Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The authors of Write Source have moved their materials to Thoughtful Learning. Explore this great site to find free minilessons, student writing topics, and models of good writing. The writing topics are divided by grade level in elementary and intermediate, then grouped as 9-12 for high school. Each section includes many writing prompts --enough to whet the appetite of almost any student. The minilessons are a treasure! Many have a short video explanation and some have templates to print! The student models are shown by type (creative writing, persuasive, research, response to literature, business, etc.) and level. As for writing assessments see the elementary and middle school models in all of the major modes of writing, and rubrics that assess each example as "Strong," "Good," "Okay," or "Poor." Download blank rubrics to use with your students. The upper levels of this site, such as persuasive writing or literary analysis, open the door to higher level thinking. There are free curricula Teaching Guides for K-3, however, the other levels of curricula books have a cost. Though the videos display on this site, they reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): blogs (70), essays (20), writing (294), writing prompts (67)

This site developed from the Yale-New Haven Teachers' Institute offers some tried and true as well as new ways to get children writing painlessly. It walks a teacher through rationale and procedures and offers lessons for different lengths of writing, etc. Guidone offers some creative ways to get kids writing, especially reluctant learners who might need a little prodding of the imagination! While you may be familiar with some of the methods, his combinations can be surprising and thought-provoking. Definitely worth a look, despite the simple, text-only appearance of the page.

tag(s): process writing (39), writing (294), writing prompts (67)

Looking for writing prompts that are fun and geared toward social studies? Trying to reinforce content knowledge using writing? Look no further! This web site offers a great way to create writing prompts simply by clicking on an icon and receiving the luck of the draw. The teacher chooses the subject and by random selection, the web site chooses the Role, Audience, Format, Topic and Strong Verb. Students can also create their own, though it may be tricky for lower grades (might require several walk-throughs). Great for students who struggle with brainstorming writing topics.

tag(s): writing (294), writing prompts (67)

Looking for writing prompts that are fun and geared toward a science? Look no further! This web site offers a great way to create writing prompts simply by clicking on an icon and receiving the luck of the draw. User chooses the subject and by random selection, the web site chooses the Role, Audience, Format, Topic and Strong Verb. May be tricky for lower grades and will require several walk-through lessons. Great for students who struggle with brainstorming writing topics.

tag(s): writing (294), writing prompts (67)

Give elementary students some choices of creative writing topics with this interactive resource that encourages out-of-the-box thinking. Choose any of the 14 interactive games to find new ideas.

tag(s): writing (294), writing prompts (67)

Challenge your students to use their creativity with this virtual art project that guides them through the construction of an imaginary scene. Need a bit of inspiration? Investigate the origin of each of the objects used to create the student-designed picture. Each is part of a larger piece of artwork in the Tate Gallery collection. But don't stop there. Use your students' newly created works as prompts for a writing activity.

tag(s): design (85), writing (294), writing prompts (67)

The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts endeavor aimed at increasing reading and literary discussions. This site's main initiative is to address communities and aims to provide cities and towns with local programs and opportunities to read and discuss books. The resources and study guides are well-suited for teaching and encouraging reading for enjoyment as well as study. Many middle and high school books of all genres, such as Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Great Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe are featured, and are often accompanied by an online documentary film about the author and the literary work, discussion questions and topics, and lesson plan ideas (click the book cover to find these). The Big Read is continually expanding and offers grants.

tag(s): literature (223), resources (96), writing prompts (67)