Need some project inspiration? If you’re looking for an ELA project that gets students doing more than answering comprehension questions, you’re in the right place.
The right project can turn an English class into a place where students are active participants rather than passive learners. Instead of simply reading a text and taking a test, students can research, write, create, collaborate, present, and connect what they’re learning to the real world.
And a classroom buzzing with creativity is a more delightful place for you, too!
Whether you’re planning a research unit, looking for an engaging end-of-the-year project, or simply want to add more project-based learning activities to your high school English curriculum, these ideas can help.
And don’t worry—an ELA project doesn’t have to mean weeks of complicated lesson plans and grading. Some of the best projects can be completed in just a few class periods.
What Makes a Good ELA Project?
Before jumping into the project ideas, let’s talk about what makes a project worthwhile.
A good ELA project should ask students to use the skills they’re learning in class in a meaningful way. That might mean applying literary analysis, practicing the writing process, conducting research, developing communication skills, or thinking critically about a real-world problem.
It’s tempting to choose a project that you think will be the most fun. But remember: it has to also teach and assess actual skills.
The best projects also give students some degree of student choice.
When students can choose their topic, text, format, or approach, they’re more likely to see the assignment as meaningful work rather than just another thing their English teacher is making them do.
Whenever possible, I also like projects that have an authentic audience. Students might present to classmates, create something for community members, publish their work, or design a final product intended for a real audience.
That’s a great way to give students real-world experience while still meeting the goals of an ELA curriculum.
ELA Project Idea #1: Author Study Project
An Author Study Project is an excellent way to combine independent reading, research, literary analysis, and creative writing.
Students choose an author and investigate the writer’s life, influences, writing style, themes, and major works. They then read one or more short stories, novels, poems, or other texts by the author and look for patterns across their work.
Finally, they try to replicate that author’s style in an original piece of writing, like a poem or short story.
You can alter the end product, though, if you need to. Students could create a final presentation using Google Slides, write an analysis, or develop a different creative final product.
For example, students studying Roald Dahl might investigate how his experiences and interests appear in his children’s and adult literature. They would note stylistic choices Dahl often makes. Then, they would try to use these stylistic choices themselves in their own children’s story.
This project works particularly well when students have some choice in their author.
Students end up practicing close reading, literary analysis, writing skills, and more. They develop a deeper appreciation for an author, and you get to read some creative pieces!
If you want more information about doing an Author Study Project, check out this blog post. And if you want a done-for-you version of this project, grab this Author Study Project Resource here!
ELA Project Idea #2: Book Review Project
The book review is a classic project for a reason!
Have students imagine they’re professional reviewers. (You could even teach a Lesson on How to Write a Review.) Then, they can review either an independent read or a whole-class text.
Students should summarize the book without giving away too much, analyze its strengths and weaknesses, and support their opinions with evidence.
For an extra challenge, ask students to consider their intended audience.
Would their review appeal to someone who loves fantasy? Historical fiction? Horror? Romance?
Bonus points: have students share their reviews with their classmates. They get practice with their speaking skills while your other students can find their next read!
ELA Project Idea #3: Speech
Want to connect high school English to the real world?
Have students write and deliver a speech.
Students can choose an issue, conduct research, consider multiple perspectives, develop a claim, gather evidence, and write a persuasive speech.
This project naturally incorporates research, rhetorical appeals, and public speaking.
Students can present their speeches to the class or, if appropriate, an authentic audience beyond the classroom.
It’s also a great opportunity to discuss how language can be used to advocate for change.
Speeches can be about anything. You could have them research a topic and give a speech about it to the class.
A Social Justice Speech Project, however, is perfect for a social justice unit or novel study. Students choose an issue they’re passionate about, conduct research, and then inform their peers.
You can get a done-for-you version of this Social Justice Speech Project here.
ELA Project Idea #4: Mock Trial
I still remember the mock trial we did when we studied the Salem with trials. Mock trials are excellent interdisciplinary projects that your students will remember, too!
Students can put a fictional character on trial for their actions in a literary text.
For example:
- Should Macbeth be held responsible for Duncan’s death?
- Is Jay Gatsby guilty of creating the circumstances surrounding his own downfall?
- Should a character be blamed for a tragic outcome?
Students must examine evidence from the text, construct arguments, anticipate counterarguments, and speak persuasively.
It’s an excellent way to practice critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and public speaking. Bonus points if you or your students bring in costume pieces!
ELA Project Idea #5: One-Pager Project
One-pagers are a great way to combine creativity and literary analysis without requiring students to write a traditional essay.
Students respond to a text using a single page that combines quotations, illustrations, symbols, analysis, and written responses.
A one-pager can be used with a novel, poem, short story, or nonfiction text. It can even be used to build background knowledge on a topic like the Holocaust.
Students might include:
- A significant quotation
- A theme statement
- Symbolism
- Character analysis
- Important questions
- Connections
- Illustrations
- Personal responses
A one-pager is also an excellent alternative assessment after a novel study or independent reading unit.
If you want to give your students some tips for making visuals on their one-pagers, you can use this FREE handout.
ELA Project Idea #6: Photo Essay
A photo essay is a fantastic option for visual learners.
Students select a theme or issue and tell a story through a series of photographs accompanied by captions and written analysis.
You could connect the assignment to a literary text, a community issue, or current events.
Students might explore themes such as identity, belonging, inequality, community, change, or the environment.
The project can also lead to some excellent classroom conversations about perspective and representation.
This could be an especially interesting project for diving into images as texts worth analyzing.
ELA Project #7: Social Justice Leaflet
For a shorter project, have students create a social justice leaflet designed to educate an audience about an issue.
Students research a topic and then distill their information into a concise, visually engaging format.
They have to decide:
- What does my audience need to know?
- What evidence matters?
- How do I convey my ideas persuasively?
- What action do I want people to take?
This project combines research, argument, design, and communication skills.
It can also be adapted into a digital infographic or social media campaign.
If you want a done-for-you version of this project, check out my Social Justice Leaflet Project here.
ELA Project Idea #8: Solve a Real-World Problem
Instead of assigning a traditional research paper, give students a real-world problem to investigate.
For example:
- How can schools reduce food waste?
- How can communities address homelessness?
- How does social media affect teenagers?
- What can schools do to improve student mental health?
- How can communities encourage reading?
- How does fast fashion affect the environment?
This is a fantastic project-based learning project or PBL assignment. Not only does it give students a chance to show off their research skills, but it requires that they apply their acquired knowledge. Add in an authentic audience, and you’ll have a beloved project for years.
ELA Project Idea #9: Fairy Tale Retelling Project
Fairy tales are perfect for a creative writing project because students already understand many of the traditional conventions and plot lines.
For a Fairy Tale Retelling Project, students choose a familiar fairy tale and rewrite it for a new audience, setting, time period, or perspective. In my Fairy Tale Retelling Project, I challenge students to write the story from the villain’s perspective.
Students might turn Cinderella into a story about a teenager navigating social media. They could rewrite The Three Little Pigs as a dystopian story or retell Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s perspective.
This is a creative way to teach literary elements while giving students an opportunity to experiment with voice, characterization, setting, conflict, and point of view.
It also works well as a short story writing project because students can focus on one manageable narrative rather than writing an entire novel.
I really like this one for struggling creative writers. Because students are already familiar with the story, they’re not wasting time on brainstorming ideas. Instead, they can get to writing earlier and actually practice creative writing skills sooner.
Learn more about doing a Fairy Tale Retelling Project in your classroom here, or grab a done-for-you version here.
ELA Project Idea #10: Book Club Project
Turn an independent reading unit into a book club or literature circle project.
Students read in small groups and discuss their books throughout the unit.
Then, instead of taking a traditional test, each group creates a final product demonstrating their understanding.
Possible products include:
- A book trailer
- Podcast
- Photo essay
- Google Slides presentation
- Mock social media account
- Book review
- Author interview
- Thematic analysis
This gives students opportunities to collaborate while still requiring individual accountability.
You can learn more about running literature circles in this blog post.
ELA Project Idea #11: Comic Book Project
Not every student wants to write a traditional essay.
A comic book project gives students another way to demonstrate understanding while still requiring serious thinking and writing.
Students can create an original comic book or adapt a literary text into a comic. Adapting an existing story into a comic will require students to show a deep understanding of the text and summarizing skills.
They might transform a short story into a series of panels, create a visual version of a scene from a novel, or write an original story.
Students have to make decisions about dialogue, narration, pacing, imagery, characterization, and symbolism.
In other words, they’re still doing plenty of ELA work—they’re just doing it in a different format.
You can even have students experiment with comic strips before creating a longer project.
If you’re studying memoirs or creative writing, you can take this one step further and have students create comics based on their own lives. My Comic Book Memoir Project does this.
ELA Project Idea #12: Literary Character Social Media Profile
Your students shouldn’t be on their phones in class, but they can pretend to be. What would the social media profile or posts for different literary characters look like?
Students can create a fictional social media account that reflects a character’s personality, relationships, values, conflicts, and development.
They might create:
- Posts
- Comments
- Direct messages
- Photos
- Hashtags
- Profile information
The important part is requiring students to support their choices with evidence from the text.
This can be a creative way to make literary analysis feel relevant to students’ lives.
Instead of a project, this can also easily be turned into a one-day activity or even a sub plan. Grab my Instagram-inspired Worksheet here for a no-prep version!
ELA Project Idea #13: Public Service Announcement
Have students create public service announcements about an issue related to a text, unit, or current event.
Students might create a written PSA, video, poster, podcast, or social media campaign.
The project requires them to think about audience, purpose, tone, evidence, and persuasive techniques.
It also gives students an opportunity to see how the communication skills they’re learning in English class are used outside school.
ELA Project #14: World Genocide Research Project
A World Genocide Project is a natural fit for a research unit.
Students select a genocide and investigate its historical context, causes, events, effects, survivor experiences, and aftermath.
Rather than stopping with a traditional research paper, students can create a presentation, documentary, website, digital exhibit, or other final product.
The project can emphasize responsible research and source evaluation while helping students understand how historical events affect real people.
It’s also an opportunity to discuss the importance of learning about difficult subjects in light of the need for a more educated perspective on current events and the world around us.
In addition to being perfect for any research unit, this is the perfect accompaniment to world literature texts like Maus that take place during a genocide.
ELA Project Idea #15: Current Events Research Project
Students choose a current event and investigate it using multiple reliable sources.
They might compare how different news articles and media outlets cover the same event.
Students can examine:
- Bias
- Word choice
- Source credibility
- Perspective
- Evidence
- Missing information
- Audience
This is an excellent opportunity to teach research skills in a context that feels relevant.
ELA Project Idea #16: Classroom Debate Project
Give students a controversial but classroom-appropriate question and have them research both sides before participating in a formal debate.
The key is requiring students to understand the opposing perspective—not simply find evidence supporting their own opinion.
This builds critical thinking, research skills, listening skills, and communication skills.
It also gives students real practice in considering an educated perspective rather than relying on whatever opinion they already have.
ELA Project Idea #17: Children’s Book Project
Have secondary students write and illustrate a children’s book.
The catch?
The book needs to teach something.
Students might create a children’s book about:
- A historical event
- A social issue
- A scientific concept
- A literary theme
- A life lesson
- A community issue
Students have to take complex information and make it accessible to a younger audience. I’ve even seen teachers bring their secondary classes to a nearby elementary school to read their original books to younger students. Now that’s an awesome authentic audience!
ELA Project Idea #19: End-of-the-Year Project
Looking for end-of-the-year project ideas?
Let students choose.
A passion project allows students to select a topic they’re genuinely interested in and decide how they want to demonstrate their learning.
Students might:
- Write a short story
- Create a podcast
- Conduct research
- Make a documentary
- Write poetry
- Create a comic
- Design a website
- Give an oral presentation
- Create a photo essay
Student choice can make this an excellent way to finish the end of the school year without resorting to another giant test.
ELA Project Idea #20: Creative Writing Portfolio
If you’ve had students write poetry and fiction all year, why not have them showcase the best of the best? Have students collect their best creative writing from throughout the year and turn it into a polished portfolio.
Students can revise earlier work using the writing process and then select pieces that demonstrate their growth.
The final product could include short stories, poems, personal narratives, flash fiction, and reflections. You could dictate to students how much of each type of writing their portfolio needs to include.
Students can write a final reflection explaining how their writing changed during the year.
This makes the project about both the finished work and student growth.
How to Make an ELA Project Actually Worth Doing
The biggest mistake teachers can make with project-based learning is creating a project that looks fun but doesn’t actually teach anything.
A pretty final product isn’t enough.
Before assigning an ELA project, ask yourself:
What skill am I assessing?
Is it research? Argument writing? Literary analysis? Creative writing? Speaking? Close reading?
The final product should require that students show mastery of the skill being assessed.
What will students actually DO?
Don’t let the project become a coloring activity with a paragraph attached.
Students should be thinking, writing, researching, analyzing, creating, or communicating. Capstone projects should require multiple steps (and ideally time for revision).
Where is the student choice?
Even a little choice can make a difference.
Let students choose the topic, text, format, audience, or final product whenever possible.
Who is the audience?
An authentic audience can dramatically change how students approach an assignment.
Writing for classmates is different from writing for community members, younger students, or a fictional publication.
Does the project have a clear purpose?
Students should be able to answer: “Why am I doing this?”
If the answer is only “because it’s the assignment,” it’s probably time to rethink the project. Projects should reflect a real-world task or tackle real-world problems whenever possible.
ELA Projects Don’t Have to Be Complicated
You don’t need a giant month-long project every time you want to incorporate project-based learning.
An ELA project could take one class period or several weeks.
It could be a one-pager after a close reading, a comic strip after reading a short story, a research presentation after a research unit, or a full advocacy campaign that takes several weeks.
The important thing is that students are applying their skills in a meaningful context.
Projects are an excellent way to help students see that English isn’t just about reading books and writing essays.
It’s about learning how to communicate, evaluate information, understand other perspectives, solve problems, and make meaning from the world around us.