by Sharon Watson | Jun 3, 2014 | High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Middle School Prompts, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
Introductions can be boring. Super boring.
Young writers think they have to fight with a blank piece of paper for that first, amazing sentence before they write anything else, and so they get stuck.
Cue the tissues. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
A mom recently asked me to look at her son’s essay. He was entering a state-wide speech contest on the topic of responsibility and had written a solid essay—except for the introduction. He was going to put his listeners to sleep with it.
We were all sitting at his kitchen table. I turned to this teen and asked him, (more…)
by Sharon Watson | May 26, 2014 | High School Prompts, Opinion, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
It’s that time of year when everyone likes to give advice about the future—your future!
Yes, it’s close to graduation time!
Graduation speeches
Colleges and universities enjoy speeches from such luminaries as actor Denzel Washington, poet Billy Collins, documentary producer Ken Burns, actor Matthew McConaughey, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), and former President Obama during commencement.
Here’s a quote from actress Sandra Bullock at the Warren Easton Charter School’s graduation in New Orleans: (more…)
by Sharon Watson | May 20, 2014 | High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
I recently cleaned out my purse and found seven expired coupons, most of them for clothing and craft stores. Now that you know how disorganized I am . . .
These coupons gave me an idea for a prompt you can do with your children.
Why do I suggest that you write with your children? When they see you writing, they learn that it’s a legitimate activity in which they can have success. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to read the results to each other. You might be surprised at what you learn about your kids. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | May 18, 2014 | High School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
What happens when the CEO of a large corporation supports traditional marriage? And what happens when he gives money to a political campaign to support traditional marriage?
FYI, we’re using the term “traditional marriage” to mean the marriage between one man and one woman.
Mozilla, a software company based in California, recently came under fire when some people discovered that their new CEO Brendan Eich had (more…)
by Sharon Watson | May 4, 2014 | High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, tutorial, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
King David. Slayer of giants. Hero to many. Kingdom builder. Writer of heartfelt psalms. Follower after God.
Adulterer. Schemer. Murderer.
What gives?
How could someone be so good and so bad?
This writing prompt is about creating believable characters, those that are a realistic mix of positive and negative traits. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Apr 27, 2014 | High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
As a writer, it is important to define your terms. In fact, it’s one of your jobs. That way, all readers are on the same page with you and know what you are talking about. Why do you think Paul took up so much space in I Corinthians to define the word “love”?
Examples
“Tolerance” is a word that will need a definition when you talk to someone about it. Even the word “insane” (more…)
