Prompt – Getting to Know You Prompts -You must complete
For upon |Hello! Your first responsibility as a member of our Global Read Aloud Group is to let us know a little bit more about you! You will be paired up with a student from another school, and we want them to get the chance to know a little bit more about what you’re like. You should choose ONE of the following prompts to answer. Try to choose the one that you think you would have the most to say about. Then, create your own post answering the prompt. Put the prompt at the top of the post, then write your one paragraph response below it. Make sure when you post it, you choose to have it be “Public” and link it to our class group. Happy blogging!
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They said, ” We’re going to the Lincoln Memorial center(No such place in real life) want to go?”
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It’s that time of the year when eggs are everywhere — in stores, stories, nests, Easter baskets.
Choose ONE of the following prompts, and write one paragraph on your OWN POST:
1. What are three things you want your partner to know about you? Explain why those things are important to you.
2. What is your favorite and least favorite subjects in school (lunch is not a subject! 🙂 ). Explain why you like the one subject and at least one thing you do in that class that you love. Then, explain why your least favorite subject is your least favorite, and explain and least one thing in that class that you don’t like to do.
3. If you could be any type of animal, what type of animal would you be? Make sure you explain what you have in common with that animal – remember, you’re telling your partner more about yourself, so make sure they’re learning something about you!
4. Write about your favorite season – why is it your favorite? What are some activities that you like to do during that season? What are some activities that you’d like to try, but haven’t yet during that season?
5. What is your biggest dream in life? What goal do you really want to accomplish? Why is it important to you that you meet that goal? What might stand in your way from completing that goal?
Related Posts
Three things you should know about me is I love makeup, my Favorite sport is soccer, and I want to either join the navy or become a physical therapist/sports medicine. Why these thing are important to me is I’m very out going and I love to be a tomboy and play soccer. But then I like to come home to do my makeup, and just look nice. I’ve always thought about joining the navy since I was in elementary. But now that I think about it, it’s hard to decide, I want to now be a physical therapist. The reason why is I love to play sports and I love watching. I just think it would be nice to help someone overcome a injury. so those are something about me!
The article was originally published here.
Getting To Know Students Starts With Asking The Right Questions
It’s back to school time!
Whether you’ve been teaching for two minutes or twenty years, this is a critical time of year. You meet your students. They stare you down. Not averages stares–the types of stares kids go home and practice after watching too many cartoons where the eyes really can hypnotize adults or defeat them with laser beams shooting from the retinas. Sometimes, I think I see a rotten tomato fly through the air.
When kids enter my classroom, they’re thinking, “Is this woman going to bore me to death? Can I put up with her?” I hope the answer is a resounding “Yes, you will have fun.” Here’s the thing, though. If you’re a teacher in a normal, run of the mill American public school, you’ve probably been handed a curriculum or a set of things to teach in a set way packaged just so.
You are asking the wrong questions.
If you’re asking questions about curriculum, you’re asking questions that relate to long-term course goals or end of year goals. No student cares.
If you’re asking about your ratings, you’re asking questions out of fear. Fear makes it nearly impossible to accomplish great things.
If you’re asking questions about testing and scores, your questions have to do with things imposed upon you by districts and states. This is nothing you can control, so don’t let it crush you and ruin the way you teach.
This year, try something different. Take a step back and ask the right question, “What is my job?” Every year, I start my class with a questionnaire that is essentially a marketing survey.
“Marketing survey?” you ask. Marketing survey. In order to get to know my students, I have to ask the right questions.
My students are my customers. I want to know what they think, what they like, how they learn. I want to know what they think about the education process.
What resources do they feel they need to be successful in their future?
These are questions that matter. What school says students need and what students value too often diverge, like one team showing up for a game at Yankee Stadium while the other’s waiting at Fenway Park. Regardless of who’s right, if the visions don’t intersect, students won’t be invested in their education. Teachers will continue to provide lessons (or worse–impose mandates) that won’t get students where they need to be in their futures–happy and successful.
That’s largely where many schools are today. Asking students what they feel they need gets them engaged in the process of envisioning their futures. I don’t tell them, but 99% of them are wrong–not wrong about how they feel, but wrong about the path their future will take.
I was them a couple of decades ago. It’s my mission to help them avoid the beatings I took along the path. How?
Merge their ideas about success with ideas and endless possibilities.
“Have you ever considered…” is the key to get students thinking about their power. It opens up worlds they never imagined. I watch their ideas morph and change. A kid with tech skills and a passion for science doesn’t have to be a doctor. She can be an engineer in a biotech startup. A student who’s a great communicator can be a public speaker or corporate trainer. These are paths they don’t even know exist.
Often schools ask one question. What do you want to do for a career? This question, standing alone, is not the right question. Instead, try:
11 Simple, Back-to-School, Getting To Know Students Questions
You’ll find out the interests, values, and experiences of each student. You’ll find out how to turn a “I hate school” kid into the “that class was awesome!” testimonial. My job isn’t to please every customer all the time–it’s to find out what they need then educate them as to why they need it. If I’ve done my job, they’ll return and tell me I was right.
“Miss,” one said, “I know I hated public speaking, but I gave a talk to a foundation and made forty thousand dollars for my charity!” That’s a big win.
My job isn’t really teaching. It’s marketing. Communications. Politics. Relationship building. I sell the reason I’m teaching a skill. I communicate it effectively. I “edutain.” I get around the roadblocks in the system to do what’s right for my students. To do all that, I have to ask the right questions.
It’s easy to get sidetracked by the wrong questions–asking things that address the day-to-day problems, the small picture.
“Did you finish that assignment?” “What’s the value of X?”
If I always come back to the big question “What is my job?” then I ask students “what do you feel” questions. I refocus my teaching on the things that matter to each individual student, and sell them on learning things that truly matter. In this way, I hope I can convince students to become invested in their own future, so they can begin asking the right questions themselves.
Elisa Waingort
I, too, liked the questions you pose. I’m not too keen on the clients and marketing metaphor but I can set that aside and see the value in what you are proposing. I do believe that part of my job is to teach but I don’t mean it in the traditional sense of the sage on the stage, at all. We need to be careful of the language we use because it dictates what we think and how we act.
I like the 11 questions. Simple but very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
As someone who will shortly be beginning their first year of teaching I greatly appreciate your viewpoint and sample questions. c:
Yes its important to know what students think and concentrate on. Appreciate for sharing the types of questions to be asked. It’s more important to make this technique of asking questions to them into a fun activity, thus we allow you to customize and publish the questions according to the way students want.
How dreary to cast the student/teacher relationship as a business transaction wherein the student is your “customer.” I am a teacher so that I do not have to limit my job and imagination to the confines of that paradigm.
The article was originally published here.
20 Questions to Help You Get to Know Your Students
We all know how important strong relationships are to successful teaching. But in order to build strong relationships, we need to understand how our students think and why they make the choices that they do.
Often we think we know what student’s going on in our students’ heads, but we could be way off. And when we’re off, students can tell. They bemoan that we don’t get them (because, let’s be honest, we don’t!), and any advice we give tends to fall flat.
We get frustrated. Our students get frustrated. And it all becomes a big mess.
So how do we remedy this? By actively seeking to understand our students. By getting to know not just their school persona but who they really are. This includes their background and home life, but possibly more importantly, their innermost thoughts and feelings that include their hopes, dreams, fears, and anxieties.
Because when we start to understand what drives them, we begin to appreciate them as a unique individual, and our relationships blossom.
And when challenges arise, we can talk about the real issues and address their true thoughts, motivations, and fears, rather than the ones we thought they had.
hOW TO GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS
So we’re back to the question of how. How do we get to know our students’ innermost thoughts and feelings? Things they might not even quite be able to put into words themselves.
As we discuss in Beyond Classroom Management, the key is to be intentional. Look for opportunities to observe, notice, and ask good questions. And always be seeking to understand how your students think, what motivates them, what frustrates them, what they’re worried about, etc.
But while observing and casual conversations are important, they’re also easy to forget about in the busyness of the day. That’s why a more intentional approach can be immensely helpful.
And that intentional approach could be writing.
`Now, no, I don’t care if you teach math. Student writing can enrich both your classroom and curriculum, no matter what you teach.
I share some of my favorite ways to incorporate writing here, but one of the easiest forms is exit slips. Rather than wasting the last couple minutes of class, have your students answer a quick question and turn it in on their way out.
These exit slips can often include academic questions like “tell me one thing you learned today” or “what’s one thing you’re still wondering about today’s topic?” But you can also intersperse questions that help you better understand how your students think. Questions like these….
WRITING PROMPTS TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND YOUR STUDENTS
1. What’s one thing you wish you could change about this class? Why?
2. Describe one thing that makes you feel a sense of accomplishment. Explain why.
3. What was your first impression of this class?
4. What’s your least favorite part of school? Why?
5. Share a favorite memory you made with a family member.
6. What’s one thing you wish I knew about you?
7. What’s your biggest dream in life?
8. What’s one thing you wish you could change about our school? Why?
9. What’s one thing that you worry about?
10. What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Why did you like it?
11. What’s your family’s religious background? Does it match your personal beliefs?
12. If you could pick one person (dead or alive) to have lunch with, who would it be? Why?
13. Describe your relationship with your parents/guardians.
14. Describe a lesson you learned when you faced something difficult.
15. What’s one thing that makes you feel happy?
16. Describe something that annoys you.
17. Who is someone you consider a hero in your life? Why?
18. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Why?
19. Who is someone you consider a friend? What do you like most about him/her?
20. Describe one of your favorite [insert holiday] traditions.
BONUS: The Student Opinion section of The New York Times’ website offers thought-provoking prompts based on current articles. Some of them are pretty great! Check back regularly for current topics here: www.nytimes.com/column/learning-student-opinion
And if you’d like to discover more strategies for how to connect with your students and build stronger relationships consider joining us in Beyond Classroom Management. In this course, you’ll learn strategies to help you create a classroom culture where, rather than constantly butting heads, you and your students actually work together to accomplish amazing things. Click here for more details about our Beyond Classroom Management course.
The article was originally published here.
100 Getting to Know You Questions
Working with a group of new people and need some conversation starters? Break the ice and get to know people better by selecting several of these get-to-know-you questions.
26. Have you ever had a nickname? What is it?
27. Do you like or dislike surprises? Why or why not?
28. In the evening, would you rather play a game, visit a relative, watch a movie, or read?
29. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii or Alaska, and why?
30. Would you rather win the lottery or work at the perfect job? And why?
31. Who would you want to be stranded with on a deserted island?
32. If money was no object, what would you do all day?
33. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
34. How would your friends describe you?
35. What are your hobbies?
36. What is the best gift you have been given?
37. What is the worst gift you have received?
38. Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
39. List two pet peeves.
40. Where do you see yourself in five years?
41. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
42. If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?
43. What would you do if you won the lottery?
44. What form of public transportation do you prefer? (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.)
45. What’s your favorite zoo animal?
46. If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be?
47. If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?
48. How many pillows do you sleep with?
49. What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep (and why)?
50. What’s the tallest building you’ve been to the top in?
51. Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?
52. How often do you buy clothes?
53. Have you ever had a secret admirer?
54. What’s your favorite holiday?
55. What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
56. What was the last thing you recorded on TV?
57. What was the last book you read?
58. What’s your favorite type of foreign food?
59. Are you a clean or messy person?
60. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
61. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
62. What kitchen appliance do you use every day?
63. What’s your favorite fast food chain?
64. What’s your favorite family recipe?
65. Do you love or hate rollercoasters?
66. What’s your favorite family tradition?
67. What is your favorite childhood memory?
68. What’s your favorite movie?
69. How old were you when you learned Santa wasn’t real? How did you find out?
70. Is your glass half full or half empty?
71. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love?
72. What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?
73. What was your favorite subject in school?
74. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?
75. Do you collect anything?
76. Is there anything you wished would come back into fashion?
77. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
78. Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest?
79. Have you ever had a surprise party? (that was an actual surprise)
80. Are you related or distantly related to anyone famous?
81. What do you do to keep fit?
82. Does your family have a “motto” – spoken or unspoken?
83. If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?
84. Who was your favorite teacher in school and why?
85. What three things do you think of the most each day?
86. If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
87. What song would you say best sums you up?
88. What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee?
89. Who was your first crush?
90. What’s the most interesting thing you can see out of your office or kitchen window?
91. On a scale of 1-10 how funny would you say you are?
92. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
93. What was your first job?
94. If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join?
95. How many languages do you speak?
96. What is your favorite family holiday tradition?
97. Who is the most intelligent person you know?
98. If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which one would it be?
99. What is one thing you will never do again?
100. Who knows you the best?
If you really want to get to know someone, questions (not all at once, of course!) are like keys that can open many doors. Get to know someone better today!
The article was originally published here.
40 Weird Questions to Ask Your Students to Help You Get to Know them Better
Trust me, after asking your students some of these questions and listening to them discuss them together – you will know way more about them than you would if you asked them about their favorite subject!Looking for a print-and-go activity that will show you exactly what your students are made of? Check out one of my team-building activities:
Have a great Back-to-School season, everyone!
The article was originally published here.
Icebreakers Volume 5: All-About-You Activities for the First Days of School
One of Education World’s most popular features returns this year with 19 new getting-to-know-you icebreakers for the first days of school!
It’s time to make a fresh start. You’ve done some summer reading on classroom management, and you’re eager to try out some new ideas. You’ve learned from past mistakes, and you look forward this year to avoiding those mistakes. Most fun of all, the opening days of school are an opportunity to get to know a whole new group of kids!
What will you do during those first few days of school? What activities might you do to help you get to know your new students? What activities will help students get to know you and one another?
For the last three years, Education World has presented a new group of getting-to-know-you ideas — or icebreakers — for those first days of school. Here are 19 ideas — ideas tried and tested by Education World readers — to help develop classroom camaraderie during the opening days of school.
Opening-Day Letter
Write a letter to your students. In that letter, introduce yourself to students. Tell them about your hopes for the new school year and some of the fun things you’ll be doing in class. In addition, tell students a few personal things about yourself; for example, your likes and dislikes, what you did over the summer, and your hobbies. Ask questions throughout the letter. You might ask what students like most about school, what they did during the summer, what their goals for the new school year are, or what they are really good at. In your letter, be sure to model the correct parts of a friendly letter! On the first day of school, display your letter on an overhead projector. Then pass each student a sheet of nice stationery. Have the students write return letters to you. In this letter, they will need to answer some of your questions and tell you about themselves. This is a great way to get to know each other in a personal way! Variation: Mail the letter to students before school starts, and enclose a sheet of stationery for kids to write you back.
Meg Basker, Harrison Elementary School, South Bend, Indiana
Stringing Conversation Together
Cut string or yarn into pieces of different lengths. Each piece should have a matching piece of the same length. There should be enough pieces so that each student will have one. Then give each student one piece of string, and challenge each student to find the other student who has a string of the same length. After students find their matches, they can take turns introducing themselves to one another. You can provide a list of questions to help students “break the ice,” or students can come up with their own. You might extend the activity by having each student introduce his or her partner to the class.
Stacy Moore, Garrison Mill Elementary School, Marietta, Georgia
Animal Groups
On the first day of school, gather all the students from a grade level in a large common area. Give each student a slip of paper with the name of an animal on it. Then give students instructions for the activity: They must locate the other members of their animal group by imitating that animal’s sound only. No talking is allowed. The students might hesitate initially, but that hesitation soon gives way to a cacophony of sound as the kids moo, snort, and giggle their way into groups. The end result is that students have found their way into their homerooms or advisory groups for the school year, and the initial barriers to good teamwork have already been broken.
Donna Morgan, Avery Middle School, Newland, North Carolina
A Tangled Web
Gather students in a circle sitting around you on the floor. Hold a large ball of yarn. Start by telling the students something about yourself. Then roll the ball of yarn to a student without letting go of the end of the yarn. The student who gets the ball of yarn tells his or her name and something good about himself or herself. Then the student rolls the yarn to somebody else, holding on to the strand of yarn. Soon students have created a giant web. After everyone has spoken, you and all the students stand up, continuing to hold the yarn. Start a discussion of how this activity relates to the idea of teamwork — for example, the students need to work together and not let others down. To drive home your point about teamwork, have one student drop his or her strand of yarn; that will demonstrate to students how the web weakens if the class isn’t working together.
Amy Henning, W. C. Petty School, Antioch, Illinois
Student Dictionary
Write five questions on the board. Questions might include the following:
Tell students to write those questions on a piece of paper and to add to that paper five more questions they could ask someone they don’t know. Pair students, and have each student interview his or her partner and record the responses. Then have each student use the interview responses to write a “dictionary definition” of his or her partner to include in a Student Dictionary. You might model this activity by creating a sample dictionary definition about yourself. For example:
Have students bring in small pictures of themselves to paste next to their entries in the Student Dictionary. Bind the definitions into a book, and display it at back-to-school night.
Kim Reynolds, Warwick Elementary School, Fremont, California
Classmate Scavenger Hunt
Provide each student with two index cards. Ask each student to write a brief description of his or her physical characteristics on one index card and his or her name on the other. Physical characteristics usually do not include clothing, but if you teach the primary grades, you might allow students to include clothing in their descriptions. Put all the physical characteristic index cards in a shoe box, mix them up, and distribute one card to each student, making sure that no student gets his or her own card. Give students ten minutes to search for the person who fits the description on the card they hold. There is no talking during this activity, but students can walk around the room. At the end of the activity, tell students to write on the card the name of the student who best matches the description. Then have students share their results. How many students guessed correctly?
Patricia McHugh, John W. Raper Elementary School, Cleveland, Ohio
Cooperative Musical Chairs
This activity is a takeoff on the familiar musical chairs game. Set up a circle of chairs with one less chair than the number of students in the class. Play music as the students circle around the chairs. When the music stops, the students must sit in a seat. Unlike the traditional game, the person without a seat is not out. Instead, someone must make room for that person. Then remove another seat and start the music again. The kids end up on one another’s laps and sharing chairs! You can play this game outside, and you can end it whenever you wish. Afterward, stress the teamwork and cooperation the game took, and how students needed to accept one another to be successful. Reinforce that idea by repeating this game throughout the year.
Danielle Weston, Willard School, Sanford, Maine
Hands-On Activity
Have students begin this activity by listing at least 25 words that describe them and the things they like. No sentences allowed, just words! Then ask each student to use a dark pen to trace the pattern of his or her hand with the fingers spread apart. Provide another sheet of paper that the student can place on top of the tracing. Because the tracing was done with a dark pen, the outline should be visible on the sheet below. Direct students to use the outlines as guides and to write their words around it. Provide students a variety of different colored pencils or markers to use as they write. Then invite students to share their work with the class. They might cut out the hand outlines and mount them on construction paper so you can display the hands for open house. Challenge each parent to identify his or her child’s hand.
Veronica Coker, Lanesville Elementary School, Lanesville, Indiana
Chain Gang
Begin by asking students “Who can do something really well?” After a brief discussion about some of the students’ talents, pass out paper and ask students to write down five things they do well. Then provide each student with five different-colored paper strips. Have each student write a different talent on separate paper strips, then create a mini paper chain with the strips by linking the five talents together. As students complete their mini chains, use extra strips of paper to link the mini chains together to create one long class chain. Have students stand and hold the growing chain as you link the pieces together. Once the entire chain is constructed and linked, lead a discussion about what the chain demonstrates — for example, all the students have talents; all the students have things they do well; together, the students have many talents; if they work together, classmates can accomplish anything; the class is stronger when students work together than when individual students work on their own. Hang the chain in the room as a constant reminder to students of the talents they possess and the benefits of teamwork.
Kimberlee Woodward, substitute teacher, Waterford, Michigan
Silhouette Collage
Stock up on old magazines. Your school librarian might have a discard pile you can draw from. Invite students to search through the magazines for pictures, words, or anything else that might be used to describe them. Then use an overhead projector or another source of bright light to create a silhouette of each student’s profile; have each student sit in front of the light source as you or another student traces the outline of the silhouette on a sheet of 11- by 17-inch paper taped to the wall. Have students cut out their silhouettes, then fill them with a collage of pictures and words that express their identity. Then give each student an opportunity to share his or her silhouette with the group and talk about why he or she chose some of the elements in the collage. Post the silhouettes to create a sense of “our homeroom.”
Kathy Juarez, Piner High School, Santa Rosa, California
Headlines
As part of the normal first-day routine, many teachers have each student fill out a card with such information as name, address, phone number, parents’ names and work numbers, and so on. You can use such cards to gather other information too, such as school schedule, why the student signed up for the class, whether the student has a part-time job, and whether he or she has access to the Internet at home. As a final bit of information, ask the student to write a headline that best describes him or her! This headline might be a quote, a familiar expression, or anything else. When students finish filling out the cards, give a little quiz. Ask students to number a sheet of paper from 1 to __, depending on how many students are in the class. Then read aloud the headlines one at a time. Ask students to write the name of the person they think each headline best describes. Who got the highest score?
Bonus! It seems as if parents are contacted only if there is a problem with students. At the end of each grading period, use the home address information to send a postcard to a handful of parents to inform them about how well their child is doing. This might take a little time, but it is greatly appreciated!
Dawn Walters, White House High School, White House, Tennessee
More Quick Getting-To-Know-You Activities
Following are a few more activity ideas that were sent our way:
Pop Quiz
Ahead of time, write a series of getting-to-know-you questions on slips of paper — one question to a slip. You can repeat some of the questions. Then fold up the slips, and tuck each slip inside a different balloon. Blow up the balloons. Give each student a balloon, and let students take turns popping their balloons and answering the questions inside.
Contributor Unknown
Fact or Fib?
This is a good activity for determining your students’ note-taking abilities. Tell students that you are going to share some information about yourself. They’ll learn about some of your background, hobbies, and interests from the 60-second oral “biography” that you will present. Suggest that students take notes; as you speak, they should record what they think are the most important facts you share. When you finish your presentation, tell students that you are going to tell five things about yourself. Four of your statements should tell things that are true and that were part of your presentation; one of the five statements is a total fib. This activity is most fun if some of the true facts are some of the most surprising things about you and if the “fib” sounds like something that could very well be true. Tell students they may refer to their notes to tell which statement is the fib. Next, invite each student to create a biography and a list of five statements — four facts and one fib — about himself or herself. Then provide each student a chance to present the 60-second oral biography and to test the others’ note-taking abilities by presenting his or her own “fact or fib quiz.” You can have students do this part of the activity in small groups.
Mitzi Geffen
Circular Fact or Fib?
Here’s a variation on the previous activity: Organize students into two groups of equal size. One group forms a circle equally spaced around the perimeter of the classroom. There will be quite a bit of space between students. The other group of students forms a circle inside the first circle; each student faces one of the students in the first group. Give the facing pairs of students two minutes to share their 60-second oral “biographies.” While each student is talking, the partner takes notes. After each pair completes the activity, the students on the inside circle move clockwise to face the next student in the outer circle. Students in the outer circle remain stationary throughout the activity. When all students have had an opportunity to share their biographies with one another, ask students to take turns each sharing facts and fibs with the class. The other students refer to their notes or try to recall which fact is really a fib.
Contributor Unknown
People Poems
Have each child use the letters in his or her name to create an acrostic poem. For example, Bill could write
Tell students they must include words that tell something about themselves — for example, something they like to do or a personality or physical trait. Invite students to share their poems with the class. This activity is a fun one that enables you to learn how your students view themselves. Allow older students to use a dictionary or thesaurus. You might also vary the number of words for each letter, according to the students’ grade levels.
Bill Laubenberg
Another Poetic Introduction.
Ask students to use the form below to create poems that describe them.
This activity lends itself to being done at the beginning of the school year and again at the end of the year. You and your students will have fun comparing their responses and seeing how the students and the responses have changed.
Contributor Unknown
Food for Thought
To get to know students and to help them get to know one another, have each student state his or her name and a favorite food that begins with the same first letter as the name. For example: “Hi, my name is Latrece, and I like liver.” As each student introduces himself or herself, he or she must repeat the names and favorite foods of the students who came before. Watch out — it gets tricky for the last person who has to recite all the names and foods!
Latrece Hughes
I Am NOT!
Here’s a challenging activity that might help high school teachers learn about students’ abilities to think critically. Send students into the school hallways or schoolyard, and ask each to find something that “is completely the opposite of yourself.” Option: To widen the area to be explored, provide this activity as homework on the first night of school. When students bring their items back to class, ask each to describe why the item is not like him or her. You’ll get a lot of flowers, of course, and students will describe how those flowers are fragrant or soft or otherwise unlike themselves. But you might also get some clever responses, such as the one from a young man who brought in the flip-top from a discarded can; he talked about its decaying outward appearance and its inability to serve a purpose without being manipulated by some other force (and how he was able to serve a purpose on his own).
Joy Ross
Personal Boxes
In this activity, each student selects a container of a reasonable size that represents some aspect of his or her personality or personal interests, such as a football helmet or a saucepan. Ask students to fill that object with other items that represent themselves — for example, family photos, CDs, dirty socks, a ballet shoe — and bring their containers back to school. Students can use the objects in the containers as props for three-minute presentations about themselves. The teacher who provided this idea suggests that you model the activity and encourage creativity by going first — it’s important for students to see you as human too! She included in her container a wooden spoon because she loves to cook, a jar of dirt because she loves to garden, her son’s first cowboy boot, a poem she wrote, a rock from Italy because she loves to travel, and so on. You’ll learn much about each student with this activity, and it will create a bond among students. As each student gives a presentation, you might write a brief thank-you note that mentions something specific about the presentation so that each student can take home a special note to share with parents. It might take a few days to give every student the opportunity to share.
The article was originally published here.
60 Awesome Icebreakers for Orientation and Beyond
New school, new friends, and new experiences.
The idea of having to deal with these three things can be overwhelming for an incoming first-year college student. As a transfer student, I was nervous about meeting new people and acclimating to a new school. Just like your first day of school as a kid, your college orientation can be awkward and uncomfortable, leaving you praying that you won’t be asked to introduce yourself in front of everyone — but obviously, that’s a given.
Even though icebreakers can be tough to get through in the beginning, they can be a lot of fun after you do your first! Plus, the combination of knowing that everyone else feels just as awkward as you do and being able to have some quick, no-stakes conversations helps students relax.
Icebreakers are a critical component of any student affairs professional’s toolbox, so we put together a jumbo list of 60 icebreakers to help you refresh your icebreakers for orientation, RA training events, or whatever!
Ready? Say “hi” to helping students make new friends 60 different ways!
1. Train Wreck
Arrange a group of chairs into a circle and once everyone sits down, they should take off their shoes (or some other placeholder to indicate their “spot”). The orientation leader will be the first to remove a random student’s placeholder. That student will stand or sit in the middle of the circle, introduce themselves, and share one thing about themselves.
If their statement applies to anyone else in the room, those students must get up, run into the middle of the circle, and find another person’s place to sit in (the first student can now also run to find a seat) — you are not allowed to move directly to the left or right of where you started. The one left without a seat will have their turn to go.
At any point, the orientation leader can yell “train wreck!” and everyone must get up and move to a new seat.
2. Human Knot
Have your group form a close circle. Each player must put their right hand in the middle of the circle and the hand of a player who is not to their immediate left or right. Repeat this using the left hand, except holding the hand of a different player than before. The group must now untangle themselves into a circle without letting go of one another. (For larger groups, you can split them up into smaller groups.)
3. Sing-Off
Divide the group into 2-5 teams. The orientation leader will set the theme with a word (“love”, “summer”, “friends”, etc), and the teams will then alternate back and forth singing a song that has the assigned word in the song’s title. Everyone must sing (or try to sing) for the song to count.
No repeat songs or skips! If a team does either of these things, they are eliminated. Keep going around until only one team is left.
4. Alliterative Name Game
Instruct your group to gather in a circle and pick a theme. Each student will introduce themselves by stating their name and a word within the theme that starts with the same letter of their name (i.e. “My name is Luke and I like lemons”). The person next in line repeats the last student’s statement and adds their own. (i.e. My name is Lindsey and I like lettuce and his name is Luke and he likes lemons.”). This continues all throughout the circle until the last person recites everyone’s name and word.
5. Beach Ball
Use a Sharpie and write on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you questions. Ask the students to get into a circle and toss the ball to someone. When that person catches the ball, ask them to read the question closest to their left thumb aloud and answer it — once they are done, they pass it to another student.
6. Pterodactyl
Ask everyone to gather in a circle. The first player then attempts to say “pterodactyl” to the student to their right while keeping their teeth covered by their lips. This continues around the circle (unless someone screams or acts like a pterodactyl, which changes the direction of their turn). If anyone shows their teeth, they are out.
7. Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
Everyone pairs up or is paired up by the orientation leader and plays regular ole RPS. The person who doesn’t win their round is now a cheerleader for the winner. The winners then take on a new opponent. At some point, the tournament will come down to only two people, with everyone else cheering!
8. Telephone Charades
Divide the group into two lines facing in the same direction, so that one line is standing behind the other. Give the two students at the end of the line something to act out (i.e. final exams, the school mascot, writing a paper, etc.). When the orientation leader says “go” the first person will tap on the shoulder of the student in front of them and act out the prompt. This is repeated down the line. The last person must try to guess what the original prompt was.
9. Chainlink
One student will start out by introducing themselves to the group (i.e. “Hi my name is Alex and I like dogs). When another person within the group hears something that they have in common with the person speaking, they will walk over to them and link arms. They will then say their names and what they have in common (“This is Alex, and my name is Franklin, and we both like dogs.”)
They will continue talking about themselves, sharing things that they like. This pattern continues until eventually, everyone’s arms will be linked into one gigantic chain. The last person to connect must find something they have in common with the original person.
10. Supermarket
The orientation leader will divide the group into two teams, organized into two parallel lines. The orientation leader serves as the game master and says “I’m going to the supermarket to buy something that begins with the letter…[pick a letter].”
The first person to say an item that begins with that letter wins that round! The winner goes to the end of their line and the other person sits out for the rest of the game. The game continues with a new letter for each match-up until all the players on one team are eliminated.
11. Moving Scenery
For this icebreaker, you’ll need to prepare some scene prompts in advance. Then, divide your group into evenly-sized teams. Share the first scene prompt (i.e. going to the grocery store) and assign the first group to begin.
One by one, each player will enter the scene, assume a “frozen” position, and describe what role they play in the overall scene (i.e. “I’m the grocery cart with the creaking wheel”).
Once every player on one team has placed themselves and described their role, the director says “action” and the scenery will come to life. Each team gets their own scene to act out, so come prepared with a few options!
12. Zip, Zap, Zop
Have everyone get into a circle and one person will start. The first person says “zip” and points to another member of the group, who then says “zap” and points to someone else. That person then says “zop” while pointing to a third person. This continues in a repeating sequence (zip, zap, zop).
Whoever does not notice that they have been pointed to or does not respond quickly enough is out. This continues until only a few students are left.
13. This or That
The group leader will read out several “this or that” statements, one at a time. Each student will go to one side of the room based on their preference. (We don’t recommend trying this with Laurel/Yanny, just as a word of warning)
14. Birthday Boggle
The group is instructed to line up according to their birthdays — but in complete silence. You can also adapt this game to be “Name Boggle” instead of birthdays. It’s your choice!
15. Two Truths and a Lie
Gather your group and dedicate some time for students to think of their two truths and a lie.
Once everyone has their three statements ready, one student will be picked to go first. The first student to identify the speaker’s lie will go next. This continues until everyone has had a turn.
16. I Chose This College Because…
Have everyone form a circle. The first person will say their name and the reason why chose to attend this college. Continue going around the group. You can also repeat this by having each student state their intended major and why they chose it. This icebreaker is ideal for groups smaller than 20.
17. Sentence Completion
The orientation leader will prepare a list of sentences. The leader will give a different sentence randomly to each student. Some suggested sentences for this exercise include: “Before I came to college, my main interests were…”, “The way I would describe my family is…”, and “The things I value most are…”.
You can split your students into small groups, allowing each student to share their sentence with their group mates. Once everyone is finished, switch up the groups.
18. Comic Chaos
This icebreaker is played like a competition between multiple orientation groups. Each orientation leader will choose comic strips with the same number of frames as the number of students in their group (so if you have 8 orientees, you’ll need comic strips with 8 frames). Have the students take turns picking out a comic frame. Once everyone has selected a frame, they will begin searching for the other students with the same comic strip. Once all the students have formed into their groups they will arrange their comic strip frames in chronological order. The first group to finish wins.
19. Marshmallow challenge
Separate your students into groups of 4-5. Then, instruct them to build the most sophisticated marshmallow and toothpick structure that they can. Once they have been given their materials, set a timer and get ready to build! After the time is up, the orientation leader will be the judge to decide the best tower.
20. Giant Map
Ask the students to form a giant map of the world, with each side of the room representing North, South, East, or West. Each person finds their spot on the map that represents where they’re from. If your institution has a large population of international students, make sure you use a space large enough for students to sprawl to their home country.
21. 72 Seconds of Fun
This one is simple: You have 72 seconds to meet as many of your peers as possible. Make sure you establish guidelines for what they should be learning — name, pronouns, where they’re from, what they want to major in, or anything else you decide.
On your marks, get set, go!
22. Poker Hand
This icebreaker works best with larger groups of students (52 or so, to be more precise), so it’s ideal for a multi-group mixer or for some of your very first getting-t0-know-you events. Shuffle a deck of cards and hand out one card per student. Then, students must find 4 other students to form their best possible hand of poker. Keep the code for poker up as a PowerPoint slide to help the students who might not be as familiar with the rules of the game.
23. Pat on the Back
Ask the group to draw an outline of their own hand on a piece of paper. Once they are done, have them tape it to their back. Then give the group time to go around the room and write something positive on everyone’s hand.
24. First-Years’ Got Talent
Form the group into a circle then have them all introduce themselves. Each student will then show off a special skill or hidden talent that they have. This one also works great as a late-night event during orientation week. You could make a whole talent show out of it!
25. Fill in Their Blank
Ask each student to write a fill-in-the-blank sticky note or index cards. Collect all of the responses and place them in a bowl. Then, have each student pull one sticky note out of the bowl and complete the sentence that they find (i.e. “If I had a soundtrack to my life, it would be ____.”).
26. Social Bingo
This one takes a bit of planning in advance, as a heads-up! Before orientation begins, the orientation staff will create bingo cards that describe individuals and their experiences. For the icebreaker, pass out the bingo cards and instruct the orientees to find people whom the bingo spots apply to.
Same rules of bingo apply here — the first person to get bingo wins! Here’s an example from Oregon Goes to College.
27. Pop a Question
The orientation leader will prepare questions on small pieces of paper and put one question inside a balloon. Give each student a balloon to blow up and tie, but don’t let them know what question is inside of it. Once everyone is done blowing their balloons up, do a quick round of balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions.
Then, go around the room and one at a time, have them pop their balloon and answer the question inside aloud to the group.
Bonus tip: This one can get pretty loud. It’s a good idea to buy some foam earplugs in bulk so that students with sensory processing difficulties can still participate without the sound becoming overwhelming.
28. Questions Only
The orientation leader will break the group off into two sub-groups and then pick a topic of conversation. Set the two sub-groups up in a line facing each other. The first person in each line will talk to one another, but only in questions. If one stumbles or does not ask a question, they are out. This continues until one of the lines is exhausted.
29. Blindfolded Polygon
Ask the students to form a circle and then put on blindfolds. Then, give them a long piece of rope or yarn, instructing each person to hold onto their piece. As a group, they must form a perfect square. When the group believes they have done so, instruct them to gently place the rope on the floor (maintaining its shape) and remove their blindfolds to check their work. You can do this again with any geometric shape you wish.
30. Where Were You When…?
The orientation leader picks any year or a date before orientation and gives each student a chance to tell the group what they were doing at that time (the summer of 2007, when One Direction split-up, when Lemonade was released — whatever you want).
31. Hometown
The orientation leader will post a large outline of the state or country on the wall. Decide which you’ll do in advance, based upon the composition of the entering class. Then, have the students put their hometowns and names on the map. Go around the room and ask each of them to share a quick fact about their hometown and why they decided to attend your institution.
32. Body Language
The orientation leader will split the group into two teams. Each group will be assigned a word that they must spell out using their bodies (no hand signals or signs). The other group must figure out what they are spelling.
33. Webs
The orientation leader has a large ball of yarn and asks the group to sit in a circle. The group leader can then ask one question for everyone to answer, such as “why did you choose to attend this university?” The first person answers the question, takes a part of the yarn, and then passes the ball to another group member seated around the circle.
This continues until each person has participated. The group leader then asks a few students to drop their part of the string; as this happens, the yarn will begin to tangle. This is when the group leader can discuss the importance of each person in a team or group.
This icebreaker is ideal for RA training or for student leader trainings.
34. Find Your TwinPass out a piece of paper to each student. Have the students fold the paper in half length-wise (hot-dog style) and on the left side, write a list of 20 personal traits. Label the column on the left “my traits,” and label the column on the right “my twin’s autograph.”
Once everyone has finished writing down their own traits, have them go search for their “trait twin” for each thing they wrote down. Make sure everyone writes their names down!
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Education Tech
336. Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?
337. Does Technology in the Classroom Ever Get in the Way of Learning?
338. Do Your Teachers Use Technology Well?
339. Should Tablet Computers Become the Primary Way Students Learn in Class?
340. Can Cellphones Be Educational Tools?
341. Should Students Be Barred From Taking Cellphones to School?
342. Should Teachers and Professors Ban Student Use of Laptops in Class?
343. How Do You Use Wikipedia?
344. Should There Be More Educational Video Games in School?
345. Is Online Learning as Good as Face-to-Face Learning?
346. Would You Like to Take a Class Online?
347. Is Live-Streaming Classrooms a Good Idea?
348. How Would You Feel About a Computer Grading Your Essays?
349. Who Should Be Able to See Students’ Records?
350. Does Your School Offer Enough Opportunities to Learn Computer Programming?
351. Does Your School Value Students’ Digital Skills?
352. Do You Know How to Code? Would You Like to Learn?
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School Rules & Student Life
353. Are School Dress Codes a Good Idea?
354. How Does Your School Deal With Students Who Misbehave?
355. Can Students at Your School Talk Openly About Their Mental Health Issues?
356. What Role Should the Police Have in Schools?
357. What Are the Best Teaching Methods for Getting Students to Behave Well in Class?
358. Should Schools Be Allowed to Use Corporal Punishment?
359. Is Cheating Getting Worse?
360. Do You Know People Who Cheat on High-Stakes Tests?
361. Is a ‘Regret Clause’ a Good Idea for Cases of Academic Dishonesty?
362. Should Schools Put Tracking Devices in Students’ ID Cards?
363. How Should Schools Handle Unvaccinated Students?
364. How Big a Problem Is Bullying or Cyberbullying in Your School or Community?
365. How Should Schools Address Bullying?
366. How Should Schools Address Cyberbullying?
367. What Should the Punishment Be for Acts of Cyberbullying?
368. When Do Pranks Cross the Line to Become Bullying?
369. How Should Schools Respond to Hazing Incidents?
370. How Do You Feel About Proms?
371. Is Prom Worth It?
372. Do You Want to Be ‘Promposed’ To?
373. Is Prom Just an Excuse to Drink?
374. What’s the Best Party You’ve Ever Been To?
375. What Role Do School Clubs and Teams Play in Your Life?
376. Should All Students Get Equal Space in a Yearbook?
377. Should Yearbooks Include Political News?
378. Should School Newspapers Be Subject to Prior Review?
379. Should More Student Journalists Have Independent Editorial Control?
380. What Are Your Thoughts on Riding the School Bus?
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College
381. How Necessary Is a College Education?
382. Is College Overrated?
383. How Prepared Are You For College? How Well Do You Think You’ll Do?
384. What Worries Do You Have About College?
385. Where Do You Want to Go to College?
386. Does It Matter Where You Go to College?
387. Do College Rankings Really Matter?
388. Do Other People Care Too Much About Your Post-High School Plans?
389. What Are Your Sources for Information About Colleges and Universities?
390. Should Colleges Find a Better Way to Admit Students?
391. Is the College Admissions Process Fair?
392. Should Colleges Use Admissions Criteria Other Than SAT Scores and Grades?
393. Do You Support Affirmative Action in College Admissions?
394. Are Early-Decision Programs Unfair? Should Colleges Do Away With Them?
395. What Criteria Should Be Used in Awarding Scholarships for College?
396. Should Engineers Pay Less for College Than English Majors?
397. What Is the Perfect Number of College Applications to Send?
398. What Role Has Community College Played in Your Life or the Life of Someone You Know?
399. How Much Do You Worry About Taking the SAT or ACT?
400. What Personal Essay Topic Would You Assign to College Applicants?
401. What Qualities Would You Look For in a College Roommate?
402. Would You Want to Take a Gap Year After High School?
403. What Specialty College Would You Create?
404. What Makes a Graduation Ceremony Memorable?
405. Should a College Education be Free?
406. Is Student Debt Worth It?
407. Are Lavish Amenities on College Campuses Useful or Frivolous?
408. Do Fraternities Promote Misogyny?
409. Should Fraternities Be Abolished?
410. Is a Sorority a Good Place for a Feminist?
411. Should Colleges Offer Degrees in Sports?
412. Should ‘Despised Dissenters’ Be Allowed to Speak on College Campuses?
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Work & Careers
413. What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
414. Do You Have a Life Calling?
415. What’s Your Dream Job?
416. What Jobs Are You Most Curious About?
417. What Are Your Longtime Interests or Passions?
418. Do You Think You Will Have a Career That You Love?
419. How Can You Ensure That Your Future Career is Right for You?
420. What Do You Want More From a Career: Happiness or Wealth?
421. What Investment Are You Willing to Make to Get Your Dream Job?
422. Would You Consider Moving Overseas for a Job?
423. What Do You Hope to Be Doing the Year After You Graduate From College?
424. What Would You Choose to Do If You Had Unlimited Free Time and No Restrictions?
425. Is ‘Doing Nothing’ a Good Use of Your Time?
426. Where Do You See Yourself in 10 Years?
427. Would You Like to Be Famous?
428. Would You Consider a Nontraditional Occupation?
429. Would You Rather Work From Home or in an Office?
430. Would You Want to Be a Teacher?
431. Would You Like to Be a Fashion Model?
432. What Hidden Talents Might You Have?
433. What ‘Back-to-the-Land’ Skills Do You Have, or Wish You Had?
434. Would You Like to Be a Farmer?
435. What Skill Could You Teach in Two Minutes?
436. What Have You Made Yourself?
437. What Would You Like to Learn to Make by Hand?
438. What Idea Do You Have That Is Ahead of Its Time?
439. Do You Have an Idea for a Business or App?
440. What Would You Create if You Had Funding?
441. How Did You Start Doing Something You Love?
442. Did You Ever Take a Break From Doing Something You Love?
443. What Have You Done to Earn Money?
444. Do You Have a Job?
445. Is It O.K. to Use Family Connections to Get a Job?
446. Should All High School Students Be Able to Get a Summer Job if They Want One?
447. Would You Quit if Your Values Did Not Match Your Employer’s?
448. Should Employers Be Able to Review Job Applicants’ SAT Scores?
449. How Important Is Related Experience in Doing a Job?
_________
Identity & Family
Parenting
450. How Close Are You to Your Parents?
451. How Are You and Your Parents Alike and Different?
452. Will You Follow in Your Parents’ Footsteps?
453. Are You Being Raised to Pursue Your Dreams?
454. Do You Have Helicopter Parents?
455. Do Your Parents Spy on You?
456. How Permissive Are Your Parents?
457. How Much Freedom Have Your Parents Given You?
458. At What Age Should Children Be Allowed to Go Places Without Adult Supervision?
459. Should Children Be Allowed to Wear Whatever They Want?
460. How Do Your Parents Teach You to Behave?
461. How, and by Whom, Should Children Be Taught Appropriate Behavior?
462. How Should Parents Discipline Their Kids?
463. When Does Discipline Become Child Abuse?
464. Should Parents Bribe Their Children?
465. Should Parents Make Their Children Clean Their Room?
466. How Do You Make Parenting Difficult for Your Parents?
467. How Often Do You Fight With Your Parents?
468. What Advice Would You Give to Your Mom, Dad or Guardian on How to Be a Better Parent?
469. Do Your Parents Try Too Hard to Be Cool?
470. Do You Ever Feel Embarrassed by Your Parents?
471. Do Your Parents Support Your Learning?
472. Do You Talk About Report Cards With Your Parents?
473. Do You Want Your Parents to Stop Asking You ‘How Was School?’
474. How Much Do Your Parents Help With Your Homework?
475. Have Your Parents and Teachers Given You Room to Create?
476. How Closely Do Your Parents Monitor Your App Use?
477. Should Parents Limit How Much Time Children Spend on Tech Devices?
_________
Family
478. Who Is Your Family?
479. How Do You Define ‘Family’?
480. What Have You and Your Family Accomplished Together?
481. What Events Have Brought You Closer to Your Family?
482. How Has Your Family Helped or Hindered Your Transition to a New School?
483. What’s Your Role in Your Family?
484. Have You Ever Changed a Family Member’s Mind?
485. How Well Do You Get Along With Your Siblings?
486. Is Your Family Stressed, Tired and Rushed?
487. What Are Your Family Stories of Sacrifice?
488. What Possessions Does Your Family Treasure?
489. What Hobbies Have Been Passed Down in Your Family?
490. What’s the Story Behind Your Name?
491. What Are Your Favorite Names?
492. How Have You Paid Tribute to Loved Ones?
493. What Does the World Need to Know About an Important Person in Your Life?
494. What Do You Know About Your Family’s History?
495. Did Your Parents Have a Life Before They Had Kids?
496. What Family Traditions Do You Want to Carry On When You Get Older?
_________
Childhood Memories
497. What Is Your Earliest Memory?
498. What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession?
499. What Is Your Most Prized Possession?
500. What Objects Tell the Story of Your Life?
501. What Do You Collect?
502. What Were Your Favorite Childhood Shows and Characters?
503. Do You Have Childhood Memories of Being Read Aloud To?
504. What Were Your Favorite Picture Books When You Were Little?
505. What Things Did You Create When You Were a Child?
506. What Places Do You Remember Fondly From Childhood?
507. What Food or Flavor Do You Remember Tasting for the First Time?
508. What Do You Wish You Could See, Hear, Read or Experience for the First Time All Over Again?
509. What Childhood Rules Did You Break?
510. Have You Ever Felt Embarrassed by Things You Used to Like?
511. Do You Wish You Could Return to Moments From Your Past?
512. Was There a Toy You Wanted as a Child but Never Got?
513. What’s the Best Gift You’ve Ever Given or Received?
514. Have You Ever Given, or Received, a Perfect Gift?
515. What’s the Most Memorable Thing You Ever Got in the Mail?
516. Have You Ever Lost (or Found) Something Valuable?
517. What Nicknames Have You Ever Gotten or Given?
518. What Are Your Best Sleepover Memories?
519. What Old, Worn Out Thing Can You Just Not Part With?
_________
Growing Up
520. Is It Harder to Grow Up in the 21st Century Than It Was in the Past?
521. Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?
522. Are Adults Hurting Young Children by Pushing Them to Achieve?
523. Is Childhood Today Too Risk-Free?
524. Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies?
525. What Have You Learned in Your Teens?
526. What Do You Remember Best About Being 12?
527. What Personal Achievements Make You Proud?
528. What Are You Grateful For?
529. What Are Some Recent Moments of Happiness in Your Life?
530. What Rites of Passage Have You Participated In?
531. What Advice Would You Give Younger Kids About Middle or High School?
532. What Have You Learned From Older People?
533. What Have You Learned From a Younger Person — and What Have You Taught An Older Person?
534. What Can Older People Learn From Your Generation?
535. What Do Older Generations Misunderstand About Yours?
536. Do You Recognize Yourself in Descriptions of ‘Generation Z’?
537. What Should We Call Your Generation?
538. When Do You Become an Adult?
539. Do You Have ‘Emerging Adult’ Skills?
540. When You Are Old Enough to Vote, Will You?
541. When Should You Be Able to Buy Cigarettes, Drink Alcohol, Vote, Drive and Fight in Wars?
542. Does Your Generation Have Too Much Self-Esteem?
543. Is Your Generation More Self-Centered Than Earlier Generations?
544. Do You Think Anxiety Is A Serious Problem Among Young People?
545. Is Our Culture of Online Shaming Out of Control?
546. Do ‘Shame and Blame’ Work to Change Teenage Behavior?
547. Do You Think Teenagers Can Make a Difference in the World?
_________
Overcoming Adversity
548. What Challenges Have You Overcome?
549. What Are Your Secret Survival Strategies?
550. What Do You Do When You Encounter Obstacles to Success?
551. When Have You Failed? What Did You Learn From It?
552. When Have You Ever Succeeded When You Thought You Might Fail?
553. What Life Lessons Has Adversity Taught You?
554. Does Suffering Make Us Stronger and Lead to Success?
555. Which Is More Important: Talent or Hard Work?
556. Are You Hopeful About the Future?
557. When Have You Reinvented Yourself?
558. What Work Went Into Reaching Your Most Difficult Goals?
559. Is Struggle Essential to Happiness?
560. How Often Do You Leave Your ‘Comfort Zone’?
561. What Do You Gain From Pursuing Something You Do Really, Really Badly?
562. When Was the Last Time You Did Something That Scared or Challenged You?
563. What Are You Afraid Of?
564. What Are Your Fears and Phobias?
565. What Are Your Personal Superstitions?
566. Do You Like Being Alone?
567. How Often Do You Cry?
568. Do You Ever Feel Overlooked and Underappreciated?
569. How Have You Handled Being the ‘New Kid’?
570. How Do You Deal With Haters?
571. How Do You React When Provoked?
572. What Good Can Come from Disagreements?
573. When Should You Compromise?
574. Have You Ever Changed Your Mind About a Hot-Button Issue?
575. What Role Does Stress Play in Your Life?
576. Does Stress Affect Your Ability to Make Good Decisions?
577. How Do You Relieve Stress?
578. How Important Is Keeping Your Cool?
579. Is ‘Be Yourself’ Bad Advice?
580. Do People Complain Too Much?
581. What’s Your Favorite Mood Booster?
582. How Do You Find Peace in Your Life?
583. Does Your Life Leave You Enough Time to Relax?
584. Do You Set Rules for Yourself About How You Use Your Time?
585. What Did You Once Hate but Now Like?
586. What Kind of Feedback Helps You Improve?
587. Is Trying Too Hard to Be Happy Making You Sad?
588. Does Achieving Success Always Include Being Happy?
589. Do Adults Who Are ‘Only Trying to Help’ Sometimes Make Things Worse?
590. Have You Ever Felt Pressured by Family or Others in Making an Important Decision About Your Future?
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Your Personality
591. What Makes You Happy?
592. What Motivates You?
593. What Are You Good At?
594. What Is Your Personal Credo?
595. When in Your Life Have You Been a Leader?
596. Are You More of a Leader or a Follower?
597. Do Great Leaders Have to Be Outgoing?
598. How Well Do You Perform Under Pressure?
599. How Well Do You Take Criticism?
600. Are You Hard or Easy on Yourself?
601. How Full Is Your Glass?
602. Do You Have a Hard Time Making Decisions?
603. How Much Self-Control Do You Have?
604. How Good Are You at Waiting for What You Really Want?
605. What Role Does Procrastination Play in Your Life?
606. How Good Are You at Time Management?
607. What Kind of Time Management Skills Are You Learning from the Adults in Your Life?
608. How Do You Remember What You Need to Remember?
609. How Productive and Organized Are You?
610. Under What Conditions Do You Do Your Best Work?
611. How Do You Express Yourself Creatively?
612. Can Creativity Be Scheduled?
613. Are You a Good Listener?
614. When and For What Reasons Do You Seek Silence?
615. Are You a Perfectionist?
616. How Competitive Are You?
617. Do You Perform Better When You’re Competing or When You’re Collaborating?
618. Has Modesty Ever Prevented You From Celebrating an Achievement?
619. How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?
620. How Stoic Are You?
621. How Do You Cope With Grief?
622. How Good Are You at Saying Goodbye?
623. Do You Take More Risks When You Are Around Your Friends?
624. Do You Unknowingly Submit to Peer Pressure?
625. Have You Ever Felt Pressured to Betray Your Beliefs?
626. How Easy — or Hard — Is It for You to Say No When You Want To?
627. How Do You Handle Fear?
628. Do You Think You’re Brave?
629. How Much of a Daredevil Are You?
630. What Activities Make You Feel Most Alive?
631. What Pranks, Jokes, Hoaxes or Tricks Have You Ever Fallen For or Perpetrated?
632. How Impulsive Are You?
633. Are You a Novelty-Seeker?
634. How Do You Deal With Boredom?
635. How Often Do You Talk to Yourself?
636. What Annoys You?
637. Do You Apologize Too Much?
638. Do You Know How to Say ‘I’m Sorry?’
639. Do You Have Good Manners?
640. How Materialistic Are You?
641. Are You a Saver or a Tosser?
642. Are You a Hoarder or a Minimalist?
643. Are You an Introvert or an Extrovert?
644. Are You Popular, Quirky or Conformist?
645. Are You a Nerd or a Geek?
646. What Would Your Personal Mascot Be?
647. What Assumptions Do People Make About You?
648. How Strong Is Your Sense of Smell?
649. What Animal Are You Most Like?
_________
Religion & Morality
650. What Is the Role of Religion or Spirituality in Your Life?
651. How Important Is Your Spiritual Life?
652. Do You Believe That Everything Happens for a Reason?
653. How Much Control Do You Think You Have Over Your Fate?
654. Can You Be Good Without God?
655. Are You Less Religious Than Your Parents?
656. Can You Pass a Basic Religion Test?
657. What Can You Learn From Other Religions?
658. Do You Believe That Everything Happens for a Reason?
659. How Important Do You Think It Is to Marry Someone With the Same Religion?
660. How Trustworthy Are You?
661. How Comfortable Are You With Lying?
662. When Do You Lie?
663. Have You Ever Lied to Your Parents or Done Something Behind Their Backs?
664. Can You Spot a Liar?
665. What Ethical Dilemmas Have You Faced?
666. Have You Ever Had to Make a Sacrifice to Help Someone You Care About?
667. Have You Ever Donated Your Time, Talents, Possessions or Money to Support Anyone in Need?
668. When Is the Last Time You Did Something Nice for a Stranger?
669. Do Bystanders Have a Responsibility to Intervene When There is Trouble?
670. Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
671. Have You Ever ‘Paid It Forward’?
672. Can Kindness Become Cool?
673. What Acts of Kindness Have You Witnessed or Participated In?
674. Is Teenage ‘Voluntourism’ Wrong?
675. Have You Ever Taken Something You Weren’t Supposed To?
676. When Is Looting Morally O.K.?
677. Do You Ever Eavesdrop?
678. How Much Do You Gossip?
_________
Role Models
679. Who Are the People – Famous or Not – You Admire Most?
680. Who Are Your Heroes?
681. What Is a Hero?
682. Do We Need More Diverse Superheroes?
683. Who Is Your Role Model?
684. Who Inspires You?
685. What Makes Someone a Great Leader?
686. What Acts of Bravery Have You Witnessed?
687. What’s the Best Advice You’ve Gotten?
688. What Are Some ‘Words of Wisdom’ That Guide Your Life?
689. Who Outside Your Family Has Made a Difference in Your Life?
690. If You Had Your Own Talk Show, Whom Would You Want to Interview?
691. To Whom, or What, Would You Like to Write a Thank-You Note?
692. What Leader Would You Invite to Speak at Your School?
693. What Six People, Living or Dead, Would You Invite to Dinner?
694. Who’s Your ‘Outsider Role Model’?
_________
Gender
695. Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender?
696. Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
697. How Do Your Parents Share the Responsibilities of Parenting?
698. How Do Male and Female Roles Differ in Your Family?
699. Do You Consider Yourself a Feminist?
700. What Does Feminism Mean to You?
701. What Have You Learned From the Women in Your Life?
702. What Experiences Have You Had With Gender Bias in School?
703. Is School Designed More for Girls Than Boys?
704. Why Do Boys Lag Behind Girls in Reading?
705. Does Separating Boys and Girls Help Students Perform Better in School?
706. Is Single-Sex Education Still Useful?
707. What Does it Mean to Be ‘a Real Man’?
708. Do We Need to Teach Boys and Men to Be More Emotionally Honest?
709. Is It O.K. for Men and Boys to Comment on Women and Girls on the Street?
710. What Have Been Your Experiences With Catcalling or Other Kinds of Street Harassment?
711. What Should We Do to Fight Sexual Violence Against Young Women?
712. How Should the Problem of Sexual Assault on Campuses Be Addressed?
713. What Is Your Reaction to the #MeToo Movement?
714. Why Aren’t There More Girls in Leadership Roles?
715. Do Professional Women Need a ‘Girls’ Lounge’?
716. Why Aren’t More Girls Choosing to Pursue Careers in Math and Science?
717. Why Aren’t More Girls Pursuing Careers in Computing and Tech Fields?
718. Should Women Be Allowed to Fight on the Front Lines Alongside Men?
719. Now That Women Can Serve in All Combat Roles in the U.S. Military, Should They Also Be Required to Register for the Draft?
720. Do Female Athletes Get Short Shrift?
721. Should Sports Be Coed?
722. Should the Boy Scouts Be Coed?
723. Do You Believe in Equal Rights for Women and Men?
724. Does the U.S. Constitution Need an Equal Rights Amendment?
725. Is It Harder Being a Girl?
726. Do We Need New Ways to Identify Gender and Sexuality?
727. Should Toys Be More Gender-Neutral?
728. Should There Be More Boy Dolls?
730. Can a Boy Wear a Skirt to School?
731. Should Transgender People Be Allowed to Use the Bathroom of Their Choice?
732. What Rules Should Apply to Transgender Athletes When They Compete?
733. Are Women Better at Compromising and Collaborating?
734. Do Boys Have Less Intense Friendships Than Girls?
_________
Race & Ethnicity
735. Is America ‘Backsliding’ on Race?
736. Why Is Race So Hard to Talk About?
737. How Often Do You Interact With People of Another Race or Ethnicity?
738. Do You Ever Talk About Issues of Race and Class With Your Friends?
739. What Is Your Racial and Ethnic Identity?
740. Have You Ever Tried to Hide Your Racial or Ethnic Identity?
741. Have You Experienced Racism or Other Kinds of Discrimination in School?
742. Is Your Generation Really ‘Postracial’?
743. What’s the Racial Makeup of Your School?
744. Does Your School Seem Integrated?
745. Should Schools Strive for Racial Diversity Among Teachers?
746. How Should Parents Teach Their Children About Race and Racism?
747. Is ‘Black Panther’ a ‘Defining Moment’ for the United States — and Particularly for Black America?
_________
Your Neighborhood & Home
748. How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are?
749. What’s Special About Your Hometown?
750. What Marketing Slogan Would You Use for Your Town or City?
751. What Would You Name Your Neighborhood?
752. Who Are the ‘Characters’ That Make Your Town Interesting?
753. Who Is the ‘Mayor’ of Your School or Neighborhood?
754. What Do the Types of Dogs in Your Neighborhood Say About Where You Live?
755. What Would a TV Show About Your Town Spoof?
756. What ‘Urban Legends’ Are There About Places in Your Area?
757. Do You Know Your Way Around Your City or Town?
758. How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?
759. What Is Your Favorite Place?
760. What’s Your Favorite Neighborhood Joint?
761. What Is Your Favorite Street?
762. Do You Hang Out in the Park?
763. How Much Time Do You Spend in Nature?
764. How Do You Get Your Nature Fix?
765. What Small Things Have You Seen and Taken Note Of Today?
766. What Buildings Do You Love? What Buildings Do You Hate?
767. What Are the Sounds That Make Up the Background Noise in Your Life?
768. What Sounds Annoy You?
769. What Public Behavior Annoys You Most?
770. Have You Ever Interacted With the Police?
771. What Local Problems Do You Think Your Mayor Should Try to Solve?
772. What Ideas Do You Have for Enhancing Your Community?
773. Where Do You Think You Will Live When You Are an Adult?
774. Do You Think That in Your 20s You Will Live in a City?
775. Would You Most Want to Live in a City, a Suburb or the Country?
776. Do You Think You Might Like Communal Living When You’re an Adult?
777. What Would Your Ideal City Look Like?
778. What City or Town Most Captures Your Imagination?
779. Would You Want a Bike Share Program for Your Community?
780. Is Your Bedroom a Nightmare?
781. What is Your Favorite Place in Your House?
782. What’s Your Favorite Room?
783. How Important Is Keeping a Clean House?
784. Do You Need to De-Clutter Your Life?
785. Does Keeping a Messy Desk Make People More Creative?
786. Do You Plan on Saving Any of Your Belongings for the Future?
787. With Your Home in Danger, What Would You Try to Save?
788. What Would You Grab in a Fire?
789. What Would You Put in Your Emergency ‘Go-Bag’?
790. Who Lived Long Ago Where You Live Now?
791. What Would Your Dream Home Be Like?
_________
Money & Social Class
792. What Are Your Expectations About Earning, Saving and Spending Money?
793. What Choices Do You Make About Money Every Day?
794. Are You a Saver or a Spender?
795. What Have Your Parents Taught You About Money?
796. Do You Expect Your Parents to Give You Money?
797. How Much Financial Help Do You Expect From Your Parents in the Future?
798. How Important a Role Has Money, Work or Social Class Played in Your Life?
799. Do You See Great Disparities of Wealth in Your Community?
800. Is It Possible to Start Out Poor in This Country, Work Hard and Become Well-Off?
801. Should Rich People Have to Pay More Taxes?
802. Do We Need a Higher Minimum Wage?
803. Can Money Buy You Happiness?
804. Does Buying and Accumulating More and More Stuff Make Us Happier?
805. What Are the Best Things in Life and Are They Free?
806. What Causes Should Philanthropic Groups Finance?
807. Should Charities Focus More on America?
808. What Organizations Do You Think People Should Give to This Holiday Season?
809. Whom, or What, Would You Want to Help With a Crowdfunding Campaign?
810. Do Poor People ‘Have It Easy’?
811. Should People Give Money to Panhandlers?
_________
What If…
812. What Would You Do if You Won the Lottery?
813. What Superpower Do You Wish You Had?
814. What Era Do You Wish You Had Lived In?
815. Would You Want to Be a Tween or Teen Star?
816. Would You Want to Be a Child Prodigy?
817. Would You Want to Grow Up in the Public Eye?
818. What Kind of Robot Would You Want?
819. What Fantasy Invention Would You Want to Exist in Reality?
820. What Would You Outsource if You Could?
821. What Would You Like to Learn on Your Own?
822. What Would You Be Willing to Wait in a Really Long Line For?
823. If You Were a Super Rich Philanthropist, What Causes Would You Support?
824. What Would You Do if You Were President?
825. What Famous Person Would You Like to Visit Your School?
826. Who Would Be the Ideal Celebrity Neighbor?
827. What Do You Want to Be Doing When You’re 80?
828. Do You Want to Live to 100?
829. What Do You Want Your Obituary to Say?
830. What Do You Want to Be Known for After Your Death?
831. Would You Like to Be Cryogenically Preserved (Frozen!) Upon Your Death?
832. If the World Was Ending, What Would You Want to Say?
833. What Items Would You Place in a Time Capsule for Future Generations?
_________
Social Life & Leisure Time
Friendship
834. Do You Spend Enough Time With Other People?
835. How Often Do You Spend One-on-One Time With Your Closest Friends?
836. Do You Have a Best Friend?
837. Do You Find It Easier to Make New Friends Online or In Person?
838. How Good a Friend Are You?
839. Do You Like Your Friends?
840. What Fads Are You and Your Friends Into Right Now?
841. How Have You Helped a Friend in a Time of Need?
842. Do You Have Any Unlikely Friendships?
843. How Do You Feel About Introducing Friends from Different Parts of Your Life?
844. Do You Ever ‘Mix It Up’ and Socialize With Different People at School?
845. Is Competitiveness an Obstacle to Making or Keeping Friendships?
846. How Should You Handle the End of a Friendship?
847. Have You Ever Felt Left Out?
_________
Dating & Sex
848. Have You Ever Been in Love?
849. What Advice Would You Give to Somebody Who Just Started Dating?
850. Are You Allowed to Date?
851. Is Dating a Thing of the Past?
852. How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating?
853. What Are the Basic ‘Rules’ for Handling Breakups?
854. What’s the Best Way to Get Over a Breakup?
855. What’s the Best Way to Heal a Broken Heart?
856. What Are the Most Meaningful Relationships in Your Life?
857. What Are Your Beliefs About Marriage?
858. Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?
859. Should Your Significant Other Be Your Best Friend?
860. Could Following These Directions Make You Fall in Love With a Stranger?
861. How Should Children Be Taught About Puberty and Sex?
862. Is Hookup Culture Leaving Your Generation Unhappy and Unprepared for Love?
863. Are Affirmative Consent Rules a Good Idea?
864. Should Birth Control Pills Be Available to Teenage Girls Without a Prescription?
865. Should the Morning-After Pill Be Sold Over the Counter to People Under 17?
866. How Big of a Problem Is Sexting?
867. What Advice Should Parents and Counselors Give Teenagers About Sexting?
868. How Should Parents Address Internet Pornography?
869. Do You Think Porn Influences the Way Teenagers Think About Sex?
870. How Did You Learn About Sex?
_________
Looks & Fashion
871. What Is Your All-Time Favorite Piece of Clothing?
872. Do You Have a Signature Clothing Item?
873. What’s Your Favorite T-Shirt?
874. Do You Care What You Wear?
875. Does What You Wear Say Anything About You as a Person?
876. Should You Always Have the Right to Wear What You Want?
877. What Does Your Hairstyle Say About You?
878. What’s on Your Fashion Shopping List?
879. Are You a Sneaker Head?
880. How Far Would You Go for Fashion?
881. Should You Care About the Health and Safety of Those Making Your Clothing?
882. What Are the Hot Fashion Trends at Your School Right Now?
883. What Current Trends Annoy You?
884. Do ‘Saggy Pants’ Mean Disrespect?
885. Would You Ever Consider Getting a Tattoo?
886. Who Should Decide Whether a Teenager Can Get a Tattoo or Piercing?
887. What Are Your Opinions on Cosmetic Surgery?
888. Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks?
889. Doctored Photos: O.K. or Not?
890. How Important Is It to Be Attractive in Our Society?
891. Are Models Too Skinny?
892. Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?
893. How Much Pressure Do Boys Face to Have the Perfect Body?
894. Have You Inherited Your Parents’ Attitudes Toward Their Looks?
895. Has Anyone Ever Said That You Look Like Someone Famous?
_________
Meals & Food
896. What Foods Bring Up Special Memories for You?
897. What Are the Most Memorable Meals You’ve Ever Had?
898. What’s Your Favorite Holiday Food Memory?
899. What’s Your Comfort Food?
900. What Are Your Favorite Junk Foods?
901. What’s Your Favorite Candy?
902. What’s Your Favorite Sandwich?
903. What Convenience Foods Make You Happy?
904. Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, a Picky Eater?
905. What Are Your ‘Food Rules’?
906. What Messages About Food and Eating Have You Learned From Your Family?
907. How Often Does Your Family Eat Together?
908. How Much Food Does Your Family Waste?
909. Have You Ever Experienced Food Insecurity?
910. Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?
911. Do You Prefer Your Tacos ‘Authentic’ or ‘Appropriated’?
912. What Food Would You Like to Judge in a Taste-Off?
913. Do You Cook?
914. What Would You Most Like to Learn to Cook or Bake?
915. What Do You Eat During the School Day?
916. Do You Eat Cafeteria Food?
917. Is School Lunch Really All That Bad?
918. Do You Think a Healthier School Lunch Program Is a Lost Cause?
919. Should French Fries and Pizza Sauce Count as Vegetables?
920. Are Your Eating Habits Healthy?
921. How Concerned Are You About Where Your Food Comes From?
922. Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
923. Do You Pay Attention to Calorie Counts for Food?
924. Do You Pay Attention to Nutrition Labels on Food?
925. Should Sugary Drinks Be Taxed?
926. Should the Government Limit the Size of Sugary Drinks?
927. Should Teenagers Think Twice Before Downing Energy Drinks?
928. Do You Eat Too Quickly?
929. Are Manners Important?
930. What Are Your Favorite Restaurants?
931. What Restaurant Would You Most Like to Review?
932. How Long Is It O.K. to Linger in a Cafe or Restaurant?
933. Should Restaurants Do Away With Tipping?
_________
Sports & Games
934. What’s the Most Impressive Sports Moment You’ve Seen?
935. Who Is Your Favorite Athlete, and Why?
936. Who Are Your Sports Heroes?
937. What Sports Teams Do You Root For?
938. When Has a Sports Team Most Disappointed You?
939. Do You Participate in March Madness?
940. Does Being a Fan Help Define Who You Are?
941. How Far Would You Go to Express Loyalty to Your Favorite Teams?
942. How Much Should Fans Be Allowed to Distract Opposing Teams?
943. What Fan Memorabilia Would You Pay Big Bucks For?
944. Are You a Fair-Weather Fan?
945. Are You a Football Fan?
946. Do You Watch the Super Bowl?
947. Should Parents Let Their Children Play Football?
948. Should High Schools Drop Football Because Too Many Players Are Getting Injured?
949. If Football Is So Dangerous to Players, Should We Be Watching It?
950. Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense?
951. Does a Championship Game Always Need to Have a Winner (and a Loser)?
952. Should There Be Stricter Rules About How Coaches Treat Their Players?
953. Do Fans Put Too Much Pressure on Their Favorite Professional Athletes?
954. Does Better Sports Equipment Unfairly Improve Athletic Ability?
955. Should Technology in Sports Be Limited?
956. What Extreme Sports Interest You Most?
957. Are Some Extreme Sports Too Extreme?
958. Is Cheerleading a Sport?
959. Should Cheerleading Be an Olympic Sport?
960. Has Baseball Lost Its Cool?
961. Do Sports Teams Have a Responsibility to Hold Players to a Standard for Their Personal Conduct?
962. Should Athletes Who Dope Have to Forfeit Their Titles and Medals?
963. How Big a Deal Is It That an N.B.A. Player Came Out as Gay?
964. Should Women’s Basketball Lower the Rims?
965. Should College Football Players Get Paid?
966. Should Colleges Fund Wellness Programs Instead of Sports?
967. Where Should Colleges and Sports Teams Draw the Line in Selling Naming Rights?
968. Is ‘Redskins’ an Offensive Name for a Team?
969. Is It Offensive for Sports Teams to Use Native American Names and Mascots?
970. What Are Your Thoughts on Sports Betting?
971. Should Sports Betting Be Legal Everywhere?
972. How Young Is Too Young to Climb Mount Everest?
973. Should Girls and Boys Sports Teams Compete in the Same League?
974. Why Do You Play Sports?
975. What Kinds of Games and Puzzles Do You Like?
976. Do You Enjoy Playing Games or Solving Puzzles?
977. What Are Your Favorite Board Games?
978. What Are Your Favorite Games?
979. What Rules Would You Like to See Changed in Your Favorite Sports?
980. How Would You Change Your Favorite Sport?
981. What Game Would You Like to Redesign?
_________
Travel
982. Where Do You Want to Travel?
983. What Is Your Fantasy Vacation?
984. What Would Your Fantasy Road Trip Be Like?
985. What Crazy Adventure Would You Want to Take?
986. What Local ‘Microadventures’ Would You Like to Go On?
987. How Would You Spend Your Ideal Family Vacation?
988. How Has Travel Affected You?
989. What Kind of Tourist Are You?
990. What Are the Best Souvenirs You’ve Ever Collected While Traveling?
991. What Famous Landmarks Have You Visited?
992. What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in Nature?
993. What Do You Think You Would Learn From Traveling to All 50 States?
994. How Much Do You Know About the Rest of the World?
995. Would You Like to Live in Another Country?
996. Would You Want to Be a Space Tourist?
997. If You Could Time-Travel, Where Would You Go?
998. How Good Is Your Sense of Direction?
_________
Holidays & Seasons
999. How Do You Celebrate Your Birthday?
1,001. Should the United States Celebrate Columbus Day?
1,002. A Short Fall Break, but What Should We Call It?
1,003. Will You Be Wearing a Halloween Costume This Year?
1,004. When Does a Halloween Costume Cross the Line?
1,005. Should Halloween Costumes Portray Only ‘Positive Images’?
1,006. Dressing Up Like Creepy Clowns: Freedom of Expression or Public Nuisance?
1,007. Do You Like Scary Movies and Books?
1,008. What Is the Scariest Story You Have Ever Heard?
1,009. Do You Believe in Ghosts?
1,010. Do You Believe in Astrology?
1,011. What Are Your Thanksgiving Traditions?
1,012. Will Your Family Members Disagree With Each Other About Politics This Thanksgiving?
1,013. What Has Been Your Most Memorable Thanksgiving?
1,014. What Do You Look Forward to Most – and Least – During the Holiday Season?
1,015. What Are Your Tips for Enjoying the Holiday Season?
1,016. How Will You Spend the Holiday Break?
1,017. What Does Santa Claus Mean to You?
1,018. Do You Look Forward to New Year’s Eve?
1,019. Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions?
1,020. How Do You Fight the Winter Blues?
1,021. What Would You Do on a Snow Day?
1,022. What Are Your Experiences With Severe Weather?
1,023. How Do You Feel About Valentine’s Day?
1,024. How Do You Celebrate Spring?
1,025. What Would Your Fantasy Spring Break Be Like?
1,026. What Are You Looking Forward to This Summer?
1,027. What Would Your Ideal Summer Camp Be Like?
1,028. What Are Your Favorite Summer Hangouts?
1,029. What’s Your Favorite Summer Food?
1,030. What Is Your Favorite Summer Movie?
1,031. What’s on Your Summer Reading List?
1,032. Do You Have a Summer Job?
1,033. What Did This Summer Teach You?
1,034. Do You Choose Summer Activities to Look Good on Applications?
1,035. What Are the Best Things You Did This Summer?
1,036. How Do You Prepare to Go Back to School?
1,037. How Can People Make the Most of Long Holiday Weekends?
1,038. What’s Your Sunday Routine?
1,039. What Work, Sport or Pastime Do You Like to Do at Night?
1,040. Would Life Be Better Without Time Zones?
_________
Shopping & Cars
1,041. Do You Ever Hang Out at the Mall?
1,042. How Would You Make Over Your Mall?
1,043. Do You Shop at Locally Owned Businesses?
1,044. What’s Your Favorite Store?
1,045. To What Company Would You Write a Letter of Complaint or Admiration?
1,046. To What Business Would You Like to Give Advice?
1,047. Do Politics Ever Influence How or Where You Shop?
1,048. Do Companies Have a Responsibility to Contribute Positively to Society?
1,049. Should We Think Twice Before Buying Online?
1,050. Is Amazon Becoming Too Powerful?
1,051. How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?
1,052. Should Companies Collect Information About You?
1,053. Could You Stop Shopping for an Entire Year?
1,054. What Are the Best Things You’ve Acquired Secondhand?
1,055. Did You Take Part in Any Post-Thanksgiving Shopping?
1,056. What Time Should Black Friday Sales Start?
1,057. How Important Is It to Have a Driver’s License?
1,058. Are You a Good Driver?
1,059. Do You Have a Dream Car?
1,060. Would You Like to Ride in a Car That Drives Itself?
1,061. Should Distracted Driving Be Punished Like Drinking and Driving?
1,062. Should Texting While Driving Be Illegal in Every State?
1,063. Is Drinking and Driving Still a Problem for Teenagers?
1,064. If Teenagers Are Such Bad Drivers, Should They Be Allowed to Drive?
1,065. Are Self-Driving Vehicles the Wave of the Future?
_________
Science & Health
Science & Environment
1,066. How Green Are You?
1,067. How Do You Try to Reduce Your Impact on the Environment?
1,068. Do You Ever Feel Guilty About What, or How Much, You Throw Away?
1,069. What Could You Live Without?
1,070. Should Single-Use Plastic Shopping Bags Be Banned?
1,071. What Are Your Thoughts About Wind Power?
1,072. Do We Crank Up the A.C. Too High?
1,073. How Concerned Are You About Climate Change?
1,074. How Should Nations and Individuals Address Climate Change?
1,075. If You Were President, What Would You Do About Climate Change?
1,076. Should Schools Teach About Climate Change?
1,077. How Do You Celebrate Earth Day?
1,078. Should Developers Be Allowed to Build in and Near the Grand Canyon?
1,079. Should Scientists Try to Help People Beat Old Age So We Can Live Longer Lives?
1,080. Should Extinct Animals Be Resurrected? If So, Which Ones?
1,081. How Do You Think Dinosaurs Went Extinct?
1,082. Given Unlimited Resources, What Scientific or Medical Problem Would You Investigate?
1,083. What Are the Five Greatest Inventions of All Time?
1,084. What Would You Invent to Make the World a Better Place?
1,085. When Is It O.K. to Replace Human Limbs With Technology?
1,086. Should Fertilized Eggs Be Given Legal ‘Personhood’?
1,087. Do You Think Life Exists — or Has Ever Existed — Somewhere Besides Earth?
1,088. Do You Believe in Intelligent Alien Life?
1,089. Will Humans Live on Mars Someday?
1,090. Would You Want to Be a Space Tourist?
1,091. What Would You Name a New Star or Planet?
Animals & Pets
1,092. How Do You Feel About Zoos?
1,093. Do Gorillas Belong in Zoos?
1,094. Is It Unethical for a Zoo to Kill a Healthy Giraffe?
1,095. Should Farm Animals Have More Legal Protections?
1,096. Is It Wrong to Focus on Animal Welfare When Humans Are Suffering?
1,097. Is It Ethical to Genetically Engineer Animals?
1,098. When Is Animal Testing Justified?
1,099. Should Certain Animals Have Some of the Same Legal Rights As People?
1,100. Should Circuses Be Animal Free?
1,101. Is This Exhibit Animal Cruelty or Art?
1,102. Should You Go to Jail for Kicking a Cat?
1,103. Should You Feel Guilty About Killing Spiders, Ants or Other Bugs?
1,104. Should Emotional Support Animals Be Allowed on College Campuses?
1,105. Are Emotional-Support Animals a Scam?
1,106. What Are the Animals in Your Life?
1,107. What’s Your Relationship Like With Your Pet?
1,108. How Well Do You Know Your Pet?
1,109. Should We Be Concerned With Where We Get Our Pets?
1,110. What Does a President’s Choice of Pet — or Choice Not to Have a Pet at All — Say About Him?
1,111. What Have You Learned From Animals?
1,112. What Are Your Thoughts on Cats?
1,113. Would You Want to Hang Out at a Cat Cafe?
1,114. Why Do We Love Watching Animal Videos So Much?
1,115. What Are Your Most Memorable Stories About Wildlife?
Exercise & Health
1,116. Do You Like to Exercise?
1,117. Do You Get Enough Exercise?
1,118. How Has Exercise Changed Your Health, Your Body or Your Life?
1,119. How Much Do You Think About Your Weight?
1,120. How Often Do You Engage in ‘Fat Talk’?
1,121. What Are Your Healthy Habits?
1,122. What Health Tips Have Worked for You?
1,123. What Rules Do You Have for Staying Healthy?
1,124. What Habits Do You Have, and Have You Ever Tried to Change Them?
1,125. Do You Have Any Bad Health Habits?
1,126. How Careful Are You in the Sun?
1,127. Do We Worry Too Much About Germs?
1,128. How Well Do You Sleep?
1,129. What Are Your Sleep Habits?
1,130. How Much of a Priority Do You Make Sleep?
1,131. Do You Get Enough Sleep?
1,132. Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?
1,133. Should the Legal Age to Purchase Tobacco Be Raised From 18 to 21?
1,134. Should E-Cigarettes Be Banned for Teenagers?
1,135. Do You Vape?Is Smoking Still a Problem Among Teenagers?
1,136. Are Antismoking Ads Effective?
1,137. Should Marijuana Be Legal?
1,138. Should Students Be Required to Take Drug Tests?
1,139. Should Middle School Students Be Drug Tested?
1,140. How Common Is Drug Use in Your School?
1,141. If You Drink or Use Drugs, Do Your Parents Know?
1,142. Is Your School a ‘Party School’?
1,143. Have You Been To Parties That Have Gotten Out of Control?
1,144. Why Is Binge Drinking So Common Among Young People in the United States?
1,145. Should Universities Work to Curtail Student Drinking?
1,146. Would You Ever Go Through Hazing to Be Part of a Group?
_________
Civics & History
Guns & the Justice System
1,147. What Are Some Answers to America’s Gun Violence?
1,148. What Should Lawmakers Do About Guns and Gun Violence?
1,149. Can High School Students Make a Real Impact on the Problem of Gun Violence in the United States?
1,150. What Do You Think of the #WalkUpNotOut Movement?
1,151. How Should We Prevent Future Mass Shootings?
1,152. Are We Becoming ‘Numb’ to School Shootings?
1,153. Would You Feel Safer With Armed Guards Patrolling Your School?
1,154. Should Teachers Be Armed With Guns?
1,155. Should Guns Be Permitted on College Campuses?
1,156. Would Arming College Students Help Prevent Sexual Assaults on Campus?
1,157. Where Do You Stand on Unconcealed Handguns?
1,158. What Is Your Relationship With Guns?
1,159. What Should Be the Purpose of Prison?
1,160. Should Prisons Offer Incarcerated People Education Opportunities?
1,161. Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote After They Have Served Their Time?
1,162. Should the United States Stop Using the Death Penalty?
1,163. What Do You Think of the Police Tactic of Stop-and-Frisk?
1,164. When Should Juvenile Offenders Receive Life Sentences?
1,165. Do Rich People Get Off Easier When They Break the Law?
1,166. Should All Police Officers Wear Body Cameras?
1,167. Should Prostitution Be Legal?
1,168. Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal in Every State?
1,169. Should Terminally Ill Patients Be Allowed to Die on Their Own Terms?
_________
Government Policy
1,170. How Strong Is Your Faith in American Democracy?
1,171. Is America Headed in the Right Direction?
1,172. What Do American Values Mean to You?
1,173. Do You Think It Is Important for Teenagers to Participate in Political Activism?
1,174. How Would You Like to Help Our World?
1,175. What Cause Would Get You Into the Streets?
1,176. Have Your Ever Taken Part in a Protest?
1,177. What Would You Risk Your Life For?
1,178. When Have You Spoken Out About Something You Felt Had to Change?
1,179. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16?
1,180. Should Voting Be Mandatory?
1,181. Does Voting for a Third-Party Candidate Mean Throwing Away Your Vote?
1,182. Do You Consider Yourself a Republican, Democrat or Independent?
1,183. If You Were Governor of Your State, How Would You Spend a Budget Surplus?
1,184. What Local Problems Do You Think Your Mayor Should Try to Solve?
1,185. Should the United States Care That It’s Not No. 1?
1,186. Do You Trust Your Government?
1,187. What Do You Think of President Trump’s Use of Twitter?
1,188. What Do You Think the Role of the First Lady — or First Spouse — Should Be Today?
1,189. What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?
1,190. When Is the Use of Military Force Justified?
1,191. When Should Countries Negotiate With Their Traditional Enemies?
1,192. Should the U.S. Be Spying on Its Friends?
1,193. Should Countries Pay Ransoms to Free Hostages Held by Terrorists?
1,194. What Responsibility Do We Have to Take In Refugees From Global Humanitarian Crises?
1,195. Should Millions of Undocumented Immigrants Be Allowed to Live in the U.S. Without Fear of Getting Deported?
1,196. Should the Government Allow ‘Dreamers’ to Stay in the U.S. Without Fear of Being Deported?
1,197. Are Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?
1,198. What Do We Owe Our Veterans?
_________
History & News
1,199. What Event in the Past Do You Wish You Could Have Witnessed?
1,200. What Are the Most Important Changes, in Your Life and in the World, in the Last Decade?
1,201. What National or International Events That You Lived Through Do You Remember Best?
1,202. What Famous Figure From the Past Fascinates You Most?
1,203. What Does Dr. King’s Legacy Mean to You?
1,204. Who Do You Think Has Been ‘Overlooked’ By History?
1,205. What Recent Events Will Most Likely Be Featured in History Museums Someday?
1,206. Why Should We Care About Events in Other Parts of the World?
1,207. What News Stories Are You Following?
1,208. How Do You Get Your News?
1,209. Are You Having More Conversations With Friends and Family About Politics?
1,210. What Is Your Reaction to the Recent Flood of Breaking Political News?
1,211. Do You Ever Get the ‘Bad News Blues’?
1,212. Are We Being Bad Citizens If We Don’t Keep Up With the News?
1,213. Is Your Online World Just a ‘Filter Bubble’ of People With the Same Opinions?
1,214. Do Your Friends on Social Media All Have the Same Political Opinions You Do?
1,215. How Do You Know if What You Read Online Is True?
1,216. Do You Think You Can Tell When Something Is ‘Fake News’?
1,217. Do You Believe in Online Conspiracy Theories?
1,218. What Are Your Experiences With Internet-Based Urban Legends?
1,219. Are Political Memes Dangerous to Democracy?
1,220. Should National Monuments Be Protected by the Government?
1,221. Should Confederate Statues Be Removed or Remain in Place?
1,222. What Supreme Court Cases, Now or in the Past, Interest You Most?
1,223. Should Free Speech Protections Include Self Expression That Discriminates?
1,224. Is It O.K. to Refuse to Serve Same-Sex Couples Based on Religious Beliefs?
1,225. What Will You Remember About President Obama and His Legacy?
_________
Many of the questions above are still open to comment, though not all.
Teachers, please let us know in the comments how you use this list, or any of our previous prompts lists, in your classes.
The article was originally published here.
Back-to-School Writing Prompts and Activities
Writing assignments for the beginning of a new school year often focus on these four areas:
1. “All About Me” Writing Activities and Assignments: This is a time-honored beginning-of-the-school-year writing tradition. It starts the school year off right when teachers get to know their students. Teachers want to know their students, and students like to be known and understood as real people.
2. Students’ Expectations, Goals, Hopes, and Dreams for the New School Year: Let’s see if the teacher and the students agree on what school is supposed to be like. These assignments allow teachers to learn about their students’ beliefs about to school, learning, and education. These assignments provide valuable insights that will help teachers properly motivate their students.
3. Reflections on Summer Vacation: This is kind of similar to “all about me” writing. It gives students a chance to let go of summer, and allows teachers to have up-to-date knowledge of what their students are interested in.
4. Classroom Routines and Policies:
The most effective way to make sure that students understand what is expected of them is to have them write about it. Another important benefit of this kind of writing is that students convince themselves of the benefits of having an excellent classroom-learning environment. When students explain to themselves why routines, rules, and policies are necessary, they become convinced – without feeling convinced against their will.
Most of the writing prompts that follow fall into one of these four categories. See if you can determine which category each writing prompt falls into. The four categories all have a strong purpose behind them, and assigning a writing prompt with purpose leads to better writing.
Also, I want to congratulate you for thinking about student writing so early in the school year! If you are looking for better writing results faster than ever before, be sure to click here. If you are looking for guaranteed writing success when state testing rolls around, be sure to click here. If you want your students to be able to easily organize and compose an essay about any of the essay topics below, then be sure to click here. Wishing you a school year full of writing success!
Back-to-School Cause and Effect Essay
• An important event in my life (or several) and how it affected me – getting to know me.
• What did I do over my summer vacation that has prepared me (or failed to prepare me) for the new school year? Does the way I spend my time outside of school affect my success in school?
• What is necessary for creating an effective and positive learning environment? Certain systems and behaviors create a successful learning environment, and other systems and behaviors lead to wasting time and poor learning. What are the cause and effect relationships for successful learning? What are the cause and effect relationships for poor learning?
• What is the purpose of school? We work hard – but why? Is there a cause and effect relationship between getting a good education and living a happy, successful, and fulfilled life after school?
• What are some habits, behaviors, routines, and systems that will help me have a successful school year?
• Why do I hope I learn more this year than I ever have before – what’s in it for me? Will learning a lot this year really have an effect on my life?
Back-to-School Persuasive Essay
• All work and no play is no way to spend a life. Let’s have fun this school year!
• With high expectations placed upon us, and with so little time spent in the classroom, we can’t afford to waste even a single second of class time.
• I am a responsible, enthusiastic, and disciplined student who can be trusted to do what is expected of me.
• I need and deserve two more weeks of summer vacation.
• Homework does not improve student learning.
• My fellow students, school is important. Don’t waste your time, and please don’t waste the class’s time. It benefits none of us.
• Striving to be the best you can be through learning is exciting, fun, and a very important part of life.
Back-to-School Compare and Contrast Essay
• How I spent my summer vs. how I plan to spend the school year.
• Summer vacation back when I was young vs. summer vacation now that I am old.
• My last day of summer vacation vs. the first day of the new school year.
• The kind of student I used to be vs. the kind of student I plan to be.
• Looking like I’m working hard and doing my best job vs. actually working hard and truly doing my best job.
• The fun and interesting things about school vs. the boring and tedious things about school.
• An ideal classroom learning environment vs. a time-wasting, non-learning classroom environment.
• Education in the modern information age vs. education in olden times.
• Learning through books vs. learning through experience.
Have you taken a look at Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay?
Back-to-School Process Essay or How-To Essay
• How to make this the best school year ever.
• How to transition from relaxed-summer-mind-mode to superstar-student-achievement-status.
• How to be a successful student.
• How to improve your work habits, study skills, learning attitude, and grades.
• How to be an excellent school citizen and positive classroom leader.
• After school and morning routines that guarantee I will arrive at school, on time, rested and ready to learn, homework finished, and with a happy, smiling, cheerful face.
• Classroom routines – how to – how to – how to!
Back-to-School Informational Essay
• The history of education.
• All about me – what you need to know to truly understand this strangely wonderful, yet predictably perplexing human being that I simply call “me.”
• The history of my educational career – a work in progress.
• The rules of our classroom made simple and clear.
• What does it mean to learn? And how do you do it?
• What I like about school and learning.
Back-to-School Narrative/ Personal Narrative Essay
• Happy school-time memories.
• How I spent my summer vacation – the real truth.
• My life story – a personal narrative.
• A school year (or teacher) that changed my life.
• An important real-world learning experience for which there was no manual.
• Me and school – a conflict of interests.
• Butterflies in my stomach – the day before the first day of school.
Back-to-School Descriptive Essay
• Describe the feelings, sounds, and sights of a new school year.
• Describe what you see in the classroom right now.
• Describe the qualities of a good teacher and of a good student.
• Describe the attitude, beliefs, and body language of a student who is determined to be successful in school.
Back-to-School Five-Paragraph Essay
• How I spend my time before school, during school, and after school.
• When I struggled in school, what I changed, and the results of that change.
• Three things I love about school.
• Three strategies for getting good grades.
• Three fun things I did over my summer vacation.
• Three things I must do to be successful in school this year.
• Three things about me – that hardly anyone knows.
Back-to-School Story Ideas
• The class with no rules.
• The strangely bizarre case of the kids who loved school and the teacher who taught them.
• One hour recess – twice a day!
• Straight A’s for everyone!
• The class that worked together – and achieved success.
• News Flash: Listening to your Teacher Leads to Better Learning.
• The quiet kids.
• Work hard, play hard, and bake cookies?
• The science project that changed history.
Welcome back to school and have a great year!
The article was originally published here.
These Journal Writing Prompts Will Encourage Kids to Develop Their Composition Skills
Notes on Journal Prompts journal writing prompts
The journal writing prompts on this page are grouped into the 4 quarters of a standard academic year. You, of course, may choose to use any of these at whatever time you like.
There are eight graphics on this page to serve as general visual bookmarks. Additionally, please consider using the following text links to jump to specific points on this page:
1st Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
Note: If you’d like to make these really POP (and save yourself some effort at the same time), you may be interested in JournalJumpstarts, Volume 1, which contains prompts 1-20 listed below.
1. Write about going back to school after summer vacation.
2. Write a thank you note to a friend who gave you onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum.
3. Draw an imaginary constellation. Write a story such as ancient people might have told about it.
4. Describe a real made-up dream or nightmare. journal writing prompts
5. Write about your favorite childhood toy. journal writing prompts
6. Write out the best or the worst day of your life.
7. Finish this thought: if I could change one thing about myself (if you can’t think of anything, you might want to consider telling how you got to be perfect!)
8. If and when I raise children, I’ll never…
9. I have never been more frightened than when…
10. Persuade a friend to give up drugs.
11. Five years from now, I will be… journal writing prompts
12. Write about a day you’d like to forget.
13. Invent and describe a new food. journal writing prompts
14. Describe an event that changed your life forever, or make up and describe an event that would change your life forever.
15. Describe someone who is a hero to you and explain why.
16. Write about a time in your life when you struggled with a choice and made the right one.
17. Imagine yourself in a different century and describe an average day in your life.
18. Which character from a book would you most like to meet and why? journal writing prompts
19. Three goals I have set for myself are… journal writing prompts
20. What would you do if 300 mice had just gotten out of their cages in a pet shop where you worked?
Just like the above 20 prompts, prompts 21-40 listed below have not been “dressed up” much.
To see them in their finest clothing, you may want to download JournalJumpstarts, Volume 2.
21. What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnight?
22. What would you do if you woke up one morning to find yourself invisible?
23. What would you do if you were able to communicate with animals?
24. What would you do if you could travel into the future?
25. What would you do if you could travel into the past?
26. What would you do if someone just gave you $1 million?
27. What would you do it all the electricity in the world just stopped?
28. What would you do if you could travel free anyplace in the world?
29. What would you do if the dinner served to you in a fancy restaurant came with a fly in the mashed potatoes?
30. Write a list of at least 50 things that make you feel good.
31. Describe the perfect day. Put in as many details as you can. Make it a possible day, not a “dream day.”
32. Who is the person from history that you would most like to meet and talk to? Why? What would you like to ask?
33. Who is the person from literature that you would most like to meet and talk to? Why? What would you like to ask?
34. Compile a list of words that describe you as a child. Compile a second list that describes you as you are now. How are these lists the same? How are they different?
35. Compile a list of inanimate or animate objects to which you might compare yourself metaphorically. (I am a windmill. I change direction or my thoughts whenever someone talks to me…)
36. Tell about what triggers anger in you or someone else.
37. Invent a monster and describe it. Tell where it lives, what it eats, and what it does.
38. What is your favorite kind of weather? Why?
39. What is the best book you have ever read? Why did you like it? Did reading the book change you in any way? What way?
40. Write about what you didn’t do this weekend.
Prompts 41-60 (listed below) are included in JournalJumpstarts, Volume 3.
Just display the prompt of the day via your digital projector, SMART Board, or classroom TV and take a break from your whiteboard for awhile!
41. Think about an incident that happened to you and exaggerate in the telling. Make it into a tall tale.
42. If you were ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (rain on weekends, eggplant, and so forth)? Make a list. Use your imagination.
43. If you could go back in time anywhere and “anywhen,” where/when would you go and why?
44. What law would you like to see enacted which would help people? How would it help?
45. What commercial on TV do you dislike beyond all others? What about it is particularly annoying to you?
2nd Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
46. Design some gadget, machine, building, or other creation that might enrich the future. What does it look like? What does it do? How does it function? In what ways might it benefit people?
47. What current fashion in clothing do you particularly like or dislike? Explain. journal writing prompts
48. Convince someone why music or art or computers are important in your life. Make them appreciate your viewpoint.
49. If you had $100,000, how would you spend it?
50. Be a building you know well. Talk about your life and memories.
51. You are to tell a person from a distant planet or from another era what pollution is. Make that person understand what causes it and why it is bad.
52. If you could do something that you never have done before, what would it be? Why would you want to do it?
53. Begin a list of questions that you’d like to have answered. They may be about the future or the past.
54. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date and why?
55. Write one characteristic or habit about yourself that you like and describe it. Or write about one thing you don’t like about yourself.
56. What is your hobby? Why do you enjoy it?
57. If you could go somewhere where you’ve never gone before, where would you go and why?
58. What’s, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for? Explain your answer.
59. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? Why would you make this change?
60. Is there a machine you feel you could not live without? Explain.
The following prompts (61-80) are included in JournalJumpstarts, Volume 4.
Just like all of the volumes in the Journal Jumpstarts series, Volume 4 features 21 high-quality animations that add “punch” to the prompts.
Use these animations in your own Powerpoints wherever you choose to do so.
61. Write about what you think you will be like and what you will be doing 10 years or 20 years from now.
62. Did you ever stick up for someone?
63. Describe your neighborhood bully.
64. Write about a baby-sitting experience.
65. Describe a great fort you built for a great game you played as a child.
66. Write about an enemy who eventually became your friend.
67. Write about a time you cheated and got caught.
68. Write about a privilege you earned.
69. Write about the stray animal you brought home.
70. Did you ever send away for something that turned out to be a disappointment? (Or order something over the Internet)
71. What is it like to go shopping with your mother? journal writing prompts
72. Write about a time you performed in front of an audience.
73. Write about a difficult decision you had to make.
74. Write about learning to skate, to ride a bike, to climb a tree, or to turn a cart wheel. journal writing prompts
75. Did you ever get lost in a strange town?
76. Were you ever locked in or out? What did you do?
77. What was it like to spend your first night away from home?
78. What was it like to come back home after a long vacation?
79. Write about a disappointment. journal writing prompts
80. Write about something minor that turned into a big deal.
The following prompts (81-100) are included in JournalJumpstarts, Volume 5.
All of the prompts in the Journal Jumpstarts series are titled and listed in a clickable table of contents, making it easier to determine where to resume.
81. Did you ever win or lose a contest? Tell the story about what happened.
82. Write about something you desperately wanted when you were younger.
83. Did you ever know someone who had “everything”?
84. Write about the time as a child you played in one of the following: treehouse, a cornfield, a construction site, a junkyard, an abandoned house or barn, a stream, a cemetery, a swamp, a pasture, railroad tracks.
85. Did your mom or dad ever make you wear something you hated?
86. Write about a time you were talked into something and you regretted it.
87. Were you ever in a helicopter, limousine, racecar, hot-air balloon, submarine, or horse-drawn carriage?
88. Did you ever forget something really important? What happened as a result?
89. Write about an experience in a hospital.
90. Were you ever accused of something that you didn’t do?
3rd Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
91. Write about a disastrous trip or vacation.
92. Were you ever given a responsibility that you couldn’t handle? journal writing prompts
93. Were you ever in a fire, flood, tornado, or hurricane?
94. Describe the best concert you ever attended.
95. Write about a window you broke or something valuable you lost.
96. Did you ever catch fireflies? Crickets? Frogs? Snakes?
97. Write about a time you tried to help and ended up making things worse.
98. Did you ever break an important promise?
99. Write about moving to another city or neighborhood.
100. Describe an outdoor game you used to play in the summer time.
101. Write about building sand castles or mud pies.
102. Did you ever meet a famous person?
103. Write about mowing the lawn, burning leaves, or weeding the garden.
104. Describe the club you organized as a kid.
105. Describe a car or bicycle accident you were in.
106. Write about being a misfit.
107. Write about a day spent in another country.
108. Write about a time you out-smarted someone.
109. Write about going shopping for new clothes.
110. Did you ever turn someone in or tell on someone and feel bad about it later?
111. Imagine that you are an animal in the zoo. What type of animal are you? How do you feel about being caged? How do you feel about people that visit and watch you?
112. Write about a time your parents embarrassed you.
113. Describe learning something from a friend.
114. Write about a time you gave someone good advice.
115. Write about the funniest thing that ever happened to you.
116. If you had to escort a visitor from outer space for a 30-minute tour of your community, where would you begin and end?
117. Be a grape that becomes a raisin: describe how it feels to shrink, to shrivel, to become dry and wrinkled.
118. Be an icicle that becomes water. Describe how it feels to be cold and firm and full of beautiful crystals but only to melt and lose your shape.
119. You go to the store with your parents and baby brother. Your parents go into a store and tell you to watch your brother. You take your eyes off your brother for just a minute and you can’t find him. You…
120. I really hate it when my mother/father/sibling…
121. What if the use of robots in school becomes a workable reality?
122. What would you pack in your suitcase if you could not go home again?
123. You have just met an alien from another planet. He wishes to take a student back to his planet. Convince him you would be the perfect specimen for him to take.
124. If you could change one law, what law would it be and how would you change it?
125. How forgiving are you when a friend lets you down? Explain. Give an example.
126. What if you were named principal for the week? What would you do?
127. If you could only speak twenty words for the rest of your life, what words would head your list and why?
128. It started out as an unusual Monday morning, when I…
129. As I approached the deserted house at the end of the road, I saw…
130. Do you think girls are raised differently from boys? If so, in what ways?
131. Do you think you are treated differently because you are a boy or girl?
132. Do you think men and women are equal in today’s society? Why or why not?
133. Do you think a woman will be President of the United States in the near future?
134. Two men or women have it easier in our culture? If so, why do you think so?
135. Have you ever wished you were either older or younger? What would you consider to be the benefits? The problems?
4th Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
136. Describe what you think of as the typical mother.
137. Describe what you think of as the typical father.
138. Do you think women should take men’s last names when they marry? Why or why not? journal writing prompts
139. Would you rather have a brother or sister? Why?
140. Describe a fight you had with your mother. Now tell it from her point of view.
141. Write a short biography of your mother.
142. Write a short biography of your father.
143. Visualize a time when your mother was laughing. Recall a time when you two shared a good laugh over something.
144. Write a physical description of your mother. Write as if you were looking at a movie rather than a photograph.
145. Concentrate on a particular habit that your mother has and write about it.
146. If you had three wishes, what would they be? (Do not ask for three more wishes) journal writing prompts
147. What is something special and/or different about you? Why do you think it is special or different?
148. Write about two things that your family has taught you.
149. Write about some of the things that you worry about.
150. Describe a happy memory of your family. journal writing prompts
151. How do you know someone loves you, even if he or she doesn’t say it?
152. Name one thing you like about yourself and why you like it.
153. Imagine yourself as a teacher. What type of student would you like to teach and why?
154. Name and describe a teacher who made a difference in your life. What did that teacher do that was so special?
155. What makes you proud to be an American?
156. Describe the one thing that gives you the most comfort.
157. If you could be a character in any book, TV show, or movie, who would you be and why?
158. If you had to work in any store at your favorite mall, which store would it be and why?
159. Describe the most difficult thing about being your age.
160. Describe one possession that means the most to you.
161. Who is the most important role model in your life?
162. Describe your best personality trait.
163. If you could study one subject in school that wasn’t offered, what would it be and why?
164. If you had a chance to live anywhere you could, where would it be and why?
165. Write about the pros/cons of year-round school or a four-day school week.
166. Write about your favorite sport.
167. Is the school year too long? Too short? Why?
168. What does your summer usually consist of?
169. Who should be paid more, professional athletes or teachers? Why or why not?
170. What class do you enjoy the most and why?
171. Write about the worst fight you ever had with a friend.
172. If you had only one month to live, what would you do?
173. Describe your dream house.
174. Who is your favorite person to be with? Why?
175. What would be your ideal job when you grow up? Explain.
176. If you could guest star on any TV show, what would it be and why?
177. What do you think your life will be like in 10 years? 20 years?
178. Describe how you would manage your own radio or TV station.
179. What is your definition of success?
180. The saying goes, “Money cannot buy happiness.” Do you agree or disagree? Why? j
The article was originally published here.
Unit 8 Writing About A Favorite Season (opinion)
Part 1: Standards Addressed in This Activity
W.1.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.5 With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
W.1.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Part 2: Description of Activity The student will participate in prewriting activities and then write an opinion piece about a favorite season of the year. Part 3: Teacher and Student Instructions Task A: Pre-writing
1. Read picture books and/or show short videos about the seasons. Examples are given in the Resources section.
2. Ask students to think about the different kinds of things they can do during each of the four seasons. Allow time for brainstorming and sharing. Record students’ ideas on a whiteboard or chart paper. Examples are given on the next page.
Unit 8 Writing About A Favorite Season (opinion)
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Four Seasons Brainstorming Examples:
Winter Spring Summer Fall build a snowman
ride downhill on sleds
celebrate holidays
drink hot cocoa
play in a rain shower
pick flowers
watch and listen for signs of new life
my birthday
go barefoot
play outdoors
work in the garden
go swimming
go to the park
harvest a garden
go on a hayride
carve pumpkins
hide in a pile of leaves
3. Use picture books, videos, and students’ ideas to create lists of words to use in an essay: winter words, spring words, summer words, fall words. Fill in Season Words Graphic Organizer. Examples are given.
4. Ask students to fold a piece of art paper into four sections and draw a picture in each section. The pictures should show a favorite thing to do in winter, in spring, in summer, and in fall. Directions for the Student An opinion is something you believe or feel strongly about. It is neither right, nor wrong. You have opinions about lots of things: the best TV shows, your favorite sport, or the best snack. Think about the four seasons.
Which is the best?
What makes your choice the BEST season for you?
Think of as many reasons as you can. Share them with a partner. Task B: Writing Your Opinion
Students will use completed graphic organizers to write a first draft. See prompt. Guide students through the other steps of the writing process (revising, editing, publishing) once their first drafts are complete. Prompt:
What is the best season of the year: winter, spring, summer, or fall? Be sure to include 3 reasons that support your opinion. Draw a picture to go with your essay.
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Part 4: Handouts/Suggested Responses Season Words Graphic Organizer “Seasons Song” lyrics Books and Videos • Green Eyes, Abe Birnbaum • Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, Pamela Zagarenski • A Book of Seasons, Alice and Martin Provensen: a picture book on video (5:47) • 4 Seasons in a Year a catchy song that reviews characteristics of each season (2:49) • Seasons Song video: an even catchier song about characteristics of each season (4 min)
Simple Solutions© Reading Comprehension 1 – T.E.
Seasons Song Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year, Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year… Here comes the spring with the rain pouring down, Here comes the spring with the flowers in the ground, Here comes the spring with the rainbow in the sky, Here comes the spring to bring new life.
Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year, Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year… Here comes the summer with the heat from the sun, Here comes the summer with the kids having fun, Here comes the summer with the warm breeze, Here comes the summer with the trees so green.
Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year, Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year… Here comes the fall with leaves changing color, Here comes the fall with the climate getting cooler, Here comes the fall with the leaves falling down, Here comes the fall with the wind blowing loud.
Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year, Here we go, oh-oh, Seasons of the Year… Here comes the winter with the ice and the snow, Here comes the winter with the freezing cold, Here comes the winter with the days getting shorter, Here comes the winter with the nights getting longer.
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Season Words Graphic Organizer Name: Sample
WinterSpring ice snow snowman boots hat and gloves mittens hibernate freezing cold days shorter nights longer sledding blizzard snow ski flowers rainy sunny blossoms blooming bunnies birds singing
bugs rain umbrella rainbow new life warm
SummerFall sun, heat longer days warmest hot warm breeze sunshine green grass trees crops swimming barefoot outdoors outside rake leaves pile apples colder / cooler shorter days leaves
trick-or-treat color orange, red, yellow cool wind blowing
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Season Words Graphic Organizer Name:
WinterSpring
SummerFall
Unit 8 Writing About A Favorite Season (opinion) Name: What is the best season of the year: winter, spring, summer, or fall? Be sure to include 3 reasons that support your opinion. Draw a picture to go with your essay.
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Unit 8 Writing About A Favorite Season (opinion) Name: What is the best season of the year: winter, spring, summer, or fall? Be sure to include 3 reasons that support your opinion. Draw a picture to go with your essay.
Sample
I think summer is Summer the best season of all. In summer I stay outside after dark and go swimming.
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In summer I play on a baseball team with my friends. I think summer is my favorite season.
The article was originally published here.
Four Seasons (Part One)
Objective
Big Idea
Introduction
Gather students on the rug using a preferred classroom management technique. I like to use my “Stop, look, listen.” The students stop what they are doing, look at me and listen for the direction. I usually preface the direction with, “When I say go…” This reminds the students to listen to the whole direction before moving to follow the directive.
In this case I would say, “When I say go I would like you to clear your space, push in your chair and go take a spot on your dot. Walking feet go.” By saying walking feet I am reminding the students to use walking feet in the classroom to ensure safe movement between areas.
When the students are over on the rug I tell them we are going to be moving to the song I Love it When It Snows, by Betsy Q. I have the students stand up and do washing machine arms to make sure they will not get in anyone else’s way. “This song allows you to make up your own actions but remember your body is in your control you tell it what to do, so I should see everyone keeping their actions in control.” Saying this reminds the students they should be focused on the lesson at hand.
Once the song is over I have the students take a seat back on their spots.
“We were moving like different kinds of weather, now we are going to watch a little video which will give you a clue about today’s lesson.” I have the video clip Four Seasons in a Year sung by Harry Kindergarten Music already loaded onto the SMARTBoard ready to play.
I like this one because it has a guessing game in it along with a variety of clues mentioned out loud (auditory learners).
I use these songs to get my student thinking about the seasons which will help them to make a connection to the signs of the different seasons they will see throughout the book in the activity part of the lesson.
Activity
After the video is over I have the students focus back on me ready to listen to the story The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons.
“The title of this book is The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree, and it was written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons. If the title of my book is The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree what do you think this book will be about?”
I select one or two students to answer this question and have them explain their thinking to the rest of the class. “That’s interesting; Bryan thinks this book will be about an apple tree and a kid named Arnold. Why do you think that Bryan?”
“Well done; Bryan thinks there will be an apple tree because the title mentions an apple tree and he sees one on the cover. He also said the cover has a boy climbing in the apple tree and a boy’s name is mentioned in the title. I think those are good pieces of evidence to support your prediction.”
Now I go ahead and read the book to the students. While reading we will stop and have discussions about words we do not know, predict what will come next and also discuss the different things that Arnold is doing during the four seasons. For example, “Why is Arnold wearing a long sleeved shirt in the fall?” “”Is the swing really for the tree? Why not”
Discussing vocabulary words in context and events as they happen helps the students comprehend the story. Good story comprehension will enable the students to recall the story events in more detail.
When the book is over I explain to the students that over the next two days they will be making an apple season book of their own. I tell the students that today they will just be gluing the pieces into their books and writing the title.
Tomorrow they will glue details on each page to reflect the seasonal changes of the tree. They will also label the pages with the appropriate season. I show the students my book as an example. This allows my visual learners to have a better understanding of the assignment. I point out the fact that my name appears in the title on the cover because it is my tree book. “See how the title read’s “The Seasons of Mrs. Clapp’s Apple Tree? That is because this is my book of seasons.”
I tell the students they will have all kinds of resources to use at the table. There will be the book we just read, my example, and also a word bank of seasonal words. They will be allowed to use whatever resource they need to complete the assignment. I ask the students, “Do I need to rush through this assignment and get it done in one day?”
“You are right you do not need to rush because you have two days to do this assignment.”
I dismiss the students over to Integrated Work Stations one table at a time.
“Table number one, go have some apple book fun.
Table number two, you know what to do.
Table number three, hope you were listening to me, and
Table number four, shouldn’t be here anymore.”
Over at the work station I have the base books (these consist of one full sheet of copy paper and four half sheets stapled to the full size piece) already made up; enough for one for each students. I have green construction tree tops (enough for each student to have four – one for the title page, one for spring, one for summer and one for fall), a brown construction tree trunk, pencils, scissors and glue.
Students working on title page of their tree book.
Today the students glue the brown tree onto the last page (the full size piece of copy paper). Next they glue one green tree top onto each of the four half pages. Once the gluing is done I have the students get to work writing the title on the first green tree top on the first page. When the students are writing I tell them, “Now remember this is your apple tree book so instead of writing The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree, you will write your name instead. This will help us remember whose tree is whose.”
Allow 15-20 minutes for this part of the lesson.
The importance of retelling books
Closure
When the time is up I blow two short blasts on my whistle and use the “Stop, look listen” technique mentioned above. “When I say go, I would like you to clean up your space remembering to take care of our things, push in your chair, and use walking feet to go and take a spot on your dot.”
I remind students to put their work in the “under construction” bin because we will be completing this assignment tomorrow. This is what the books look like so far
Student Sample 1 Student sample 2
Once everyone is seated on their spot I tell the students that their “exit ticket” to get their snack is to tell me their favorite season from the book we just read.
Assessment
There is no assessment today as the assignment is not complete yet.
Extensions
Have the students respond to the Favorite Season Writing Prompt “My favorite season is ______. I like this season because…”
Have the students make a season wheel. They cut out Pictures reflecting the season and glue them onto a paper plate in the correct cyclical order. Next have the students’ label the season appropriately using the Word Bank as a resource.
Mr. R’s Season Song has a nice demonstration about the cyclical nature of the seasons.
Pancake Manor Seasons Song. I like this one because it has a little guessing game in it (Visual learners)
Laura Mullane Seasons Song. My students like this one with the upbeat tune and the variety of the pictures. I also like this one because it has the word autumn which I like my students to know.
The article was originally published here.
My Favorite Season
Choosing a favorite season would be difficult because they are all special to me. They each have something to offer and are unique in every way.
Winter is one of my favorites because it is so beautiful to see everything covered with a white sheet of snow. It also cools you down from all the heat left from the summer and into the fall. You have fun with your family making snow angels and have snowball fights.
Spring is a good season because it is between winter and summer, temperatures are not too cold and not to hot. You are comfortable wearing a light jacket outside instead of a heavy warm coat. You can walk and smell the flowers beginning to flourish. The birds start chirping early in the morning. It lets you know that summer is near and so is summer vacation.
Summer is great because it’s time to hang up your shoes and relax. There is no more school and you can go to sleep late and wake up late. Relatives visit or you can visit them. You can also do some traveling and explore new places.
Relaxing in the pool on a floating lounge chair enjoying cold lemonade is the ultimate experience.
Autumn is also a great season because of all the colorful leaves falling even though they are a hassle to pick up, especially in the pools. You can have fun walking with friends and admiring the different shades of colors on the leaves. The different colors warm your soul.
Autumn is such a calm season. The leaves turn beautiful tones of yellow, orange, and red. Everyone is starting over with a new class, a new teacher, and some new friends. When you drive by the neighborhoods you notice that families are all gathered in some kind of celebration. You get such a warm feeling. It’s such a peaceful time.
Now you know why I cannot choose one of the seasons. All of them are special in every way. I love them all. I’m just glad I get to enjoy every single one.
The article was originally published here.
Seasonal dream
Posted by MarkHudson, Nov 29, 2010. 937 views. ID = 4178
This post was written in 13 minutes.
I think fall is my favourite season. i like halloween, and my birthday is november 12. after that, it starts to go downhill. But i don’t have much to say about the seasons. so i’ll write about a wierd dream i had last night.
Last night, a friend was talking about smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco. We both used to do it, but have quit for a long time. someone was talking about smoking a cigarette, getting a buzz, and then just becoming addicted all over again. so i had a dream about it.
I had a dream that i was on a veranda, like a fire escape. i went out to have a cigarette, and the door shut and locked behind me.
i smoked the cigarette, and i ssaw some people down below. so i slid down a slide, and said, ” Could you keep that door open?” and they did.
In the next scene i was in the house of a rich kid i knew from jr. high. he lived in a big house, but said he was on welfare. then we went to a garage, and my paintings were everywhere. He said, ” Wow, were these influenced by psychadelics?” and i said. ” Yup.” And it kind of reminded me of me still trying to get attention with my ego.
then in the next scene, we could see through the window that people were in this rich kid’s house. He went to get them. then all of a sudden, I was surrounded by all the people from jr. high who were considered the popular people, the people I never fit in with.
They said, ” We’re going to the Lincoln Memorial center(No such place in real life) want to go?”
And i said, ” I have no money,”
And some girl said, ” I’ll pay for it!” but I really didn’t want to go.
So in the next scene i was in a car, and i had my camera poised to take pictures of people on the streets, and i had a big wad of chewing tobacco in my mouth. As the car pulled into a parking space, there were some people right next to us, so i pulled the camera down.
As I stepped out of the car, the people were like, ” Did you take a picture of us?” And i said, ” No, I didn’t,” and I really had to spit a load of chewing tobacco out. I woke up from the dream, and i felt like I had just chewed tobacco, so I went and brushed my teeth. Thank God I don’t smoke or chew tobacco anymore!
The article was originally published here.
For upon |Writing Prompt Index
Here you can find all of our current and past Writing Prompts. By clicking on a writing prompt title you can view what members wrote, or you can write a post yourself! If you missed a writing prompt when it was current, don’t let that stop you from posting something now!
Today, write a short update about your year. You can be silly or serious. What are some things you’ve learned or accomplished in the last 12 months? What are some goals for the next 12?
Merry Christmas! Today, try writing about a traditional Christmas story from the perspective of one of the many animals involved. Whether a sheep belonging to one of the shepherds, a camel of the magi, or a reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh — how might things look from their vantage point?
Use the first line of a Christmas carol as the first line of a poem or short story.
Be a Tree
What would it be like to be rooted to the ground? To wave in the breeze? To be a home for whatever animals could find a place on you?
Write a haiku that has something to do with the Christmas season — whether about the sights and sounds, anticipation, or special traditions. Remember, a haiku is three lines long — the first and third have five syllables, and the middle line has seven.
With Christmas one month away, people are already busy putting up decorations, sending out Christmas cards, preparing for parties, and buying gifts for friends and family members.
In the United States, this Thursday is remembered as Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks for the blessings of this life.
November 11th is variously celebrated as Armistice Day, Veterans Day, or Remembrance Day.
It’s almost Halloween! Write a haiku (or a few) that describes some aspect of the holiday that you enjoy — trick-or-treating, parties, pumpkin carving, costumes, decorations, etc.
Writing has the power to evoke — to help us experience certain emotions and feelings even without mentioning them explicitly.
Potions
One fun part of the Harry Potter books is when the ingredients and outcomes of specific magical potions are described.
Write a haiku about the election process. Do you want to express frustration with the process? Could you write a political ad succinct enough to be a haiku?
Imagine you had the funds to hire a personal assistant.
Put your music player on shuffle (or just listen for the next song that comes on the radio) and take note of the first line on the first song that plays.
Write an interview you conduct with someone.
Recipes usually involve food or crafts of some sort.
Memory Movie
In a dream, a wizard leads you to a place of memories, where everything you’ve ever seen has been recorded on video. You’re given the option to pick five minutes of any memory to experience again. What would you choose and why?
Write about a secret you are keeping or have kept. Don’t give it away, but focus on why and how you kept it and/or what it felt like to keep it for as long as you did/have.
A well-known line in Semisonic’s song “Closing Time” says, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
You’ve just been informed that tomorrow you must “shadow” someone for the entire day — follow them around at their job and activities and observe everything that they do.
In honor of the FMOF administrator’s birthday today, write a birthday poem for someone.
Write a “missed connection” ad (a la Craigslist) for an encounter between two people, where one of them is trying to find and reconnect with the other.
Think of something you know how to do. It could be something unique, or something ridiculously mundane and easy.
The First Time I Saw…
Think of someone important to you, and write about the first time you ever saw them. Did you instantly connect, or was the first meeting more benign?
You’re sitting at your desk absorbed in some work, when you notice some activity out the window. As you pull up the shade, you notice birds — big ones, little ones, all different colors and shapes, flying away in large groups, and all going in the same direction. You look around, and then go to check the window on the other side of the house.
Write a haiku (or several) that conveys an image of what freedom looks like to you.
Think about the community you live in, and come up with one thing about it that you wish would be improved within the next ten years (whether social, legal, geographic, etc.).
As I look at our local weather forecast, I see that on Monday we’re expected to have temperatures in the nineties, high humidity, with thunderstorms likely.
When I was a child, at the end of the school year students would gleefully recite rude little poems like “No more pencils/no more books/no more teachers’ dirty looks.” Of course, these poems did nothing toward expressing how much our teachers positively impacted our lives.
Extraordinary Nature
As I sit here writing this, the wind is blowing, and the neighbor’s maple tree is shedding its “helicopters” (the aerodynamic seeds that flutter and spin in the wind). It’s a remarkable mechanism for spreading seed.
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for people who died serving in the armed services. Often on Memorial Day, there will be a reading of “In Flanders Fields”
My son loves inventing silly creatures. His creatures sometimes have many eyes. or giant teeth that are bigger than its body.
Have you ever had one of your hopes or dreams fulfilled? Have you ever had a hope dashed and destroyed?
Some words (like ‘orange’ and ‘purple’) don’t have many rhyming or near-rhyming pairs. Other words (like ‘May’) have many.
Funny Poem
After last week’s elegy topic, it might be nice to lighten things up a bit. While poetry has a long history of use for laments, unrequited love, and other sad topics, it has also long been used for humor. Humorous poems sometimes use forms like the limerick, but often they are just short and punchy. A lot of children’s poetry also aims for humor, such as the work of Shel Silverstein (which is of course good for any age!).
An elegy is typically a poem that deals with loss, and specifically references the poet’s thoughts and feelings on the subject. While elegies are usually somber and can be about death, they do not have to be — other serious, meditative topics can be covered as well. From the definition on Wikipedia: “For all of its pervasiveness, however, the ‘elegy’ remains remarkably ill-defined: sometimes used as a catch-all to denominate texts of a somber or pessimistic tone, sometimes as a marker for textual monumentalizing, and sometimes strictly as a sign of a lament for the dead.”
“My love is like a red, red rose…” (Burns)
April is National Poetry Month, and also National Poetry *Writing* Month! It’s a splendid time to check out a book of poetry from your local library, do a google search of your favorite poet’s works, or work on writing and polishing some poems of your own.
Egg hunts, Easter baskets, special foods, books, songs, or church services — just some of the many things that people do to observe Easter. Does your family have any Easter traditions that are special to you? Do you have memorable ones from your childhood? Or, what kind of Easter tradition might you be interested in starting now or in the future?
Eggs
It’s that time of the year when eggs are everywhere — in stores, stories, nests, Easter baskets.
“May the road rise up to meet you.
Most of us probably know the meaning of our first name. Whether your name has roots in an ancient language or was simply invented by your parents, it means something to you. What if you could write a different meaning for your name?
We’ve done many haiku writing prompts already. A “tanka” is similar to a haiku — in fact, it includes a haiku (3 lines — 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables), but includes two additional lines at the end with 7 syllables in each.
You’re walking down the street and you pass by two people who are having a conversation. All you hear as you go by is one person saying to the other, “I don’t think it will fit in my garage.” You wonder what they’re talking about — something mundane, or more unusual?
In the US, Monday is President’s Day. Who is your favorite president, either in the current era or the past? Write a paragraph telling why this president is important to you.
In the past year there have been many news stories about people displaced from their homeland.relief organizations say we currently have record-breaking numbers of people displaced due to war, famine, or disease. It’s hard to imagine what life is like for someone who has to leave everything behind.
Rewrite a Fairy Tale
It’s fun to take an existing story (a fairy tale, a fable, or some other well known tale) and revise it – either by changing the characters, the setting, or the conclusion.
What is your favorite month of the year? Is it your favorite because of the weather? Because of the holidays that occur? Or for some other reason?
An acrostic is a piece of writing (it could be a poem, but doesn’t have to be) in which the first letter of each line spells out a word, a phrase, or even the alphabet.
Sometimes we can be so set on trying to be “positive” and happy, that we try to brush away negative feelings without acknowledging them.
For the first writing prompt of the new year, find something in your house or neighborhood (or maybe your house or neighborhood itself!) that’s old, and think about what it must have been like when it was new.
Happy New Year! Many of us, aware that there is always room for improvement, are ringing in the new year with resolutions about how to be better in the coming year.
Christmas Eve can be a time of great anticipation. Many families get together on this day, and many children look forward to Christmas morning as it approaches.
You’re on the Island of Misfit Toys featured in the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special.
Probably most of us buy or make Christmas presents for friends and family during this time of year. But there are different constraints, such as time and money, that limit what we can give them.
Many animals, such as black bears, hibernate during the winter. Do you ever wish you could hibernate?
You wake up one morning and look outside to see what all the commotion is about. You are surprised to discover that overnight, the roads have changed from asphalt to a completely different paving material.
This week, people in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving — a time to gather with family and reflect on what we’re thankful for (as well as to eat a lot and watch football).
Thanksgiving Fibonacci
This week, people in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving — a time to gather with family and reflect on what we’re thankful for (as well as to eat a lot and watch football).
You’ve probably all heard the old-fashioned rhymes about children: girls are made of “sugar and spice and everything nice” while boys are made of “rats and snails and puppy-dog tails.”
You’re the owner of a hardware store, and your shelves are full of hammers, nails, wrenches, screws, saw blades, brackets, bolts, and all kinds of other tools. But you’ve just received a shipment of something brand new, that’s never been sold there before.
Imagine that all your favorite fairy tale/fictional villains attended a villain academy before finding their roles in their stories.
Your house is on fire! Let’s imagine that all other people, pets, and electronics (phones, computers) have been evacuated from the building and you have the chance to save only one other object before leaving.
The children’s picture book Sector 7 by David Wiesner is about a boy who makes friends with a cloud, and is then brought up to visit the large, secret cloud assignment station in the sky.
We sometimes have different names for seasons. For example, sometimes we call this current season “autumn,” while other times we call it “fall.”
We have many ways of keeping in contact with people these days, but for today, think of a childhood friend that you haven’t kept in contact with since childhood. Maybe one of you moved away, or you just ended up at different schools or took different paths in life.
That’s it — you’ve had it with your job! You’ve decided to go on strike.
You’re sitting in your first college class ever. You’re a bit nervous to start something new, but you feel you are prepared for the challenge. Suddenly, the class looks to the door of the room as the professor enters. You are shocked! Your new professor is none other than…
Talking Portrait
One detail in J.K. Rowling’s world of Harry Potter is that portraits of people can move and even talk.
What are some of the best and most lasting things you learned in school? Or maybe your favorite school experiences involved friendships rather than specific subjects.
What is one job that sounds the least appealing to you — sewage maintenance? Slaughterhouse? Personal assistant to a celebrity? Or you could make something up.
Your local bureau of secret superheroes is hiring! You haven’t had work in months, and need this job.
You take your young child to the pet shop for their birthday. You’re hoping they’ll pick out something small like a gerbil or a goldfish. They wander around the store until they come to a hallway at the very back, and enter through a curtain that leads them to another hallway with a strange noise echoing down it. You follow them around the corner and there, in a cage right before your eyes, is a…
You’re a world-famous chef who works in a world-famous restaurant, and you are about to unveil your newest dish to the world. This night has been booked for six months.
Happy Birthday!
We all know the “Happy Birthday” song that gets sung at parties. But doesn’t that get old after a while?
Pick an event from your life — it could be major or fairly innocuous — and write about it as if you were reporting it as a story in the news.
E.L. Konigsburg’s book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler tells the story of two siblings who hide out for a few days at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
You’re hiking in the woods one day when you’re captured by a group of gnomes. They take you back to their underground city where you meet the king of the gnomes. He says “I will release you only if you write me a poem about how great I am. Otherwise you will remain here forever.”
You walk to the mailbox one afternoon and get your mail. There’s a bill and some flyers, but suddenly a large envelope catches your eye. It’s addressed to you and decorated in garish colors and symbols.
Acceptance Speech
You are sitting in a crowded auditorium when the person on the stage announces that the winner of the _____ Award is… you!
It’s 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and you’re suddenly awakened by someone frantically ringing your doorbell. You rouse yourself and trudge to the door, a bit apprehensive about who this could be. You grab the knob and pull open the door, and there on your doorstep stands… one of your favorite fictional characters!
You won the lottery and took off to a distant location for a couple years, during which time you used your winnings to build your dream house.
“The world would be a much better place for all of us if…”
You’ve reached the ripe old age of ninety, and have decided it’s time to write your memoirs.
A Good Excuse
Your boss gave you a deadline to finish your latest project. It’s not done. But she says you can get an extension if you have a good excuse. Fortunately, your boss also has a good sense of humor.
Write a letter to someone in your past (or present) who has loved, encouraged, taught, or helped you in any way, big or small.
You’re sitting in your house when the phone rings. You answer, and are shocked to hear the voice of a famous person (and not a recording either) asking for you by name.
Welcome to the FMOF celebration of poetry month. This month we will have some fun poetry writing prompts for you. Don’t take yourself too seriously; just enjoy writing!
Welcome to the FMOF celebration of poetry month. This month we will have some fun poetry writing prompts for you. Don’t take yourself too seriously; just enjoy writing!
Poetry Month: First and Last
Welcome to the FMOF celebration of poetry month. This month we will have some fun poetry writing prompts for you. Don’t take yourself too seriously; just enjoy writing!
Welcome to the FMOF celebration of poetry month. This month we will have some fun poetry writing prompts for you. Don’t take yourself too seriously; just enjoy writing!
Welcome to the FMOF celebration of poetry month. This month we will have some fun poetry writing prompts for you. Don’t take yourself too seriously; just enjoy writing!
In a “Last Line” writing prompt, we give you the last line of a story, and it is your job to write the rest of the story.
Phrases like “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” “raining cats and dogs,” and “close, but no cigar” are idiomatic expressions – expressions that convey a meaning other than their literal sense.
Muddy March?
Massive mounds of melting snow metamorphose into messy, mucky mud, making most mortals miserable.
My son enjoys drawing dinosaurs, and often asks me to draw them as well. One time he asked me to draw a “silly dinosaur,” so I drew a dinosaur with broccoli growing out of his back, and named him “Broccolisaurus.”
I am a part time school teacher (Mondays and Wednesdays are my teaching days), but this year, because of a spate of big snowstorms, I’ve only taught two days this month.
Everyone has stories about forgetting things. Last week, for instance, I forgot to create a new writing prompt until Sunday morning, so some of you didn’t find a new prompt when you visited the site early Sunday.
“I have a date for Valentine’s Day. It’s the same date I always have: February 14th!”
Will it be a long winter? A short winter? Apparently it’s up to a groundhog to make that decision for us.
A “First Line” writing prompt is a writing prompt in which we give you a starting sentence, and you have to complete the story.
Winter Poem
This week’s writing prompt is very open-ended. Pick an aspect of winter, pick a poetry form, and combine the two.
Tomorrow in the United States we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King was a civil rights activist. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech contains the following line: “Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.”
As I’m writing this, we just finished shoveling out from a two-foot blizzard. I’m grateful for snowplows and snowblowers, and recognize that I’m a bit spoiled compared to previous generations.
As a child I heard people talk about “the ball dropping” on New Year’s Eve. The first time I saw it happen, I was horribly disappointed, because I had supposed it would be a giant ball in free-fall, crashing into the ground. The reality did not live up to my expectations.
Christmas week is probably a tough week to find time for writing, so this week the goal is to – as quickly as possible – put down sentences, phrases, and ideas that give a good picture of what Christmas was like for you.
Every year there is one toy that every child wants to have, and stores will sell out with days left until Christmas, leaving parents in a panic.
Think of a favorite childhood Christmas song, and create a parody of it. Maybe you’ll turn Rudolf into a moose, Santa into an oompa-loompa, or Frosty into a Christmas Sasquatch.
Toddler Conversation
In our house, some of our most laugh-inducing moments involve things that our kids (both under the age of five) tell us or ask us about.
We often have writing prompts about giving thanks during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. This week we’d like to write about the Thanksgiving holiday you just experienced.
The Pilgrims were called pilgrims because they were on a pilgrimage, or journey. There are many types of pilgrimages, and although the word often carries the idea of a religious journey, it does not have to be religious; it is a journey to a place associated with someone or something well known or respected.
Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, let’s try our hand at writing a Thanksgiving Acrostic. An acrostic is poetry or prose in which a certain letter appears in each line.
In the Biblical book of James, James writes this: “the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation.” (James 1:9-10)
Every year children (and grown-ups) carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns to decorate their home.
Historical Event
Pick an event from history that you’ve always found interesting, and write about that event. Use your own creativity to fill in details of the event.
Often our writers will write about their own faith/religion (or lack thereof), but we’ve never had a writing prompt specifically about faith.
Blank verse has a specific meter, but no rhyme, which makes it a little easier to rhyme than rhyming poetry. Blank verse often written in Iambic Pentameter, though that is not absolutely required.
Have you read any good books lately? If not, you should! Reading great books may inspire you and give you insight into writing.
With the presidential debates coming up, what are the subjects you’d like to see addressed?
Haiku is poetry with a sequence of five, seven, and five syllables, often with the last line of the poem forcing the reader to look at the previous lines in a different perspective.
My Summer Vacation
One of the first assignments many students have to do upon their return to school in the fall is writing an essay titled, “What I did during my summer vacation.”
School is beginning, and students are eager (maybe) to learn. For this week, you are the teacher. But you’re not teaching a “traditional” class. No, you are going to invent your very own course.
Summer is drawing to a close, and fall is almost here.
Different people enjoy different elements of writing fictional stories. Some enjoy the technical elements of the plot, while others prefer writing about scene details or conversations. One perk of inventing a fantasy world (or writing about a futuristic time period) is that you get to invent names for your characters that no one has ever heard before.
Some websites with local sections allow users to post “missed connections” — messages to people they saw or encountered in which they were unable (or chose not to) formally meet and/or exchange contact information.
Me in a Museum
I wonder how many people who are featured in museums knew they would be honored in such a way. Betsy Ross may not have known just how much she was making history when she sewed the American flag. Ancient peoples had no idea that their tools and everyday artifacts would one day end up in museums for all of us to look at.
An obituary is a way of summarizing the life and accomplishments of a person who has recently died, as well as mentioning the close family members who have predeceased and survived them.
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We’ve occasionally done “first line” writing prompts, in which we give you a starting line, and ask you to finish the story or poem. This time, however, we’re going to do it backwards, by giving you the last line.
During the summer months, families will be visiting oceans, lakes and ponds. Everyone will play on the beach, dip their feet in the waves, or go for a swim. But what kinds of horrible creatures might rise up from the depths to ruin your quiet day at the beach?
One of the more popular pieces of writing on this site is an alternate history story about George Washington: George Washington’s Secret Hobby.
Very Punny
A pun is a play on words, in which two similar (or identical) sounding words are used to produce a humorous result. For example, If a forester is not getting enough clients, his business would need to branch out. This double-pun takes advantage of the similarity of “would” and “wood”, plus the multiple definitions of “branch.”
A quatrain is a series of four lines of poetry, typically with rhymes on alternating lines. (Here is an article explaining more about quatrains: Quatrains).
Summer is upon us, and roadside ice cream stands are opening everywhere. If you were able to create your own flavor, what would it be?
C.S. Lewis once cautioned writers to be careful of overusing adjectives. “Instead of telling us the thing is ‘terrible’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description.”
C.S. Lewis once cautioned writers to be careful of overusing adjectives. “Instead of telling us the thing is ‘terrible’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description.”
Lost and Found
When people lose something important to them, they may put an advertisement in a paper, or put posters around town, in hopes of finding the lost item.
Have you ever tried to write a poem in which every line ends with the same rhyme? It can be a good challenge to your poetry writing skills.
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at the beginning adjacent or closely connected words. For example, “Timmy Tiger talked triumphantly about tennis.”
Today is May 1st, a day that is often referred to as “May Day” – a day of dancing, feasting, and singing. Interestingly, the French word “M’aidez” (which is pronounced the same as “May Day”) has become the international distress signal.
Think of an ordinary, inanimate object that you use on a regular basis, such as a coffee mug, a chair, a computer, or your house.
First Line Writing Prompt
Write a poem or a story that uses the following as its first line. If you are writing a poem, you may tweak the wording to fit whatever meter you are using.
We can’t celebrate the return of spring without asking for a seasonal haiku!
April 1st is referred to as “April Fools’ Day” (even though it is not an official holiday anywhere in the world). It is a day for tricking people with practical jokes and hoaxes.
If you were going to create a new national holiday, what would it be, and why?
Where I live, we joke that between winter and spring there is another season called “Mud Season.”
According to some Irish folklore, if a leprechaun is trapped, he is required to either grant three wishes, or to speak truthfully when asked questions like, “Where do you keep your treasure?”
New Appliance Invention
New things are being invented all the time to make our daily lives easier. Or maybe they’re invented to get us to spend our money.
What would happen if characters from two different stories met up? What would they talk about? What would they do?
As I write this writing prompt, the snow is falling outside, and I find myself wondering, is there anything else I’d rather have fall from the sky instead of snow? Rain? Meatballs?
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day for celebrating love and romance (and for spending money on candy and flowers)!
We’re halfway between the Iowa Caucus and Presidents’ Day, so let’s get a little bit political this week.
My eleventh grade English teacher required each of his students to write “how to” essays – essays that explained in very clear terms how to perform everyday tasks like tying shoes, organizing books on a book shelf, changing batteries in a flashlight, or baking a loaf of bread.
In recent weeks there have been several celebrity deaths due to cancer – David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Dan Haggerty.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday this week is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. We celebrate his life, and the gains he helped bring about in the civil rights movement.
In case you didn’t know, we have a “Grab Bag” feature on the site, which lets you choose one or more random words to include in your writing. This writing prompt makes use of the “Grab Bag,” but additionally, you have an assigned topic.
I recently saw an article in which a columnist made 10 predictions about social and political events in 2016. What do you think the year 2016 will hold for us all?
For a month and a half, we’ve been hearing Christmas songs, both sacred and secular wherever we go. But there ought to be a song for the week AFTER Christmas!
Churches around the world celebrate the Advent Season – a time of anticipation leading up to the celebration of the Nativity. For many, the celebration revolves around these four themes: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Churches around the world celebrate the Advent Season – a time of anticipation leading up to the celebration of the Nativity. For many, the celebration revolves around these four themes: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Advent Themes – Part Two
Churches around the world celebrate the Advent Season – a time of anticipation leading up to the celebration of the Nativity. For many, the celebration revolves around these four themes: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Churches around the world celebrate the Advent Season – a time of anticipation leading up to the celebration of the Nativity. For many, the celebration revolves around these four themes: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many gifts and blessings we have received in life.
Thanksgiving time is great for us humans, but what about all those berries, fruits, grains and game that we gobble down in large quantities; how do you think they feel about the feast?
“Kevin woke up that morning to a strange hooting sound coming from his front lawn. He opened his door and saw…”
Surprising Rhymes
Currently one of my favorite song writers is a man named Andrew Peterson, who has a penchant for putting rhymes in surprising places. On his most recent album, he has this line: “I want to say I’m sorry that I drew the line/I built the wall, the fault is mine.” It’s easy to see the line/mine rhyme, but when you listen to it, you realize that “wall” and “fault” have a strong slant-rhyme function.
According to military.com, our military is made up of five armed service branches: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. But what if there was another? Maybe the Unicorn Riders? Or the Tech Brigade?
I love reading Dr. Seuss books to my little boy – especially “Fox in Socks” and “One Fish, Two Fish.”
Do you enjoy cooking? Do you like to follow other peoples’ recipes, or invent your own?
Nobody seems to be satisfied with plain, simple coffee any more. New flavors spring up like weeds. Can you invent your own flavor?
Often we ask people to write sonnets, haiku, or quatrain’s about Fall. Somehow, it seems fitting to have a “serious” poetic form when talking about fall.
In many schools, students run for office in their class – class president, treasurer, etc.
Stream of Consciousness
Stream of consciousness is a phrase used to describe the flow of a person’s thoughts in response to events and stimuli. It is also used to describe a literary device in which a character’s narrative appears to be stream of consciousness.
Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a baby?
We’re back, after a summer away from creative new writing prompts each week. Now it’s time to get back into the swing of writing! Here’s our first new writing prompt for the fall:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Summer of Current Events #8
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Summer of Current Events #2
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Open your favorite newspaper or news site and pick an article from the front page. Now pick one of the following:
Last week’s writing prompt was to write a keynote address for a graduation. Keynote addresses are often wordy, so now we want you to go the other direction: succinct!
Graduation season is upon us. High schools and colleges everywhere have lined up famous or beloved speakers to address the graduates on the special occasion.
We constantly get scam calls from “Bridget” or “Rachel” or someone else at the fictitious “Card Services” (ask them, sometime where they’re located, and see how long it takes before they hang up!)
Write a letter to your city council, trying to persuade them that the city needs a new ____ (you fill in the blank…hospital? playground? homeless shelter?)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Your neighbor has been dumping his dead leaves in your yard. Or maybe his teenage son’s garage band has been playing at 2:00 in the morning. Or maybe his yard looks like a cross between a hurricane and a junk yard.
You are an employer who has just interviewed someone for a position. The only problem is, the application had absolutely none of the skills required to do the job.
“Thirty white horses on a red hill/First they champ/Then they stamp/Then they stand still.” This is an example of a riddle poem in which the poem is used to disguise the nature of the object described. In this case, the answer to the riddle is: teeth!
In an acrostic poem, the first letter of each line can be used to spell out a word. The word should be in some way related to the theme of your poem.
Answer the questions below, and then incorporate your answers into a single poem.
A couplet’s a poetic pair of lines/That share a common meter, and that rhyme.
April First is a day to play pranks on friends and family.
With a toddler and a newborn in the house, we’re always re-inventing nursery rhymes, often to give our children a starring role in them (in our versions, it was Toby, not Yankee Doodle who went to town, and who sat on a wall).
Ides of March
March 15th (the Ides of March) is remembered as the day of Julius Caesar’s assassination. “Beware the Ides of March,” a soothsayer warned him, but the warning made no difference.
Write a poem or story from the perspective of a child who is always bored.
II Corinthians 9:6 states, “He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
Write a poem or short story that begins with the line below (if writing a poem, feel free to modify it to fit a rhythm/rhyme pattern).
As I write this, snow is coming down, swirling and blowing in the wind.
Hollywood’s propensity for “rebooting” film series is getting a bit silly; it seems that once a movie has been released, studios don’t even have the decency to wait a decade before rebooting the series.
February of 2015 is considered a “perfect month” because it starts on the first day of the week, and ends on the last day of the week.
Blank Winter Verse
Write a poem about some aspect of winter, using Blank Verse.
In the wintertime, I get tired of hearing the same forecasts over and over again: freezing rain, snow, blizzard, more freezing rain, sleet, etc.
Have you recently read a book that you want to convince your friends they should read in the coming year?
An old Irish blessing states, “May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”
Father Time is running behind schedule for his appointment to welcome in the New Year.
It’s been seven years since we asked our writers to do Christmas Haiku.
Office Christmas parties can be a lot of fun. Or they can be awkward and uncomfortable.
Write a story or poem that makes use of all of the following words: Christmas, merchandise, conjure, small-claims court, poison ivy.
Mnemonics
Mnemonics are “a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something.” For example, musicians remember “Every good boy deserves fudge” as a way of remembering the line notes on a staff: E, G, B, D, and F. Mnemonics exist for a multitude of subjects, including: the number of days in each month, the planets of the solar system, the digits of pi, and many, many more.
At Thanksgiving, we often express gratitude and appreciation for things that are happening now, but this year at Thanksgiving, we’d like you to write about something from history that you are thankful for. Your writing can be either poetry or prose.
Colors often evoke feelings in people. Soft, warm colors can remind us of calm and quiet, while bright, fluorescent colors can seem loud and boisterous.
November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States. It’s a day when we remember and honor those among us who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
When Daylight Savings Time comes around, we often speak of it as “losing” or “gaining” an hour, even though we know that the hour is simply “borrowed” from a later date, and not any kind of magic time travel.
Alfred Hitchcock once said, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”
Talking Pets
Imagine that you woke up one day to discover that your pet could speak English (or you could speak Pet).
Tomorrow is Columbus day, and this holiday always generates discussion about whether we should have a holiday celebrating Columbus at all.
Some people know that Fall is just around the corner because they saw a leaf that was orange. Some know because they saw Halloween candy at the grocery store.
What is your earliest memory from your childhood? Is it vivid? Vague? Traumatic? Happy?
Alliteration is the repetition of a sound at the beginning of adjacent or nearby words.
For last week’s writing prompt you invented and described your own fantasy creature (if you didn’t, it’s not too late; go back to last week’s prompt and add your description!).
Strange Creatures – Part One
Fantasy writing is filled with strange creatures like ents, hobbits, dragons, wookies, fauns and centaurs.
It may seem strange to have a “Labor Day” writing prompt in August, but tomorrow, the first day of September, is Labor Day!
It’s time for our yearly “Back to School” writing prompt!
“One fine morning, I stepped outside…”
In my mind, certain foods are associated with summer. Last week we had boiled lobster, and tonight we’re having corn on the cob.
Suppose you could meet one famous person from any era of history. What would you talk about?
In a message to me earlier this week, du courage used the phrase “scarcity fuels creativity.”
Mind reading is a plot element that occurs in both fantasy and science fiction writing. What do you think life would be like for someone who can read minds?
In his novel “Les Miserables,” Victor Hugo spends a few chapters talking about “argot” – the street language of the criminal elements of Paris. According to Hugo, the street slang was very metaphorical. For example, a saw was called a “fandango” because if you used it to cut the chains on your feet, you would be able to dance again.
Summer Fibonacci
A Fibonacci poem uses the terms of a mathematical sequence as the number of syllables per line. You can read the details of Fibonacci sequences here: Fibonacci Poems.
Going to the beach, whether it’s a pond, a lake, or the ocean beach, is a common summer activity.
Dr. Seuss wrote “Green Eggs and Ham” using a very simple vocabulary; there are exactly 50 unique words in the entire book (most of the words get repeated several times).
Today is Father’s Day! What are your favorite childhood memories of your father?
One moment in time can change everything. Some moments in life are big and memorable, but most are small and mundane. That is where the majority of life happens.
The sound of birds singing can be reminiscent of early mornings and the start of a new day, or the coming of spring when there are more birds to chirp and make noise. But what are they saying? What is all that singing for?
In Douglas Adam’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the mice were the intelligentsia of the universe.
The Onion is a satirical news site which provides amusing, made-up news stories.
Imagine that you have been invited to perform an original song at the Grammys.
Set for Life
Imagine that you won the lottery, and had enough money to live in luxury for the rest of your life.
April is National Poetry Writing Month, so we will devote this month to poetry writing prompts.
April is National Poetry Writing Month, so we will devote this month to poetry writing prompts.
April is National Poetry Writing Month, so we will devote this month to poetry writing prompts.
April is National Poetry Writing Month, so we will devote this month to poetry writing prompts.
You have a whopper of a migraine, and in front of you are two different colored bottles, both labeled “cure.”
The First paragraph
Many say the most important part of any story is the first paragraph, for it is the place where you ‘set the hook’ to catch the reader’s interest.
If an alien came to visit planet Earth, how would he perceive the habits and activities of day-to-day human life?
While you are visiting the zoo, one of the animals escapes from its cage.
In golf there is an unwritten rule called a Mulligan that allows you, one time only per round, to re-hit a badly hit ball.
Write a poem that tells (in a nutshell) the story of your life.
A genie grants you three wishes, with all the standard provisos (you can’t wish for more wishes, etc.)
Valentine’s Day is near and love is in the air.
You are sitting in your living room when suddenly it is flooded with water. There is a trap door in the ceiling, and another in the floor.
One of our writers recently commented to me that it must be difficult to come up with a new writing prompt each week. Guess what! It is difficult!
Ogden Nash often wrote short poems about animals, such as this one: The Lord in His wisdom made the fly, And then forgot to tell us why.
Do you live in a cold climate or a hot one? Or maybe a bit of both? Which do you prefer?
Last week you wrote a farewell to 2013; this week it’s time to say “Hello” to 2014.
Farewell to 2013
The year 2013 will end soon – what was the highlight of the year for you?
When we put a Christmas tree in, it’s not just the sight of it that evokes memories and emotions of Christmas – it’s also the smell of the tree!
In Greek mythology, Narcissus discovered his reflection in a pool and was so enamored of it that he refused to look away, and eventually died there. From this story we get the word narcissism.
New words get added to dictionaries every year. Those words must come from somewhere – why not from you?
A radio station in our area started playing 24/7 Christmas music a week before Thanksgiving, and I realized that by the time Christmas arrives, there are going to be some songs that I am really sick of.
This month in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving, so this will be our “month of thankfulness.”
This month in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving, so this will be our “month of thankfulness.”
This month in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving, so this will be our “month of thankfulness.”
This month in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving, so this will be our “month of thankfulness.”
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is the month of November each year. Fledgling writers are encouraged to bite the bullet and write an entire novel in one month. If you were going to write a novel, what would it be about?
Eclipse?
Last night, so I’ve been told, we had a lunar eclipse. I stepped outside at the appropriate time of the evening, and the moon didn’t look any different than usual. One might say that the news of the eclipse eclipsed the actual event.
Normally in the fall we have a “Fall Poetry” writing prompt, which encourages people to write about fall colors. This morning as I was sitting at the breakfast table, however, I was struck by how dark it is outside. Increasing darkness is another part of fall.
Thursday morning I hiked my favorite mountain. When I arrived at the parking lot at the base of the mountain, I was surprised to discover that the toll collection booth was shut down, and I didn’t have to pay. Why? Because of the government shut down!
Do you have a favorite television show? What is it? What do you like about it?
The following is the very first writing prompt that was ever posted on the site. I thought it would be fun to revisit the idea, and see what people come up with this time around!
Skies are blue, clouds are white or gray, grass is green, and in the distance there are “purple mountain majesties” on the horizon.
It wouldn’t seem right to begin the school year without a back-to-school writing prompt!
This week we celebrate Labor Day, a day set aside to commemorate and recognize the achievements and contributions of workers.
Gift Horse
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” is an idiom that comes from the fact that people would gauge the age of a horse based on how much the horse’s gums had receded. To look a gift horse in the mouth is therefore considered rude and ungrateful, as it implies doubts about the value of the gift.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language. “Like water off a duck’s back” is an idiom that indicates something happens easily, or has no visible effect.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language. “Slower than molasses” (or “slower than molasses in January” or “slower than molasses running uphill”) is an idiom that indicates someone is making very slow progress, or should hurry up.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language. “Over a barrel” is an idiom that indicates someone is in a dilemma, and has no choice in how to proceed.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language. “A stitch in time saves nine” is an idiom that reminds us that we should take care of small problems before they become large ones.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language. “The cat’s out of the bag” is an idiom that indicates that a secret has been revealed.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language.
For the summer months, our writing prompts will be based on common idioms in the English language.
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” is a proverb about not getting ahead of yourself in your planning.
A couple days ago I went on a 10 mile hike over two mountains with some family members – it was a beautiful day, and gorgeous views all around (Baldface Loop).
Skool Iz Dun
Now that the school year is almost done, some students will consider the summer months a perfect time to forget everything they’ve learned.
An idiom is an expression whose meaning is unrelated to the traditional meanings of its constituent words. For example, “kick the bucket” is an idiom about dying, even though neither “kick” nor “bucket” have anything to do with death.
It is the time of year when schools are handing out diplomas to their graduates.
John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields is often recited at Memorial Day services. The poem has been praised for its beauty, and condemned for (as one critic said) its “recruiting-poster rhetoric.”
If you don’t know what a quatrain is, you can read about it here: Quatrains.
What would the world be like if all mothers everywhere decided to go on strike?
“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re going to get.” This is the first line in Orson Scott Card’s beloved Ender’s Game.
T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.”
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis begins with this line: “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in his bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.”
Have you ever gone into a classroom to take a test, and felt as though you were totally unprepared?
Recycle Me!
We recycle paper, aluminum cans, print cartridges, and much more. But what would it be like if we recycled people?
In Colorado Springs, an Easter Egg hunt was canceled due to the aggressive behavior of “helicopter parents” – hovering parents who were determined to help their children get their share of eggs.
For those who don’t remember Fibonacci Poems, they are poems in which the number of syllables per line follow this pattern: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8. (Here’s one I wrote last year: Easter Fibonacci.)
Saint Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock as an object lesson to teach about the Christian doctrine of the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). In doing this, he was following in the footsteps of Jesus, who also used ordinary objects in nature, like fig trees, fish, and mountains to teach lessons.
Pi Day is March 14th. Why? Because March 14th is 3-14, or 3.14. At my school we celebrate Pi Day by eating pie…which is much nicer than eating pi, I suppose.
Last week we posted our newest game on The Problem Site: What Is Wrong?. The object is to find all the mistakes (usually grammar, spelling or punctuation) in the pictures we post.
I just drove from Fort Kent (northern Maine) to the southern part of the state – in a snowstorm. It wasn’t fun.
George Orwell’s classic novel 1984 begins with the following sentence: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
Can you believe we haven’t had a Valentine’s Day writing prompt since 2008? I must be the Valentine Scrooge. Or the Valentine Grinch.
Superbowl 2013
Okay, honestly, I’m not much of a football (American football) fan, and I probably wouldn’t even know when the Superbowl is this year, except that I saw it on facebook.
In the past we’ve asked people to write poems about winter, but often writers focus on snow, holidays, and winter sports.
Here are three quotations about contentment: “That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” (Thoreau), “The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” (Oppenheim), and “Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.” (Condorcet).
This week, several of our websites (including this one) have been experiencing some technical difficulties.
The Alphabet song is used to teach children their ABCs. Tom Lehrer wrote a song to teach the periodic table of elements.
If you go to Google and begin typing “All good things,” Google will suggest the following search phrases: “All good things come to an end,” “All good things come to those who wait,” and “All good things come from God.”
The song says, “All I want for Cwithmuth is my two fwont teef, so I can wish you a Mewwy Cwithmuth!”
Around Christmastime, people are always singing and dreaming about a White Christmas. Of course, depending on where in the world you live, you may never see a white Christmas.
Currently our weather forecast says that we’re going to get snow overnight, followed by sleet, followed by rain. In other words, an ugly mess.
Tick Tock
They say that “time flies when you’re having fun.” Of course, if you anthropomorphize time as “Father Time,” that gives a rather amusing image!
It seems strange to me that a day set aside for gratitude and thanksgiving is immediately followed by a day that has become the symbol of greed, consumerism, and selfishness.
For this Thanksgiving season, write one or more quatrains about the Thanksgiving holiday, or about thankfulness in general.
Recently I joked that we should nickname our little baby boy “Fuss Lightyear,” because he has been fussing so much lately.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of the election season, between all the pollsters, mailings, phone calls, signs, and general all-around mudslinging.
Some people love small town life, while others insist they could never live far from the hustle and busyness of city life.
The Canadian Irish singing group “The Irish Rovers” theorized that unicorns once existed, but no longer do, because they were off playing by themselves when Noah was herding animals onto the ark.
Unlike trees, which have very long life expectancies, houseflies live for a very short time. A month is a long life for a fly.
It is believed (based on growth rings) that a tree in Nevada was over 4,000 years old when it was felled in 1964.
Every year we have a writing prompt about the fall season.
I’m Sorry
The phrase “I’m sorry” is a powerful one; it can make a dramatic difference in relationships.
Everyone needs a little bit of time to have some peace and quiet, and just unwind.
On Friday, Laura had her last day of work, because our son is due to be born in the next two weeks. She said that although she’s glad to be finished, it was a little bittersweet to be saying goodbye.
Every year we have a “back to school” writing prompt in September.
G.K. Chesterton once said, “Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”
Hot air balloons have featured prominently in works by Jules Verne and L. Frank Baum.
Limericks have 5 lines, with lines 1,2, and 5 rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 rhyming. The meter is generally anapestic (or amphibrachic, if you want to look up that term!) Here’s an example I wrote a couple days ago: Not Breech Anymore
“When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.”
Bug Poem
It’s that season of the year when all the bugs are out in full force.
Many camps encourage campers to write letters home while they’re away at camp.
Have you ever spent a week (or maybe even a whole summer) at a summer camp?
Most people have one or more poems that they consider to be favorites. Maybe they’re funny, have a catchy rhythm/rhyme, or maybe they’re very serious and thought provoking.
This week many people in the United States will be celebrating our Independence Day with picnics, parades, family gatherings, and fireworks.
It seems we can’t get through the month of June without having at least one end-of-school writing prompt.
This week we celebrate Father’s Day – a day to honor and show respect for fathers.
Last week we had ridiculous amounts of rain, but now as I sit here writing this, it’s a beautiful, warm sunny day!
Where I live (western Maine), The National Weather Service says that we could get upwards of three inches of rain this weekend.
No one is surprised by gardens that contain onions, potatoes, carrots, or pumpkins. But imagine a garden that grew whatever you wanted: pencils, sofas, computers, or even a kitchen sink!
Mount Olympus
In Greek Mythology, twelve gods and goddesses (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Hermes) lived in a palace at the top of Mount Olympus.
Pick a color. Write a poem about this color. But you aren’t allowed to use the name of your color in your poem.
Next Sunday is Mother’s Day – a day to celebrate and express appreciation for mothers.
In the past, you may have done a writing prompt in which you had to imagine that you are an animal, and write about a day in your life. Now it’s time to turn that idea upside-down.
The following is a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book The Little Prince
A Hinkety Pinkety is a pair of rhyming three-syllable words. These are usually combined with a clue to create a riddle. For example: If two drums are conversing, what is it called? It’s a percussion discussion.
Today is Easter. In a lot of people’s minds, Easter is associated with rabbits, and in a lot of mathematicians’ minds, rabbits are associated with Fibonacci Numbers.
I sometimes wonder why parents would sing such traumatic words as these to their children: “When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, and down will fall baby, cradle and all.”
Proofreading
If you’ve visited Laura’s game Proof It! on her proofreading site, you know that there are many easy mistakes to make in writing, like using “they’re” when you meant “there” or “their,” or putting an apostrophe in “its” when you don’t intend it to be a contraction.
A proverb is a pithy statement that conveys an important meaning in a memorable way. The examples below (from the Bible, Proverbs 25) use similes to help make the meaning memorable. “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.” and “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.”
Ogden Nash was well known for his silly animal poems. One of his most well known is The Octopus: “Tell me, O Octopus, I begs / Is those things arms, or is they legs? / I marvel at thee, Octopus; / If I were thou, I’d call me Us.”
At 3:30 this morning I woke up and suddenly thought, “I didn’t prepare a writing prompt for this week, and people always look for it Sunday morning!” Fortunately, most people aren’t up this early in the morning, so it wasn’t a big deal to get something posted before any of you missed it!
The Riddle of the Sphinx
The sphinx was a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a human head. The riddle of the sphinx was “What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two in the day, and three in the evening?” Travelers who couldn’t correctly answer the riddle were devoured by the sphinx.
Tonight the students at the academy where I teach are going to be performing a ‘Comedy Night’ – an evening of short skits for the whole family.
Write a short story using the following as your first line (you may change the name and gender of the character if you choose).
In Madeleine L’Engle’s book A Wind in the Door, some of the characters were tiny organelles in the human body (mitochondria).
Winter is a season that brings both good and bad, from beautiful, snowy scenery and winter sports to cold temperatures and high heating costs.
When Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, it was significantly different from the speech he had on the page in front of him. A spectator called out, “Tell them about the dream, Martin,” which prompted him to deviate from the prepared speech.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech contains lines such as, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Have you ever had a difficult time making a decision about something?
A Week Later…
Sometimes we get Christmas presents we really wanted; other times we get gifts we wouldn’t wish on a rabid raccoon.
It’s the day children have been anxiously awaiting all month…and maybe even longer!
Some Christmas ornaments are generic, while others can have special meaning and significance to you and your family.
All around you during the month of December you will be bombarded by the sounds of Christmas carols from stores, elevators, cars, and maybe in your home as well.
In the Christian Calendar, Advent Season includes the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent means “arrival.” It is the season when we celebrate both the first coming and the second coming of Christ.
The article was originally published here.
3 Activities to Get to Know Your Students as Writers
There is nothing more exciting than getting to know your new students during the first few days and weeks of school! When I think about back to school lesson planning,
I am always eager to create lessons that allow me to get to know my students on both personal and academic levels. Knowing your students’ interests, hobbies and experiences are especially important for writing teachers. Students succeed when they write about what they know about and what interests them. It is equally important for writing teachers to get to know new students as writers. The following activities are a great way to get to know your new batch of students on both levels.
Discuss Struggles that Writers Face
I love incorporating picture books into as many lessons across the curriculum as possible, especially during back to school season. Read alouds provide so many opportunities for discussions and meaningful discourse among the students. My favorite book to read during my first writing block is Rocket Writes A Story by Tad Hills. (Appropriate for grades 2-4) This book focuses on the main character who goes through different phases of the writing process from brainstorming ideas, to collecting meaningful words to finally writing his piece.
The students always connect with the main character as he faces different struggles that all writers face.
Discussion topics found in this book include how to become a better writer, what happens if you have writer’s block, finding inspiration for writing stories, and how to add juicy words to your writing. Following a read-aloud of this book and discussing these topics, I create an anchor chart with my students about “Struggles Writers Face”.
First, we list the struggles that they have faced in the past, then we work together to brainstorm ways to fix them. This is a great anchor chart to leave up all year long as it will be helpful for the students each time you begin a new writing unit. These activities work great following the read-aloud of Rocket Writes A Story but can also be done without reading this book. (You can grab all the materials for this activity for FREE HERE)
Create Anchor Charts: What Do Good Writers Do?
After discussing the struggles that writers face, our next lesson is focused on what good writers do. Students are paired up and tasked with creating a list of what they think good writers do. I love this activity because it completely validates all of the writing skills and ideas that the students are coming to you with from previous years. I create a list of what I think good writers do ahead of time and do not share it with the students until the students have shared their ideas.
After they have had time to brainstorm with their partner, we then we create an anchor chart together about what good writers do. The students’ ideas usually match my prewritten list of ideas, but if it doesn’t having a prewritten list ahead of time will help to you to include the key ideas you want students to know. Immediately following this activity and discussion, students are given time to create an illustration of themselves as writers.
They are encouraged to draw themselves in their favorite spot to write, surrounded by all of their must-have writing tools. These finished products are perfect for your back to school writing bulletin board. Be sure to save these illustrations and add them to your students’ writing portfolios at the end of the school year! (You can grab all the materials for this activity for FREE HERE)
Collect Meaningful Writing Samples
It is so important to gather writing samples from your students during the first week of school. This does not mean that students have to sit and write to a timed prompt. What it does mean is to gather as many different writing samples as possible before you begin your first writing unit. This includes graphic organizers and student editing and revising checklists, too. All of these samples will help you to get to know your students as writers and allow you to be able to set meaningful writing goals for your students.
The first writing unit that I teach is personal narrative writing, so the samples I collect are personal narrative writing. For this, I use three different writing topics at the start of the year. All three are designed to help me gather information about my students’ interests and writing abilities. The topics include summer outdoor fun, autumn adventures with friends and family, and trying new things. Three may sound like a lot, but they do not have to be long or timed. Students can work on one writing piece during a class writing period in their journals.
Another prompt can be an ongoing writing assignment during morning work, and the last can be used any way you choose including center or station activities.
Present these writing activities in a variety of ways so students are excited to complete them. Students can write short stories, create illustrations, or work with another student to write the pieces. It does not matter how these prompts are completed, the key is to collect as many samples of student writing as possible.
If you do not have time to complete three different prompts, try presenting your students with three topics and allow them to select one topic for their writing sample. (You can grab the prompts and organizers that I use for FREE HERE)
When it comes to getting to know your students as writers at the beginning of the school year remember to get to know their interests, too. By doing so, you will easily build rapport, set writing goals, and help each and every child succeed as writers in your classroom.
Be sure to grab ALL of these FREE materials to teach these lessons HERE. It includes discussion questions for Rocket Writes a Story, What Do Good Writers Do anchor chart templates, I am an Author student sheet to display, Personal Narrative writing prompts, graphic organizers, and editing and revising checklist.
The article was originally published here.
Getting-to-Know-You Writing Project
On the first day of school, I list six statements about myself. Three of the statements are true and three are false, in no particular order. I ask the students to decide which ones might be true about me. After they have made their decisions, I explain which are which. Then I have the students make six true/false statements and trade with a partner to decide which are which.
The final step is to choose one of their true statements, and use it as a topic sentence and compose a paragraph about it. I collect their writing samples and use them to get a handle on their writing ability right away on the first day. I can skim them as the next class is doing statements and paragraphs and not really have any papers to grade.
The article was originally published here.
Never, Always: A Getting-to-Know You Writing Activity
Getting to know your students allows for personal connection. At the beginning of the school year it can be difficult to get to every student in the classroom and find out everything you’d like to know. Here is a short and sweet writing lesson you can implement that gives your students the opportunity to share a little bit about themselves:
Start with the book, Never Take a Shark to the Dentist.
After reading the book, talk with your kids about different things that they would never want done to them or things that they would never do.
The next step is to have your students partner up. You can achieve this however you’d like: alphabetically, by height, etc. Both students will have a turn to participate in the activity. Once students are partnered, assign an “A” person and a “B” person.
Share with students their roles in the activity: Person A will have an allotted amount of time to interview Person B. The roles will reverse and then Person B will interview Person A.
The purpose for the interview is to allow both students time to get to know each other. Based on what they learn, they then create a personalized phrase about their interviewee.
I distribute the following template for more guided writing when necessary:
Never _______________ partner's name ___________________.
Never _______________ partner's name ___________________.
But always _________________ partner's name ________________.
After the interview process, students should be given quiet writing time to write their “Never” and “Always” phrases about their partner.
When the activity is complete, have students share what they wrote about their partner. This will give everyone in the class an opportunity to speak, listen, and learn a little more about their classmates.
The book itself is sweet and lends itself to being shared as a whole class activity. I love the expression on little faces when we read the story. I love the getting-to-know-each-other activity that follows. It is another opportunity to open the floor for student sharing and collaborative learning.
Do you have a lesson that you use with the same book? We’d love to hear more! Please share in the comment section.
Looking for more back-to-school picture book favorites? Check out this post from Genia Connell. She shares a few of my favorites and offers lesson ideas as well.
The article was originally published here.
For upon|Getting to Know Your Students
Get ready for back to school with these printables, activities, and teaching advice. Our icebreakers, classroom introduction lessons, and worksheets will help students and teachers learn about each other and feel more at ease in their new setting. Games, printables, and tips will help you learn and remember students’ names. From greeting your students to outlining educational objectives to establishing classroom rules, you’ll find the tools you need to prepare for your first day.
First Day of School Resources
Be prepared for your first day of school. With our resources to help students feel comfortable getting to know each other through fun “un-classroom-like” activities and advice for the teacher, the first day will be great!
Icebreakers
Fun activities, such as making animal noises, help ease students’ fears of getting to know each other and going to school on the first day.
Related Resources
Organizational advice, numerous resources for new teachers, and community-building suggestions are among our resources available for new and returning teachers.
The article was originally published here.