Creative Writing Prompts Write a scene that includes a character speaking a different language, speaking in a thick accent, or otherwise speaking in a way that is unintelligibe to the other characters. (Note: You don't necessarily need to know the language the character is speaking—be creative with it!) Describe a character's reaction to something without explaining what it is. See if your fellow prompt responders can guess what it is. Write a story or a scene about one character playing a prank on another. Writing Prompt: Write a story that involves confusion over homonyms (words that have the same spelling but different meanings) or homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently). For World Storytelling Day, share the best story you've ever heard or told by word of mouth, or have a fictional character recount their favorite story. You're making your way down a cobbled street when a stocky, red-bearded man beckons you into an alley. Consider your handwriting, or a character's handwriting.
25 Beautifully Illustrated Thought-Provoking Questions A question that makes you think is worth asking… At the cusp of a new day, week, month, or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. This process of self reflection helps us maintain a conscious awareness of where we’ve been and where we intend to go. It is pertinent to the organization and preservation of our dreams, goals and desires. If you would like to maximize the benefits of self reflection, our new sister site, Thought Questions, is for you. Remember, these questions have no right or wrong answers. Here’s a sample of 25 recent thought questions posted on the site: Thought Questions is updated daily. Title photo by: Oberazzi For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 6 Questions that Will Save Your Relationships May 21, 2014 In "Life" 20 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Every Sunday
More Free Graphic Organizers for Teaching Writing More Free Graphic Organizers for Teaching Writing Introduction The free graphic organizers that I offer on this page come from the collection of 50 More WRITERizers, the successor of 50 WRITERizers, which has generated loads of interest over the last couple of years—thanks to you and our colleagues. I truly believe that this newer collection breaks completely new ground. I just simply haven’t seen anything ANYWHERE that is anything like what you are about to see here. These graphic organizers feature… 4 structured sets of numbered, sequential pages.tagged information that students reference and transfer to related organizers.a series of manipulatives used to construct 7 individual, common-core-based, writing projects. Whether or not they are truly ground-breaking makes no difference to me. What WILL make a difference is how they will impact your kids. Quick Links for THIS Pagefree graphic organizers You may use the following quick links to go directly to what interests you on this page.
Impossible photos of Erik Johansson | Adobe Inspire Magazine Inspire: Describe your post-production workflow. Johansson: I do everything on a PC running [Microsoft] Windows 7. Besides Photoshop CS6, I use [Adobe] Lightroom 4 for selecting the different photos. Whether it's for personal work or commissioned work, I select and rate the different photos that I think are the best fit in Lightroom and then I open them in Photoshop and start to put it together to see roughly what it looks like. Inspire: What about your hardware configuration? Johansson: I have one 24-inch screen for the Photoshop canvas, and I have a 22-inch screen tilted at 90 degrees for all the Photoshop panels. Inspire: What about in the field? Johansson: I have a computer with me, so I can review the pictures I shoot in Lightroom [tethered shooting].
Literacy And Language Center, San Francisco, CA We use commas, semicolons, and periods more often than any other punctuation marks in the English language. In spite of their being vital to clear communication, we have trouble with them all too often. Let's borrow a few ideas from the story of Cinderella to help us remember how to use them. Periods Periods don't give us much trouble in sentences. Semicolons and Commas are more like Cinderella's two stepsisters: Lots of people don't like them. Semicolons Semicolons join two independent sentences (clauses) that are closely related. 1. Cinderella could not go to the ball last night because she had too much work to do. Cinderella could not go to the ball last night; she had too much work to do. The prince looked for her everywhere, but he could not find her. The prince looked for her everywhere; he could not find her. 2. They tried to make Cinderella miserable; instead, they made themselves unhappy. Commas can - Set off introductory words: When she arrived, everyone gazed at her.
6+1 Trait® Writing Prompts The best prompts are the ones that spark a personal connection between the writer and his or her ideas. Provided here are some generic writing prompts to get you started; you will also find some tips on how to write your own prompts. Such self-written prompts will offer better starting blocks than the generic ones because they spring from the immediacy of your students’ lives. Another source for writing prompts is Blowing Away the State Writing Assessment by Jane Bell Keister. Prompt Tips When you set out to create workable prompts, keep in mind the following suggestions: Let the writer draw on experience Avoid prompts that require specialized knowledge Allow choice Use open-ended prompts with room for divergent responsesAllow for choice of topics within a prompt or provide a choice between two similar prompts Offer a prompt that will spark the writer's imagination Sometimes the only way to learn whether a prompt will fly is to try it out Don't do the thinking for the writer Don't be nosy
Teaching Opinion, Informative & Narrative Writing Types Free Posters and Infographic: Teaching the Three Types of Writing The Common Core State Standards require that students know three main types of writing: opinion/argumentative, informative/explanatory and narrative. What are these types of writing and how can you explain them to students? Our classroom posters help you break it down by comparing the three types to the work of reporters, storytellers and debaters. Downloadable Posters for Students How to Teach the Three Types of Writing
Essay Writing Tips What is an Essay An essay is simply a piece of writing that's put together for a particular purpose. Writing an essay can be intimidating, especially if you are new to the language. However, regardless of which career path you follow, at some point you are going to need to write essays. Introduction Paragraphs Your intro must grab the reader's attention, but it must also spell out what your essay is going to be about. 1. See introductory paragraphs tips Thesis See Details for Thesis Statement Your thesis must be a claim that can be argued (it cannot be -the world is round" or something that is already established) it 's a statement of your opinion. 1. Body Paragraphs Also see Using Transitions Your body paragraphs are where you make your argument. 1. Conclusion: This is where you answer the question "so what?" See Writing an Effective Conclusion Paragraph
Write Source - Grades 6-8 Personal Narrative Giving Life It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat with my friend Katie and the dog. That’s when the phone call came, the call that made that bright, beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one. I had just put on my suit, shorts, and tank top, and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day. “Max, I’m so sorry,” I heard him say. Max has been my dad’s best friend for years. When Suzie and I were little, we spent quite a bit of time together. After we found out about her death, we made our plans to go to New York for the funeral. Her funeral was very different than any funeral I’d ever been to. When Suzie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong.
FREE Writing Program for Kids from R.L. Stine Popular children's author R.L. Stine wants to help transform today's readers into writers with his FREE classroom kit about writing. The Nightmare Room Writing Program is full of activities and techniques to help students overcome their anxiety about writing. The program helps students build their own Idea Room to show that everyone has access to many ideas. The Nightmare Room Writing Program includes a printable poster to motivate students and seven different writing activities. At the end of the program, you’ll see a Nightmare Room Writing Contest for students. Check out The Nightmare Room Writing Program!
Sara Bruuns klassrum Writing Exercises and Prompts