This This I Believe mini-unit is a powerful narrative writing journey that centers student voice, identity, and reflection, while still teaching essential writing skills.

💻 What’s Included: ✔️ Fully editable Google Slides presentation to guide each part of the unit, including essential questions that can be tailored to connect with other units ✔️ Editable Google Docs for student activities and scaffolding ✔️ A full walkthrough video of me talking you through the unit + sharing teacher tips ✔️ Activities that build toward the final essay, including: – A name reflection warm-up – A poetry writing task inspired by Rudy Francisco’s “Honest Poem” – A personal values inventory – A mentor text analysis + ranking task – Guided brainstorming

Students love it because they get to write about what they believe, what shaped them, and who they are becoming. It’s short, personal, and low-stakes, which means less groaning and more buy-in. Even your more reluctant writers will surprise you.

This mini-unit also provides a lot of pacing flexibility. Whether you want to run this over a quick 1-week sprint or stretch it into a 3-week deep-dive, the materials are designed to be flexible. Extend, remix, or shorten as needed — everything is editable and adaptable for your classroom flow.

🎯 Perfect for: – Back-to-school or end-of-year identity work – Post-testing creative reset – Narrative writing units – ELA classes grades 8–12 – Teachers looking to combine writing instruction with SEL, reflection, and student empowerment