Writing in Summer?
SHARON'S BLOG It’s summer. A sweet breeze of relief flows through the family tree and tickles the leaves. You hear a child giggle. But you’ve worked hard on this year’s writing classes, and you want to make sure that your children’s writing skills don’t completely...
Trees: Be Specific When You Describe
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS Let's talk about trees. Something interesting just happened to you. Right now. This moment. When you read "trees," an image of a tree or trees popped into your head. What was it? When you write to describe something, you want to be specific. You...
What Famous Person Would You Like to Interact With?
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS So you're driving your taxi, and someone hails you from the sidewalk. In comes a man you eventually recognize, and you get so excited that you shout a phrase from one of his movies to him. He laughs and joins in the fun. You drop him off, but that...
Gender-Neutral Language in Writing
Gender-neutral language is tricky, especially with singular pronouns like “everyone.” This free lesson from The Power in Your Hands shows students how to be gender neutral in their writing.
Fun with Morse Code
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS. In the mid-1800s, Samuel Morse helped create a code that was used in his new system of communication: telegraphs. You may be familiar with the Morse code for “SOS”: · · · ― ― ― · · · (or “dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot”). The three...
A Sonnet: Be the Shakespeare
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS Today you get to be Shakespeare and write a sonnet. A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines. The last two lines, however, are separate and either sum up the rest of the poem or provide a new twist, as does the sonnet below. Let’s look at Shakespeare’s...
National Poetry Month: Do You Haiku?
April is National Poetry Month. What a wonderful time to try your hand at writing a poem! Haiku (high KOO) is a beautiful poem form that comes from Japan. It is usually about nature and can be spoken in one breath. Syllables are important in a haiku. Words can be...
National Poetry Month: Write a Diamante
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS Let's write a fun poem to celebrate National Poetry Month! A diamante (Dee-a-MON-tay) is an interesting type of poem. It is a diamond-shaped poem of opposites, and the last word in the poem is the opposite of the first word. A Diamante's Pattern...
Time Travel: Make Your Reservation!
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS Do you want to time travel? What was it like when your ancestors first set foot on American soil? What did the Egyptian pyramids look like when they were first built, gleaming with layers of gold? How did Jesus perform the miracle of healing the...
The Melding of Humans and Technology
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS "Within 30 years, we will have the means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended." -Vernor Vinge, in "The Coming Technological Singularity" Raymond Kurzweil, a futurist, inventor, and author of books on...
Writing tools for all ages!
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