by Sharon Watson | Oct 5, 2014 | High School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
Secret rooms in movies and books promise excitement. How does one find the room? How does one enter? What could be hidden in this mysterious vault?
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is introduced to readers as being the result of an amazing find, a secret cache tucked away in the dusty, forgotten second floor of the custom house where Hawthorne worked for a while.
Here’s how he creates excitement for his narrator’s find and, therefore, the story: (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Oct 5, 2014 | Middle School Prompts, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS
Note: This is part one of the Intro to Writing series. Find links to the other tutorials here.
What do you do when your teacher gives you a subject to write about, but that subject is too broad?
For instance, what if your teacher says, “Write about natural disasters”? Right off the bat, you know you are in trouble. That subject is too large; there are too many possibilities. It would take a few books to cover everything, and your essay is due in two days. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Sep 30, 2014 | Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
How are humans the same? How are we different from each other?
Explore this subject with your students and children as they dig into humanity and learn one method of comparing and contrasting as well.
This prompt comes in the form of a short video. I smiled and laughed through it but found something deeply sad in it as well. How will your students react to the silent messages in it? (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Sep 28, 2014 | Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS
Has your sports team ever lost a game? And did you write about it in a poem?
You didn’t?
Well, Ernest Thayer did in the now-famous poem “Casey at the Bat.” You can read the history of the poem and the poem itself here.
October 2 is National Poetry Day, and recently the theme was “Remembering,” in which amateur and famous poets write to remember a special moment or a meaningful time in their lives. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Sep 28, 2014 | High School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
“We don’t need to eat anyone who would run, swim, or fly away if he could.”
The topic of the food we eat can be very controversial, and actor James Cromwell’s quote puts us right in the middle of it. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Sep 21, 2014 | Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS
Yes, folks, September 25th is Comic Book Day!
“A day for good triumphing over evil, and for saving the damsel in distress, Comic Book Day is all about enjoying a good comic,” according to daysoftheyear.com.
The dialog in comic books has to be spot-on. It has to be clear, concise, exciting, and informative.
Dialog in comic books and in traditional books has three main purposes: (more…)
