Writing Prompt Wednesday

We had an hour of writing this afternoon. I often give students complete freedom to write whatever they like during this time, but I periodically give them specific prompts that they must choose from. I do this for a couple of reasons.

First of all, it's a tremendous relief to some of the more reluctant writers in the room, who often find the freedom of a completely blank slate to be daunting. Giving them a few parameters actually allows their creativity to blossom without the anxiety of having to pick one topic from an infinite number of possibilities.

For others who have wild and unfettered imaginations, a little forced structure can be valuable practice in focusing their creativity in specific directions.

I gave them three options today:

The image is Study of Five Grotesque Heads, by Leonardo da Vinci. There's a close-up below:

Study of Five Grotesque Heads, by Leonardo da Vinci

I gave everyone the option to change various details as they saw fit. For example, some people altered the names, the genders, and minor elements of the prompt to suit their purposes. The hour went by quickly, with everyone writing quietly and with enthusiasm. Most kids wanted more time than we had to write their stories, which is always a good sign!

Discussion questions for home:

Ask your student about their story! 

What prompt did they choose? 

How did they start their version of the story? 

How far did they get in their tale?

What's going to happen next?