theme assignment for high school

How to Teach Theme to High School Students

Are your students struggling to understand theme no matter how many ways you try to teach it to them?

I must admit, I too struggled with theme in high school, mainly because none of my teachers clearly taught me the difference between a theme topic and a theme statement.

If I really reflect, my struggles with theme started way before I entered high school.

Throughout elementary and middle school, I was taught that theme was a main  idea  repeated throughout a text. So, when I would identify a theme in a text it would usually be one word like adventure or justice.

It wasn’t until I entered high school that theme was introduced to me as a message or lesson that is repeated throughout a text, but I never really learned how to go from a one-word topic to a full statement explaining a message or lesson.

This was a concept that I was expected to already know, when in fact I did not, and it heavily impacted my ability to analyze texts.

It wasn’t until I started my teaching career that I gained a full understanding on theme and how to teach it after seeking help from my colleagues.

I learned that the simplest way to teach theme is to introduce students to the difference between a theme topic and a theme statement.

Theme Topic vs Theme Statement

A theme topic is a broad idea repeated throughout the text that is usually 1-2 words.

Examples: Adventure, Love, Human Nature, Justice, Loyalty, Death etc.

A theme statement is a sentence stating the lesson/message the author tries to teach the reader.

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Once I understood this concept, I was able to see how one could go from a theme topic to a theme statement:

When creating a theme statement the reader must ask themselves, what lesson or message is the author trying to teach me through the theme topic __________?

Something else that had not been stressed to me while in school that is very important regarding theme, is that theme statements are meant to be universal truths and thus no characters or events should be included!

Final Thoughts

Once I began teaching theme this way to my students, it was so much easier for them to:

• Understand theme.
• Be able to identify a message/lesson that is presented in the text!

The struggles that I had faced with theme, most of my students weren’t going through. They had a strategy they could use that broke down theme into two parts: the main topic idea and the message/lesson!

This breakdown helped my students identify the broadest ideas they saw repeated in the text and then think critically about the message the author wants the reader to learn from that main idea.

I hope this article was helpful and that you use the theme resource with your students!

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10 of the Best Literary Analysis Activities to Elevate Thinking

Inside this Post: Ready to elevate your literary analysis lessons? This post is full of engaging and effective activities to help students master literary analysis topics.

Literary analysis has become the beating heart of English classes around the world. When students read a text, we want them to peel back the layers one by one, appreciating the deeper meaning that lies within each sentence. As English teachers, many of us connect with texts easily and persevere through complex literature naturally. For our students, this process is not always as enjoyable.

In this post, you’ll find suggestions for elevating thinking with middle and high school students. These ideas can be used with paired or individual texts and can be differentiated to reach a variety of learners.

Engaging and Effective Literary Analysis Activities

Literary analysis elements are best when they are engaging and elevate thinking without frustrating students. I’ve played around with different approaches, and these are the key elements that resonate most with students.

1. Thinking Aloud

One of the best feelings as a teacher is knowing you have an entire class full of teenagers engaged. It’s amazing how every single student in a classroom is in tune with think alouds. Something about making thinking transparent challenges students of all readiness levels. With literary analysis lessons, I love providing think alouds with the whole class. Whether we do this via face to face instruction or by creating a short video for virtual classrooms, we have to model our thinking.

Here’s an example with “All the world’s a stage” from William Shakespeare’s As You Like It …

This speech, at first, seems complicated. But, Shakespeare is talking about the world being a stage, and I think there is something deeper to what he is saying. Let’s go back again and look for clues. The men and women are players on the stage. He writes that they have their exits and entrances. I’m trying to visualize that in my head now. The world is a stage, the people are actors, and when they walk on and off the stage, that is their theatrical entrance and exit. Now that I understand he is using this speech as an extended metaphor, I wonder why would Shakespeare is choosing to compare these two things?

When modeling literary analysis, we can break down our thought process. If we write a written response, we can scaffold by color coding our thoughts in order to highlight the necessary critical thinking steps.

• First, acknowledge what is confusing or uncertain about the text. What might we be missing as readers?
• Second, make observations.
• Third, apply reading strategies (in this case, I used visualizing).
• Last, teach students to ask questions that probe at the deeper meaning and reason for the writing.

2. Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are one of my go-to strategies for elevating thinking . We can use them to differentiate and to guide students as we work in small groups. I like to keep a variety of literary analysis graphic organizers for any text on hand so that I can be responsive. If students show a need to work on analyzing a specific literary element – characterization, plot, theme, conflict, etcetera – I use a graphic organizer as we read a text or excerpt together, modeling my thinking. Then, students can practice using the same organizer in small groups, partners, or independently.

Literary analysis consists of asking a bunch of questions to lead students to deeper thinking, and graphic organizers are a bridge that walks students down that path of purposeful questioning.

Grab this print and digital literary analysis graphic organizer for analyzing song lyrics – one of secondary students’ favorite texts to pick apart!

Nothing grabs a student’s attention like an image! Visuals are amazing tools for introducing literary analysis skills. I always begin my literary analysis unit with pictures. Using an image, we can quickly show students how to differentiate between summarizing and analyzing . Then, we can walk them through the steps of acknowledging what we might be missing, making observations, applying reading strategies, and questioning for deeper meaning.

Consider using images from a variety of sources. We can try historical images, political cartoons, famous paintings, graphic novels, wordless picture books, advertisements, or even just regular photographs.

I even work this type of analytical thinking into my vocabulary activities ! Students get used to interpreting photos and using textual evidence to support their thinking.

4. One Pagers

One pagers are one of my favorite literary analysis activities. In order to make them meaningful, I incorporate scaffolding . So, students have access to standards-aligned goals and questions that prompt their responses to the text. Choice helps as well. We can allow students to choose digital or traditional , response angles, and even texts.

In terms of literary analysis benefits, we can really focus on asking students to cite textual evidence to track a universal theme. While doing so, students can draw conclusions about how literary elements work together or how they provide tension to impact a reader’s overall takeaway.

5. Colorful Charts

Mood and tone can be tricky for students to analyze. So that they can understand the difference between them but also so that they see how mood and tone work in tandem, I began using an equalizer metaphor . Students can use color and amplification to analyze how mood and tone change throughout a literary work. By creating a visual representation, there’s a direct connection between the mood and the storyline.

How does setting impact mood , and how does mood impact the conflict in the story?

For instance, the quiet beauty of the Capulet garden sets the stage for a romantic balcony scene, but the noisy bustle of the lewd fighting in the Verona streets helps to define the conflict and tension between the two feuding families.

With tone , how does the author’s word choice and sentence structure in each section convey his or her attitude in the work?

As we study the amplification of tone in the play Romeo and Juliet , we see a consistent change from light-hearted comedy to an intensely poetic and tragic seriousness. Over the course of the play, one might say that Shakespeare’s juxtaposition creates an overall sympathetic tone toward the star-crossed lovers.

6. Get Moving

One of the issues when it comes to citing evidence in a literary analysis essay is finding relevant support. Sometimes, it seems like the lines students select from literature are completely disconnected from what they are writing. That may be because they don’t truly understand how their thesis connects to their main points or how their main points connect to the evidence. For some students, there are too many degrees of separation!

A kinesthetic option to address this issue involves Post-Its (or colored text boxes if you are doing this digitally) and a t-chart. At the top of the paper (use big paper or a white board if you can do this together in the classroom!), write the analytical point. What conclusion can students draw about characters, setting, or another literary element that would support their thesis statement?

Under that, label the T-Chart as “Relevant” and “Off Topic.” Then, you have some options.

BASIC: You identify support for students in advance and have them sort the support based on its relevance. Could they use it to analyze the text, or is it off topic?

ADVANCE: Ask students to find examples of relevant and off-topic lines from the text.

A MIXTURE:   Provide students with a handful of lines they can sort into relevant and off-topic categories, and then ask them to find a couple more examples on their own.

To increase the engagement factor, use some washi tape on the floor in the shape of whatever makes the most sense – a character outline for analyzing character, a house for analyzing setting, a circle for analyzing a universal theme. Then, have students stick their Post-It notes inside or outside of the shape. Inside indicates that the evidence is relevant, and outside means it’s off-topic.

7. Children’s Books

We don’t always think to use picture books with older students , but they are one of my absolute favorite ways to scaffold literary analysis! Because picture books are short, we can cover an entire (and often complex) story in a short period of time. And, we can continually refer back to that text throughout the school year. Because picture books are accessible for all students, they will remember sharing the story together, and you can really make significant strides with whole-class discussions and small group lessons.

Try using picture books to teach Notice and Note signposts, language, aesthetics, and theme . One of my favorite ways to use picture books is teaching students to analyze how dialogue impacts decisions, propels action, and develops characters. For example, in the book Elbow Grease , the protagonist is motivated to participate in a race for which he is the underdog simply because some crass comments from his friends make him angry. This really is the turning point in the story, which makes it convenient to analyze how dialogue can lead to decisions and actions that change the course of a storyline.

8. Short Films

For a thousand and one reasons, I adore short films. They’re short (obvious, I know), which makes them ideal for modeling and mini lessons. Plus, they are visually captivating and apply to a wide age range. And, generally, they hold quite a bit of depth and leave room for a variety of interpretations.

During first quarter with ninth graders, I built in a yearly routine of watching short films during our literary analysis unit and having students complete their first full analytical essay. It’s fun. I can model using a short film I enjoy. Then, I get to read a wide range of responses from students who choose different texts. To scaffold for struggling writers, I suggest a few short films I am very familiar with; this way, I can guide them if they get stuck or confused.

You can also build in short films by using them with poetry for paired text analysis .

9. Reading Strategies

One of the building blocks of literary analysis is having a good foundation in apply reading strategies. It’s fun to model what readers do. We can show students how analyzing texts and re-reading for deeper meaning helps us with writing and then ask students to practice those skills.

For instance, when students begin to understand that authors have a purposeful craft that impacts their reading experience, it empowers them to pick that craft apart, studying the nuances of what makes it work. And, it gives them an advantage as authors themselves. They may think,  I remember how the author’s purposeful use of short, staccato sentences and onomatopoeias increased the suspense during that scene. Maybe I should use those techniques in this part of my story to add an emotional element for my readers.

These are some of the graphic organizers I’ve used to scaffold reading strategy work with the whole class, and then students can transfer those skills to small group or independent practice, using the same organizer if necessary.

10. Social Media Activities

Social media is everywhere. We might as well use it as a relevant option for analyzing literature! One of my favorites is booksnaps , and I tie in Snapchat by having them take a photo of part of the text they want to analyze. Then, they add interpretations, images, and text as well as a caption with a more detailed analysis. I call these Snap-a-Books.  I also created a Spot-a-Book analysis option, reminiscent of Spotify playlists. Students can create playlists relevant to character analysis, setting analysis, conflict analysis, and more!

And, that’s ten! I hope you’ve found some meaningful literary analysis activities to spark creative, critical thinking in your classroom.

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Teaching Theme With Short Stories

Teaching theme can be a challenge for both teachers and students. However, teaching theme with short stories is a great way to get over the hump. Read this post to learn several tools, tips, and titles to make teaching this abstract concept more effective all-around.

Short stories are a highly effective teaching tool when it comes to teaching a difficult and abstract concept, like theme.

I mean, how many times have your students struggled to identify a theme from a text? They often get it confused with the main idea or subject of the story. Other times they just stare blankly at the text, unsure what they’re looking for or how to find it. (Cue the frustration.)

Truthfully, abstract concepts are a challenge for students of all ages. However, after reading this post, you’ll be ready and eager to start teaching theme with short stories using the new tools, tips, and titles mentioned below.

Why Is Teaching Theme So Challenging?

Even at the secondary level, students can struggle to move beyond the comprehension of a text. Identifying a text’s theme often involves reading between the lines to reveal the lesson the author is teaching or the commentary they are making through the text. Therefore, it’s imperative your students understand higher-level thinking skills, like how to make inferences , before they can identify a theme.

Another problem is that many students get the theme confused with the main idea. Therefore, I recommend reminding students that main ideas are more a summary of what a certain text is about. The theme, on the other hand, is the overarching lesson or message the author is trying to convey that can be applied beyond the story itself. Furthermore, themes often acknowledge something about society, human nature, or the human experience.

The best part about theme is that there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer – though some are obviously more appropriate than others. The worst part about theme is that there is no right or wrong answer – especially for students who rely on this “knowing” to build confidence. See the challenge there? However, this is where teaching the power of textual evidence is really important. If they can back up their theme with evidence from the text, the odds are in their favor.

Helping Students Identify Theme

If your students are struggling to understand and identify theme, ask them to consider the following questions before, during, and after reading a short story:

• What is the topic of the short story?
• What is the author implying about the topic?
• What is the lesson the author wants the reader to learn by reading this short story?
• How does this message connect to the world beyond the text?

Once they answer the question above, they’ll be one giant step closer to identifying (and understanding) theme.

It might take students several chapters or hundreds of pages of a novel before truly understanding the story’s theme. However, with a short story, they can read the entire text, identify the theme, and discuss its development in one class period. That’s why short stories are the perfect stepping stone when teaching theme.

Additionally, with the shorter length of these stories, students can really focus on the theme without getting distracted by overly complex plotlines, various settings, and lengthy character development. However, that doesn’t mean these texts can’t be challenging. Therefore, as always, it’s important to select short stories that are a good fit for your particular students’ needs.

The Best Short Stories For Teaching Theme

Speaking of selecting the best short stories for teaching theme…

I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite short stories for teaching theme in the secondary classroom. Here are seven short stories that make for great theme-focused teaching tools:

1. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Teachers and students alike love “The Lottery” and it’s a great short story for teaching theme. Taking place in a seemingly pastoral town, students will gasp when they realize that the titular lottery isn’t one you want to win. However, it makes for exciting conversations around the theme of the dangers of blindly following tradition. Overall, Jackson does such a great job developing this theme throughout this harrowing tale.

Students can track the theme as they pay attention to the lottery’s impact on different characters over the course of the story. (Keep a special eye out for Little Davey’s actions!)  Play up the theme by tapping into students prior knowledge around concepts of lotteries and traditions before diving into Jackson’s short story.

2. “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

Greed, materialism, and the trap of deceptive appearances are some of the prominent themes in Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace.” As Mathilde Loisel’s yearning to live a life of luxury leads her into a downward spiral, students are sure to pick up on the overarching messages woven throughout this story.

 Despite being first published in 1884, this story and its theme are surprisingly relevant. (False perceptions on social media, anyone?) Therefore, this short story is a great way to emphasize the universal nature of a theme. Consider starting class with a discussion about the ways people can pretend to be something they’re not. Then, by the time they get to reading “the Necklace,” it’ll be hard for students to not notice similar themes throughout.

3. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe

While students often complain about reading “old” literature, they never complain when it comes to Poe. Better yet, this classic Poe short story is both thrilling and perfect for teaching theme. Following a murderer as he spirals into guilt-ridden madness, the short story skillfully develops suspense and strong themes simultaneously.

While the murderer denies his guilt at first, readers quickly realize the truth as Poe makes it clear that a guilty conscience cannot be avoided in the wake of an unjust action. As his growing guilty conscience slowly leads him to confess his crime, the murderer cannot shake the haunting drum of a beating heart – the ultimate symbol of the story’s theme.

4. “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In this short story, Nathaniel Hawthorne skillfully explores common themes of the Dark Romanticism literary movement. From sins and secrets to fears and human fallibility, the themes in “the Minister’s Black Veil” are sure to stir up some good conversation. To help students unpack the story’s theme, consider having them track the symbol of the titular black veil. In doing so, see if they can uncover Hawthorne’s deeper message.

Hawthorne’s short story is a great way to get students exploring these themes before diving into similar, yet more complex texts like Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter or Arthur Miller’s The Crucible .

5. “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerlad

F. Scott Fitzgerald might be best known for exploring the theme of disillusionment in The Great Gatsby , but “Winter Dreams” does a fantastic job relaying a similar message – in only 25 pages. “Winter Dreams” offers an insightful critique of the growing materialism and declining moral values of the roaring twenties. Between Dexter’s desires for wealth and social status and his yearning for Judy Jones, students will clearly recognize developing themes.

As students progress through the pages of the short story, they’ll be able to track themes around disillusionment, materialism, desire, and social mobility. Thanks to Fitzgerald’s skillful writing and theme development, students will have plenty to discuss after reading this short story.

6. “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez

In “Names/Nombres,” Julia Alvarez writes of her first-generation Dominican-American immigrant experience. As she describes her experience settling into New York City, Alvarez focuses on the evolution of her name and how it seemed to define her place in her new home.

However, her name is not the only thing that evolves over the source of the short story. Themes of otherness, identity, and the desire to belong also develop between the lines. As the story unfolds, students will quickly understand the overarching message Alvarez is trying to relay: names do not define who we are. Instead, it is our actions and accomplishments that define us.

7. Anything by Ray Bradbury. (Seriously.)

I know I mention Mr. Bradbury a lot when discussing short stories, and it might seem like I’m cheating here. However, there are good reasons why he’s a constant name on my lists of short stories. Not only is he a highly-skilled writer with a talent for developing a good short story, but students truly enjoy his work. Need I say more?

Many of his short stories explore the themes of censorship, the dangers of technological advancement and dependency, and blind conformity. Consider getting started with “The Veldt,” “The Pedestrian,” or “A Sound of Thunder.” Give one (or all) of these titles a try and you’ll be raving about Bradbury too.

Looking for more short story titles? Check out my posts about the best short stories for high schoolers and middle schoolers .

Tips For Teaching Theme With Short Stories

• Clarify the difference between theme and main idea with children’s literature. Use popular stories, like Cinderella or The Three Little Pigs, to provide students with a list that includes a handful of both main idea statements and themes. Have students sort through the list and categorize the items as either a theme or main idea. As you review their choices, clarify what makes something a main idea vs. a theme.
• Save time by assigning your chosen short story for homework. Have students read the short story for comprehension at home so you can do a second reading in class with a specific focus on tracking the story’s theme(s).
• If students need more scaffolding as they learn to identify theme, consider having them practice by tracking a theme you identify for them . Before you begin reading the short story, give them a theme (or two) to look for as they read. Then, they can focus on tracking how the story reveals and develops the theme. Providing graphic organizers and theme trackers are also great tools to help students organize their thoughts and evidence when it comes to theme.
• Get students to start thinking about the themes in a short story by having them fill out an anticipation guide focused around the story’s themes. That way students can tap into their prior knowledge while building curiosity around the story before reading. Themes will practically jump off the page following this activity.
• Use one-pagers as a fun way to assess student learning. After reading a text, encourage students to reread and annotate specifically for the development of a specific theme. Then, have them create a one-pager, including everything from drawing to direct quotes, to help illustrate their understanding of the theme throughout the text.

Trust me, I know teaching theme can be a headache. However, short stories are the perfect stepping stone for learning and applying this literary skill. Whether you use the short stories mentioned above or not, I hope this post gives you some inspiration and ideas to bring to your classroom.

While teaching theme can be a challenge, with the right texts, teaching tools, and strategies, it’s certainly doable. So, if you have any titles or tips not mentioned above, feel free to share them in the comments below. I’d love to hear them!

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Examples of Thematic Unit for Middle and High School English

Aug 29, 2022

In my years of teaching, I have found that the best way to get students learning AND retaining concepts and skills is by using thematic units. By integrating reading and writing together by focusing on a major topic and/or using a specific theme , you can incorporate texts in different genres and forms as well as different writing tasks. Teaching through thematic units in high school English means the potential for targeted skills practice, exposure to a variety of texts, and an increase in engagement (with the right choice of theme)! Keep reading for Examples of Thematic Unit Ideas!

Need help with Test Prep? Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

Table of Contents

What is theme?

Theme , in general, is the deeper meaning of a story. It is often a recurring central idea that leads to a take-away message for the reader. Different parts of a story including characterization, plot, conflict, setting, and more, can each contribute to that message. These elements are important when using Examples of Thematic Unit!

What is notable about theme is that different texts may share a theme, but the way in which it is communicated to the reader is very different. 

Take for example a theme like the following: “True love can endure even the greatest of hardships.” This theme would apply to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as well as to O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi” though the two stories are quite different. 

Check out this thematic unit focused on themes of love using texts by Shakespeare, O. Henry, Edgar Allan Poe, and Anne Bradstreet.

Examples of Topics Versus Themes

Topic versus theme is often difficult for students to grasp because they really want to boil stories down to a single word or short phrase such as “love” or “friendship” or “death is inevitable.” However, this is more topic than theme. Instead, to address theme, students should come up with a complete sentence that reflects the message of a story. This process is important when teaching through Examples of Thematic Unit!

If your students are at the beginning of their exploration of theme or if they struggle with moving beyond the one-word message, then provide them with a ‘formula’ to help them be specific and thorough:

conflict + resolution = theme

In this way, students identify the conflict of the story; this can start with a basic identification of person versus person or person versus nature and so on. Then, they can be more specific to the story by using character(s) and main plot points. Finally, they consider how the conflict is resolved (or isn’t) by the conclusion of the story. In putting these two parts together – conflict and resolution – a theme statement can be developed. 

But take note; the theme is not always singular in a text. There could be multiple themes in a piece of literature. While the formula above is a start, it is not the end of what can be examined for theme. 

Students could look at character(s), setting, plot, in addition to conflict and resolution in any given story. Through all of these elements, different themes might emerge – though they are usually closely related – but it is always necessary to have students ground their theme statements in the reality of the story. Use the evidence from the text!

Want help with teaching theme for Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” as you learn more about Examples of Thematic Unit? Click below!

Choosing a Thematic Unit

There are so many choices for themes to use in units for English . And choosing the right theme is key to creating and delivering successful examples of thematic unit curriculum. 

If you start the year with short stories, you might gauge student interest after a variety of stories through observation of their reactions or an informal survey of what they did and did not like. Once you have a good idea of your students’ likes and dislikes, you can consider thematic options for upcoming units. 

*** If you’re looking for a variety of short stories to teach Examples of Thematic Unit, check out this post with 13 Short Stories for 9th graders (that are also great choices for other grades too!) 

Examples of Thematic Unit and How to Teach

After you have chosen a theme for your unit, you’ll need to select texts and tasks. This is where the thematic unit really blossoms in the joining of reading and writing together.

Examples of thematic unit lessons are really driven by the idea of scaffolding. From lesson to lesson and text to text students continue to expand and deepen their skills with reading comprehension, plus writing practice with shorter to longer tasks.  

If your students, like mine, loved the Edgar Allan Poe short story you studied as a class, then you might choose texts with a theme related to death and dying or even taking revenge .

Here’s an example of thematic unit ideas focused on death and dying:

Students study “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Masque of the Red Death ” (another Poe story that is still so relevant considering recent world events), and poetry such as “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley and “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson . 

With these texts for examples of thematic unit connections, students can answer comprehension questions to ensure their understanding, then move to writing 1-sentence summaries , and on to comparing characters between texts. Finally, as the unit wraps up they’ll practice thesis writing for an essay outline or even a full essay to synthesize their learning.

The good news is that this unit has already been built for you. It includes all lesson plans and teacher guides as well as answer sheets. You can get your death and dying thematic unit bundle here .

Maybe your students loved those Poe stories because of the focus on taking revenge. If that’s the case, there’s a thematic unit for that too. Check it out here . It includes four texts, Common Core standards-aligned pre-reading, during-reading, and after-reading activities, including step-by-step instructions for writing a thesis statement and an essay outline or essay.

Other examples of thematic unit ideas include a connection to a novel study. The novel remains the core text but you can incorporate short stories and poetry to complement it and to give students the chance to practice writing skills along the way too. 

If your students read Lowry’s The Giver , Orwell’s 1984 , Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 or any other dystopian novels then you will want to check out this thematic unit about technology in dystopian worlds . There are activities about charting the plot, examining conflict, and writing informative/explanatory texts as well as an essay with scaffolded lessons. 

Examples of Thematic Unit Ideas

Examples of Thematic Units curricula are great for any grade of high school ELA because students read a variety of texts and at every stage through multiple opportunities reinforce their skills. 

In a thematic unit, students can read short stories, plays, poetry, and even nonfiction. Through this variety of texts, they work on reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing skills. They make connections and transfer their knowledge from text to text and task to task. And this is key so they can practice writing skills such as short responses, citing evidence, as well as thesis writing and essays. Every step of the way, these examples of thematic unit (s) are a win-win for teachers and students.

Need more fun lessons and activities that incorporate Examples of Thematic Unit? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep !

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Book reports may be a staple of elementary and middle school education, but they are far less frequently assigned in the higher grades. High school ELA teacher Nancy Barile thinks that should change. Students in 6th grade and above can learn a lot when they are challenged to use higher order thinking skills to understand and interpret the literature they read via a good old-fashioned high school book report template. 

To start, Barile recommends that students choose the books they want to write about themselves—with teacher approval, of course. See the book list at the end of this article for engaging young adult titles and book report ideas, including books with thematic elements that are particularly appealing to older readers. 

Writing the Report

To structure the book reports, Barile recommends eight sections of analysis that will “require students to provide evidence of their choices and reasoning, which helps them think more deeply about what they have read.” For each section, students should give examples from the book to back up their analysis. The below book report template can help. 

If your students need to review the elements of fiction before beginning this assignment, Teaching Powerful Writing is a great resource. This collection of personal narratives and writing activities highlights different writing techniques and covers literary elements such as voice, using flashback, and point of view.

Book Report Breakdown

Students should identify the setting of the novel and explain why the setting is important.

• How are the time and place significant to the events of the story?
• How does the setting contribute to the overall meaning of the novel? 

2. CHARACTERIZATION

Beginning with the protagonist and then moving on to the supporting characters, students should discuss the characterizations in their novel. 

• Is the character well-developed, or are they a stock or stereotypical character? 
• Is the character static (unchanging throughout the story) or dynamic (changes by the end of the novel)? 
• What personality traits does the character possess, and how does this affect the outcome of the novel? 
• Do the character's inner thoughts and feelings reflect their outward actions? Explain. 

3. POINT OF VIEW

Students should identify the novel’s point of view and why it is significant.

• What advantages does telling the story in (first person/second person/third person) have? Why?
• Why do you think the author chose this point of view? 

4. CONFLICT

What is the primary conflict in the novel? Is it human vs. human, human vs. nature, human vs. society, or human vs. themselves? Your students should delve into conflict much more deeply than they may have in the past. If their story has more than one major conflict, they should detail the additional conflicts as well.

• Explain the conflict and how the protagonist deals with it. 
• Does the protagonist overcome the conflict? Or do they succumb to it?

Students should identify the theme of the novel and the specific meaning of the book they chose. They should avoid stock themes such as “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and think more critically on their author’s message.

• What was the author’s purpose in writing the book?

What are the symbols in the novel and how are they significant?

• How do the symbols help develop the story and contribute to the overall meaning of the book?

7. FORESHADOWING

Students should identify the foreshadowing in their novel and give examples from the text.

• Did you know what was going to come? Why? 
• Were there any hints as to what might occur? 
• Why do you think the author chose to use or not use foreshadowing? 

Finally, students should evaluate the ending of the book.

• Was the ending justified? (Was the ending viable and believable?) 
• Was it a satisfactory ending that fit the rest of the novel? 
• Was there a catharsis of some kind? Explain.

If your students follow this structure in their book report, it will help them explore each of the elements of fiction in a very specific way. As Barile discovered in her decades of teaching: “Students who explain, interpret, and synthesize what they have read gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of literature.”

Shop great classroom titles for book reports below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store .

Secondary Classrooms 10 Short Stories High School Teachers Love

Allie Liotta

These compelling short stories for high school are sure to engage your students!

When it’s time to plan a new unit, it can be daunting to find high-quality, relatable short stories your students will enjoy. That’s why we’ve put together a roundup of engaging, thematically rich short stories that high school teachers love.

Whether you’re new to CommonLit or a longtime CommonLit fan looking to refresh your lesson plans, you’re sure to find a great text for your students from this list!

“ Showdown ” by Shirley Jackson (9th Grade)

In this short story for 9th graders, the town of Mansfield is haunted — stuck reliving the same day because the townspeople stood by and watched Thad Ruskin kill Tom Harper, his daughter’s beloved. Once Billy figures out they are reliving the same day, he realizes that he needs to stop the murder, which might help the town escape the haunting. This is a great story for analyzing how authors build suspense.

“ The Pedestrian ” by Ray Bradbury (9th Grade)

In this dystopian science fiction story, set in a technology-dominated society, Leonard Mead is out for an evening walk. He is stopped by an automated police car, which asks him why he does not own a television. The police car determines that because of Mr. Mead’s “regressive” view of technology, he must be brought to a psychiatric center, and it takes him away. This short story provides students with an interesting opportunity to reflect on the use of technology in society.

“ Two Kinds ” by Amy Tan (9th Grade)

In this excerpt from The Joy Luck Club , June’s mother is determined to make June some kind of prodigy. Eventually, she decides June will be a piano prodigy, but June is determined not to try very hard. When June plays wrong note after wrong note at a recital, her mother is stricken, and they have a terrible fight. June reflects on this experience later in life and comes to reconcile her mother’s ambitions for her with her own. This is a great text for analyzing character development and relationships.

“ Rules of the Game ” by Amy Tan (9th Grade)

In another excerpt from The Joy Luck Club , Waverly recounts her memories of growing up in San Francisco’s Chinatown and her relationship with her mother. One Christmas, Waverly’s brother receives a chess set and she is determined to learn how to play. Waverly becomes a skilled player, but she also begins to feel suffocated by her mother’s pride. This is a great text for studying the use of metaphor, as chess represents the conflict between Waverly and her mother.

“ He — Y, Come On Ou — t! ” by Shinichi Hoshi, translated by Stanleigh Jones (9th Grade)

This allegorical science fiction tale tells of a small village that discovers a newly formed hole nearby. After shouting into the hole and tossing in a pebble, the townspeople hear no echo and start squabbling over what to do about this curiosity. Soon, a businessman claims the hole and starts charging people to dispose of their trash. The townspeople forget all about the mystery of the hole until the day they hear a shout from the sky and see a single pebble falling down. This text offers commentary on the consequences of acting selfishly and not respecting the environment.

“ Eraser Tattoo ” by Jason Reynolds (10th Grade)

In this short story for 10th graders, teenagers Shay and Dante sit on a stoop in Brooklyn reflecting on their relationship as they wait for Shay’s parents to finish packing up to move out of town. Shay uses a pencil eraser to give Dante a friction burn in the shape of an “S.” As they make their final goodbyes, Dante knows that the hurt of the moment will fade but he is forever changed by Shay–just as his arm will retain the scar of the eraser tattoo. This text offers an opportunity for students to analyze how dialogue develops characters and reveals themes.

“ Safety of Numbers ” by Lucy Tan (10th Grade)

In this short story for high school, a Chinese-American teenager just wants to hang out with her friends; she doesn’t understand why her mother pressures her so much to study for the SATs. Over time, she begins to understand her mother by learning of her experiences in China and with the Tiananmen Square Massacre. This is a great story to analyze complex characters and how characters may change over time.

“ Cooking Time ” by Anita Roy (10th Grade)

Set in a dystopian future, “Cooking Time” tells the story of a world in which all natural sources of food have been destroyed. People subsist on synthetic food tubes produced by a large and powerful corporation. A passionate young girl aspires to taste and cook real food by way of a competition reality TV show in which contestants time travel to retrieve real ingredients. This poignant story offers an opportunity for students to understand how science fiction is used to make social commentary about the real world.

Have students read “Cooking Time” and analyze how science fiction is used to make social commentary.

“ Marigolds ” by Eugenia Collier (10th Grade)

In this classic short story for high school, Lizabeth recalls a moment from her childhood that marked the end of her innocence. In the midst of the Great Depression, young Lizabeth feels confused and afraid of the upheaval in her family and community. Her inner turmoil drives her to destroy Miss Lottie’s beautiful marigolds. This thematically rich text is great for analyzing symbolism, as the marigolds represent different things to Lizabeth and Miss Lottie.

“ The Wretched and the Beautiful ” by E. Lily Yu (10th Grade)

This science fiction story asks the reader to consider what it truly means to be human. In it, one group of aliens — who appear to be grotesque and in poor health — arrive and ask for asylum on earth. Another group arrives, but they are fewer, have more resources, and appear incredibly beautiful. This story uses symbolism to discuss the concepts of prejudice, immigration, and charity.

Are you a teacher looking for more secondary content on CommonLit? Browse the CommonLit Library or come to one of our webinars!

If you are an administrator looking to leverage CommonLit in your school or district, our partnerships team can help. We offer benchmark assessments, professional learning, and more!

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Teaching Poetry in High School – Lessons, Activities, and Ideas

Poetry , Secondary Literacy , Writing

One reason why I love teaching poetry in high school is because of the rich conversations you can have with students.  No matter what school setting I am teaching in, my students always have so much to say about poetry. When students feel confident in their abilities, they truly love the challenge of reading poetry .  In this blog post, you will learn how you can instill the love of poetry in your students.  I will also share some activities and resources to teach poetry to high school students .

How do you introduce a poem in high school?

Have your students ever described poetry as boring or confusing?  It is pretty common for them to feel overwhelmed by poetry.  This is because poetry is so different from the styles of writing that they are used to exploring in the classroom.  In order for students to move past this attitude towards poetry, they need to feel confident in their abilities.

To instill this confidence, it can be helpful to introduce poetry slowly .  Before diving into a poem, you may want to first teach the basic elements of poetry .  This will help students acquire the vocabulary that they need to discuss poetry in the classroom.

Another introductory lesson involves familiarizing students with poetic devices .  Being able to identify figurative language in poetry will help students further develop their thoughts about the poem.  Discussing poetic devices can also help students analyze the author’s style of writing.

Activities to teach poetry in high school

One of the most important skills for high school students is annotating .  Annotating is the process of writing notes next to a verse of poetry  These notes may express thoughts, questions, evaluations, or definitions.  They may also note the meter (or “rhythm”) of the poem.  Annotating will help students to develop an in-depth analysis of a poem.  

Once students understand the elements of poetry and feel comfortable with identifying poetic devices, they are ready to practice annotating .  To teach annotation, you can break the process down into steps.  This blog post shares a 4-step process for annotating poetry.  You can also use this free annotation bookmark as a personal anchor chart for students as they work through these four steps.

A great way to make annotating accessible to students is to practice with music lyrics .  Students already have a lot to say about their favorite artists and songs; because of the cultural relevance of the music they enjoy, they often feel confident analyzing it and making inferences.  Modeling annotation on song lyrics is a great way to hook your students and scaffold this skill.

This poetry unit for high school includes slideshow lessons, word wall activities, vocabulary anchor charts, bookmarks, annotation activities, and informational handouts.  During this 2-week unit, students will learn how to fluently read and analyze poetry .

How do you make poetry fun in high school?

If there’s any unit my high school students resonate with, it’s poetry.  This is because there are so many ways to make poetry engaging and fun.  For the most part, my students enjoy poetry because they see it as relevant to popular culture .  This is why teaching poetry in high school is so rewarding!

In order to help them see the relevance of poetry, we spend a lot of time exploring modern poets in various forms.  They are especially interested in the new wave of free verse poets on Instagram , also known as “Instapoets.”  Some examples of these are Rupi Kaur, Tyler Knott Gregson, and Kate Baer.  Song lyrics form another connection between poetry and popular culture and serve as a great way to teach poetic devices .

Your students will probably have the most fun writing their own poetry .  If they are reluctant, you could start off with a few icebreakers or creative writing prompts to help them become more expressive in your classroom.  Your students might enjoy replicating the styles of free verse poetry popularized on Instagram.  If so, you can lead a free verse poetry workshop with them.

If you students would prefer something more structured, then styles like sonnets and haiku might be more appropriate.  Using a sonnet template or haiku outline will offer them more guidance without limiting their creativity and expression.

Best poetry for high school students

Here are a few poetry picks that your high school students will love!

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur – Kaur wrote this collection of poems at 21.  It shares her coming-of-age experience as an Indo-Canadian woman.  It is vulnerable, feminine, powerful, and features simple illustrations alongside the text.

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou – Angelou’s collection of poetry shares the themes of strength, loneliness, and determination.  The singular poem by the same name serves as a great read for an individual lesson.

“ The Negro Speaks of Rivers ” by Langston Hughes – This poem serves as a great lesson for exploring figurative language.  This annotation lesson facilitates a guided close reading of the poem to teach your students how to annotate.

William Shakespeare’s Sonnets – These classic poems are a great way to explore Shakespeare’s iconic sonnet form.  Students can read one of Shakespeare’s popular sonnets before writing their own using this sonnet writing workshop .

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong – Vuong is a Vietnamese American poet who recalls memories of grief and war in this full-length collection of poems.  His work is a great example of contemporary poetry.

Teaching Poetry in High School: Tying it All Together

There are so many ways to make poetry fun and engaging for high school students.  I hope this blog post has helped you with a few lesson plans and activities to teach poetry in high school.   It’s really inspiring to see students feeling confident in reading and analyzing poetry, and it makes for great classroom conversations!

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The theme of a story is a message that the author is trying to express. The author does not explicitly state the theme. To discover the theme, the reader must make some deductions concerning events in the story.

Identifying the theme of a story can be challenging. Fortunately, as with all reading skills, practice makes perfect. These theme worksheets will help students achieve mastery of this essential reading skill. I recommend starting with the theme PowerPoint lesson posted below. Also, you may be interested in my advice on teaching theme .

I hope that these theme resources help students meet learning goals.

Theme Common Core State Standards

188 comments.

Thank you so much for all these resources. I find them very useful when it comes to teaching my students.

Genevieve G

I love your site. Thank you for the free resources to use with my students. I really appreciate you providing them.

Thank you! during my winter break I have been reading your worksheet and powerpoint which will help me when I return. I am a beginners teacher. ELA/ICR teacher. Again thank you. Just what I needed.

editha galo

Thank you very much, you relly of big help to us

And – to add – this is an awesome resource. Thank you so much for sharing it!

How do you find the students’ results? Not sure where to find report if there is one? Thanks!!

They have to send them to you. I will look into the Classroom API again soon, but last I checked, I couldn’t do what you and I both want it to do.

Stephanie Hampton

I really appreciate having a resource like this! It makes lesson-planning so much easier, especially when you can edit the resources to differentiate for students. Thank you so much for all of this!

The useful website

Lily (Student)

I love this site because it tells you everything we need. I think this is a pretty neat website, thank you.

Hi, I was wondering could you send me a full sample essay about the theme so I could get a better understanding of it. Thank you.

Quintrell Williams

fourth grade Time for themessage Key-theme

Analie S. Canete

Thank you so much for helping me be ready to teach my students. It’s a big help that makes my work easier and more effective! God Bless!

Thank you for the blessings!

Alan Chacon

could you please provide an answer key to these lessons because I can’t tell if I am correct with my inferences. I understand how to identify them a little better, but if I knew I was correct it would help me and maybe some others with how they should think and if they are in the correct mindset It would help them indulge in positive reinforcement please read this and consider others learning process in your decision.

There are answer keys. Click the links that say “View Answers” underneath the assignment sheets.

mariecel reynes

the objective of my lesson is to explain how the elements build its theme, would you mind to please provide me materials for the evaluation of my lesson.tnx much

I loved these passages and powerpoint! I used them for my fourth grade class and they were right on target for their level. Thank you!

I want to express my gratitude to you for providing these wonderful resources-free of charge! I love visiting your site.

In our lessons we are studying the difference between moral and the theme but in your pdf s it kinda says that there are the same thing. so what is the difference between them. Thank you 🙂

They are similar, but a moral is usually explicitly stated, where a thematic statement is implied.

Antonio Soto

at first i thought this would be a bad website, but now i stand corrected this site has helped me and my classmate with numerous amounts of classwork and homework

Mourad Romdhani

A very helpful course for both student and teacher. Thank you very much for such high quality lessons.

Thank you very much for the great resources. I’ve been engaged with searching for such materials very long! and they are helpful for me and my class at school. And thank you for the great website!!

Nick Muzekari

I will be teaching an online short story class this summer for the first time. I’m new to this and so am looking for material to help myself and the students. I believe I will get paid for teaching the class so I am asking permission to use EReading materials since I really love them and want to use them in the class. May I have permission?

hi Mr.Morton. i am having trouble on a theme packet that my teacher assigned me for homework . i do not understand what a theme is. can you help me??????

Theme is the message of a story, the lesson that the author intends to impart through his or her story. So, read the story and ask yourself, is there a lesson to be learned here? Put that lesson into words, and you can say that you have found a theme in the story. Best wishes!

Jennifer Reed

After reading the comments, they struck home for me. My colleagues and I are always discussing the definition of theme. For me, I think it is fair to differentiate for the student between universal and literary theme.

I make sure to talk to students about the definition of Universal Theme, one word, and the literary theme described here. Sometimes my at-risk students have to zero in on the one word before they can get to the generalization. If not, I end up with a main idea or plot summary instead.

I hope this helps, or adds to the discussion.

Great contribution. Thank you.

Denise Ramos

I appreciate these lessons and the guidance you provide! I am a beginning teacher, and I feel frazzled at times about how to put things, but your resources are very helpful. I was wondering, how did you become so good at creating lessons? Were there any books that helped you? Or was it time and practice that helped you organize your plans and lessons so well?

I like to think that I have a way of getting to the point. I can’t recommend any books or resources that helped me out in any significant way. I can only point to the amazing teachers who inspired me and helped me grow. I’ve worked at some pretty messed up schools, but no matter how bad things were at times, there were always amazing people doing amazing things. I will never be the superb disciplinarian that Mrs. Smith, Mr. Dillard, or Mr. Tang were, but I’ve taken a little piece of them with me. I will never be as organized or as motivating as Mr. Phoenix was with his students, but I carry a little piece of him with me.

Find the teachers that inspire you. Fight to observe them. Take what you can.

That’s pretty much the best advice that I can give you about that topic.

Thank you for visiting my site and posing such an interesting question.

Best wishes!

I, too, love this site and appreciate the information and activities. It is so helpful… I was wondering if you could add some expository writing activities.

Like these expository writing prompts or did you have something different in mind?

Karen Schonewise

THANKS so much. This site is great. I almost lost it on a student today who was trying to tell me theme was one word after I have spent a month teaching these juniors in high school that it is a sentence!!! This site is awesome!!

Ha ha. It’s funny you say that. I’ve gone back and forth with terminally educated adults about this. I think a Common Core ELA glossary (like the one that they have for mathematics) would go a long way in resolving this debate. I also think that the word motif better fits the “a theme is one word” thing. Anyway, thanks for visiting the site and taking the time to comment. Best wishes!

You are the best. I am at a loss of words oh how to express my gratitude to you and this website that you have created. AWESOME-RIFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the word that you invented. Thank you for visiting.

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Home › Study Tips › Creative Writing Resources For Secondary School Students

Creative Writing Prompts For High School Students – 12 Categories

• Published January 3, 2023

Are you a high school student struggling to find inspiration for your creative writing assignments? Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and can’t seem to come up with new and exciting ideas? If so, you’re not alone. 

Many students struggle with coming up with ideas for creative writing, especially when they feel pressure to produce something original and engaging. 

But the good news is that there are ways to break through the block and find inspiration for your writing. 

For instance, by attending our award-winning creative writing summer programme , you’ll learn how to conquer the fear of the blank page. How? By learning proven formulas for creating brilliant stories. 

Another way to have that creative spark is to use creative writing prompts. 

This article will provide creative high school students like yourself with a list of creative writing prompts. So you’ll get the inspiration you need to get into the flow and start writing!

What are Writing Prompts?

Writing prompts are ideas that help writers overcome writer’s block and get started with their writing. They can come in various forms, including a

• Or series of questions. 

Creative writing prompts get your creative juices flowing. When you encounter a writing prompt, it encourages you to start writing!

What types of writing, you ask? It can be anything from fiction writing to essay writing. Creative writing prompts are even used to get you started with freewriting in your daily journal.

So you see, many writers find writing prompts a quick and easy way to begin a new writing project. Or to overcome writer’s block when they are stuck.

How Do You Use Writing Prompts?

There are many different ways to use writing prompts. Here are a few ideas:

Use writing prompts to start a new writing project. 

Are you having trouble coming up with ideas for a new writing project? Try using a writing prompt to get started. You can use a writing prompt as the starting point for a 

• Short story
• Essay, or any other type of writing.

Use writing prompts to overcome writer’s block. 

Stuck on a particular piece of writing and can’t seem to move forward? Use writing prompts to brainstorm on how to proceed!

Use writing prompts to practice your writing skills. 

As the old adage says, practice makes perfect! You can use writing prompts to practice different writing techniques or styles. Or try out different writing genres!

Use writing prompts to challenge yourself. 

You can use writing prompts to push yourself out of your comfort zone and try writing about things you might not usually write about.

Say your comfort zone is writing fantasy stories. And you want to try something new. Why not use scary writing prompts as a starting point?

To use a writing prompt, choose a prompt that interests you and start writing. There are no hard and fast rules about how to use writing prompts – the important thing is to just start writing and see where the prompt takes you!

Creative Writing Prompts High School Students will Love

Write a story about a character who:

• discovers a mysterious, abandoned house in the woods  
• suddenly gains the power of time travel
• has to confront their greatest fear
• is given the opportunity to live in a different time period
• discovers a secret underground society
• is given a magical object that can grant wishes.

Or, check out the other prompts too:

• Write a poem about a summer day you will never forget.
• Imagine that you are stranded on a deserted island. Write a story about your experience.
• Write a letter to your future self ten years from now.
• Imagine that you are a detective trying to solve a mysterious crime. Write a story about your investigation.

Creative High School Poetry Writing Prompts

Write a poem about a/an:

• summer romance you will never forget
• memorable experience you had with a friend
• place that holds special meaning for you
• moment of clarity or realisation that you had
• person who has had a significant impact on your life
• object that holds special meaning for you
• dream that you had and can’t seem to forget
• time when you felt completely lost
• time when you felt completely free
• moment of beauty that you witnessed

Writing Prompts with an Element of Suspense

• is being stalked by an unknown assailant
• wakes up with no memory of the past 24 hours
• receives a series of mysterious, threatening letters
• discovers a hidden room in their house filled with grotesque objects
• is trapped in a strange, unfamiliar place
• is being pursued by a dangerous, unknown entity
• is being watched by an unknown pair of eyes
• is being followed by a shadowy figure
• hears strange noises in the middle of the night
• finds a mysterious, unmarked package on their doorstep

Writing Prompts for Stories That Start with Dialogue

Start your story with a conversation between two characters who are:

• meeting for the first time
• meeting each other for the first time in ten years after graduation
• trying to solve a problem
• discussing a secret
• trying to keep a secret from someone else
• discussing their future plans
• trying to make amends after a misunderstanding
• reminiscing about the past
• trying to persuade each other of something

Writing Prompts That Ask “What if?”

What if you:

• woke up one morning with the ability to fly? How would you use this ability?
• could time travel? Where would you go and why?
• woke up one day to find that everyone in the world had switched bodies? How would you cope with this?
• could read minds? How would you use this ability?
• suddenly had access to unlimited wealth? How would you use this wealth?
• could talk to animals? How would this change your life?
• were the only person on Earth who knew how to speak a certain language? How would you use this knowledge?
• could turn invisible at will? How would you use this power?
• developed the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead? How would this change your life?
• could teleport anywhere in the world instantly? How would you use this ability?

Funny Writing Prompts for High School

• wakes up to find that they’ve turned into a giant chicken
• has a magic lamp that grants them absurd wishes
• becomes the world’s worst superhero
• accidentally becomes the president of the United States
• is chased by a giant hamster
• discovers that their reflection is actually an alternate dimension
• becomes a world-famous rapper after a misunderstanding at a karaoke bar
• becomes the world’s worst detective
• is constantly followed by a cloud of bees
• becomes the world’s worst secret agent

Do you have a brother or sister in middle school? Our middle school writing prompts are a great way for them to get into the flow of creative writing effectively.

Journal Prompts for High School Creative Writing

• Write about a time when:
• you felt particularly proud of yourself
• you had to confront your greatest fear
• you had a moment of clarity or realisation
• you felt that life was wonderful
• Write about a place that holds special meaning for you.
• Write about a person who has significantly impacted your life.
• Write about a moment of beauty that you witnessed.
• Write about a dream you had and can’t forget.
• Write about a memorable experience you had with a friend.

Non-Fiction Writing Prompts

Write an essay about a/an:

• significant event in your life and how it has impacted you
• person who has inspired you and why
• current issue that is important to you and why
• time when you had to overcome a challenge and how you did it
• place that you have visited and why it was meaningful to you
• hobby or activity that you are passionate about and why
• book, movie, or TV show that has had a significant impact on you and why
• social issue that you feel strongly about and what you are doing to make a difference
• goal that you have set for yourself and how you plan to achieve it
• person who has made a positive impact on your community and how they did it

Adventurous Short Story Prompts

Write a story about a character who goes on a:

• solo hike in the wilderness and becomes lost
• treasure hunt and faces unexpected challenges along the way
• safari and encounters a rare and dangerous animal
• white water rafting trip and gets stranded in the wilderness
• mountain climbing expedition and faces unexpected challenges
• scuba diving trip and discovers a hidden underwater world
• hot air balloon ride and gets carried away by the wind
• skydiving trip and has to make an emergency landing
• parasailing trip and gets caught in a storm
• snowboarding trip and gets caught in an avalanche

Science Fiction Short Story Prompts

• Write a story about a character who is:
•  given a device that can predict the future
•  the only survivor of an alien invasion
• recruited by a secret organization to fight against an alien threat
• the only one who can communicate with newly-discovered alien species
• the only one who can stop a group of rebels from taking over the world
• the only one who can save the world from an asteroid heading towards Earth
• the only human on a distant planet
• Write a story about a character who travels through time and encounters their future self.
• Write a story about a character discovering a portal to an alternate dimension.
• Write a story about a character who is given a device that allows them to control time.

Scary Short Story Prompts

• Write a story about a character who is 
• being stalked by a demon
• trapped in a haunted house
• haunted by the ghost of a loved one
• terrorized by a clown
• Write a story about a character who
• discovers a cursed object and starts having strange, terrifying experiences
• starts seeing strange, supernatural creatures in their dreams
• hears a lady cry every night, but no one is there
• notices a strange doll appear in their house, not knowing where it came from
• listens to neighbours report they’ve been seeing a toddler running around the house, but your character lives alone

Fantasy Short Story Prompts

• Write a story about a character who 
• discovers that they are a witch or wizard with magical powers
• finds out they are the chosen one, destined to save the world from an ancient evil
• realises they are a fairy or other mythical creature
• is given a magical object that can grant wishes
• discovers a magic book with secrets to the universe
• receives a magical potion that transforms them into a different creature
• accidentally stumbles into a world where everything is the opposite of what they know
• gains a legendary staff that gives them the power to control the elements
• enters a magical, mythical land ruled by an evil king
• discovers that they are the reincarnation of a mythical hero

Need more Creative Writing prompts? Check out this article entitled “ 308 Creative Writing Prompts To Unlock Your Writing Skills .”

How Else Can I Improve My Creative Writing Skills?

1. read widely.

Reading improves your writing skills by exposing you to different 

• And Techniques you can incorporate into your own writing.

Did you know reading widens your vocabulary? It does! And vocabulary is an essential aspect of effective writing. The more words you know, the more effectively you can communicate your ideas.

Also, reading helps improve your comprehension and critical thinking skills. Both of these are valuable for analysing and synthesising information. So you’ll learn how to present ideas clearly in your writing.

2. Write Regularly…and Don’t Stop!

Think of writing as a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes! Writing regularly makes you feel more comfortable and confident. 

What’s more, it helps you develop your own voice and style. Once you hone the aspects that make you unique , you’ll stand out more! 

Writing regularly also gives you a better sense of what works and what doesn’t. And you’ll be able to refine your writing accordingly. 

The more you write, the better you will become at it. So maximise our creative writing prompts and make time to write every day. Even if it’s just for a few minutes!

3. Experiment with Different Writing Styles

Do you know that experimenting with different writing styles and techniques expands your writing skills? Why? Because doing so makes you a versatile writer. Able to adapt your style to different situations and audiences. 

For example, writing poems even when you’re not used to poetry-writing forces you to think . To imagine and create! As a result? You get out of your comfort zone and explore. And you’re better able to reimagine your craft. 

What are the common writing styles?

• Descriptive – often uses similes and metaphors to help the reader experience the writing (e.g. songs, poems)
• Narrative – flashbacks and foreshadowing are common elements of a narrative style with a clear, fleshed-out plot (e.g. novels)
• Or Persuasive writing – convinces the reader to believe what the writer believes (e.g. essays, sales copy)

4. Join a Writing Community!

What better way to keep you motivated than by joining a writing community? A writing community provides support and encouragement. Being surrounded by like-minded folks passionate about writing can be a great source of inspiration!

Plus, you’ll be exposed to different writing styles and techniques. Which can help you expand your horizon and help you become a more versatile writer.

Joining a writing community can also be a great way to get feedback on your writing. Helping you identify areas for improvement. 

Finally, do you know a writing community can be a great source of information and resources? Members often share valuable writing tips and strategies.

5. Enrol In A Creative Writing Course

What is one of the most effective methods in fast-tracking you to massive improvement in your writing skills? Taking a creative writing course!

Why does taking a creative writing course help you improve your writing skills? Because you’ll learn from experienced writers. While having the opportunity to practice writing under the watchful eye of expert tutors. 

Creative writing prompts are useful for high school students looking for inspiration for new and original ideas. You can overcome writer’s block by tapping into your creativity in a new and exciting way.

These prompts will challenge and inspire you. So give them a try and see what amazing stories and ideas you can come up with!

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15 Fun Poetry Activities for High School

April 8, 2019 //  by  Lindsay Ann //   3 Comments

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High School Students + Fun Poetry Activities

If you’re an English teacher, looking for fun poetry activities for high school or middle school students, I’ve got you covered. I’m opening up my poetry toolbox and sharing some of my favorite (and most successful) poetry games and activities!  Whether you’re looking for a stand-alone lesson or something more, there’s something here for everyone.

Pop Sonnets

The creation of pop sonnets is one of my favorite poetry activities to use in conjunction with the reading of a Shakespearean play, but it can be used as a stand-alone lesson. The hook is that modern-day songs have been turned into Shakespearean sonnets. You can study one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and ask students to modernize it. Then, work in reverse by re-working a modern-day song as a sonnet. Or, just use this as a “hook” to help students feel more comfortable with Shakespearean language.   Take a look and thank me later.

Songs as Poetry

Studying modern-day songs is a great way to teach about figurative language and poetic devices while studying poetry. Try reading the lyrics, but omitting or re-writing the metaphors and talking about the change in message/meaning. Look for examples of imperfect rhyme in one of Eminem’s cleaner songs. Study poems as paired texts . Analyze lines from a famous soundtrack. Ask students to bring in their favorite songs and discuss. So. Many. Options!

Here are 12 great songs to analyze if you aren’t sure where to start:

• “Across the Universe” by the Beatles
• “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan
• “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
• “Chasing Pavements” by Adele
• “Infinity” by Mariah Carey
• “Stereo Hearts” by Gym Class Heroes
• “Counting Stars” by One Republic
• “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons
• “Imagine” by John Lennon
• “Mad World” by Gary Jules
• “Zombie” by The Cranberries
• “Letter to Me” by Brad Paisley

Slam Poetry

Students need to know that poetry is not dead. It’s living. It’s breathing. It’s storytelling. It’s cool. In April, my classes come alive with the magic of slam poetry as students become authors and performers. They re-discover wonder and learn to let down their guard. They learn that there is intersectionality between their story and the stories of others. They are appreciated. They appreciate others. When I use this fun poetry activity for high school students , my classroom really becomes a true community.

Grab my slam poetry “mini” unit to get your students started with slam poetry!

Not sure which slam poems are school-appropriate and engaging? Here are 40 of my favorite slam poems !

Paint Chip Poetry

This poetry writing activity is FREE if you’re willing to grab some paint chips from your local hardware store, preferably ones with multiple colors in one. Or, Amazon sells an awesome paint chip poetry “game.”

• Have students use one of the color names as the title for a poem.
• Have students write poems in stanzas, using each of the color names as inspiration.
• Have students use all of the color names somewhere in a poem.
• Have students choose two contrasting colors and make a poem of contrasts.
• Have students choose two complimentary colors and make a poem.
• Have students choose a color and write an identity poem.

Blackout Poetry

This is an oldie, but goodie poetry writing exercise for high school students. Copy a page or two from a whole class novel. Or better yet, choose a completely divergent text, maybe a science textbook or page from a dictionary. Students string together words on the page to form a poem, and black-out the rest of the words. If they want to go above and beyond, they can create an original illustration to accompany their blackout poem.

Book Spine Poetry

Take your students to the library (or have them browse a site like Goodreads) and challenge them to create poems from book titles. Each title becomes a line in the poem. An optional challenge: have students choose (or randomly draw) a theme, and their poem has to relate to their chosen theme. If you’re looking for some FREE templates, I’ve got you covered: Click Here !  I created these templates as a quick fun poetry activity for high school sophomores after my librarian told me that having my classes pull so many books would be a pain to re-shelve.

Poetry Tasting

A lot of teachers are loving my reading progressive dinner stations . Poems are short and accessible texts that always rock when used with this activity.

Here are some options for poetry stations, a fun group poetry activity: 

• Choose a certain kind of poem or a certain poetic movement to explore at ALL the stations, i.e. the ghazal or Imagist poetry.
• Choose different kinds of poems or movements to explore at each station.
• Choose poems related to ONE thematic idea.
• Choose poems written by teenagers.
• Choose “famous” poems.
• Choose slam poems.

Poetry Transformations

If you’re studying word choice and tone in poetry, why not have students transform a poem, switching from one tone to another? Then, have students write a reflection analyzing why they made 4-5 important changes.

Found Poems

This poetry activity is exactly what it sounds like. Have students choose / cut-out words from magazines to form “found” poems. Or, have students listen to a TED talk or story, writing down a certain # of words they hear. Then, ask them to use these words + ones of their own to write an original poem.

Easter Egg Poems

If ’tis the season, you might as well use those plastic easter eggs you may have lying around. Put “poetry inspiration” in each egg. At the very least, I suggest a word or phrase. If you want to go “all-in,” create a combination of the items below:

• Random household objects, i.e. a piece of string, a bead
• Newspaper/magazine clippings
• Words/phrases
• Famous first lines
• A “mentor” poem, copied and folded up

Tell students that their challenge is to write a poem inspired by these objects. Or, if you prefer, have students incorporate words / ideas from each object in their poem.

Favorite Poem Project

If you’ve never seen the site “ Favorite Poem Project ,” I suggest checking it out as a poetry unit resource. The site’s goal is to interview a variety of different people about their “favorite poems.” In each short video, an individual shares a personal connection to his/her poem and reads the poem out loud.

After being a fan of this site for some time, I decided to have my students make their own “favorite poem” videos . They explored, chose a poem that they liked “best,” and created videos on Flipgrid discussing their thoughts about the poem and reading it aloud. These videos were then viewed by classmates. Everyone enjoyed this a lot!

Metaphor Dice

Poems as Mentor Texts

Using mentor texts for writing is a powerful strategy for poetry instruction, yet one that I find myself “skipping” because there isn’t time. I have to remind myself to “make” the time because it’s important. If we’re going to spend time analyzing texts, it only makes sense to have students try to use those writing moves in their own writing. After all, students should be writing frequently, and not always for an assessment grade.

Here are 12 great mentor poems if you’re not sure where to start:

• “ We Real Cool ” by Gwendolyn Brooks
• “ Montauk ” by Sarah Kay
• “ This is Just to Say ” by William Carlos Williams
• “ Mother to Son ” by Langston Hughes
• “ My Father’s Hats ” by Mark Irwin
• “ Chicago ” by Carl Sandburg
• “ Entrance ” by Dana Gioia
• “ My Father is an Oyster ” by Clint Smith
• “ If ” by Rudyard Kipling
• “ Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market ” by Pablo Neruda
• “ The Bean Eaters ” by Gwendolyn Brooks
• “ The Summer I Was Sixteen ” by Geraldine Connolly
• “ Where I’m From ” by George Ella Lyon (As a bonus, students can submit their poems to the “I am From” project. ) p.s. If you’re looking for ready-to-use templates,  here you go !

Magnetic Poetry

A fun activity to fill extra class time, or just for fun: magnetic poetry . Give each student (or pairs of students) a handful of magnetic poetry pieces. See what they come up with. Take pictures and display around the room.

Interactive Poetry Bulletin Board

Sort of like magnetic poetry, but with a twist, it’s fun to set-up an interactive bulletin board as a fun poetry activity for high school students to try before or after class. You can do this in several different ways.

• Poem of the day + a “feel-o-meter” for students to rate the poem on a scale from “mild sauce” to “hot sauce.” You can have students use push pins to vote.
• Large scale magnetic poetry + a bulletin board becomes “push pin poetry.” You choose the words. Students move them around to form poems.

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a FREE copy of my guide to stream l ined grading . I know how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm. 

Click on the link above or the image below to get started!

About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 19 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

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5 Engaging Back-to-School Activities for High School Students

Planning the content and assessments for your semester is one thing; planning the first week of school is entirely different. Most of the time we have standards to meet and curriculum to get through. But during the first week, we’re pressured to establish procedures, build relationships, and set the tone for the rest of the year. Choosing your back-to-school activities can be so stressful!

How do you decide what to do? How do you balance “fun” with meaningful activities? In this post, I hope to offer a few ideas that will do just that! Many of these back-to-school activities can be used in any high school class, but they’ll work especially well for high school English courses. 

Want all of my best first-week getting-to-know-you activities and must-teach lessons? Check out my Back-to-school Activities for High School English Teachers Bundle!

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Back-To-School Activities #1: Classroom Scavenger Hunt

This is my favorite first day of school activity and you can use it for any high school class–not just English. 

The Classroom Scavenger Hunt requires a little bit of prep work . I go into detail on setting up your scavenger hunt in this post.

If you create ten or so labels for around the classroom, you’ll have a pretty good scavenger hunt! This is a great way to go over classroom procedures without lecturing students for the whole first day. 

Students get up and get moving, get to chat a little with their new classmates, and grow familiar with their new space. Plus, if you hand out some small treat for finishing the scavenger hunt, you’ll get some “favorite teacher” points from kids nice and early in the year!

How To Prep

For example, one item I label in my classroom is my pencil bucket. I have “Pencil Bucket” typed and centered in a large font. Beneath it, I describe my procedure for borrowing pencils: “This is the pencil bucket. You do not need to ask to borrow a pencil; just grab one! Be sure to return it at the end of class when you’re done.”

In order for students to correctly answer the question, they’ll need to move around the room, locate the pencil bucket, read the label with the procedures, and then write down the answer. 

On the student worksheet, I might have a question that reads something like, “True or false: you should always ask to borrow a pencil first.” 

If the classroom scavenger hunt sounds like fun, but the prep work doesn’t, you can grab my template for the labels and the worksheet for free right here!

Back-To-School Activities #2: Back-to-School Stations

Back-to-school stations pretty much single-handedly helped me deal with my own back-to-school anxiety . I hate having to lecture for an hour or read through a boring syllabus during the first week. What a lame way to start a year, right?

But then I started doing back-to-school stations. I t’s a way to get through all of the first week’s “must-dos” without losing momentum right away. Stations allow students to get up and move, gather information for the semester, and start getting to know each other (and you!). 

Plus, stations are super customizable! For my English classes, one station is looking through the classroom library to choose some interesting titles for independent reading. You can add whatever activities make sense for your content area. 

Check out this post for an in-depth how-to on back-to-school stations , or keep reading.

To prep your own stations, first, decide how many stations you’ll have . This will depend on how long your class periods are and how many things you want students to do. I recommend having at least three: a getting-to-know-you station, a getting-to-know-the-teacher station, and a preparing-for-class station. 

But you could of course have many more! 

Each station will need directions as well as supplies for each activity.

One of my stations includes reading a letter from me to the class, so I leave several copies of my letter at that station. After students read my letter, they are to write a letter in response to me. So there’s also blank paper and pencils at that station. 

Another station I do is a reading inventory questionnaire. Students must log into our Google Classroom and complete a survey through Google Forms. In my directions, I leave the classroom code. Not only do I get valuable information about what my new students like to read, but I get them all logged into my Google Classroom as well. 

You can create a station for anything you want students to do early in the year. If you’d like to try some back-to-school stations, but aren’t sure what kind to create (or simply don’t want to create any!) you can grab my Editable Back-to-School Stations right here!

Back-To-School Activities #3: “I Am” Poem

Having students write an “I Am” poem is an especially great first-week activity for English or Creative Writing classes. I personally hate fluffy getting-to-know-you activities; this one at least gets students doing some thinking and writing!

“I Am” Poems follow a very simple structure. Even students who hate poetry can write one easily. All they have to do is fill in some blanks about themselves. 

Once students have finished writing their poems, they can be displayed for everyone in the class to see. I have students hang up their poems (if they want to be anonymous, I let them). Then, I give all of my students several Post-it notes. 

They fill out positive comments or personal connections on the post-its and stick them to the corresponding classmate’s poem. (This gallery walk at the end of class is another way to get students up and moving during that first week!)

To prep for this one, you’ll need an “I Am” Poem graphic organizer for each student. You can grab mine for FREE right here!

You should also write your own “I Am” poem about yourself to share with students as an example before the day they write their poems. Not only does this provide some scaffolding for students through modeling and an example, but it lets them learn a little something about you!

Back-To-School Activities #4: Email Writing

As I said, I hate fluffy getting-to-know-you activities. Having students write an email to the teacher, however, is not fluff. It’s a great way to engage with students, establish communication, and set up procedures and expectations for communication.

During the first week of school, you can have students send you an email. Students can tell you about themselves, their prior knowledge in your content area, or even share information you may want to know–like their workload outside of school or their interests. 

Secretly, though, you can use student emails as a pre-assessment for their writing abilities. Are they capitalizing sentences and using end punctuation? Are they correcting spelling? Reading through student emails may offer a heads-up on essential skills that need to be reviewed. 

Before you assign an email to students, make sure you go over the email writing process . You’d be surprised by how little some of our students actually know about technology (even though they really should know better than us!).

You’ll want to go over expectations for sending emails to a teacher, as opposed to a friend . You may even want to go over the parts of an email. Formal emails should still include some kind of salutation and a sign off. And many students have no idea what the difference between “bcc:” and “cc:” is at the top of emails. 

Then, give students a reason to email you. Give them a topic or a questionnaire to fill out and send. (Students will never be able to say they didn’t know your email now!)

If you’d like to skip the prep of making this lesson (plus have a great handout for students!), you can grab my Email Writing Lesson right here!

Back-To-School Activities #5: “Why Grammar?” Lesson

This back-to-school activity is specifically for English teachers, but it’s a great first-week activity. If you plan on teaching grammar throughout the year or semester, it’s helpful if students first know why they should bother with conventions and mechanics at all. 

If students value clear communication and correct punctuation use, they’ll be much more likely to sit through grammar drills or sentence diagramming. 

You can approach trying to build up an appreciation for grammar within students a variety of ways. It’s good to discuss why students will want to be able to communicate clearly through writing. But showing them funny mistakes is an effective way to make the point. 

There are an endless amount of memes and gifs online that demonstrate how tiny mistakes can make for funny miscommunication. I recommend sharing some of these with students. 

You can even assign students with the task of finding and bringing in one of these memes to share with the class!

I always give students an unpunctuated letter that can be interpreted differently, depending on the punctuation. I let them try to punctuate it to the best of their ability before showing them different ways punctuation would change the meaning. 

If you’d like a done-for-you introductory grammar lesson like this, you can grab my “Why Grammar?” Lesson right here!

Knowing your first-week priorities is important for choosing your back-to-school activities. Is building relationships the most important to you? Setting expectations? Establishing the tone of the class? 

A great first week will incorporate a little bit of all of the above. But it will also show the class a little about you as a teacher. Be sure to choose activities and lessons that feel authentic to you, your teaching style, and what makes you passionate in your content area!

Want all of these activities and more for your classroom? Grab my Back-to-school Activities and Lessons for High School English Teachers Bundle and save a ton of prep time!

100 Sketchbook Prompts Your Students Will Love

If you’re anything like me, you can never get enough good sketchbook ideas. I’m always looking for ways to engage students so that they truly  want  to work in their sketchbooks. Whether you use sketchbooks for project planning, skill development, brainstorming, or something else, you’ll find ideas here that will work for you. My sketchbook assignments and prompts take an “all of the above” approach, making the following list well-rounded.

Want an eBook with all these prompts? Click 100 Sketchbook Prompts eBook to find it!  

The list covers many bases and is organized by category. There are prompts about animals, food, people, and other things that will spark interest among students. This list is geared toward secondary students, but you’ll find a lot here that will work for younger students as well. Take a look and see what will work best for you and your students. Add your own favorite sketchbook assignment in the comments below!

Click here  to download the list!

These prompts are an amazing place to start. However, knowing how to implement the prompts and manage students with sketchbooks is important, too! If you’d like ideas to help your students develop their creativity, drawings skills, and information retention, be sure to check out the following two PRO Packs, which can be found in our PRO Learning .

• Sketchbook Ideas that Really Work  
• Implementing Sketchnotes in the Art Room

100 Sketchbook Prompts Your Students Will Love

• Draw someone you sit by in an odd pose.
• Draw family members with things that are important to them.
• Draw yourself (or someone else) painting toenails.
• Find a quiet place in a crowd. Draw the crowd.
• Draw a relative by the light cast from a TV/Phone/Computer or other screen.
• Make a portrait of yourself in twenty years. Or in fifty years. Or both.
• Draw a masked man (or woman) that is not a superhero.
• Draw the ugliest baby you can imagine.
• Draw two sports figures–one in a dynamic pose, one in a static pose.
• Draw two self-portraits with odd expressions.
• Draw something or someone you love.
• Draw hair. A lot of it.
• Take a picture of someone near you on a bus or in a car. Draw them.
• Draw an animal eating another animal.
• Draw your art teacher in a fight with an animal.
• Draw an animal playing a musical instrument.
• There is an animal living in one of your appliances. Draw it.
• Draw a dead bird in a beautiful landscape.
• Draw something from a pet’s point of view.
• Draw an animal taking a bath.
• Draw an animal taking a human for a walk.
• Combine 3 existing animals to create a completely new creature.
• Draw a family portrait. Plot twist: It is a family of insects or animals.
• Draw the most terrifying animal you can imagine. Or the most adorable.
• Draw a pile of dishes before they get washed.
• Tighten a C-Clamp on a banana. Draw it.
• Draw a slice of the best pizza you have ever seen.
• Draw junk food and the wrapper.
• Draw your favorite food.
• Create your own restaurant. Draw the restaurant, your executive chef, and a 12-item menu.
• Draw the ingredients or process of your favorite recipe.
• Draw salt and pepper shakers.
• Draw fresh fruit or vegetables, or something fresh from the oven.
• Draw a salad.
• Draw the oldest thing in your refrigerator.
• Draw a piece of fruit every day until it becomes rotten.
• Draw everything on a restaurant table.
• Draw what is in the rearview mirror of the car.
• Draw moving water. Draw still water.
• Draw an object floating.
• Make a drawing of all of your drawing materials.
• Find a trash can. Draw its contents.
• Draw tools that belong to a certain profession.
• Draw three objects and their environments. One of the three should be in motion.
• Draw the interior of a mechanical object. Zoom in, focus on details and shading.
• Create three drawings of messes you have made.
• Draw five objects with interesting textures: wood grain, floors, tiles, walls, fabric, etc.
• Draw a collection of purses, wallets, or bags.
• Draw your favorite well-loved object or childhood toy.
• Draw a watch or another piece of jewelry.
• Draw something hideous that you keep for sentimental reasons.
• Draw something with a mirror image.

Technical Skill/Skill Development

• Draw all the contents of your junk drawer with one continuous line.
• Make a detailed drawing of a rock.
• Draw a dark object in a light environment.
• Draw a light object in a dark environment.
• Make a detailed drawing of five square inches of grass.
• Draw a transparent object.
• Draw a translucent object.
• Do several studies of eyes, noses, and mouths in a variety of poses.
• Draw an interesting object from three different angles.
• Value Studies–Draw three eggs and part of the carton with a strong light source.
• Draw three metallic objects that reflect light. Focus on highlights and reflections.
• Refraction–Create two drawings of separate objects partially submerged in water.
• Make three drawings (your choice of subject) using materials with which you are not familiar.
• Draw a piece of patterned fabric with folds.
• Draw a bridge and all of its details.

Creativity/Originality

• Draw yourself as an original superhero.
• Make a drawing that looks sticky.
• Draw a mysterious doorway or staircase.
• Draw an empty room. Make it interesting.
• Draw a flower. Make it dangerous.
• Draw an object melting.
• Draw an imaginary place, adding all kinds of details.
• Draw a gumball machine that dispenses anything but gumballs.
• Danger! Draw yourself in a dangerous situation.
• You are on the back of the bus. Figure out who is with you, where you are going, and why. Illustrate and explain.
• Draw what’s under your bed (real or imagined).
• Draw the most incredible game of hide-and-seek you can imagine.
• Create a new sport. You can improve an existing sport, combine two existing sports, or come up with something completely new.

Open-Ended Themes

• Make a drawing that is totally truthful.
• Make a drawing that lies all over the place.
• Make a drawing that is completely and utterly impossible.
• Story Illustration: Fix a story that you don’t like, or reflect/improve upon one you do.
• Let someone else choose your subject and tell you what to draw.
• Draw your greatest fear.
• Use song lyrics, quotes, or poetry to inspire a drawing.
• Find the three most useless objects you can and draw them.
• Draw an interesting form of transportation.
• Draw something for which you are thankful.
• Go somewhere new and draw what you see.
• Draw something that can’t be turned off.
• Draw something soothing.
• Draw something you think sounds or smells incredible.
• Draw something that needs fixing.
• Draw something you’ve always wanted.
• Draw something out of place.
• Draw something that should have been invented by now.
• Draw something you keep putting off, or something that causes you to procrastinate.

Does this list inspire you to take some sketchbook assignments head on in your art room? Or maybe the opposite is true and you are finding that you feel underprepared to teach drawing skills. Maybe you fall somewhere in between and you just need a little more inspiration to tweak your drawing curriculum. These are all great reasons to take a peek at our course, Studio: Drawing . The class is jam-packed with hands-on learning experiences, advanced technique tutorials, and opportunities to share and learn with art teachers just like you.

What are your favorite sketchbook prompts to use? How do you use sketchbooks in your classroom?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Timothy Bogatz

Tim Bogatz is AOEU’s Content & PD Event Manager and a former AOEU Writer and high school art educator. He focuses on creativity development, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking skills in the art room.

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55 Best Short Stories for High School Students

Quick and engaging.

If there is one thing that my students and I share, it is our love for short stories for high school. They may not choose to read short stories on their own time, but they get very excited when the story I choose to teach a concept is short . I find that because they are short stories, they pack a stronger emotional punch. Short stories for high school elicit real reactions, especially if the author manages to surprise them. Short stories for high school are the thing I use most often to teach literary devices, act as mentor text for our writing, and get students excited about reading. Here is a collection of 55 short stories for high school students. 

1. “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl

“‘i’ll fix some supper,’ she whispered. when she walked across the room, she couldn’t feel her feet touching the floor. she couldn’t feel anything except a slight sickness. she did everything without thinking. she went downstairs to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found. she lifted it out, and looked at it. it was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at again—a leg of lamb..

Why I love it: The dramatic irony. The discussion that follows: Who is the innocent lamb in this story?

2. “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell

“the world is made up of two classes—the hunters and the huntees.”.

Why I love it: This is one of those short stories for high school that engages all of my students. I love to ask them what they think the most dangerous game in the world is. I like to watch them figure out what is about to happen as we read through the story.

3. “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl

“‘i stuff all my little pets myself when they pass away. will you have another cup of tea’”.

Why I love it: This story is great for suspense, irony, and characterization. It always creeps students out.

4. “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury

“i think the sun is a flower / that blooms for just one hour.”.

Why I love it: This story is heartbreaking and truth-telling. Bradbury takes us to Venus and uses the setting to drive the conflict and focus on the character’s behavior.

5. “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury

“too much of anything isn’t good for anyone.”.

Why I love it: It’s a dystopian story about the power of technology in our lives. It’s easy to connect to students’ lives.

6. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

“there’s always been a lottery.”.

Why I love it: The brutality of this story sneaks up on you. For a while, you’re convinced this town is ordinary until you find out the dark consequences of blindly following tradition.

7. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe

“it is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.”.

Why I love it: My students love a murder mystery. This one is made even more alluring while the narrator tries to convince the readers of his sanity.

8. “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

“the james dillingham youngs were very proud of two things which they owned. one thing was jim’s gold watch. … the other thing was della’s hair.”.

Why I love it: It’s one of the best stories for high school to teach irony during the holiday season.

9. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs

“never mind, dear,” said his wife soothingly; perhaps you’ll win the next one.”.

Why I love it: One of the classic short stories for high school about what can go wrong when granted three wishes. Students also love to know that there was a Simpsons episode based on this short story. ADVERTISEMENT

10. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber

“the district attorney suddenly thrust a heavy automatic at the quiet figure on the witness stand. ‘have you ever seen this before’ walter mitty took the gun and examined it expertly. ‘this is my webley-vickers 50.80,’ he said calmly. an excited buzz ran around the courtroom.”.

Why I love it: This story moves from the ordinary to the extraordinary. It highlights the mundane adult life while the main character escapes to fantastical situations, inspired by his surroundings. Bonus: the movie version that was released in 2013.

11. “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. LeGuin

“this is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.”.

Why I love it: This story encourages high school students to consider the cost of happiness.

12. “Araby” by James Joyce

“her name sprang to my lips at moments in strange prayers and praises which i myself did not understand. my eyes were often full of tears (i could not tell why) and at times a flood from my heart seemed to pour itself out into my bosom. i thought little of the future. i did not know whether i would ever speak to her or not or, if i spoke to her, how i could tell her of my confused adoration.”.

Why I love it: It’s about growing up and developing a crush that is all-consuming.

13. “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury

“it fell to the floor, an exquisite thing, a small thing that could upset balances and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across time. eckels’ mind whirled. it couldn’t change things. killing one butterfly couldn’t be that important could it”.

Why I love it: It’s a short story about the butterfly effect. The plot asks the question many have asked before, if we could travel back in time, how would it change the future?

14. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan

“my mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in america.”.

Why I love it: It explores the complex mother-daughter relationship.

15. “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan

“next time win more, lose less.”.

Why I love it: Use this for an example of extended metaphor and, again, the dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship.

16. “Eraser Tattoo” by Jason Reynolds

“he knew the sting wouldn’t last forever. but the scar would.”.

Why I love it: I love a teenage love story. Focus on the symbolism of the eraser tattoo.

17. “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst

“all of us must have something or someone to be proud of.”.

Why I love it: A beautifully written heartbreaking story about brothers.

18. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” Flannery O’Connor

“‘it isn’t a soul in this green world of god’s that you can trust,’ she said. ‘and i don’t count nobody out of that, not nobody,’ she repeated, looking at red sammy.”.

Why I love it: It’s a great story for studying characters, their flaws, and their transformation by the end of the story.

19. “Ruthless” by William de Mille

“when it comes to protecting my property, i make my own laws.”.

Why I love it: It’s a tale of revenge with unexpected twists and turns.

20. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

“when the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.”.

Why I love it: It makes you ponder the question: Can a person die of a broken heart?

21. “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros

“what they don’t understand about birthdays, and what they’ll never tell you, is that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.”.

Why I love it: I use this when I teach creative writing. What changes when we turn 11? How are we different from when we were 10? Most agree that it is a significant change.

22. “The Test” by Theodore Thomas

“nobody should want to drive a car after going through what you just went through.”.

Why I love it: Your students will not see the ending coming.

23. “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury

“and one voice, with sublime disregard for the situation, read poetry … until all the film spools burned, until all the wires withered and the circuits cracked.”.

Why I love it: Use this futuristic story to teach setting, foreshadowing, and theme.

24. “The Schoolmistress” by Anton Chekhov

“‘it is beyond all understanding,’ she thought, ‘why god gives beauty, this graciousness, and sad, sweet eyes to weak, unlucky, useless people—why they are so charming.’”.

Why I love it: We get to see simple moments become symbols for larger happenings in her life.

25. “Lob’s Girl” by Joan Aiken

“some people choose their dogs, and some dogs choose their people.”.

Why I love it: Read it for a tale of friendship paired with elements of suspense.

26. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce

“he had power only to feel, and feeling was torment.”.

Why I love it: The ending will shock your students.

27. “The Chaser” by John Collier

“‘she will want to know all you do,’ said the old man. ‘all that has happened to you during the day. every word of it. she will want to know what you are thinking about, why you smile suddenly, why you are looking sad.’”.

Why I love it: For the discussion afterward, what would you be willing to do for love? Bonus: Pair with a Twilight Zone episode.

28. “The Janitor in Space” by Amber Sparks

“she feels at home beyond the skies. she lied and said she came here to be close to god, but she feels further away from him than ever.”.

Why I love it: The creative plot created in this story launches deep discussion after reading.

29. “Standard Loneliness Package” by Charles Yu

“root canal is one fifty, give or take, depending on who’s doing it to you. a migraine is two hundred.”.

Why I love it: The plot is intriguing enough for students to be invested. Imagine a world where you outsource negative feelings and experiences to other people.

30. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“i cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.”.

Why I love it: I still remember the first time I read this story in high school and the discussion about women and mental health and the symbolism throughout the story.

31. “ A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell

“oh, well,” said mrs. hale’s husband, with good-natured superiority, “women are used to worrying over trifles.”.

Why I love it: It’s a story about women being misunderstood and underestimated.

32. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

“‘the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. i shall not die of a cough.’ ‘true—true,’ i replied.”.

Why I love it: It’s a revenge story that allows students to see examples of irony throughout.

33. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

“he now received the full force of the cold. the blood of his body drew back from it. the blood was alive, like the dog.”.

Why I love it: This story is great for any adventurous soul.

34. “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty

“[the sniper’s eyes] were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death.”.

Why I love it: It’s a story that illustrates the pain and loss of war.

35. “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton

“it mattered not that he might already possess a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon an object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward.”.

Why I love it: Use this as a short story that illustrates that actions have consequences.

36. “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe

“yet, mad i am not—and very surely do i not dream.”.

Why I love it: This is one of the classic Poe short stories for high school about madness.

37. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain

“smiley said all a frog wanted was education, and he could do ‘most anything’—and i believe him.”.

Why I love it: A Mark Twain story about a man who bets on anything. Use this next time a student says “Bet!” to you.

38. “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka

“one morning, when gregor samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.”.

Why I love it: Read this story for symbolism, as the main character turns into an insect overnight. It’s an excellent story that illustrates alienation and loneliness.

39. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

“depending upon one another’s hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. now are ye undeceived. evil is the nature of mankind.”.

Why I love it: A great read for American literature that explores the nature of humanity and questions of faith.

40. “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing

“they were of that coast; all of them were burned smooth dark brown and speaking a language he did not understand. to be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body.”.

Why I love it: The story focuses on overcoming limitations while an 11-year-old trains to swim through an underwater hole in a rock.

41. “The Ice Palace” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“up in her bedroom window sally carrol happer rested her nineteen-year-old chin on a fifty-two-year-old sill and watched clark darrow’s ancient ford turn the corner.”.

Why I love it: Fitzgerald was gifted in writing about tension in love. This story is about the tension between lovers from the North and South. Read it for the story and the poetic language of Fitzgerald.

42. “The Purple Jar” by Maria Edgeworth

“‘oh mother, how happy i should be,’ said she, as she passed a toy-shop, ‘if i had all these pretty things’”.

Why I love it: It’s a simple story of the conflict between what we desire versus what we need.

43. “Birthday Party” by Katharine Brush

“there was nothing conspicuous about them, nothing particularly noticeable, until the end of their meal, when it suddenly became obvious that this was an occasion—in fact, the husband’s birthday, and the wife had planned a little surprise for him.”.

Why I love it: This is a very quick read and still manages to pack a punch.

44. “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes

“you ought to be my son. i would teach you right from wrong.”.

Why I love it: The story is relatable and sends an important message.

45. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid

“this is how you smile to someone you don’t like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don’t like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely.”.

Why I love it: It’s a message from a mother to a daughter on how to behave.

46. “Powder” by Tobias Wolff

“my father was driving. my father in his forty-eighth year, rumpled, kind, bankrupt of honor, flushed with certainty. he was a great driver.”.

Why I love it: This is one of the great short stories for high school that explores the complexity of a father-son relationship.

47. “The Pie” by Gary Soto

“once, at the german market, i stood before a rack of pies, my sweet tooth gleaming and the juice of guilt wetting my underarms. i nearly wept.”.

Why I love it: This is one of the best short stories for high school about the strength and power of guilt in the presence of childhood and into an adulthood.

48. “Sticks” by George Saunders

“the pole was dad’s only concession to glee.”.

Why I love it: This super-short story is about a father’s tradition of decorating a pole in the yard and all that the pole represents.

49. “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier

“for one does not have to be ignorant and poor to find that one’s life is barren as the dusty yards of our town.”.

Why I love it: This is a story about realizing that we’re growing up. This is one of the great short stories for high school students that they can connect to.

50. “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury

“the multicolored or grey lights touching their faces, but never really touching them …”.

Why I love it: This story takes place in 2053. Ray Bradbury has a way of making the future feel like the present. Bradbury reminds us how important it is to not lose our humanity.

51. “The Stolen Party” by Liliana Heker

“she was so pleased with the compliment that a while later, when her mother came to fetch her, that was the first thing she told her.”.

Why I love it: This story lets us view a party through a child’s eyes and a mother’s desire to protect her daughter’s heart. 

52. “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing

“he would do it if it killed him, he said defiantly to himself.”.

Why I love it: This is a story that is rich in symbolism and beautifully illustrates the transition from childhood to adulthood. 

53. “The Wretched and the Beautiful” by E. Lily Yu

“‘come out where we can see you,’ the policeman said. the rest of us were glad that someone confident and capable, someone who was not us, was handling the matter.”.

Why I love it: While this story involves aliens, it asks readers to think about what it means to be human. There is also great symbolism in this story.

54. “Cooking Time” by Anita Roy

“at that moment, all i felt was angry. i’d always known that mandy’s obsession would get us into trouble. but would she listen never.”.

Why I love it: This is a story that is set in a dystopian future where the food has been replaced by a supplement. It’s a unique take on a dystopian world as it involves a cooking show and trying to change the way the world operates.

55. “ He — Y, Come On Ou — t! ” by Shinichi Hoshi, translated by Stanleigh Jones

“whatever one wished to discard, the hole accepted it all. the hole cleansed the city of its filth. …”.

Why I love it: This is a story about a Japanese village discovering a mysterious hole and illustrates what happens when people behave selfishly.

Did you enjoy these short stories for high school students? Check out this list of Our All-Time Favorite Classroom Quotes .

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Graphic Novel Project

In this activity, activity overview, template and class instructions, more storyboard that activities, this activity is part of many teacher guides, like this lesson plan copy it now.

A graphic novel project is the perfect way for students to use their imaginations and write their own graphic novel, summarize the plot of a graphic novel that they have read or to have students transfer their knowledge of another piece of literature into graphic novel form. Many popular novels have been turned into graphic novels to meet a broader audience and introduce students of all abilities to rich content.

Some examples of popular or classic novels that have been adapted into graphic novels perfect for high schoolers are:

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Key Fitzgerald, Fred Fordham, and Aya Morton
• The Handmaid’s Tale : The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault
• The Odyssey by Homer and Gareth Hinds
• To Kill a Mockingbird : A Graphic Novel by Harper Lee and Fred Fordham
• Jane by Charlotte Brontë, Aline Brosh McKenna, and Ramón K. Pérez
• Animal Farm by George Orwell and Odyr
• Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy and Octavia Butler
• Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carrol
• Dune: The Graphic Novel by Brian Herbert, Kevin Anderson, Frank Herbert, and Raul Allen
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds and Danica Novogorodoff

Some examples of powerful graphic novels meant for high school students are:

• The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
• The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
• I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib
• Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green
• Displacement by Kiku Hughes
• Hey Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
• March Trilogy by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell
• I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina, John Jennings, and Stacey Robinson

Check out our many more versatile Graphic Novel Templates ! Remember, when giving your students an assignment in Storyboard That, you can add as many templates as you like!

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Objective: Create a Graphic Novel Poster for a book you have read, or write your own!

Student Instructions:

• Within the template provided, add images and text to explain the plot of your story in sequence.
• Add appropriate items, characters and scenes to create the images.
• Look under "Speech Bubbles" to add dialogue and text.
• Save and exit when you're finished.

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Partner

Type of Activity: Graphic Novel Project

(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric .)

How To Pick Scenes for Creating the Graphic Novel

Introduce graphic novels, induce a class discussion, recall memorable scenes, use scenes for visual appeal, make groups, frequently asked questions about the graphic novel project of the great gatsby, what advantages can graphic novels offer for studying "the great gatsby", what supplies and equipment are required for this project, how can teachers assist students with their graphic novel project, high school projects.

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Election Updates: Harris and Walz Tour Pennsylvania Ahead of Convention

Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, embarked on a bus tour of the critical battleground state a day before Democrats open their national convention in Chicago.

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Simon J. Levien Michael Gold and Jazmine Ulloa

Here’s the latest on the presidential race.

On the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, rallied volunteers during a bus tour in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state that could decide November’s election. Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz, along with their spouses, greeted supporters in Pittsburgh before a stop in Rochester, where Ms. Harris thanked volunteers for their efforts.

Both campaigns are focusing intently on Pennsylvania. Former President Donald J. Trump — who won the state by a slim margin in 2016 but lost it to President Biden in 2020 — visited Wilkes-Barre on Saturday , attacking Democratic policies as “fascist” and calling illegal immigrants “savage monsters.” Mr. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, will also be in Pennsylvania on Monday, making separate campaign stops in York and Philadelphia.

Here’s what else to know:

Democratic convention: Delegates and party leaders will begin to fete Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz as the Democratic Party’s nominees on Monday, when the convention’s first day will include a speech by Mr. Biden . The party on Sunday announced the themes for each of the convention’s four nights .

Republican messaging: Mr. Vance suggested in an interview on Fox News that he didn’t believe the recent polls showing Ms. Harris ahead or newly competitive in swing states, and said putting her in charge of inflation policy would be like “giving Jeffrey Epstein control over human trafficking policy.” Two prominent Republicans, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, expressed frustration with the campaign’s focus on personal attacks on Ms. Harris. “Every day we’re not talking about her policy choices as vice president and what she would do as president is a good day for her and a bad day for us,” Mr. Graham told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Walz goes home: Mr. Walz represented the Democratic ticket at a rally in his native Nebraska on Saturday, playing up his roots as the Harris campaign courts rural, working-class and moderate voters. Although solidly Republican, Nebraska is one of two states (along with Maine) that award an electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district. The state’s Second District, which encompasses Omaha and is known as Nebraska’s blue dot, is a swing region that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and Mr. Biden in 2020.

More helicopter fallout: Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco, threatened to sue Mr. Trump if the former president continued to say falsely that they once nearly died together in a helicopter ride. Mr. Trump has not spoken about the helicopter incident since Nate Holden, a former Los Angeles city councilman who, like Mr. Brown, is Black, said he took a rocky helicopter ride with Mr. Trump in 1990 and speculated that the former president might have confused the two men. Mr. Brown said he wanted to make sure that Mr. Trump stayed quiet.

Swing states back in play: Four diverse swing states that seemed to be drifting toward Mr. Trump when Mr. Biden was in the race are now in play for Democrats, according to polling from The New York Times and Siena College . In Arizona, Ms. Harris has established a four-percentage-point lead on Mr. Trump, the surveys found, while she leads by two points in North Carolina; Mr. Trump has a one-point lead in Nevada and a four-point lead in Georgia.

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago

Democrats unveil their convention platform, with familiar themes.

Follow live updates on the 2024 election .

Democrats released their party platform on Sunday, unveiling a document that offers plenty of political comfort food for a newly energized party ahead of its convention in Chicago.

As a sign of what Democrats believe will mobilize their forces — and the head-spinning transformation that has remade their presidential ticket — the document mentions former President Donald J. Trump’s name 150 times.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the new nominee who has brought her party back together after a bruising internal fight over President Biden’s candidacy, is mentioned by name just 32 times.

The platform seems intended to avoid stirring any controversy that could derail that fresh feeling of unity.

At the top of the list of issues that could threaten the party’s cohesiveness is the war in Gaza. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are descending on Chicago, and roughly 30 delegates representing the Democratic primary voters who opposed Mr. Biden, mostly in protest over Gaza, will attend the convention, which begins on Monday.

The platform repeats a traditional Democratic message supporting Israel, condemning the brutal Oct. 7 assault by Hamas and backing “an immediate and lasting cease-fire deal” that will return hostages still being held by the terrorist group and address “the displacement and death of so many innocent people in Gaza.”

Democrats will vote to approve the platform on Monday evening. It was passed by the party’s platform committee, a group of party insiders, with wider input from “community leaders from coalitions across the Democratic Party,” according to the Democratic National Committee.

On other issues, the platform represents a predictable collection of Democratic policy priorities, including calls to make investments in infrastructure and manufacturing; to cut taxes on working families while making big corporations and the wealthy “finally pay their fair share”; and to fight climate change.

Another section addresses efforts to lower costs on everyday items like food, housing and health care, in similar terms to the economic agenda that Ms. Harris rolled out last week . And there are also calls to protect abortion rights, restore democratic norms and combat gun violence.

On the other side, Mr. Trump took a direct hand this summer in reshaping — and shrinking the size — of the Republican platform, which focuses more on his own priorities than on a traditional laundry list of policies.

The Democratic platform says that Mr. Trump’s vision for the country is one of “revenge and retribution,” a reflection of the party’s attempt to make the 2024 election a referendum on the former president.

And demonstrating the dramatically changed circumstances of the race since Ms. Harris took over the ticket, the party’s former presumptive nominee, Mr. Biden, is mentioned by name 287 times.

The platform also contains 19 references to his “second term.”

Lisa Lerer , Reid J. Epstein , Shane Goldmacher and Chris Cameron contributed reporting.

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Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Nicholas Nehamas

Rebecca Davis O’Brien reported from Pittsburgh, and Nicholas Nehamas reported from Washington.

Harris and Walz venture into less-friendly terrain to court Pennsylvania voters.

Before their convention this week that will signal the final sprint to November, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, headed out on a brief bus tour on Sunday to fire up voters in perhaps the most crucial battleground state in the 2024 election.

As they toured western Pennsylvania, their play for support beyond the state’s more liberal cities was apparent at the team’s first stop, a field office in Rochester, Pa., in the largely conservative Beaver County: Ms. Harris picked up a volunteer’s cellphone to speak with a resident from Erie, a northwestern city in one of the state’s swingiest counties, which Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 but Joseph R. Biden Jr. won four years later.

“I love Erie,” Ms. Harris said. “At some point we’ll get to Erie.”

Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz were joined on the outing by their spouses, Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, traveling in two new campaign buses from the Pittsburgh airport, where they arrived on Air Force Two to greet a small group of supporters.

The Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas are the two main drivers of Democratic support in Pennsylvania, a state whose 19 electoral votes could decide the presidency. Recent polling shows a neck-and-neck race there between Ms. Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, with some surveys showing Ms. Harris gaining a narrow edge recently.

Mr. Trump is also increasing his presence in Pennsylvania: On Saturday he held a rally in Wilkes-Barre and another is set in York on Monday, while Senator JD Vance of Ohio, his running mate, campaigns in Philadelphia.

Both candidates have used their trips in the state to make attacks.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters outside the Rochester campaign office on Sunday, Ms. Harris appeared to suggest that Mr. Trump was a “coward” — just a day after he had called her a “radical” and a “lunatic” in Wilkes-Barre.

“Over the last several years there’s been this kind of perversion that has taken place, I think, which is to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down,” Ms. Harris said — though she did not name Mr. Trump. “Anybody who’s about beating down other people is a coward.”

President Biden often preferred to campaign in Philadelphia, by far the state’s largest metro area. The city is easily reached from Washington and close to his home state of Delaware, nestled in friendly territory surrounded by counties he carried in 2020 .

Outside Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh sits, western Pennsylvania is less hospitable to Democrats, and Ms. Harris’s visit there suggests she may branch out more than Mr. Biden did.

“God bless them, they need to,” Nancy Cannon, a retired teacher who showed up at the Pittsburgh airport, said of the campaign’s planned visits. She described a landscape of Trump supporters, where she knew of Democrats who were afraid to put out their own lawn signs. “Maybe they would feel more supported,” she said, if Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz showed up.

Ms. Cannon said Ms. Harris’s swift ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket had given a jolt of energy to her family and friends. “I love Joe. But I am happier to see a younger person. I feel like this is an Obama moment.”

The trip points to the Democratic hopes that Mr. Walz can help the party reach working-class voters outside the big cities. The suburbs and small towns surrounding Pittsburgh resemble areas in Minnesota where Mr. Walz has performed well in his previous races.

One campaign stop on Sunday was also a clear effort to tap into Mr. Walz’s personal history: a football practice at Aliquippa High School in a former steel town with many Black residents that has struggled economically for decades. Mr. Walz’s own experience as a high school football coach has been a touchstone of the campaign so far, with Ms. Harris occasionally referring to him as “Coach Walz.”

Mr. Walz told the team he “remembered every single call” from his team’s state football championship. He and Ms. Harris were joined at the event by Jerome Bettis, the Hall of Fame running back who won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mr. Bettis, nicknamed The Bus, was a surprise, if appropriately named, addition to the Harris-Walz motor coach tour, which also made short stops at a nearby firehouse, a Sheetz gas station and Primanti Bros., a beloved chain of sandwich shops founded in Pittsburgh.

“The way you win elections in Pennsylvania is literally going everywhere,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis of Pennsylvania, a Democrat who is from the Pittsburgh area. “Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, but all the small communities in between.”

Mr. Davis also said that Ms. Harris would find a welcome audience in the working-class region for the economic agenda she rolled out last week that focused on lowering the costs of everyday life and cutting taxes for working families.

Conor Lamb, a Democrat who once represented a congressional district outside Pittsburgh, said Mr. Biden had become well known to many Pennsylvania voters, thanks to his decades of service as a senator in neighboring Delaware, an advantage Ms. Harris does not possess.

Mr. Lamb said that the bus tour reflected the fact that Democrats had learned their lesson from Mrs. Clinton losing the state after focusing most of her campaign on the major cities.

“You can’t just do Philly and Pittsburgh and rely on social media,” Mr. Lamb said.

And he agreed that Ms. Harris’s economic plans would be popular in places like Rochester, a small town once known for its glassmaking factories that sits in his old district.

“Some of the things that she laid out in that speech — the child tax credit, extending health care subsidies — all that kind of stuff is just universal,” Mr. Lamb said. “That should do as well in Rochester as it does in the heart of the city of Pittsburgh. And I’ve felt in the past that Democrats were a little bit afraid to go on the offense in those areas.”

Vice President Kamala suggested that former President Donald J. Trump was a “coward” during a stop on her campaign bus tour through western Pennsylvania on Sunday. Without naming Trump, Harris said that some people believe “the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down,” a point of view she labeled a “perversion.” And she countered that “the real and true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up. Anybody who’s about beating down other people is a coward.”

Ken Bensinger

Social media influencers will have guest spots, and choice seats, at the Democrats’ convention.

A speaking slot at a national party’s nominating convention is among the most coveted prizes in American politics, offering veteran officeholders and up-and-comers alike the chance to speak to — and be seen by — an entire nation.

At the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago, five of those rare slots will go to a group that most likely would be unfamiliar to previous convention planners: social media influencers.

Convention officials said each night would include at least one influencer. The speakers are Deja Foxx, Nabela Noor, Carlos Eduardo Espina, Olivia Julianna and John Russell, a group of millennial and Gen Z influencers who, collectively, have well over 24 million social media followers.

They will speak on the same podium as President Biden; the Democratic nominees, Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota; and party luminaries, including two former presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, among others.

“This feels very affirming,” said Ms. Foxx, 24, a reproductive rights activist from Arizona who worked on Ms. Harris’s first presidential campaign. She’ll speak about abortion rights on Monday night in a program that will also feature Mr. Biden. “I don’t take it lightly that I’m speaking on the same night as the president of the United States,” she said.

These speakers represent a significant shift for the convention and underscore the Democratic Party’s efforts to speak to voters whose news diet exists outside traditional media. Last month, a conservative influencer, the actress and model Amber Rose, spoke on the first night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The speaker roster at conventions tends to mix elected officials with entertainment figures and regular citizens who can speak to particular policy issues. The Republicans’ convention last month featured a number of people the party called “Everyday Americans,” who discussed topics including immigration, inflation and crime.

A study by the Pew Research Center last year found that almost half of Americans get some of their news from social media and that a third of adults under 30 get their news from TikTok.

To help chase those potential voters, the D.N.C. has, for the first time, granted credentials to more than 200 influencers, offering them the kind of wide-ranging access to events and people traditionally provided only to the press. It’s also giving them a special “creator platform” within the convention venue in Chicago, the United Center: a special V.I.P. box directly above the arena floor.

Providing influencers time onstage gives them the chance to repost clips of their speeches to their own social media accounts as well as the feeds of other influencers watching the show, all in pursuit of the modern media era’s most valuable prize of all: virality.

“ Content creators are a vehicle to reach new audiences, not just through their content, but through their unique ability to speak authentically to their own communities,” said Emily Soong, a spokeswoman for the convention.

Ms. Foxx said she was first approached by organizers a few weeks ago and has since worked with a campaign speechwriter to hone her presentation. “I was pretty nervous but now I’m feeling really ready,” she said. “I’ve been running through my speech every day.”

The lineup on Tuesday night will include Ms. Noor, a Muslim American known for her makeup tutorials, cooking videos and frank talk about her challenging journey to motherhood. With more than 11 million followers spread across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, she will speak on a night whose theme, “A Bold Vision for America’s Future,” is meant to draw contrasts between the Harris-Walz ticket and their Republican rivals, Donald J. Trump and Senator JD Vance of Ohio.

For Wednesday’s program, Mr. Espina, the son of Latin American immigrants who has amassed a huge following on TikTok with his videos about news, politics, food and soccer, will talk about immigration. Although he normally posts in Spanish, he is expected to deliver his remarks in English.

That night will also include Ms. Julianna, who has called herself “a plus-size queer Latina from rural Southeast Texas” and gained a following from her involvement in Gen-Z for Change , a youth-oriented political activism group. Her top issues include climate change and, like Ms. Foxx, abortion access.

“Peer to peer organizing is one of the most powerful tools we have in our democracy,” said Ms. Julianna, whose speech topic will be “freedom.” For years I’ve spoken directly to my fellow young Americans through my social media pages, knocking doors for Democratic candidates, and rallying for fundamental freedoms across the country.”

During the convention’s final night, which organizers are describing, thematically, as a narrative about how the 2024 election is a fight “for our future,” Mr. Russell, a self-described “dirtbag journalist” will have a chance to speak.

Based in West Virginia, he worked on rural policy and engagement for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign in 2020, ran unsuccessfully for Congress, and has built a following on his progressive coverage of the industrial Midwest and his strong support of labor unions. In his social media bios, he describes himself as “biased for the working class.”

Maggie Astor

Spotted on the streets of downtown Chicago as Democrats gather for their convention: huge circular decals on the sidewalk, of the sort that marked six-foot distances early in the pandemic, with a QR code and big lettering that reads “Are You a Disappointed Dem?” The fine print says they’re paid for by American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign.

Jazmine Ulloa and Chris Cameron

Jazmine Ulloa reported from Washington, and Chris Cameron reported from Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky.

Vance defends his unsubstantiated claims about immigration and crime.

Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, on Friday defended his past unsubstantiated claims about immigration in which he suggested that early waves of Italian, Irish and German immigration led to higher crime and interethnic conflict, by citing the movie “Gangs of New York.”

At a campaign event before the Milwaukee Police Association, Mr. Vance was asked about the comments — which have resurfaced in recent days — from a 2021 interview with the far-right podcaster Jack Murphy, and whether he would have prescribed the kind of mass deportations then that he and former President Donald J. Trump have made central to their platform now.

Mr. Vance mostly skirted the question on removals, but he stood by his comments on crime and ethnic and interethnic conflict, pointing to the Martin Scorsese film that depicts gang violence between Irish migrants and nativist Protestant Americans.

“Well, first of all, I also said there were a lot of benefits to that wave of immigration, but has anybody ever seen the movie ‘Gangs of New York’? That’s what I’m talking about,” he said. “We know that when you have these massive ethnic enclaves forming in our country, it can sometimes lead to higher crime rates.”

Later, he added: “What happens when you have massive amounts of illegal immigration? It actually starts to create ethnic conflict. It creates higher crime rates.”

Asked to provide evidence for the claims, a campaign spokeswoman pointed to a report from an anti-immigration think tank that argues crimes committed by immigrants are underestimated because many crimes go unreported, and to a rise in violence in Minnesota that the authorities have attributed to a rivalry between East African gangs in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Since the nation’s founding, nativist politicians and anti-immigrant activists have sought to conflate immigration with crime. But historians and criminologists say there are no empirical studies to support claims like those made by Mr. Vance. The studies that do exist have repeatedly concluded that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. A 2023 study by researchers at Stanford, Princeton and other major institutions found that, since 1880, immigrants have not been more likely to be imprisoned than people born in the United States. And as immigration into the United States has increased, crime has decreased in recent years.

Tyler Anbinder, a historian who wrote the book “City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York,” and served as a historical adviser for the movie “Gangs of New York,” said immigrants in New York during the film’s time period and since have not committed crime disproportionate to their population numbers and have almost always been arrested at lower rates than natives.

“Immigrants are so happy to be in America,” Mr. Anbinder said, adding that one of the main reasons immigrants commit less crimes than natives is “because they don’t want to be deported.”

Alex R. Piquero, a criminology professor at University of Miami and a former director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, said Mr. Vance was also wrong to raise concerns about “ethnic enclaves.” Immigrants — regardless of the time period or ethnic background — tend to cluster in neighborhoods where they have relatives, know others who can speak their native language and can feel secure in their new environment.

“What’s very peculiar about these statements is that those ethnic enclaves do not breed crime,” he said of Mr. Vance’s stance, adding that “they actually serve as a protective buffer from crime.”

In his remarks, Mr. Vance also argued for a return to early 20th-century thinking when he said the United States was “welcoming country to immigrants” but Americans realized that the nation “could only take so many people,” arguing that deportations would benefit the country.

“I think that will promote assimilation and a common American culture that’s in the best interest of everybody,” he said.

But in arguing that more immigrants lead to higher crime and ethnic conflict, historians said, Mr. Vance was echoing arguments that American nativists have used since at least the 19th century to classify and marginalize some demographic groups as racially inferior, genetically predisposed to crime and unable to be assimilated.

Those negative stereotypes and misconceptions — once centered on certain Europeans but more recently focused on Mexicans and Latino migrants — have fueled prejudice and led to more extreme treatment of immigrants by government officials, police, the courts and the press.

In “Gangs of New York,” the most ruthless killer is the nativist who disdains immigrants, Mr. Anbinder said. But Mr. Vance appears to associate the Irish immigrants in the movie with the violence, he added.

“Throughout American history, those who fear or hate immigrants have always wanted to speak of them and scapegoat them as bringing crime to America,” Mr. Anbinder said. “What Vance is doing is not much different now.”

Anushka Patil

Harris, Walz and their spouses gave brief remarks to campaign workers and joined phone banking efforts during a stop in Rochester, in Beaver County, on their way through western Pennsylvania. “Hopefully I’ll see you in Erie at some point,” Harris told one person on the phone. Gwen Walz told volunteers that she loved the state — “I think I might want to spend a lot of time here,” she quipped.

Rebecca Davis O’Brien

Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota walked a line of supporters for several minutes here in Pittsburgh, shaking hands and taking selfies, then boarded one of the new campaign buses waiting for them without making remarks. This will be quite an unmistakable caravan through western Pennsylvania.

Air Force Two has pulled up to the hangar here in Pittsburgh, emerging from the low fog and the pouring rain that set in moments after the plane landed. The rain was brief, however, and the sun has returned.

A small crowd of supporters has gathered here at the Pittsburgh airport, where Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz will land, speak, and set off in two new campaign buses for an afternoon of small campaign stops around western Pennsylvania. Outside Pittsburgh and the rest of Allegheny County, this is Republican territory. But the trip suggests that Democrats feel they can pick up support here, particularly with Walz on the ticket.

Neil Vigdor

A campaign adviser for Cornel West, the long-shot independent presidential candidate, said that West’s team would be going to court to fight his disqualification from the ballot in Michigan, where state election officials said his nominating paperwork had several omissions. The adviser, Edwin DeJesus, said the oversights, flagged by a former Michigan Democratic Party chairman, were “trivial technicalities” raised in “a desperate move by the D.N.C. and their affiliates.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago told ABC News that city officials were ready for the convention and that he expected pro-Palestinian protests to remain peaceful. “This is a party that can handle protest and protecting the First Amendment right, which is fundamental to our democracy, while also strengthening our democracy and speaking to the future of our country,” he said.

Maya C. Miller

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Donald Trump’s campaign should focus far more on Kamala Harris’s policy choices — like backtracking on her opposition to fracking — rather than personal attacks about her race, gender and intelligence.

“I don’t look at Vice President Harris as a lunatic,” Graham said. “A nightmare for Harris is to defend her policy choices. Every day we’re not talking about her policy choices as vice president and what she would do as president is a good day for her and a bad day for us.”

Graham also walked back a previous criticism of the G.O.P. policy platform, which excluded a national abortion ban for the first time in 40 years. Instead of standing behind his assertion that Republicans would be “net losers” if they weakened their support for such a ban, Graham tried to downplay the role that abortion and reproductive rights — widely seen as winning issues for Democrats — would play in the election.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, a Democrat, said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that she thought people were “reading too much into” Kamala Harris’s proposal to ban price gouging . “I think it speaks to Kamala Harris’s values, that she wants consumers to keep more money in their pockets,” she said, adding: “We know we have to have business growth in this country, small-business growth, big-business growth, for good-paying jobs. But we also know that you can’t gouge and hurt the American consumer just to pad your bottom line, and I think there’s a balance there.”

Whitmer said she would not “second-guess” Kamala Harris’s curt response to pro-Palestinian protesters at a recent rally in Detroit. Harris told the demonstrators: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.” Convention organizers are preparing for mass demonstrations this week in Chicago.

“I can tell you this: Kamala Harris cares about every person,” Whitmer said. “You can both want peace in the region and a cessation of violence, and the return of hostages. We are a country that continually falls into these false choices. You can do both, and I think that’s why we need a leader like her.”

JD Vance, who has been leaning into the claim that Harris has controlled the Biden administration from the start, told Shannon Bream on Fox News: “The most absurd thing that Kamala says at her rallies is, ‘On Day 1, I’m going to tackle the food and housing affordability crisis in this country.’ Shannon, Day 1 for Kamala Harris was three and a half years ago.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, said on ABC’s “This Week” that she was “comfortable” with adding $1.7 trillion to the federal deficit through Vice President Harris’s new economic proposal, because Congress could close the budget gap by letting Donald Trump’s 2017 tax breaks expire. “What we need to do is get rid of Trump tax cuts for the wealthy,” Duckworth said. “We need to go after the wealthiest of Americans who don’t pay their fair share.” Harris has promised to provide up to $25,000 for first-time home buyers, cancel student debt, extend the child tax credit and cut taxes on service workers’ tips.

Michelle Obama, the former first lady, will deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, according to a statement from its organizers. The statement did not specify on what night she would speak. Former President Barack Obama is also expected to give remarks.

Fox News asked Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a co-chair of the Harris campaign, whether Kamala Harris’s proposal to ban price gouging was “communist in nature.” He responded: “Presidents of both parties have tried to use the power of the F.T.C. to rein in high prices at the pump, high prices at grocery stores. I think picking this one proposal of the many she’s put out misses the broader point, which is that Vice President Harris is continuing the work of President Biden in reducing costs faced by working Americans.”

Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, suggested on Fox News that he didn’t believe the recent polls showing Kamala Harris ahead or newly competitive in swing states because polls overestimated support for Democrats in 2016 and 2020. (He didn’t mention the 2022 midterms, when the opposite was true .)

Vance said on Fox News: “Giving Kamala Harris control over inflation policy, it’s like giving Jeffrey Epstein control over human trafficking policy. The American people are much smarter than that. They don’t buy the idea that Kamala Harris represents a fresh start. She is more of the same.”

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, a Republican who has criticized Trump but is now supporting him , expressed frustration that Trump was attacking Harris’s intelligence instead of her economic proposals. “Almost any other Republican candidate would be winning this race by 10 points,” he said on CNN. “If you stick to the issues, if you stick to what matters, this should be an easy race for Donald Trump. It really should.”

Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois said on CNN's “State of the Union” that he believed Vice President Kamala Harris had “energized the party in a way that I haven’t seen certainly since ’08.” He added: “I’ve been to every convention since I was able to vote, and I can say I’ve not felt this kind of energy and electricity at any convention other than the one for Barack Obama.”

Pritzker said he wasn’t worried about a repeat of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, where ideological divisions split the party and the police attacked protesters. He said the party had “coalesced” around its candidate in a way it hadn’t in 1968, and he said of pro-Palestinian protesters: “If there are troublemakers, they’re going to get arrested and they’re going to get convicted. But the fact is that the vast majority of people who are protesting, and we’ve seen this before, are peaceful protesters. They want to have their voices heard. They’re going to be heard, no doubt about it, and we’re going to protect them.”

Here are the themes for the Democratic convention.

Democrats will raise the curtain on their national convention on Monday in Chicago, punctuating weeks of extraordinary volatility in the presidential race that included a reset at the top of the party’s ticket.

Vice President Kamala Harris clinched the party’s nomination this month in a virtual roll call held after President Biden had withdrawn from the race. She then selected Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate.

On Sunday, the party revealed the themes for each of the four nights of the convention:

Monday : “For the People” — President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, are scheduled to speak on the opening night of the convention, one that party officials said would focus on the record of the Biden-Harris administration and the president’s decades of public service. Organizers said the program would lean into a narrative that Mr. Biden has put the American people’s interest ahead of his own. On July 21, he became the first sitting president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 not to seek a second term.

Tuesday: “A Bold Vision for America’s Future” — Democrats will seek to draw a contrast between what they said was the party’s optimism and the drumbeat from Republicans who say that the country’s best days are behind it. They will also try to make former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, take ownership of Project 2025, a right-wing playbook for reshaping the federal government that the Republican ticket has sought to distance itself from.

Wednesday: “A Fight for Our Freedoms” — Mr. Walz will formally accept the Democratic nomination for vice president on the penultimate night of the convention, when the party will argue that Mr. Trump, if elected, would continue to strip away fundamental rights.

Thursday : “For Our Future” — Ms. Harris will accept the party’s nomination, becoming the second woman, and the first woman of color, to lead the Democratic ticket, and Democrats will seek to cast Mr. Trump as a danger to the nation whose second term would be even more extreme than his first.

An earlier version of this article misstated the day that President Biden dropped out of the race. It was July 21, not July 23.

How we handle corrections

Simon J. Levien and Michael Gold

Simon J. Levien reported from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Michael Gold reported from New York.

Urged to focus on the economy, Trump leans into attacks on Harris.

Former President Donald J. Trump in a campaign speech on Saturday bounced among complaints about the economy and immigration, wide-ranging digressions and a number of personal attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, including jabs at her appearance and her laugh.

At a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Mr. Trump swung from talking points on inflation and criticisms of Democratic policy as “fascist” and “Marxist” to calling illegal immigrants “savage monsters” and saying that rising sea levels would create more beachfront property.

Mr. Trump blamed Ms. Harris for high prices, in what was effectively an inversion of her remarks at her rally in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, where she said Mr. Trump’s proposed import tariffs would amount to a “Trump tax” on groceries. The former president argued that she had placed a “Kamala Harris inflation tax” on average Americans over the course of her term as vice president and that, if elected, he would lower prices on consumer goods, just as she has said she would do.

“Yesterday, she got up, she started ranting and raving,” Mr. Trump said of Ms. Harris’s explanation of her economic agenda in North Carolina. He mocked her remarks that, he said, suggested he would tax “every single thing that was ever invented.”

Mr. Trump’s advisers have urged him to emphasize his economic policy plans, which, according to polling, many voters trust more than Ms. Harris’s , and some Republicans have hoped he would leave behind his characteristic personal attacks, including his frequent insults of Ms. Harris’s intelligence and appearance.

But at two events earlier this week — a speech in Asheville, N.C., and a news conference in Bedminster, N.J. — both billed as opportunities to discuss the economy, Mr. Trump veered into personal attacks against Ms. Harris, which he said he was “entitled” to do .

Mr. Trump opened his rally in Pennsylvania, his final one before the Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago on Monday, by addressing inflation and the economy. But he quickly said, “You don’t mind if I go off teleprompter for a second, do you?” adding of Ms. Harris, “Joe Biden hates her.”

He went on to attack Ms. Harris for having a “crazy” laugh and said that he was “much better looking than her,” a line that drew cheers from the thousands of rallygoers gathered in the Mohegan Sun Arena.

In a statement, a Harris campaign spokesman, Joseph Costello, said that Mr. Trump was trying to distract from his “dangerous” agenda by resorting “to lies, name-calling and confused rants.”

Mr. Trump also said that Democrats would be hosting a “rigged convention” next week because of Ms. Harris’s entry into the race after a primary season in which millions of voters cast their votes for President Biden. Mr. Biden dropped out of the race in July and endorsed the vice president, who moved quickly to unite delegates behind her.

Mr. Trump repeated his campaign promise to increase oil and gas production, and then attacked Ms. Harris for calling for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, during her 2020 presidential campaign.

Ms. Harris’s campaign has said that she no longer supports such a ban. Pennsylvania, a large producer of natural gas, could see an economic benefit from increased fracking even as the process risks air and water pollution. And Mr. Trump’s calls to “drill, baby, drill” were particularly salient in Wilkes-Barre, in a region of northeast Pennsylvania that was historically defined by anthracite coal mining.

Mr. Trump also continued his effort to try to peel off American Jews, a substantial majority of whom are liberal, from the Democratic Party. He claimed that Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, was not chosen as Ms. Harris’s running mate because of his religion.

“They turned him down because he’s Jewish,” Mr. Trump said, adding, “I don’t think he’s a good person.”

As Ms. Harris was choosing her running mate, Mr. Shapiro faced a pressure campaign from activists who considered him too sympathetic to Israel. Mr. Shapiro has rejected the idea that his religious identity played into Ms. Harris’s decision.

Still, Mr. Trump, who during his presidency was accused of emboldening white supremacists, invoked the Holocaust as he warned of broad antisemitism in America and insisted, as he has before, that Jews who vote for Democrats “should have their head examined.”

Both Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris are particularly focused on Pennsylvania, a swing state with the potential to decide the election. Mr. Trump won the state by a slim margin in 2016, but he lost it to Mr. Biden in 2020.

Both campaigns are holding events in the state in the coming days. On Sunday, Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, will embark on a bus tour of western Pennsylvania. On Monday, Mr. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, will make separate campaign stops in York, Pa., and Philadelphia.

Heather Knight and Shawn Hubler

Reporting from San Francisco and Sacramento

Willie Brown to Donald Trump: Mention my name again and get sued.

Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco, had a message for former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday afternoon: Keep my name out of your mouth or get sued.

He stood with his longtime lawyer, Joe Cotchett, on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco, outside John’s Grill, the Saturday spot on Mr. Brown’s lunchtime rotation, and told reporters that he would sue Mr. Trump for slander and defamation if he repeated his concocted helicopter story one more time.

“He’s never brought a lawsuit in his life,” Mr. Cotchett said of Mr. Brown. “But you know who’s pushing him to it? A guy by the name of Trump.”

Mr. Trump and Mr. Brown have been verbally sparring since Mr. Trump falsely claimed at a news conference on Aug. 8 at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida that he had once nearly died in a helicopter ride with Mr. Brown .

Mr. Trump also said that Mr. Brown, who dated Vice President Kamala Harris in 1994 and 1995, said “terrible things” about Ms. Harris just before they almost plummeted to their deaths.

“He was not a fan of hers very much, at that point,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Brown promptly called the tale a lie — saying he had never ridden in a helicopter with Mr. Trump and had never told him disparaging things about Ms. Harris. In fact, he repeatedly told reporters that he respected her and desperately hoped that she would beat the man with whom he had never ridden in a helicopter.

Mr. Trump repeated his claims on his social media site, Truth Social, and threatened to sue The New York Times for reporting that the helicopter story was made up. “Now Willie Brown doesn’t remember?” Trump wrote.

That’s when Nate Holden, a former Los Angeles city councilman and state senator, said he had taken a rocky helicopter ride with Mr. Trump in 1990 and speculated that the former president might have confused him with Mr. Brown. Both California politicians are Black.

Mr. Trump has not spoken about the helicopter incident since Mr. Holden came forward. But Mr. Brown and Mr. Cotchett said they wanted to make sure that he stayed quiet.

Asked whether he wanted an apology from Mr. Trump, Mr. Brown said he would rather not hear from him at all.

“No, I don’t want his apology,” Mr. Brown said. “I don’t want him to mention my name.”

When asked to comment, a spokesman for Mr. Trump pointed to the former president’s threat to sue The Times but did not address what Mr. Brown said.

Mr. Holden on Saturday applauded Mr. Brown’s legal threat.

“If he’s propagating a lie, he should be held accountable,” Mr. Holden said of Mr. Trump in a telephone interview on Saturday from his home in Los Angeles. “I’m 95 years old, and Willie is 90, and he made the assumption we wouldn’t be here anymore, and nobody would challenge it. Well, we’re alive and well.”

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.

Jazmine Ulloa

Reporting from La Vista, Neb.

Tim Walz plays up his Nebraska roots at a rally near Omaha.

Cinnamon rolls and chili. The Yale of the Midwest. A runza.

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, back home in Nebraska on Saturday, delivered his usual appeals to joy and freedom, along with some jabs at former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio. But this time, he added a flex of his Nebraska roots and his knowledge of the state’s culture.

Mr. Walz spoke of growing up in the tiny village of Butte, graduating from Chadron State College — “the Yale of the Midwest,” he said to laughs — and serving in the state’s Army National Guard, in which he enlisted at 17. He was introduced by one of his former high school students in the state and had former Butte classmates in the audience.

“We have a slogan here — Nebraska, it is not for everyone,” he told a boisterous audience at a theater in La Vista, Neb., a suburb of Omaha. “Well, it certainly ain’t for Donald Trump, I’ll tell you that much.”

The stop in his home state offered Mr. Walz another chance to reach rural, working-class and moderate voters, as he and Vice President Kamala Harris cast themselves as fighters for the middle class.

Nebraska is one of two states (along with Maine) that award an electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district. A presidential candidate can lose the state and still earn electoral votes there.

Nebraska is solidly Republican, but its Second District, which encompasses Omaha and is known as Nebraska’s blue dot, is a swing region that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020. Mr. Biden won it with 56.4 percent of the vote .

In the spring, Nebraska Republicans, under pressure from Mr. Trump; the state’s governor, Jim Pillen; and conservative activists, renewed an effort to move to a “winner-take-all” system in presidential elections. State legislators overwhelmingly voted against the proposal.

“It is not just symbolic,” Pete Festersen, the president of the Omaha City Council, said of Mr. Walz’s stop in the state. “It shows they can compete through the Midwest and certainly for our electoral vote and that can make a difference this election.”

Mr. Vance is expected at a fund-raiser in Omaha this month.

In a statement, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, criticized Mr. Walz’s platform and record, saying that Mr. Walz and Ms. Harris had “nothing to offer the American people other than their radical, Communist ideas.”

Mr. Walz was born in West Point , a rural town of roughly 3,500 people northwest of Omaha, and spent much of his younger days in Butte and Valentine, Neb. His mother was a community activist and his father a public school administrator, and he became a high school teacher and coach in Nebraska after a year of teaching in China. He met his wife, Gwen, also a teacher, at the Nebraska school, and the two moved to her native Minnesota in 1996.

Onstage, Mr. Walz joked that Mr. Vance would probably call a runza — a bread pocket filled with beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, and a regional specialty — “a Hot Pocket.” He said his parents and the communities he grew up in taught him to “show generosity towards your neighbor,” to “work for the common good” and that chili and cinnamon rolls — a sweet and spicy favorite in Nebraska — is a good combination.

He pledged that a Harris administration would cut taxes — and “not for the billionaires” — lower the cost for rent and prescription drugs and work to give families relief from medical debt. He argued that it was the Harris-Walz campaign that embodied small-town values.

“As we are running on these values, let’s take them to the White House,” he said.

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Dereon Coleman, Miami commit, throws 99-yard touchdown in dominant win over Seminoles

Andrew nemec | 22 hours ago.

Class of 2026 Jones ( Florida ) four-star quarterback Dereon Coleman clearly understands the assignment.

The 6-foot, 170-pound signal-caller, a Miami Hurricanes pledge, is already putting a hurtin' on the Seminoles.

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On Saturday during a 43-21 preseason victory over Seminole ( Florida ), Coleman threw for four touchdowns, including a 99-yard strike that proved to be one of the highlights on high school football nationwide this weekend:

Orlando Jones will be a tough match up for any opponent this year. QB Dereon Coleman has great touch. 99 yard TD pass to Larry (route runner ) Miles. pic.twitter.com/z3LFeQ0Wtb — Marquies Gines Sr. (@MarquiesGines) August 18, 2024

Coleman is rated the nation's No. 317 overall prospect and No. 21 quarterback in the class of 2026, but his stock continues to rise.

The in-state passer committed to Miami in early July, choosing the Hurricanes over offers from Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, TCU, Texas A&M and others.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about him as a prospect:

"Quick-twitched passer with a live arm. Lacks the desired measurables, but can generate plenty of velocity with a lighting-quick release. Got varsity snaps as an eighth grader, but really made a name for himself as a sophomore in one of Florida’s higher classifications. Likes to pick defenses apart from the pocket and can flick the ball into the deeper third with ease. Tends to serve up a fastball, but in-person evaluations suggest that he can use touch on occasion to drop balls over coverage. Explosive lower half allows him to get away from pressure, but needs to improve internal clock and add some body armor. Should be viewed as one of the polarizing signal callers in the 2026 cycle given the combination of high-powered arm and suboptimal frame. Likely to find most success on Saturdays in an up-tempo spread attack."

It's still early for final analysis regarding class of 2026 prospects, but the early debate has centered on whether or not Coleman is considered a truly "elite" quarterback.

So far, he's off to a great start proving major criticism unfounded.

ANDREW NEMEC

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Freeman Sundays premier alumni compositions to highlight School of Music centennial

When Clay Mettens and Rachel Whelan were invited to write compositions to help celebrate the School of Music’s centennial, the two alumni couldn’t wait to get started.

“I'm incredibly honored to be writing a piece to celebrate the centennial. It's an opportunity to reflect on what the School of Music has meant to me and thousands of alumni throughout the institution's history,” says Mettens. “I wouldn't be the composer I am today without the education and experiences offered at USC, and considering these kinds of life-changing transformations multiplied across all of the School of Music's graduates, the cumulative impact is truly staggering.”

Freeman Sundays is among the concerts and special performances with a centennial flair to commemorate the School of Music’s 100th anniversary. Designed to showcase its programs, students and faculty, the theme for the yearlong celebration, “Sing Thy High Praise: 100 Years of Music at Carolina,” is pulled from the first line of USC’s alma mater.

Named for philanthropist Cornelia Freeman, the series started in the late ’70s and during its 45-year history has raised about $500,000 for scholarships and expenses, says School of Music Dean Tayloe Harding. To accommodate faculty schedules and performance careers, the series has evolved over the years to its current schedule of two concerts in the fall and two in the spring.

Scholarship money we can offer to a student helps, and the Freeman series is one of four or five major scholarship generators for the music school that has made that difference over the years. — School of Music Dean Tayloe Harding

Traditionally, the series features faculty as well as emeritus faculty playing chamber music. In addition to new alumni compositions, students will also participate in the concerts during this centennial year.

“For faculty, it's a great opportunity to collaborate with colleagues who we may not have a chance to perform with otherwise,” says bassoon professor Mike Harley , the current chair of the faculty committee that organizes Freeman Sunday concerts. “We have the opportunity to choose pieces that we are particularly interested in playing and other faculty that we want to collaborate with.”

Another special feature for the centennial celebration is that each concert in the series will showcase faculty ensembles from each instrument specialty in the school. Whelan’s and Mettens’s compositions will premier during Freeman Sundays this fall for the voice and string faculty (Sept. 29) and the wind and brass faculty (Oct. 27), respectively. Mettens’s composition also will be performed by USC faculty and students in New York City on Nov. 27 to celebrate the Carolina Band’s participation in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Alumni JaRon Brown and Andy Akiho are composing pieces for spring concerts that feature piano, percussion and guitar areas (Feb. 2) and all areas (April 6), respectively. In addition to the Akiho premiere and other chamber works, the April concert will include a set performed by the School of Music’s jazz faculty.

“When Mike Harley approached me to write a piece for the Freeman Series as part of the USC School of Music Centennial Celebration, I was honored. When he specified that I’d be writing for two incredible faculty singers, Ashley Emerson and Dominic Armstrong, I was elated,” Whelan says. “Writing for voice, working with singers, and working with poets are my favorite parts of composing.”

Harley is thrilled that all four composers welcomed the opportunity to help celebrate the centennial.

“We are really fortunate to have some wonderful composition grads working in the field,” he says. “Part of the fun of commissioning a new work is the mystery behind it. You know something about the composer's language and style, but new pieces can often take a form that you never expected. It’s special to be a part of bringing a new work into the world, and it’s a wonderful way to celebrate the School of Music and the school's impact.”

Part of that impact, of course, is scholarships to recruit the nation's best students to the USC School of Music. 

“Recruiting music students is highly competitive, and you have to be able to offer them something that another institution can’t, and often that comes down to cost,” Harding says. “Scholarship money we can offer to a student helps, and the Freeman series is one of four or five major scholarship generators for the music school that has made that difference over the years.”

As an out-of-state student, Alexandra Fife (2013, music performance) says receiving a Freeman Scholarship took the pressure off the expense of college. 

“It changed my life,” says the USC Bands administrative coordinator. “It gave me opportunities I never would have had. I traveled to China with the wind ensemble. I was part of a woodwind quintet that received a grant to play for the Veterans Hospital. Those were amazing experiences.”

Another goal of the concerts is to bring together the university and its neighbors in the Midlands and in the state. A core part of the School of Music mission is to engage with the community and encourage connection.

“A live concert experience is a wonderful example of a community forming for an evening or afternoon to join in a shared interest and shared experience,” Harley says. “The School of Music works hard at being a seminal part of Columbia's artistic scene. We hope the Freeman concerts and the many other recitals and events students and faculty perform in each year make Columbia a richer place to live.”

If you’re going:

Freeman Sundays take place at 3 p.m. in the School of Music Recital Hall.

• Sept. 29: Voice and string areas. Alumni composer Rachel Whelan.
• Oct. 27: Wind and brass areas. Alumni composer Clay Mettens.
•  Feb. 2: Piano, percussion and guitar areas. Alumni composer JaRon Brown.
• April 6: All areas. Alumni composer Andy Akiho.

Tickets: $15 adults; $10 seniors, USC faculty and staff; $5 students. Free for School of Music students, staff and faculty. Tickets are available at the Koger Center for the Arts Box Office (803-251-2222) and at the door.

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