08/07/2026
"Our writing units are based on real-world features like narratives, opinion essays, podcasts, informational videos and more.
What can the news, features, essays, interviews, photos, videos, podcasts and graphics in The New York Times teach your students about composing for a global audience? So much, we hope, that the units we detail below are just a beginning. Each focuses on a different genre or type of work that your students can find not just in The Times but in all kinds of real-world sources.
But, at a time when generative artificial intelligence can do much of the thinking and creating for them, some of your students may be wondering, Why should we do this at all?
To help teenagers grapple with this question, we’re adding a new resource this year, one we hope will help them explore not just the current impact of this technology but the reasons humans write and create in the first place and the role those activities play in helping develop how we think and who we are.
Encouraging students to hone their unique voices has always been a pillar of our site, and it has never been more important than it is now. We hope our curriculum will offer teenagers confirmation that they have valuable things to say, choices in how to say them and a global audience eager to listen. Through the opportunities for publication woven into each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply consuming media to becoming creators themselves. And, because each of these units will connect to our Ask a Journalist feature, as your students work they will be able, as one teacher put it, to “ask real questions and get specific journalism advice from the best in the field.”
Though some of our units spotlight mediums like visual art, video and podcasting, writing is at the heart of each one. All begin with written brainstorming and depend on writing throughout — to plan and organize, to outline and script, and to edit, summarize and process. Increasingly, Times journalists are composing in multimedia, weaving photos, illustrations, video and audio into their written reports, and we’re inviting students to do the same.
Finally, though our offerings are aimed at middle school and high school students, we know that they are used up and down levels — from elementary school through college — and across subjects. So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas or interview fascinating people. We can’t wait to hear what they have to say!
Our eight writing units, plus additional resources:
• Coming Soon: Writing and Creating in the Age of A.I.
• Everyday Practice: Writing Prompts
• The Tiny Memoir: Personal Narrative Writing
• The ‘Coming of Age’ Project: Documenting and Reflecting on Teen Lives
• The STEM Video: Interviewing Experts and Communicating Information
• The Open Letter: Argumentative Writing
• The Podcast: Writing for Audio
• Independent Reading and Writing
• Want More?"
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/learning/lesson-plans/teach-writing-with-the-new-york-times-our-2026-27-curriculum.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3lA.L_oT.RGy0xOIc-8AS&smid=url-share
