Student writing contest: People, places, and practices that feel like home

syoung679
1 day ago
6 min read

Teacher magazine is hosting a student writing contest with the following prompt: People, places, and practices that feel like home.

There are four grade categories for the contest: K–3, 4–6, 7– 9, and 10–12. The winner in each category will have their writing published in the May/June 2026 edition of Teacher. Winners will also receive certificates and $50 bookstore gift cards. You can use the lesson plans that follow to introduce this writing prompt to your students.

Submissions can include personal narratives, essays, stories, or poems. Teachers can submit their students’ work by emailing it to teachermag@bctf.ca. Photos or scans of handwritten student work or typed documents of student work will be accepted. The winner will be decided by the Teacher Magazine Advisory Board. The deadline to submit your students’ writing is March 13, 2026.

Submission deadline: March 13, 2026

Submission email: teachermag@bctf.ca

Grade categories: K–3, 4–6, 7– 9, 10–12

Awards published: Teacher May/June 2026

Kindergarten to Grade 3 lesson plan

Introduction

“Today we’re going to talk about home. What do you think of when you think about your home?”

“Home isn’t just a house; it can also be people, places, and things we do that make us feel happy, safe, and loved.”

As a class, create a chart with three categories (people, places, activities) so students can share some of the things that make them feel at home.

Read aloud

Choose a book about home to read aloud to the class. Some book suggestions are below:

Dear Librarian by Lydia Sigwarth
Old Blue Is My Home by Lita Judge
When the Stars Came Home by Brittany Luby
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith
You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith

Discussion

Facilitate a class discussion about your chosen read-aloud:

How do you think the character feels about their home?
Is the home described in the book similar or different to your home?
In the story, what are some things that made the character feel at home?

Revisit the chart from the earlier discussion and ask students if they’d like to add some more examples to each category about people, places, and activities that feel like home.

Writing

Ask students to write about a person, a place, or something you do that makes you feel at home. Encourage them to describe it so the reader can imagine and feel it. Students may use sentence-starters like the following if needed:

A place that feels like home to me is … because …
… (person/pet) makes me feel at home because they …
Something I do to feel at home is …
Home makes me feel …

Tell students about the province-wide writing contest and that the winner will get their writing published in Teacher magazine.

Grades 4 – 6 lesson plan

Introduction

“Today we’re going to talk about what home means. When you think of home, what do you picture? Is it a house? Is it a place? Or is it a feeling?”

Read aloud

Choose a story about home to read aloud to the class. Some suggestions are below:

Dear Librarian by Lydia Sigwarth
Old Blue Is My Home by Lita Judge
When the Stars Came Home by Brittany Luby
“Connected to Everything” by Jennifer Greene

Discussion

Facilitate a class discussion about your chosen read-aloud:

What makes the character feel at home in the story?
Is the character’s idea of home similar or different to your idea of home?
Can home change over time?

Revisit the introduction question of what home means. As a class, make a chart with three categories: people, places, and practices. Ask students to list some of the people, the places, and the things they do that make them feel at home.

Writing

Tell students that the class discussion was a brainstorm activity for the writing prompt: people, places, and practices that feel like home. Students can choose to focus on just one aspect of the writing prompt (a person, a place, or a practice that makes them feel at home), or they may choose to weave together different pieces that contribute to feelings of home.

Encourage students to use descriptive writing that will help the reader feel what they feel. Tell students about the province-wide writing contest and how the winner will be published in Teacher magazine and win a gift card.

Differentiation

For students who need extra support you can provide sentence-starters or additional prompts:

I feel safe and connected when …
A place that feels like home to me is …
… (person/pet) makes me feel at home because they …
Something I do to feel at home is …

Grades 7–9 lesson plan

Introduction

“Today we’ll be thinking about what home means and, more specifically, the people, places, and practices that make you feel you belong.”

Video

Start by watching the introduction of the following video: Where Are All My Relations? Only the first 5 minutes and 9 seconds of part 1 of this 11-part docuseries is needed for this lesson plan. Videos in the docuseries contain topics such as homelessness, drug use, depression, violence, and foster care. Teachers should watch the videos before showing them in class and ensure they are prepared to support students who may be affected.

Discussion

Ask students what stood out to them from the video.

Ask students to do a think-pair-share using the following guiding questions:

What person or people from your life make you feel at home? How?
What place gives you a sense of belonging or comfort? This could include buildings, outdoor spaces, or community spaces.
What traditions or routines bring you comfort?

During the share phase of the think-pair-share, write some of the student responses under each category of people, places, and practices that feel like home.

Writing

Ask students to write about people, places, and practices that feel like home. Students can choose to focus on just one aspect of the writing prompt (a person, a place, or a practice that makes them feel at home), or they may choose to weave together different pieces that contribute to feelings of home.

Encourage students to write freely and revisit the brainstorming board to pick strong imagery, emotions, or memories. Students can work to expand and edit their first draft into a polished draft. Tell students about the province-wide writing contest and how the winner will be published in the May/June 2026 edition of Teacher magazine and win a gift card.

Differentiation

For students who need extra support, you can provide sentence-starters such as “I feel safe and connected when …” or “A place that feels like home to me is …”

Grades 10–12 lesson plan

Introduction

“What comes to mind when you hear the word home?” Ask students to share a few ideas. Normalize that home can be joyful, painful, or complex. Home isn’t always a physical structure. It can be found in people, traditions, languages, routines, or moments that help us feel we belong.

Video

Discussion

Facilitate a class or small-group discussion about home. You may use the following guiding questions:

How does the video define or challenge your idea of home?
What role do memory, community, and culture play in shaping one’s sense of home?
Can home exist in multiple places or forms?
How might the concept of home change over time or through experiences like migration?
How do race, class, gender, and trauma shape someone’s experience of home?
What does it mean to create home in a place that doesn’t feel welcoming?

Writing

Ask students to write a narrative, descriptive, or reflective piece exploring people, places, and practices that feel like home. Students may choose to focus on one part of the prompt (a person, a place, or a practice) or weave together different parts of their experience of home. Encourage students to describe their chosen people, places, or practices vividly and explain why they evoke belonging and comfort. Formats can include personal or narrative essays, stories, or poems. Some prompting questions are below:

Where do you feel most like yourself?
Who or what makes you feel safe, seen, or grounded?
What traditions or routines bring you comfort?

Tell students about the province-wide writing contest and how the winner will be published in the May/June 2026 edition of Teacher magazine and win a gift card.

The class may participate in a peer-exchange after writing to provide feedback on each other’s work. Questions to consider for peer feedback:

What stands out vividly?
Where could the writer expand emotion or imagery?
What insight about identity or belonging does this piece reveal?