by Sharon Watson | Sep 11, 2016 | High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Middle School Prompts, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
Do you “have a plan” or have you “hatched a scheme”? Are your students writing about the “circulation” of the blood or about how the blood “circulates”?
Do they understand how to use specific adjectives? Do they know the power of connotations? Do they turn sluggish nouns into working verbs? Do they define their terms?
Enjoy these nine tutorials that teach all of these things and much more. They will instruct your students in the finer art of using the elegant English language. Now students are not just writing; they are communicating.
Appropriate for 7th-12th graders. Use the lessons now or bookmark them for future use.
It’s time to dive into the splashy end of the pool . . . (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Aug 28, 2016 | High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
The U. S. National Park Service is over 100 years old! This bundle of prompts for 5th – 12th graders contains over a dozen creative writing prompts on parks: city, national, and international.
For more information on the National Park Service, including a cool page on nature’s sounds, follow this link. >>
Ready to explore? Let’s go . . . (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Aug 14, 2016 | High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
What could Serena Williams teach you about smashing serves in the tennis court? Or maybe you’d like to learn from actor Dustin Hoffman about acting and “how to create memorable characters, rehearse a script and develop [a] comic instinct,” according to Parade.
Serena and Dustin are part of an online school called MasterClass in which masters of their craft teach online lessons on how to be successful in the areas of their expertise. For instance, best-selling author James Patterson teaches how to write, and Usher has online classes on how to perform on stage. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Jul 24, 2016 | High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
Can your children and teens clearly express their ideas about God?
Students in my classes always have the hardest time when asked to write about God. They simply cannot share their thoughts, experiences, definitions of religious terms, or what God means to them. These are difficult concepts to grasp and communicate, and they are very personal.
These prompts about God are for 5th – 12th graders and are designed to give them a chance to explore concepts about God and express their ideas on this most important topic.
Ready? Let’s go . . .
*****
1. Describe
Describe God as completely as possible in exactly 50 words.
(more…)
by Sharon Watson | Jul 10, 2016 | High School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
Have you ever swum (swum? That’s a word?) a mile?
How about two or three miles?

Diana Nyad
Diana Nyad, 64, made the more-than-100-mile trip from Cuba to Florida—by swimming the whole way!
Hallucinating from exhaustion and hypothermia, stung by a jellyfish, her throat closing up from the sea’s salt water, she kept on swimming for 53 hours. This was not her first try. It was her fifth, and you can watch an inspiring interview with her on npr.org. [Parents, you may want to check out the 15-minute video.]
But wait, there’s more!
by Sharon Watson | Jun 27, 2016 | High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
SHARON’S BLOG
Picnics. Parades. Fireworks.
Looking for ways to help your middle school and high school students focus on America’s Independence Day? Look no further! Enjoy this variety of prompts {and your Independence Day celebrations}. (more…)