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
Homeschooling
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.
Where are they now? We hear from Rachel Stanley, Stone Soup contributor in the early 2000s
We are often asked–and we often wonder–what careers our young authors and illustrators went on to as they grew up, so we were thrilled to hear from Rachel Stanley, one of our published illustrators and authors from the early 2000s. She gave us permission to share her letter to us with you. If you’d like to see what work she is doing now, you can visit her website. And, to hear about what publication in Stone Soup meant to hear, read on… She rose on her tiptoes and let herself fall forward Fourteen years ago, my childhood dream of being an artist officially came true when my illustrations were published in Stone Soup magazine. To this day, I owe so much to the magazine for the way it helped launch my artistic career. Submitting to Stone Soup was one of the best decisions I made as a young person. At the time I was just excited about getting my name and work in print, but I never could have foreseen the long-term benefits it would bring me. The magazine made me a better artist and a better writer, because each rejection forced me to work harder towards being published. It was one of the many factors that drove me to be an illustration major in college, and to this day remains a source of inspiration for me. I’ve kept every printed copy of Stone Soup I ever received, and to this day I love perusing the wide variety of styles and skills that are showcased in the magazine. He was running for me, and no one could ever stop us The first check I ever received was for my illustrations of “The Flying Angel” in 2003, and to my 11-year-old self, it was really a big deal. I was even more thrilled to have my story “Diver” and its accompanying illustrations published in the magazine in 2004. But to my surprise, Stone Soup has continued to net me benefits long after I passed the submission age limit. I’ve been able to maintain connections to the art community through following the magazine online. In the world of art-and especially illustration-connections and networking are everything, and I’ve been excited to reconnect with Stone Soup online and through social media in more recent years. Making a living as an artist isn’t easy, as I’ve found out, but Stone Soup is one of the things that encourages me not to give up on my dreams. I have even found some of my fellow Stone Soup illustrators enjoying exciting and successful art careers as a result of what was begun years ago with their publication in the magazine. So thank you, Stone Soup, for what you have done for me and for so many others. I hope that many more generations of aspiring authors and artists will be launched to success through their connections with you! ~Rachel www.rachelalana.com
