Activities Letter
This sheet provides a brief overview of the series to help your students break down the process of story writing.
✏️ Resources for your classroom or home
Use the resources below to help participants write and illustrate stories.
Get Ready to Write
Serving as a precursor to the Brainstorming activity, this worksheet is intended to help your students form ideas for potential stories.
Brainstorming
Use this worksheet to help students expand on an idea by developing key characters, the plot, and setting.
Story Revision Checklist
This checklist is intended to help students develop revision skills so that they can execute all of the components of a well-written story.
Draw This
Students may use this worksheet to create illustrations for their stories based on key words. Practice using the provided examples.
Write This
Ask students to think about the relationship between illustration and text by having them create captions. Practice using the provided examples.
✏️ SUGGESTED THEME FOR 2026: WHAT DOES AMERICA MEAN TO YOU?
💬 To celebrate America 250 and the new PBS documentary The American Revolution, we encourage entrants to consider this question: What does America mean to you?
This theme is designed to spark curiosity. Lesson plans, created by Prairie Public’s Education Services team, are available below to help educators and caregivers explore the theme at each grade level.
BONUS! We encourage students in grades 3-5 to also participate in a nationwide contest, America’s Field Trip, for the chance to win a special behind-the-scenes field trip experience at iconic American sites.
📝 LESSON PLANS AND PROMPTS (OPTIONAL)
Kindergarten: What is fair?
💡 Prompt: Draw and tell about a time when you helped make something fair. The story can be about school, friends, siblings, playgrounds, sports... anything!
See full Kindergarten lesson plan →
Grade 1: Why is it important to use your voice?
💡 Prompt:Write about something you care about and why it matters. ("I care about _____ because _____.")
See full Grade 1 lesson plan →
Grade 2: How do people work together to create change?
💡 Prompt:Tell a story about a group of people working together to make something better. Sentence starters can include "In the beginning...", "Then they decided to...", and "In the end..."
See full Grade 2 lesson plan →
Grade 3: How can everyday people make a difference?
💡 Prompt:Write a story from the point of view of a character who experiences something important. Focus on the character's thoughts, feelings, and actions.
See full Grade 3 lesson plan →
Grade 4: What does freedom mean to you?
💡 Prompt:What does freedom mean to you, and why is it important to protect it? Students may write from personal experience, a historical idea, or even an imagined scenario!
See full Grade 4 lesson plan →
Grade 5: When is change necessary, and how should it happen?
💡 Prompt:Write about a change you or a character hopes for, and the steps it would take to make it real. Ideas can be big or small, real or imagined. This is your chance to share an idea that matters to you!
See full Grade 5 lesson plan →