 20, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Did You Know? for Grades 9-12
This week’s suggested titles all fall into the nonfiction category, but they are anything but dull! If you like learning about real people and the real world, these are for you.
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July 13, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Fantasy Series for Grades 9-12
Escaping our own reality by diving into a fantastical world can be an exciting adventure and a therapeutic release.
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July 7, 2020
Great Summer Reads With Carol Jago: Take a Book to the Movies! for Grades 9-12
When books are so engaging, filmmakers inevitably want to try adapting them for the big screen. Notice the changes they have made or have had to make as you read and watch.
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June 29, 2020
Forgotten Stories of the Oregon Trail: Native American Oral History
Read about the oral history of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes near the Oregon Trail and help students preserve stories from their own oral history.
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June 23, 2020
Great Summer Reads with Carol Jago: Into Space! for Grades 9-12
Visit Mars, tour the galaxy, and befriend curious species in this week’s great summer reads.
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June 22, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 10: Write Two-Sentence Stories and More
Have high schoolers find inspiration for stories in everyday objects or events and craft advice columns with these downloadable activities for at-home learning.
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June 8, 2020
What’s on Your Mind? A Flexible SEL Freewrite
Help students in Grades 3–12 tap into what they're feeling with an informal writing activity.
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June 5, 2020
Forgotten Stories of the Oregon Trail: Writing History
Students will learn from reading diary entries written on the Oregon Trail how such writings preserve history and bring the past to life.
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June 4, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 9: Write an Unnecessary Sequel and More
High schoolers can sharpen their writing skills with activities including a reflective essay on the past school year and a playlist for a book they read.
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June 2, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 8: Synthesize Information and More
For this week's activities, students can create a how-to video, use research to defend their stance on an issue, and respond to summer writing prompts.
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May 26, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 7: Memorize and Recite a Poem and More
With these downloadable activities, high schoolers will memorize and recite a poem, take notes as they read a novel, and memorialize a book in memes.
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May 18, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 6: Analyze a Podcast and More
Have your students explore haiku, analyze a podcast, and practice identifying literary terms with these downloadable activities for high schoolers.
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May 11, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 5: Teaching Metaphor by Carol Jago and More
High schoolers can sharpen their writing, language, critical thinking, and reading skills with these instructional resources.
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May 5, 2020
Literacy at Work: Writing a Personality Feature with Esther Wojcicki
Esther Wojcicki shares her lesson on conducting an interview and writing a personality feature—an intriguing, creative article about the interviewee.
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April 30, 2020
Fun At-Home Lesson for ELA: Write a Personality Feature and Other Activities
Teach students in Grades 3-12 how to conduct interviews and write compelling personality features with these insights from Esther Wojcicki.
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April 30, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 4: Create a Sketchnote and More
Activities including creating a sketchnote, writing an ode to an everyday item, and analyzing the theme of a short story.
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April 28, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 3: Evaluate a News Article and More
Have high schoolers continue learning from home by evaluating a news article for reliability, maintaining a dialectical journal, and responding to daily dinner prompts.
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April 20, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 2: Analyze a Poem and More
Have high schoolers analyze a poem, summarize an informational text, and write effective arguments with this week's downloadables activities.
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April 13, 2020
Grades 9–12 ELA Activity Set 1: Ripped from the Headlines and More
Have high school students analyze news stories, poems, and short stories with these instructional resources designed for remote learning.
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April 9, 2020
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View more language arts teaching ideas for high school. Or, check out our full list of free learning activities for all grades and all subjects.
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