The wide variety of resources included here will enhance your Grannie Annie experience, complement your curriculum, and help you utilize the wealth of information in this collection of amazing family stories. We hope you'll explore the links that interest you.

We want your Grannie Annie experience to be as satisfying and rich as possible. Please e-mail us at Feedback@TheGrannieAnnie.org to tell us how these resources work for you, or to suggest additional resources we might add. We also invite you to share any Grannie Annie–related activities that have worked well for you. Including your write-up on The Grannie Annie Extension Activities page would enable others to benefit from your success.

Click to open, or scroll down for descriptions of the resources:

Resources for Writing

Your Grannie Annie Interview: Who will you interview for your Grannie Annie story? What questions will you ask? How will you remember what you hear? Following these interview suggestions will help you make better use of your interview time and will help you write the best possible story.

Finding a Grannie Annie Topic: You or your family storykeeper may know exactly which story from your family's past you want to explore together — but perhaps not! This list of story ideas is sure to be inspiring.

Writing Your Grannie Annie Story: You’ve interviewed a family storykeeper but aren’t sure how to begin writing your Grannie Annie story? That's not surprising, because writing is complex. This resource breaks the writing process into parts so that you can focus on each step individually.

Revising Your Grannie Annie Story: Published authors consider specific revision topics to make their writing interesting and satisfying for their readers — to make their work shine. You can, too!

Writing a Grannie Annie Story Using the 6 Traits of Writing: Use the 6 Traits of Writing to produce a better-written Grannie Annie story! An experienced teacher provides a plan for introducing The Grannie Annie and a ten-day plan for writing, revising, and assessing Grannie Annie stories using the 6 Traits.

The Writer's Guide to Being Published by The Grannie Annie: Without a doubt, you and your family, and your friends in your school and community, will enjoy and appreciate The Grannie Annie story that you write. If having your story selected for publication by The Grannie Annie is another of your goals, you may want to know just what The Grannie Annie selection committee looks for in a story.

Resources for Classrooms

Common Core Standards Addressed Through The Grannie Annie: Teachers, if your school follows the Common Core Standards, you'll be happy to know that when students participate in The Grannie Annie they have the opportunity to work toward mastery of many of the Common Core English Language Arts State Standards. The briefly described anchor standards and numbers of specific standards addressed are included in this resource.

Addressing State Standards — Language and Social Studies
Teachers, you will be happy to discover that numerous state standards can be addressed through participation in The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration. These sample lists of Missouri Grade Level Expectations addressed by The Grannie Annie may help you see how interviewing and writing for The Grannie Annie can help you and your students address your own state's educational standards.

The Grannie Annie Calendar: You're welcome to follow your own calendar — to conduct your Grannie Annie interview, write and revise your story, and send your story to The Grannie Annie at any time prior to the annual February 1 deadline. Teachers may want to coordinate their plans with a special event, such as Grandparents' Day, or present The Grannie Annie as an after-school activity.

Those of you who want to enjoy The Grannie Annie throughout the school year will appreciate this Grannie Annie Calendar. The monthly reminders will help to keep everyone on schedule so that submissions will be complete prior to the deadline. Optional activities to extend the learning are also included.

The Grannie Annie Letter to Parents/Guardians: Here's another resource designed especially for teachers. Click and print a letter to your students' parents and guardians that explains The Grannie Annie and their participation in their child's family history adventure. You're welcome to adapt the letter to fit your own Grannie Annie time frame.

The Grannie Annie Poster: Invite the young people in your community to participate. The Grannie Annie is the kind of celebration that gets better as more people join in!

Resources for Enrichment

A Grannie Annie Read-Aloud Example: You've worked hard to discover and write your Grannie Annie Story. Now look for opportunities to read your story aloud so that others can enjoy it, too. This recording is sure to inspire you: Grannie Annie author Bergin Downs reads her story "The Santa Hunt," published in Grannie Annie, Vol. 6.

Reading Your Grannie Annie Story Aloud: When sharing your Grannie Annie story by reading it aloud, you want your listeners to appreciate your story in the same way you do. Follow these tips for a presentation that everyone will enjoy — including you.

The Grannie Annie Index of Stories: This comprehensive index will help you find stories on the topics that interest you and will help you and your teachers enhance numerous units of study across your curriculum with personal family stories from the Grannie Annie anthologies.

The Grannie Annie Extension Activities: Make the most of your Grannie Annie experience by enjoying these activities that have been successful for other members of The Grannie Annie family.

Related Resources: Expand your Grannie Annie experience by exploring organizations that have goals similar to or complementary to The Grannie Annie. Please understand that clicking on the provided links will take you away from The Grannie Annie's website.