Place-Based Writing Activities for Write Out 2026

K-12 lilyPD teacher National Writing Project Write Out 2026

Created by Rebekah O’Dell

at William & Mary

lilyPD professional development powered by William & Mary is excited to be a partner of the National Writing Project’s Write Out 2026! This annual partnership between the National Writing Project and the National Park Service encourages people to get outside and write! As we celebrate this year’s Write Out (October 11 – 25), we’ll be adding a few of our own strategies to those offered by the Write Out to give you and your students ways deepen your connection to the community by writing out in the world.

My writing place in Colonial Williamsburg

As a teacher, I’ve always looked forward to October for many reasons — the changing of the seasons, Back to School night being behind me, and taking my students outside to write during Write Out, a program of the National Writing Project.

The program is beautifully simple: go outside and write. That’s it! Check out their mission:

Writing outside can wake creativity, deepen learning, strengthen community ties, and support individual and community well-being.

Write Out supports place-based writing by giving people and organizations a practical way to:
use local places as opportunities for writing and creativity,
inspire learners through providing connections to local and authentic contexts for learning,
strengthen connections and stewardship of place and nature.

lilyPD is proud to partner with Write Out 2026 by contributing strategies for place-based writing you can use with your students during the month of October, on a field trip, or any time during the school year when you want to intentionally connect students with the world around us.

Recently, I headed to our very own backyard, Colonial Williamsburg, to work on a strategy that connects writers to the hyperlocal — this exact place at this exact time. A twist on a language field note, this activity invites writers to observe their surrounding in detail so specific that a language of this place at this time is created.

I’ve also included ideas for extending this activity if you’d like to use it to do even more!

If you use this resource, we’d love to hear your experience in the comments! Want even more? Check out the Write Out Choice Board for more writing activities and take a microcourse in lilyPD!

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