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Our 2020-21 Writing Curriculum for Middle and High School

A flexible, seven-unit program based on the real-world writing found in newspapers, from editorials and reviews to personal narratives and informational essays.

Update, Aug. 3, 2023: Find our 2023-24 writing curriculum here.

Our 2019-20 Writing Curriculum is one of the most popular new features we’ve ever run on this site, so, of course, we’re back with a 2020-21 version — one we hope is useful whether you’re teaching in person , online , indoors , outdoors , in a pod , as a homeschool , or in some hybrid of a few of these.

The curriculum detailed below is both a road map for teachers and an invitation to students. For teachers, it includes our writing prompts, mentor texts, contests and lesson plans, and organizes them all into seven distinct units. Each focuses on a different genre of writing that you can find not just in The Times but also in all kinds of real-world sources both in print and online.

But for students, our main goal is to show young people they have something valuable to say, and to give those voices a global audience. That’s always been a pillar of our site, but this year it is even more critical. The events of 2020 will define this generation, and many are living through them isolated from their ordinary communities, rituals and supports. Though a writing curriculum can hardly make up for that, we hope that it can at least offer teenagers a creative outlet for making sense of their experiences, and an enthusiastic audience for the results. Through the opportunities for publication woven throughout each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply being media consumers to become creators and contributors themselves.

So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, whether to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas, or analyze culture. We can’t wait to hear what your students have to say!

Each unit includes:

Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.

We publish two writing prompts every school day, and we also have thematic collections of more than 1,000 prompts published in the past. Your students might consider responding to these prompts on our site and using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.

Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.

If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it gets published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who might read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.

Guided practice with mentor texts .

Each unit we publish features guided practice lessons, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. From how to “show not tell” in narratives to how to express critical opinions , quote or paraphrase experts or craft scripts for podcasts , we have used the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.

“Annotated by the Author” commentaries from Times writers — and teenagers.

As part of our Mentor Texts series , we’ve been asking Times journalists from desks across the newsroom to annotate their articles to let students in on their writing, research and editing processes, and we’ll be adding more for each unit this year. Whether it’s Science writer Nicholas St. Fleur on tiny tyrannosaurs , Opinion writer Aisha Harris on the cultural canon , or The Times’s comics-industry reporter, George Gene Gustines, on comic books that celebrate pride , the idea is to demystify journalism for teenagers. This year, we’ll be inviting student winners of our contests to annotate their work as well.

A contest that can act as a culminating project .

Over the years we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we want to help teachers “plan backwards” to support those projects.

All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations, or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site, and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.

Webinars and our new professional learning community (P.L.C.).

For each of the seven units in this curriculum, we host a webinar featuring Learning Network editors as well as teachers who use The Times in their classrooms. Our webinars introduce participants to our many resources and provide practical how-to’s on how to use our prompts, mentor texts and contests in the classroom.

New for this school year, we also invite teachers to join our P.L.C. on teaching writing with The Times , where educators can share resources, strategies and inspiration about teaching with these units.

Below are the seven units we will offer in the 2020-21 school year.

September-October

Unit 1: Documenting Teenage Lives in Extraordinary Times

This special unit acknowledges both the tumultuous events of 2020 and their outsized impact on young people — and invites teenagers to respond creatively. How can they add their voices to our understanding of what this historic year will mean for their generation?

Culminating in our Coming of Age in 2020 contest, the unit helps teenagers document and respond to what it’s been like to live through what one Times article describes as “a year of tragedy, of catastrophe, of upheaval, a year that has inflicted one blow after another, a year that has filled the morgues, emptied the schools, shuttered the workplaces, swelled the unemployment lines and polarized the electorate.”

A series of writing prompts, mentor texts and a step-by-step guide will help them think deeply and analytically about who they are, how this year has impacted them, what they’d like to express as a result, and how they’d like to express it. How might they tell their unique stories in ways that feel meaningful and authentic, whether those stories are serious or funny, big or small, raw or polished?

Though the contest accepts work across genres — via words and images, video and audio — all students will also craft written artist’s statements for each piece they submit. In addition, no matter what genre of work students send in, the unit will use writing as a tool throughout to help students brainstorm, compose and edit. And, of course, this work, whether students send it to us or not, is valuable far beyond the classroom: Historians, archivists and museums recommend that we all document our experiences this year, if only for ourselves.

October-November

Unit 2: The Personal Narrative

While The Times is known for its award-winning journalism, the paper also has a robust tradition of publishing personal essays on topics like love , family , life on campus and navigating anxiety . And on our site, our daily writing prompts have long invited students to tell us their stories, too. Our 2019 collection of 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing is a good place to start, though we add more every week during the school year.

In this unit we draw on many of these resources, plus some of the 1,000-plus personal essays from the Magazine’s long-running Lives column , to help students find their own “short, memorable stories ” and tell them well. Our related mentor-text lessons can help them practice skills like writing with voice , using details to show rather than tell , structuring a narrative arc , dropping the reader into a scene and more. This year, we’ll also be including mentor text guided lessons that use the work of the 2019 student winners.

As a final project, we invite students to send finished stories to our Second Annual Personal Narrative Writing Contest .

DECEMBER-January

Unit 3: The Review

Book reports and literary essays have long been staples of language arts classrooms, but this unit encourages students to learn how to critique art in other genres as well. As we point out, a cultural review is, of course, a form of argumentative essay. Your class might be writing about Lizzo or “ Looking for Alaska ,” but they still have to make claims and support them with evidence. And, just as they must in a literature essay, they have to read (or watch, or listen to) a work closely; analyze it and understand its context; and explain what is meaningful and interesting about it.

In our Mentor Texts series , we feature the work of Times movie , restaurant , book and music critics to help students understand the elements of a successful review. In each one of these guided lessons, we also spotlight the work of teenage contest winners from previous years.

As a culminating project, we invite students to send us their own reviews of a book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance performance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The Times critiques.

January-February

Unit 4: Informational Writing

Informational writing is the style of writing that dominates The New York Times as well as any other traditional newspaper you might read, and in this unit we hope to show students that it can be every bit as engaging and compelling to read and to write as other genres. Via thousands of articles a month — from front-page reporting on politics to news about athletes in Sports, deep data dives in The Upshot, recipes in Cooking, advice columns in Style and long-form investigative pieces in the magazine — Times journalists find ways to experiment with the genre to intrigue and inform their audiences.

This unit invites students to take any STEM-related discovery, process or idea that interests them and write about it in a way that makes it understandable and engaging for a general audience — but all the skills we teach along the way can work for any kind of informational writing. Via our Mentor Texts series, we show them how to hook the reader from the start , use quotes and research , explain why a topic matters and more. This year we’ll be using the work of the 2020 student winners for additional mentor text lessons.

At the end of the unit, we invite teenagers to submit their own writing to our Second Annual STEM writing contest to show us what they’ve learned.

March-April

Unit 5: Argumentative Writing

The demand for evidence-based argumentative writing is now woven into school assignments across the curriculum and grade levels, and you couldn’t ask for better real-world examples than what you can find in The Times Opinion section .

This unit will, like our others, be supported with writing prompts, mentor-text lesson plans, webinars and more. We’ll also focus on the winning teenage writing we’ve received over the six years we’ve run our related contest.

At a time when media literacy is more important than ever, we also hope that our annual Student Editorial Contest can serve as a final project that encourages students to broaden their information diets with a range of reliable sources, and learn from a variety of perspectives on their chosen issue.

To help students working from home, we also have an Argumentative Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning .

Unit 6: Writing for Podcasts

Most of our writing units so far have all asked for essays of one kind or another, but this spring contest invites students to do what journalists at The Times do every day: make multimedia to tell a story, investigate an issue or communicate a concept.

Our annual podcast contest gives students the freedom to talk about anything they want in any form they like. In the past we’ve had winners who’ve done personal narratives, local travelogues, opinion pieces, interviews with community members, local investigative journalism and descriptions of scientific discoveries.

As with all our other units, we have supported this contest with great examples from The Times and around the web, as well as with mentor texts by teenagers that offer guided practice in understanding elements and techniques.

June-August

Unit 7: Independent Reading and Writing

At a time when teachers are looking for ways to offer students more “voice and choice,” this unit, based on our annual summer contest, offers both.

Every year since 2010 we have invited teenagers around the world to add The New York Times to their summer reading lists and, so far, 70,000 have. Every week for 10 weeks, we ask participants to choose something in The Times that has sparked their interest, then tell us why. At the end of the week, judges from the Times newsroom pick favorite responses, and we publish them on our site.

And we’ve used our Mentor Text feature to spotlight the work of past winners , explain why newsroom judges admired their thinking, and provide four steps to helping any student write better reader-responses.

Because this is our most open-ended contest — students can choose whatever they like, and react however they like — it has proved over the years to be a useful place for young writers to hone their voices, practice skills and take risks . Join us!

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Free tools to make your students better writers and readers .

Quill.org, a non-profit, provides free literacy activities that build reading comprehension, writing, and language skills for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Writing Across the Curriculum: Quill's nonprofit mission is to now build both reading and writing skills through free, OER content across the curriculum. Over the coming years, we will be building a library of free ELA, social studies, and science activities that engage students in deeper thinking through writing prompts that provide immediate feedback.

9 million students have written 2 billion sentences on Quill.

Quill Reading for Evidence

Provide your students with nonfiction texts paired with AI-powered writing prompts, instead of multiple-choice questions, to enable deeper thinking.

Students read a nonfiction text and build their comprehension through writing prompts, supporting a series of claims with evidence sourced from the text. Quill challenges students to write responses that are precise, logical, and based on textual evidence, with Quill coaching the student through custom, targeted feedback on each revision so that students strengthen their reading comprehension and hone their writing skills.

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Quill Lessons

The Quill Lessons tool enables teachers to lead whole-class and small-group writing instruction.

Teachers control interactive slides that contain writing prompts, and the entire class responds to each prompt. Each Quill Lessons activity provides a lesson plan, writing prompts, discussion topics, and a follow up independent practice activity.

Quill Diagnostic

Quickly determine which skills your students need to work on with our diagnostics.

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Quill Proofreader

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Quill Grammar has over 150 sentence writing activities to help your students. Our activities are designed to be completed in 10 minutes so you have the freedom to use them in the way that works best for your classroom.

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Nourishing My Scholar

Exceptional Middle School Writing Curriculum

August 16, 2020 by Erin Vincent Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a middle school writing curriculum ? Do you need something flexible, and gentle, yet thorough? Perhaps you have a reluctant writer or a young writer that has trouble putting their thoughts on paper. WriteShop takes the overwhelm out of the writing process. It’s a comprehensive writing curriculum that walks the homeschool parent and their student through the skills needed to find their kiddos writing voice.

*Disclosure: I was compensated for my time in exchange for an honest review of WriteShop I and II Bundle plus the Online Video Course . I was not required to write a positive review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only choose to share resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other families will enjoy and benefit from. 

We’ve used other writing curriculums in the past. And while I love their philosophy and lifestyle, my son was needing something more. He needed a writing curriculum with more structure that would help him with the building blocks of writing while developing his writer’s voice.

I, the parent, needed more direction on HOW to TEACH my son to write papers and essays. He needed more than copy work and dictation.

My son is a multi-sensory learner. But most middle school writing curriculum are boring and only focus on pencil and paper. I spent all spring searching for a better alternative. I kept coming back to WriteShop I for its ability to help students to build strong writing foundations while also allowing the student to go at their own pace. Then there are the videos that WriteShop offers. Not the boring and dry videos I’d seen across the internet, but visually stimulating and creative videos that would hold my son’s attention.

I was so happy to get my hands on WriteShop I and II Bundle plus the Online Video Course !

Middle School Writing Curriculum

What is WriteShop? WriteShop I is a writing curriculum that offers detailed step-by-step lessons to help introduce descriptive, expository, narrative, and persuasive compositions and essays. It provides pre-teens and teens with a solid foundation in brainstorming all the way through the final draft stages and builds self-editing skills. It’s also perfect for your older reluctant writers because of its gentle writing approach.

WriteShop was created by a couple of moms whose sons struggled with writing! So, they understand what it’s like to be in the trenches of homeschooling reluctant writers.

These moms found that most writing programs were great about encouraging kids to “get their ideas onto paper,” but they often failed to help parents teach, guide, and evaluate in a simple way.

With WriteShop , you’ll discover lessons that provide:

• Prewriting games to stimulate creativity.
• A way to introduce and help students develop new skills.
• Creative, varied writing exercises with clearly defined expectations.
• Incremental lessons that built upon previously learned material.
• Writing checklists to help students edit their own work.
• A simple evaluation tool to help us grade final drafts objectively

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgaVmYpQL-/

Why I Love WriteShop I Homeschool Writing Curriculum

WriteShop I is perfect for most children ages 12-16 in middle and early high school. The student workbook contains the meat of each lesson written directly to the student.

WriteShop I focuses on stylistic techniques, vocabulary development, active voice, and sentence variation in a fully faith neutral way. Writing skills are taught in shorter writing assignments. I love that students are working on the building blocks of more mature sentences and middle school paragraph writing while teaching me how to be my child’s writing coach. WriteShop literally teaches students how to describe an object, write a sentence, a paragraph, and connect it all together! This lays the foundation for all future compositions, essays, and reports.

Benefits of Using WriteShop I for Middle School Writing Curriculum

The beauty of the program is its adaptability! Whether your child is advanced, reluctant, or struggling with learning difficulties WriteShop can meet your kiddo’s needs. Lessons are parsed out in bite-size chunks. My son loves that each day’s assignments aren’t overwhelming. In addition, most compositions are rarely longer than one paragraph. My son also does well with the multisensory aspects of the lessons, whether it’s a game or a fun prewriting activity. This means that WriteShop is especially good for reluctant writers, special needs writers, and parents who need extra support with teaching writing .

Adapting Writing Lessons to Fit Your Middle Schooler’s Needs

With WriteShop I you can use a 1-week schedule, 2-week schedule, or break it up even further for teens with learning disabilities and create a schedule that fits their needs. That means you can plan for it to take 1 semester to 2 years depending on the way you do it. It’s all about doing what works best for your individual kid.

You can go as slowly as you need to, and the assignments are not long, lengthy papers, but focused on building strong paragraphs. New skills are introduced slowly, so I don’t have to worry about my son having to master everything at once.

WriteShop Online Video Course

WriteShop also offers an online video course for their WriteShop I & II curriculum.

Play With Education provides this additional support for writers and their parents with the platform for these videos.

WriteShop Online Videos Take One Thing Off Moms Plate

Each 10- to 15-minute video introduces students to the key points of WriteShop’s lesson in a clear and easy-to-understand way.

The WriteShop online video segments cover all the teaching points of each lesson. The videos cover it so fully that I was able to hand the bulk of the teaching over to the videos. I didn’t have to add anything. Though I still watched the videos with my son initially. I also helped my son with his paper, but the beauty of the videos was that I didn’t have to teach the lesson. The videos do this for me!

The video course works beautifully alongside the Teachers Manual. I highly recommend adding the video course as part of your WriteShop I writing curriculum.

WriteShop Middle School Writing Curriculum Resources

WriteShop I does have some grammar mingled into it but it is not enough to be considered a full credit. Because my son does so well with a multi-sensory approach, we paired Winston Grammar program with WriteShop 1.

WriteShop offers homeschool writing curriculum for all grades from K to 12. The Placement Quiz will help you find the best fit.

You can learn more about WriteShop’s Scope and Sequence as well as see Sample Lessons here . Subscribe to WriteShop and get instant access to your FREE gift ! WriteShop offers so many wonderful resources to help you help your child succeed in writing.

WriteShop Homeschool Writing Curriculum

If you’re looking for a most cost-effective alternative to the hard copy curriculum, don’t want to deal with hefty postage costs, or long shipping delays then be sure to check out the E-book Digital version to all of WriteShop’s curriculum.

You can browse the Digital Bundles here .

WriteShop includes everything you need for a successful year of writing for your homeschool. We’ve been using it for several months and I already see a HUGE difference in my son’s approach to writing. He’s becoming more independent and self-motivated while getting his brilliant words and phrases out onto paper! I’m so pleased with the growth we’ve both experienced on this writing journey.

You may also enjoy:

• Are You Unexpectedly Homeschooling
• 10 Things You Need to Know to Homeschool
• U.S. Elections Process for Kids
• Free Typing Games for Kids

About Erin Vincent

Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.

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Advanced Writing Exploration Program (AWE)

Summer 2024 programs.

The Advanced Writing Exploration Program invites rising 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade writers to be part of a community of dedicated, focused writers looking to explore their literary passions.

The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specialized master class sessions. All workshops are student-driven and author-led, and writers will receive continuous feedback from their instructor and peers.

The program will prepare writers for Writopia’s popular and esteemed Creative Portfolio program for high schoolers.

This is an application-only program.

Price: $1290 Applicants can apply for need-based financial aid

Summer sessions include daily craft talks, writing exercises, and deep dives into different writing genres including poetry, memoir, playwriting, screenwriting, essay writing, fiction, comedy, and more. The session concludes with a reading and celebration.

Summer 2024 Date and Location Options:

• Upper West Side, Monday, July 29th to Wednesday, August 7th, 2024 1 PM to 4 PM ET
• Online, Monday, August 12th to Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 1 PM to 4 PM ET / 10 AM to 1 PM PT

Click here to apply for AWE!

School Year Programs

The Middle School Advanced Writing Exploration Program (AWE) invites 7th and 8th-grade writers to be part of a community of dedicated, focused writers looking to explore, expand, and deepen their literary passions. The program includes multi-genre workshops, as well as genre-specialized master class sessions. All workshops are student-driven and author-led, and writers will receive continuous feedback from their instructor and peers.

The AWE program also includes one private session in which the writer can focus on academic essay writing, admissions essays, or the creative genre of their choice.

The program will inspire and challenge middle school writers, as well as prepare them for Writopia’s popular and esteemed Creative Portfolio program for high schoolers.

This is an application-only program. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Tuition: $645 (Limited financial aid available)

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Grades 6-8: Educating Powerful Writers

Grades 6-8 Educating Powerful Writers is a complete writing curriculum.  There are 7-8 distinct units per grade which include outlines of daily lessons, mentor writing texts for each unit, guidance for assessment, sample handouts, and sample lesson plans.  Educating Powerful Writers is a spiraled curriculum that takes students through narrative, informative, argumentative, literary essay, and poetry writing each year.  Each grade offers a distinctly different unit in each of these genres while continuing to build on the skills developed in previous grades to continue educating powerful writers. Additional materials, including student work, will be added to this collection on a rolling basis.

Included Resources

Sample student work: educating powerful write..., sample student work: educating powerful writers.

Sample student work to be utilized with Grades 6-8 : Educating Powerful Writers Middle School writing curriculum.

Grade 6,units 1- 4: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 6,units 1- 4: educating ..., grade 6,units 1- 4: educating powerful writers.

Grade 6, Units 1-4 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 6, units 5-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 6, units 5-8: educating ..., grade 6, units 5-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 6, Units 5-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence .  This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 7, units 1-3: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 7, units 1-3: educating ..., grade 7, units 1-3: educating powerful writers.

Grade 7, Units 1-3 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence .  This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 7, units 4-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 7, units 4-8: educating ..., grade 7, units 4-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 7, Units 4-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

Grade 8, units 1-8: Educating Powerful Writer...

Grade 8, units 1-8: educating ..., grade 8, units 1-8: educating powerful writers.

Grade 8, Units 1-8 of the middle school writing curriculum, Educating Powerful Writers: The NYCDOE Middle School Writing Scope and Sequence . This curriculum provides explicit units for writing instruction, mentor texts for each unit, self-assessment checklists for students, a full introduction to support the recommended instructional practices within the curriculum, and supporting materials and handouts for students.

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50 creative writing prompts for middle school students.

• September 11, 2023
• 11 min read

Table of Contents:

Why creative writing matters, prompts to explore personal experiences, prompts for imagining fantastic worlds, prompts for exploring emotions, prompts to unleash adventure, prompts for humor and laughter, writing prompts for middle school mystery and suspense section, prompts to reflect on the future, prompts for historical time travel, writing prompts for middle school to target sci-fi and futuristic fantasies, writing prompts for middle school to dive into nature, writing prompts for middle school for alternate realities, are these prompts suitable for both classroom and individual use, creative writing.

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Middle school is a time of exploration, growth, and boundless imagination. It’s a phase where young minds are eager to express themselves, and what better way to channel this energy than through creative writing? This article explores 50 creative writing prompts for middle school students to worlds of wonder, emotion, and adventure. These prompts stimulate their creativity, boost their writing skills, and encourage them to think beyond the ordinary.

Creative writing holds a significance that extends far beyond the confines of a classroom. It is a form of expression that acts like a mirror reflecting human emotions, similar to what is explored in What are the three main purposes for writing? . It is a powerful medium through which individuals can express their innermost thoughts, emotions, and ideas, allowing them to connect with themselves and the world around them on a deeper level. This art form empowers individuals to unleash their imagination and paint vivid landscapes of words, enabling them to communicate in ways that traditional language often falls short of. For middle school students, creative writing is a journey of exploration and growth, much like the journey described in How to write a good story: A complete process . As they engage with a diverse array of writing prompts for middle school, they embark on a path that enriches their vocabulary, refines their grasp of grammar, and teaches them the invaluable skill of structuring their thoughts coherently and effectively. Through crafting narratives and weaving intricate tales, students learn the art of storytelling, a skill crucial in literature and various aspects of life. Whether it’s penning down a compelling essay, delivering a persuasive speech, or even drafting a well-structured email, the ability to organize ideas compellingly is a trait that serves students well throughout their academic and professional journey. However, the benefits of creative writing go well beyond linguistic and organizational services like book writing services . This form of expression acts as a mirror that reflects the complexities of human emotions. As students immerse themselves in crafting characters, settings, and plotlines, they inherently develop a deep sense of empathy. By stepping into the shoes of diverse characters and exploring the world from various perspectives, students cultivate an understanding of different viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences. This broadens their worldview and nurtures their ability to relate to and connect with people from all walks of life.

• Discovering a Hidden Door

Imagine stumbling upon a mysterious door in your school that no one else has noticed. Where does it lead, and what adventures await on the other side?

• The Day I Traveled Through Time

You wake up one morning to find yourself in a different period. Describe your experiences and the challenges you face in this unfamiliar era.

• My Conversation with a Talking Animal

While wandering in the woods, you encounter an animal that can communicate with you. Write about your unexpected conversation and the wisdom the animal imparts.

• A Mysterious Message in a Bottle

You discover a message in a bottle washed up on the shore. What does the message say, and how does it change your life?

• Life on a Floating Island

Describe a world where entire civilizations exist on floating islands in the sky. What are the unique challenges and wonders of this airborne realm?

• Journey to the Center of a Candy Planet

You embark on a journey to the core of a planet made entirely of candy. Detail your adventures as you traverse the sugary landscapes.

• The Robot’s Secret Rebellion

In a futuristic city, robots have secretly started rebelling against their human creators. Explore the events leading up to this uprising and the consequences that follow.

• When Magic Came to the Modern World

Magic suddenly becomes real in the present day. How does society change, and how do you adapt to this new magical reality?

• The Joy of Finding a Lost Toy

Revisit a childhood memory of losing a cherished toy and the overwhelming happiness of eventually finding it.

• A Moment of Overcoming Fear

Write about when you faced a fear head-on and emerged stronger and braver on the other side.

• The Bittersweet Farewell

Explore the emotions surrounding a farewell to a close friend moving away. How do you cope with the mixture of joy and sadness?

• An Unexpected Act of Kindness

Describe an instance where a stranger’s small act of kindness profoundly impacts your life and perspective.

• Quest for the Enchanted Crown

Embark on a quest to retrieve a stolen enchanted crown from a treacherous dragon’s lair. Chronicle your epic adventure and the challenges you must overcome.

• Lost in a Haunted Forest

You find yourself lost in a mysterious and haunted forest. Describe your eerie surroundings and the spine-chilling encounters you experience.

• Exploring an Abandoned Space Station

Write about your exploration of a deserted space station, uncovering its secrets and unraveling the mysteries of its past.

• Time-Traveling to Historical Events

Where and when would you go if you could time-travel to any historical event? Describe your experiences and the impact they have on your perspective.

• The Day I Turned into a Vegetable

Imagine waking up one day to find yourself transformed into a vegetable. How do you communicate, and what hilarious misadventures ensue?

• Conversations Between My Pets

Write a humorous dialogue between your pets discussing their daily lives, adventures, and their peculiar perspectives on the world.

• When My Room Became a Miniature Zoo

Describe a scenario where your room suddenly becomes a mini-zoo filled with various animals. How do you manage this unexpected turn of events?

• The Misadventures of Super Socks

Create a quirky superhero story where a pair of socks gains extraordinary powers and embarks on comical crime-fighting escapades.

• The Puzzle of the Whispering Walls

Detail a suspenseful investigation into the strange phenomenon of walls that whisper cryptic messages, leading to an unexpected revelation.

• Footprints in the Forbidden Attic

You discover mysterious footprints leading to the forbidden attic in your house. Write about your daring exploration and the secrets you uncover.

• The Disappearance of the Midnight Carnival

Describe the mysterious disappearance of a beloved carnival that only operates at midnight. What clues do you follow to solve the enigma?

• The Secret Diary of a Famous Explorer

You stumble upon the secret diary of a renowned explorer. Unveil the adventures chronicled within its pages and the hidden truths it holds.

• A Glimpse into Life as an Adult

Imagine yourself as an adult and write about a day in your future life. How have your goals, priorities, and perspectives evolved?

• Inventing a Revolutionary Gadget

Design a revolutionary gadget that changes the world. Describe its features, benefits, and the impact it has on society.

• My First Day on Another Planet

Transport yourself to an alien planet and narrate your experiences on the first day of your interstellar adventure.

• The World After Solving Pollution

Describe a world where pollution has been successfully eliminated. How does this achievement reshape the environment, society, and daily life?

• Prompts for Exploring Friendship

Write about a strong and unbreakable bond between two friends. What challenges have they overcome together, and how has their friendship evolved?

• Adventures of the Dynamic Duo

Create a story about a dynamic duo who embark on thrilling adventures together. What makes their partnership special, and how do they complement each other?

• A Magical Friend from a Book

Imagine a character from a book coming to life and becoming your friend. Describe your magical friendship and the escapades you share.

• Messages in a Bottle Between Pen Pals

Two pen pals communicate through messages sent in bottles across a vast ocean. Write about their unique form of friendship and the stories they share.

• An Interview with a Renaissance Artist

Travel back in time to interview a famous Renaissance artist. Explore their inspirations, struggles, and the impact of their art on the world.

• Surviving the Titanic Disaster

Imagine being a passenger on the Titanic and surviving the tragic sinking. Chronicle your experiences and the lessons you learn from the ordeal.

• Ancient Egypt: Through the Eyes of a Pharaoh

Experience life as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Describe the grandeur of your rule, interactions with subjects, and leadership challenges.

• Encountering Dinosaurs in Prehistoric Times

Describe an adventurous journey to prehistoric times, where you encounter dinosaurs and experience the wonders and dangers of the ancient world.

• When Robots Ruled the World

Envision a world where robots have taken over as rulers. Detail the consequences of this robotic regime and the struggles of human resistance.

• Galactic Explorers on a New Frontier

Join a group of galactic explorers as they venture into uncharted space territories. Describe their discoveries, encounters, and the mysteries they unravel.

• The Day I Met an Alien from Mars

Write about the day you encounter a friendly alien from Mars. How do you communicate, and what do you learn from each other?

• Earth 3000: A Utopian Dream or Dystopian Reality?

Transport yourself to the year 3000 and describe the state of the Earth. Is it a romantic paradise or a dystopian nightmare? What led to this outcome?

• Conversations with Forest Creatures

Imagine having conversations with animals in a magical forest. Write about the wisdom they share and the adventures you embark on together.

• My Adventure in the Enchanted Rainforest

Describe your thrilling adventure through an enchanted rainforest with mystical creatures and hidden secrets.

• The Underwater Discovery: Mermaid’s Tale

You discover a hidden underwater world inhabited by mermaids. Chronicle your underwater journey and the interactions you have with these mythical beings.

• Exploring a World Inside a Dewdrop

Write about a micro-adventure inside a dewdrop, where you encounter miniature worlds and experience nature from a new perspective.

• Stepping into a Mirror Universe

Describe an experience where you step into an alternate reality through a mirror. How is this world different from yours, and what challenges do you face?

• The Butterfly Effect: Changing a Single Moment

Explore the butterfly effect concept by narrating a story where changing a single moment in the past has a cascading impact on the present and future.

• My Life as a Fictional Character

Imagine living the life of a fictional character from your favorite book. Describe your experiences as you navigate their world and story.

• When Dreams Became Our Reality

Write about a world where dreams have the power to shape reality. How do people use their dreams to create their lives, and what challenges arise?

• The Ethereal Library

Imagine a mystical library that holds books containing the stories of every possible life you could have lived. Write about a person who stumbles upon this library and can read the book of their alternate life stories.

• The Reality Architect

In a future society, some specialized architects design alternate realities for individuals seeking escape from their own lives. Write about a reality architect and their journey to create the perfect alternate world for a client.

• The Convergence Point

Describe a world where all alternate realities converge at a single point in time. People from different realities can meet and interact for a brief period. Write about the challenges and opportunities that arise during this unique convergence.

The suitability of writing prompts for middle school for classroom and individual use depends on their content and complexity. Prompts encouraging critical thinking, creative expression, and thoughtful discussion can work well in both settings. However, there are a few considerations to keep in mind:

• Ensure that the prompts are clear and easily understandable by individuals and a group of students. Avoid overly complex language or concepts that might be confusing.
• Writing prompts for middle school allow various interpretations, and responses can engage individual learners and groups. This flexibility encourages students to express their unique perspectives.
• Choose interesting and relevant writing prompts for middle school to the target audience, whether in a classroom full of students or individuals working independently. Engaging prompts are more likely to spark enthusiasm and thoughtful responses.
• Prompts that invite discussion and debate can lead to rich and meaningful conversations for classroom use. These prompts should be open-ended and encourage diverse viewpoints.

Middle school is critical for nurturing creativity, similar to the journey detailed in How to launch a book: The ultimate guide for authors , young students’ creativity, and honing writing skills. These 50 creative writing prompts for middle school offer many opportunities to explore diverse themes, emotions, and scenarios while refining their writing abilities. Whether they’re crafting tales of time travel, exploring futuristic realms, or delving into the mysteries of the past, these prompts will ignite the imagination and open new avenues of self-expression for budding writers.

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Lighthouse connects kids and teens to words, new friends, and a writing community. We offer workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and many other genres and topics. Our classes are taught by published authors and are designed to foster creativity, self-expression, and excitement about writing.

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10-Minute Writing Games to Play with Your Students

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Want some quick games to share with your students during transitions or as attention-getters. Play these fun games independently or with groups! Here are a few of my favorites 10-minute writing games to play with your students. This post uses some affiliate links. Purchases from these links result in a small commission to help sustain this site.

Word Association Game

Word association games are perfect for 10-minute writing games! Start by giving students a random word and ask them to write down the first word that comes to their mind when they hear it. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and repeat the process with the new word. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how far around the circle they can go, building off of each other’s words. This game is a blast for generating vocabulary words or words to use in future writing prompts or stories.

Writing Roulette

My students beg to play writing roulette! I give each student five different colored sticky notes (or use this FREE Jamboard template ).

Each sticky note has a different topic. For example, here are the literary elements I use for my students. You can change these up depending on your grade level.

• Yellow: character
• Blue: quotation
• Pink: setting
• Green: conflict
• Orange: theme

Have your students each generate one of the literary elements on each colored sticky note. Make sure they write only one idea per note. Mix up the sticky notes, then give the students five sticky notes (one on each topic) to generate their own story. We LOVE sharing these with the class. As a bonus, expand on the quick stories and create a published, polished piece.

Literary Jenga

Literally playing a game when writing is so much fun! Write creative writing prompts on the sides of Jenga blocks (such as “Write a story in which the main character is an animal” or “Describe a place you’ve never been”) and stack them up. Students take turns pulling a block and then writing for 2-3 minutes based on the prompt they see. The game continues until the tower falls, and then students can read aloud what they’ve written.

Finish the Story Writing Game

This game is also called story or paper pass. I remember playing this writing game in school. I loved it then as much as I love it as a teacher! First, give students the first line of a story and have them write for 2-3 minutes. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and that person continues the story for 2-3 minutes. Continue this process until everyone has contributed, and see how the story turned out in the end.

Random Word Stories

Use this random word generator to pick a fun, unique word. Have your students write a story using that word as a focus. You can have each student select their own word or use a class word.

Descriptive Writing Game

Many ELA curriculums have descriptive writing as an assessment. Why not teach descriptive writing skills with a 10-minute writing game! First, ask students to close their eyes and imagine a scene you describe to them, such as a beach or a forest. Give them 10 minutes to write a detailed description of what they see in their mind’s eye. Encourage them to use sensory language and descriptive adjectives to really paint a picture with their words. Share the stories, and as a bonus, have students illustrate their writing. You can also adapt this and share a picture as a writing prompt starter. Show students a picture or image and give them 10 minutes to write a story or poem based on what they see. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination to build a story around the picture.

Character Creation Game

Students love creating their own characters! Have students brainstorm a character by answering questions about them, such as their name, age, occupation, likes and dislikes, fears, etc. Then, set a timer for 10 minutes and have them write a short story or scene featuring that character. You can add to the fun by having two characters team up together to create a new story or have a conversation with one another based on their characters’ backgrounds.

Six-Word Stories

Challenge students to write a complete story in just six words, such as “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many six-word stories they can create.

Mad Libs Game

The old Mad Libs games are so much fun! I remember having paper Mad Libs books that my siblings and I giggled over with delight. Online Mad Libs games let students work independently to create funny stories. I love using Mad Libs online !

Fan Fiction

My students absolutely love writing fan fiction. This gives them a chance to explore stories on a deeper level, and change the outcomes to what they really wanted to happen in the book! Have students choose a favorite book or movie character and write a short story featuring that character in a new adventure or scenario. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how well they can capture the voice and personality of the character in their writing.

Story Cubes

Use storytelling dice or story cubes with pictures on each side, and have students roll the dice to create a story. Set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge students to create a story that includes all of the pictures they rolled. Share the stories in small groups or with the full class.

Writing Prompts

Using writing prompts in the classroom is an effective way to encourage a love for writing in students. Here are five ways to inspire and engage middle school students:

Daily writing prompts

Start the day with a short 10-minute writing exercise that covers various genres and themes. Use this list of 25 daily prompts to get started.

Structured writing prompts

Use prompts as a starting point for more structured writing assignments such as essays or research papers. This encourages students to think critically and provides specific guidelines for the writing task. Use this list of 10 structured prompts to get started.

Group brainstorming

Encourage students to work together in small groups to generate their own writing prompts. This fosters collaboration and creativity.

Writing prompt dares

Students can create their own writing prompt dares or use these 15 writing prompt dare examples to get started. These are great for group brainstorming prompts.

Try out this 52 writing prompt workbook . You even get an editable Canva link to add your own unique prompts!

Get ready for 10-minute writing games to use in your classroom! These games can be scaffolded and differentiated for all grade levels. What writing games do you use in your classroom!

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AFTER THIS CAMP, YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO WORDS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME …This foundational training is designed to catalyze your inherent talents and catapult your writing to a new level of originality and impact. For more info See the  Ripe Fruit Experience

A FRUIT-ful Experience: Students Speak!

I learned the six most needed qualities of writing and I know these qualities will be SUPER helpful with writing in the future. It is an awesome camp!” Evelyn Kim, 11 ————– “It was fun! And I was able to get outside my shell!” Miranda Bustos, 13 – Middle School ————– “I love this camp. I liked all the fun exercises and how we paired up and met new people. I like that it’s really small so you don’t just feel like another kid. The snacks are great!” Sofia McDonald, 13 ————– “This camp has really made me a better writer, and has instilled in me very important values that I hadn’t had before, such as respect, trust,loyalty, and kindness.” Melissa Hua, 11 ————– I learned how to be more descriptive in my writing such as using all the senses and six qualities of writing with new vocabulary and how to use them. The collaborative poem was awesome.” Shinee Batsaikhan, 12 ————– I” learned how to “steal” words form poetry to expand my vocabulary. I loved looking at a piece of art and writing about it. The camp was perfect!” Hana Rudoff. 12 ————– “I learned that there is no good and bad writing. There are only words with energy. You always need the writing faith: you will always write what you need to write.” Cate Wang, 11 ————– “What I liked best were the fun exercises that helped us improve a certain writing skill.” Ava Elizabeth Jo, 13 ————– “I am in love with this camp!” Arianna Love, 13

I enjoyed writing different types of fiction and sharing important details with the group. It was fun discovering how each person had their ways of writing and I enjoyed hearing all of it. I feel like I’ve learned a lot of things the past week. From ways to improve your short stories to making poems out of fragments in free writing! As the school year starts, I’ll be sure to think back to the things I learned in camp. I’ve gotten so many ideas in my head, I don’t think it’ll be too hard to think of something to write about for a story. This experience was different from other experiences I’ve had because some of the things taught I’ve never done before. Such as the activity we did with cutting out fragments and arranging them into poems. Also the first thing we did, when we put all of our phrases together and made one poem. (I thought those were pretty fun) I loved meeting and gathering with the people there, and getting to know them. Overall, it was a fun and FRUIT-ful experience! NANCY LIU, will be a freshman at Lowell    8/2013

Making English Fun

100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle and Grade School Students

Creative writing is an important activity for middle and grade school students, as it nurtures imagination, enhances writing skills, and promotes self-expression.

Writing prompts provide a structured yet open-ended way for young writers to explore new ideas and build confidence in their abilities.

Here are 100 creative writing prompts designed specifically for middle and grade school students to inspire their creativity and help them develop their writing talents.

You can also download these from the link just below and at the end of the article

How to Use Creative Writing Prompts

Using creative writing prompts with middle and grade school students can be both fun and educational. Here are some steps to make the most out of these prompts:

• Choose a Prompt : Select a prompt that aligns with the students’ interests or current lessons. Make sure it is age-appropriate and exciting.
• Set a Writing Time : Allocate a specific amount of time for the writing activity, such as 10-20 minutes. This helps students focus and stay on task.
• Encourage Free Writing : Allow students to write freely without worrying too much about spelling or grammar. The goal is to get their ideas flowing.
• Share and Discuss : After writing, encourage students to share their stories with the class. This builds confidence and helps them learn from each other.
• Reflect and Expand : Discuss the stories and provide positive feedback. Encourage students to expand on their ideas and develop their stories further.

Tips for Using Prompts:

• Be Flexible : Allow students to interpret the prompts in their own way. There are no right or wrong answers.
• Incorporate Visuals : Use pictures or objects related to the prompts to stimulate imagination.
• Make it Fun : Turn it into a game or challenge, such as a “story of the day” or “writing marathon.”
• Encourage Creativity : Praise creative and unique ideas to boost students’ confidence and motivation.

Benefits of Creative Writing Prompts:

• Enhance Creativity : Prompts encourage students to think outside the box and use their imagination.
• Improve Writing Skills : Regular writing practice helps improve grammar, vocabulary, and overall writing ability.
• Build Confidence : Successfully completing writing tasks boosts students’ confidence and self-expression.
• Promote Critical Thinking : Analyzing prompts and developing stories helps build critical thinking skills.

Creative writing prompts are a great way to engage middle and grade school students in writing activities. They provide a structured yet flexible way to explore ideas and develop writing skills in a fun and supportive environment.

We also have Creative writing prompts for high school students here on the site as well.

Fantasy and Imagination

• Magic Pet : Imagine you have a magical pet. What kind of pet is it, and what adventures do you go on together?
• Secret Door : Write a story about finding a secret door in your school. Where does it lead?
• Superhero for a Day : If you could be a superhero for a day, what powers would you have, and how would you use them?
• Living in a Fairy Tale : Write about living in your favorite fairy tale. What role do you play?
• Time Travel : Imagine you can travel through time. Where do you go, and what do you see?
• Invisible for a Day : What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
• Talking Animals : If animals could talk, what would they say? Write a conversation between you and your pet.
• Wizard School : Describe your first day at a school for wizards. What classes do you take?
• Magic Potion : You find a magic potion that grants one wish. What do you wish for, and what happens?
• Adventure in Space : Imagine traveling to another planet. What is it like, and who do you meet?

Real-Life Scenarios

• Best Day Ever : Write about the best day you’ve ever had. What made it so special?
• Neighborhood Detective : You are a detective solving a mystery in your neighborhood. What clues do you find?
• Helping Hand : Describe a time when you helped someone. How did it make you feel?
• Dream Vacation : Write about your dream vacation. Where do you go, and what do you do?
• New Hobby : You decide to try a new hobby. What is it, and what do you learn?
• Favorite Holiday : Describe your favorite holiday and how you celebrate it.
• A Day with a Celebrity : Spend a day with your favorite celebrity. What do you do together?
• School Play : Write about being in a school play. What character do you play, and what is the story about?
• Pen Pal Adventure : You have a pen pal from another country. Write about your first letter to them.
• Sports Hero : Imagine you are a famous athlete. What sport do you play, and what challenges do you face ?

Animals and Nature

• Bird’s Eye View : Write a story from the perspective of a bird flying over your town. What do you see?
• Animal Adventure : If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be, and what would you do?
• Garden Fairy : Imagine you discover a fairy living in your garden. What adventures do you go on together?
• Forest Friends : Write about a day in the life of animals living in a forest .
• Underwater World : Describe an adventure under the sea. What creatures do you meet?
• Rescue Mission : You rescue an injured animal. How do you help it recover?
• Pet’s Perspective : Write a story from the perspective of your pet. What do they think about their day?
• Wild Safari : Imagine going on a safari. What animals do you see, and what adventures do you have?
• Seasonal Changes : Describe how your favorite place changes with the seasons.
• Nature Walk : Write about a walk in the woods. What do you see, hear, and feel?

Adventure and Exploration

• Hidden Treasure : Imagine you find a map leading to hidden treasure. What do you discover?
• Pirate’s Life : Write about a day at sea as a pirate searching for treasure.
• Mountain Climb : Describe an adventure climbing a mountain. What challenges do you face?
• Desert Journey : Write about traveling through a desert. What do you encounter?
• Island Survival : You are stranded on a deserted island. How do you survive and what do you do?
• Space Mission : Describe a mission to explore outer space. What do you discover?
• Haunted House : Write a story about exploring a haunted house. What mysteries do you uncover?
• Lost in a Maze : You are lost in a maze. How do you find your way out?
• Undercover Agent : Imagine you are an undercover agent on a secret mission. What do you have to do?
• Wild West : Write about an adventure in the Wild West. What characters do you meet?

Relationships and Emotions

• Friendship : Write about how you became friends with your best friend. What brought you together?
• Family Traditions : Describe a special family tradition. Why is it important to you?
• Acts of Kindness : Reflect on a time when someone showed you unexpected kindness. How did it impact you?
• Conflict Resolution : Write about a conflict between two friends and how they resolve it.
• First Day : Describe your first day at a new school. What emotions do you feel?
• Sibling Adventures : Write about an adventure with your siblings. What do you do together?
• New Friend : Imagine meeting a new friend from a different country. How do you communicate and what do you learn from each other?
• A Helping Hand : Write about a time you helped someone in need. What did you do, and how did it make you feel?
• Courage : Describe a time when you had to be brave. What happened, and how did you find the courage?
• Special Bond : Write about a special bond you have with a family member or pet. How do they make your life better?

School and Learning

• Favorite Subject : Write about your favorite school subject. Why do you enjoy it, and what have you learned?
• Class Project : Describe a class project you worked on. What was it about, and what did you learn from it?
• School Adventure : Imagine an unexpected adventure happening at your school. What happens?
• Teacher for a Day : If you could be a teacher for a day, what would you teach, and how?
• School Play : Write about being part of a school play. What role do you play, and how do you prepare for it?
• Field Trip : Describe a memorable field trip. Where did you go, and what did you experience?
• Homework Helper : Write about a time you helped a friend with their homework. How did you explain the concepts?
• Classroom Pet : Imagine your classroom has a pet. What kind of pet is it, and how do you take care of it?
• Science Experiment : Describe a science experiment you conducted. What was the hypothesis and the outcome?
• Reading Journey : Write about a book you read that had a big impact on you. What did you learn from it?

Holidays and Celebrations

• Holiday Magic : Write about your favorite holiday and what makes it special.
• Birthday Surprise : Describe a surprise birthday party you threw for a friend or family member.
• Festive Fun : Write about a holiday tradition you look forward to every year. How did it start, and what do you do?
• Halloween Adventure : Imagine going trick-or-treating in a magical neighborhood. What characters do you meet?
• New Year’s Goals : Write about your goals for the new year. How do you plan to achieve them?
• Christmas Wish : Describe a special Christmas wish you have. What would you do if it came true?
• Thanksgiving Feast : Write about preparing a Thanksgiving feast with your family. What dishes do you make?
• Easter Egg Hunt : Describe an Easter egg hunt adventure. What surprises do you find?
• Fourth of July : Write about celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks and fun activities.
• Valentine’s Day : Imagine planning a Valentine’s Day celebration for your friends. What do you do to make it special?

Science and Technology

• Future Inventions : Imagine you invented something that changes the world. What is it, and how does it work?
• Space Explorer : Write about being an astronaut on a mission to explore a new planet. What do you discover?
• Robot Friend : Describe a day with a robot friend. What can the robot do, and how does it help you?
• Eco-Friendly World : Imagine living in a world where everyone uses eco-friendly technology. What is daily life like?
• Underwater City : Write about a city built underwater. How do people live and what challenges do they face?
• Science Fair : Describe a science fair project you create. What is the hypothesis Section 8: Science and Technology (continued)
• Science Fair : Describe a science fair project you create. What is the hypothesis, and what are the results?
• Gadgets of the Future : Imagine a gadget that makes life easier. What does it do, and how does it work?
• Virtual Reality Adventure : Write about an adventure you have in a virtual reality world. What do you experience?
• Tech in School : How do you think technology will change schools in the future? Describe a day in a high-tech classroom.
• Space Station Life : Imagine living on a space station. What is your daily routine, and what challenges do you face?
• AI Assistant : Describe a day with an AI assistant that helps you with everything. How does it improve your life?
• Eco-Inventions : Write about an invention that helps protect the environment. How does it work?
• Exploring the Deep Sea : Imagine being a marine biologist exploring the deep sea. What creatures do you discover?
• Solar-Powered City : Write about a city that runs entirely on solar power. How is it different from other cities?
• Robotics Competition : Describe a robotics competition you participate in. What kind of robot do you build, and what challenges do you face?

Mystery and Thriller

• Lost Treasure : Write about finding a lost treasure map. What do you discover on your adventure?
• Haunted Library : Imagine exploring a haunted library. What spooky things do you encounter?
• Secret Agent Mission : You are a secret agent on a mission. What is your assignment, and how do you accomplish it?
• Mysterious Disappearance : Write about the mysterious disappearance of a class pet. How do you solve the mystery?
• Hidden Passage : You find a hidden passage in your home. Where does it lead, and what do you find?
• Unexplained Events : Describe a series of unexplained events happening in your town. How do you investigate them?
• Ghostly Encounter : Write about meeting a ghost. What does the ghost want, and how do you help it?
• Secret Society : Imagine discovering a secret society at your school. What do they do, and how do you join?
• Locked Room : Write a mystery set in a locked room. How do you solve the puzzle?
• Spy Gadget : Describe a high-tech spy gadget you use on a mission. How does it help you?

Diverse Cultures and Perspectives

• Cultural Festival : Write about attending a cultural festival from another country. What do you see, hear, and taste?
• Pen Pal from Afar : Imagine having a pen pal from a different country. What do you learn about their culture?
• Family Heritage : Describe a tradition from your family’s heritage. How is it celebrated, and what does it mean to you?
• Language Learning : Write about learning a new language. What challenges and fun experiences do you have?
• Global Adventure : Imagine traveling around the world. What different cultures and people do you encounter?

Creative writing prompts are an excellent way to inspire middle and grade school students to explore their imagination and improve their writing skills.

By engaging with diverse themes and scenarios, young writers can develop a deeper understanding of the world and their place in it.

Encourage your students to use these prompts regularly, share their stories, and continue honing their creative writing abilities.

Happy writing!

• https://storywritingacademy.com/creative-writing-prompts-middle-school/
• https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/writing-prompts-for-middle-school/

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Making English Fun!

I have been a teacher of English for over 15 years, in that time i made hundreds and thousands of resources and learnt so much i think its worth sharing. Hopefully to help teachers and parents around the world.

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The AI Classroom Hype Is All Wrong, Some Educators Say

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Many educators who have used generative artificial intelligence tools in their work have called the emerging technology a “game changer.”

Some say it’s been especially helpful in reducing the time it takes to do planning or administrative work , such as creating schedules, crafting lesson plans, and writing letters of recommendation for students. Teachers say they work an average of 57 hours a week , but less than half of that time is spent teaching.

“I think the use of AI has streamlined many aspects of teaching and has saved much prep time for teachers,” said a high school fine arts teacher in California in an open-ended response to an EdWeek Research Center survey conducted in March and April.

But amid all the encouragement to try the technology, there are plenty of educators who haven’t tried AI tools and don’t plan to start . These educators are more skeptical of the technology and don’t believe it should be used in K-12.

In open-ended responses to the EdWeek Research Center survey, educators shared their reasoning:

It could degrade critical thinking skills

   ai is not as wonderful as you all make it out to be. how do we expect our next generation to learn to think if all we teach them is how to use ai.

— District-level administrator, Ohio

   AI is driving a wedge between critical thinking and imagination.

— High school foreign language teacher, New Jersey

   AI are machines. They have been trained using stolen data. Students should be learning, questioning, problem-solving, and doing their own work. Teachers should as well. I do not believe AI can ethically be used.

— High school English teacher, Louisiana

   Students should not use AI until they have demonstrated some level of mastery on a subject. Students should not even use a calculator until they can do arithmetic calculations without tools. Problem solving starts in the mind, not on a keypad.

— High school math teacher, Texas

   AI and use of computers in the classroom has diminished everyone's ability to think, learn and reason. It's too easy to punch in a subject and get an immediate answer, which may or may not be correct. How many times have we heard "the computer model says this or that," so therefore that's the end of the discussion. Now I hear AI says this or that. Machines do not and can never have the capabilities of the human mind and the human experience. They can never have the ability to reason. They can never have the ability to rely on "gut instinct," which is correct most of the time. They can never have the ability to say "something just isn't right here." All they can do is look at the data that is fed into them and go from there. And that data is totally dependent on the character of the human or humans feeding it into them.

— District-level administrator, Texas

   I feel AI is used less as a resource and more as a crutch. I was shaken when I found out how many yearbook groups have used AI to write their entire yearbook and make the theme and set the ladder and put it together. We don't like students using AI because it's considered "plagiarism" but yet some teachers use it for everything. I don't mind AI as a brainstorming tool but when you give AI the ability to do all your work is when I have issues with it.

— Middle school teacher, Missouri

The human touch is better

   i have never used ai for anything in my job. i would think we still have to follow through with the actual teaching. ai can't do what i do.

— High school math teacher, Michigan

   While AI is the future, it's more important that teachers know their subject matter, and AI should only be used as a supplement to the teacher's scope of knowledge. To use it beyond that is ineffective as the presentation of the knowledge will be presented with less passion and clarity.

— Middle school physical education teacher, Virginia

   While I believe AI is here to stay, I do not believe that it should be used to simply replace the human aspect of the learning experience. If AI is used by instructors or teachers heavily, then the computer is essentially doing the teachers' jobs for them and the teacher is simply the middle person who repeats what the computer tells them.

— High school career-technical education teacher, Missouri

   AI concerns me in that educators need to know their "stuff" before blindly having AI create lessons, etc., to administer in class. I have tried AI and caught multiple errors in its creation. If I had used what AI created, I would have considered myself unethical in teaching students through that lesson because it contained many errors.

— District-level administrator, Alabama

   Utilizing AI to develop assessments is impersonal. If the general scientific community can acknowledge that generative AI utilizes biased information to create material, why would we rely on these tools to create unbiased assessments?

— High school social studies teacher, Montana

The K-12 system isn’t prepared

   i think that ai is a very dangerous phenomenon for learning and education. it seems like it is thrust upon us and unleashed without adequate preparation to handle the consequences for learning and teaching. i think this should be the number one topic for governments and academic institutions to address immediately..

— High school foreign language teacher, Pennsylvania

   I fear AI is yet another trend that education professionals are running headlong into without sufficient forethought and planning.

— Elementary fine arts teacher, Virginia

   I have never used AI and never will. I think it gives fuel to a fire that we won't be able to control.

— Elementary teacher, North Carolina

Concerns about how it affects their jobs

   last year, i spent a lot of time talking with english teaching colleagues about how to tackle the new problem of ai generated student work. we researched apps to check for plagiarism and ai produced writing and didn't find a good source to help us. this new issue is requiring teachers to rethink the types of assignments we give and the ways we ask students to produce writing in class so we can ensure they are producing original works. it's frustrating and time consuming..

— High school English teacher, Minnesota

   Artificial Intelligence will render my job unnecessary within five years. My students use Grammarly and ChatGPT to write their essays, and they even use it to email their teachers. Commercials show corporations praising their staff for using it to email each other. If humans no longer need to learn how to communicate well in writing—if AI does it for us—then what I have been teaching students for decades is no longer needed. What's more, my students already realize this and are showing it in their attitudes and efforts in writing class.

— Middle school English teacher, Massachusetts

Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.

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20 quick activities when middle school sub lessons run short

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

No matter how thoroughly you craft your lesson plan, there will come a day when you find yourself with extra time at the end of class. Rather than waste valuable learning time, come equipped with activities to engage your students. Not every activity will be a good fit for every school you substitute at, so be sure to check with the administration if you’re unsure.

Read on for creative projects, movement based activities, as well as writing and thought experiments for all your elementary school needs!

Register to become a sub with S wing today

Elementary school

Here are a few more activity ideas for elementary school classrooms:

1. Play telephone

In this classic game, players whisper a message from person to person. Inevitably, the message changes along the way. When the last person says what they think the message is aloud, it’s often very different from where it began.

Telephone teaches kids about the importance of listening closely. It also might be an interesting jumping off point to talk to older kids about how information changes when it passes through different channels (as it does constantly on the internet).

2. Play ‘20 Questions’

“20 Questions” is a guessing game that helps students learn how to use reason and logic. Choose one student to be the “answerer” who knows the “answer” — a person, place, or thing that the other students will try to guess.

Students will have 20 opportunities to narrow the question down and find the answer. For example, they might start with a question like, “Is it smaller than a bowling ball?” and lead to the final question, “Is it a classroom tool?” to determine that the answer is a stapler.

3. Hold an open question session

Sometimes, students just need an open forum to ask questions during a particularly complex lesson. Before jumping in and answering, open each student’s question to the class and guide and refine their answers as needed.

4. Write a short story inspired by one of their favorite songs

Ask students to think of one of their favorite songs and write a short story. They can write about the storyline, images, or themes of the song. Students can volunteer to read their stories aloud if time permits. This works especially well with older elementary and middle school-aged students.

5. Write a poem about an upcoming event

The smell of roasting turkey? The cackles of witches flying overhead? Warm hot chocolate during a winter celebration? Writing about the holidays or other special events is a great opportunity to engage students in descriptive writing. As a bonus, encourage students to share their poem as a heartfelt gift for their family members.

6. Draw a picture

This one’s really simple. All students need is a piece of paper and a pen. Ask them to draw something from sight — or have them imagine and draw something related to a lesson plan (e.g., a historical figure, a scientific concept).

Middle schoolers relish activities — like drawing — that let them connect with their younger selves a bit and aren’t typically included in their school day.

7. Write a song

The easiest way to write a song as a class is to take a well-known melody from a current pop song and ask students to adapt it. Tie it to the lesson plan to make it funny and keep the learning environment light.

8. Show a relevant video and tie it back to class lessons or general learning strategies

There’s no way around it: Video has become a part of education at all levels. Used effectively, it can be a great asset in the classroom.

Some schools require permission for substitutes to use videos and computers. As long as you know this practice is OK with school administration and are comfortable with the technology, consider showing a relevant video at the end of class and tying it in. You’re engaging different parts of the brain and adding useful knowledge to the lesson.

The most straightforward way to incorporate video into the day is to pick a relevant video and talk to the class about how it relates to the lesson. Here are a few examples of videos you might use:

• The Awareness Test — This fun test of student awareness helps students understand the importance of paying attention. This video is great if you have an especially distracted class!
• Eric Whitacre: A Virtual Choir 2,000 Voices Strong — This user-generated choir is created out of 2,000-plus submitted videos. It can inspire students and show them the limitlessness of creativity.
• The Power of Words — This video, which portrays a fictional interaction between a woman and a homeless man, underscores the power of words.
• TED-Ed project is TED’s education initiative. It has carefully curated videos related to a wide range of topics, from literary terms to physics to philosophy and more.

9. … or just show a fun video that will make them laugh

You can also entertain them with a brief, wholesome video and give them a good laugh. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a great example of a video that’s fun for students of just about any age. Silly, adorable, and endlessly quotable, Marcel will capture students’ hearts.

<<What substitute teachers can do when students finish early>>

10. Play ‘Silent Ball’

You’ll need one small ball for this activity. It should be an appropriate size for the age of your students. Clear an area in the center of the room and select a leader to start. They will count down “3, 2, 1, silent” and pass the ball to another person. This person then passes it on. Students must sit down if they drop the ball, miss a pass, or make any noise at all! Whoever remains standing at the end is the winner. In addition to burning kinetic energy, this activity builds hand-eye coordination and non-verbal communication.

11. Vocabulary bingo

Create bingo cards with vocabulary words and play Bingo using definitions or synonyms as clues.

12. Write a thank-you note

Studies continue to explore the benefits of feeling gratitude , which include lower stress levels, increased happiness, and better sleep. What middle-schooler can’t use those things? Have students write down three things in their lives they are grateful for and then choose from the list to compose a thank-you note to a person in their lives who made it possible.

13. Current events discussion

Discuss recent news stories or current events and their implications.

14. Read them a story

Everyone loves a good story, and you may be surprised at how attentive middle-grade students can be to a picture book. Pick an inspiring one such as Dr. Seuss’s classic Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, or an inventive one that most have never read, like Oliver Jeffers’ How to Catch a Star, or Drew Daywalt and Adam Rex’s The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors .

15. Would you rather?

Pose ‘would you rather’ questions to the class for a fun and engaging discussion.

Pick a simple topic and divide the class into two groups for a structured debate.

Long-term assignments

17. write in journals.

If you’ve been with students long enough, you’ll know if they keep regular journals. If the lesson ends early, consider asking your students to take them out and write a short passage about the day. It can include any good news or challenges they face. The goal is simple — get them thinking about and practicing how to put those thoughts on paper. Make this a routine to get the most out of it.

18. Put students in the hot seat

For a great review activity, have students take turns sitting in the “hot seat.” Behind them, write a vocabulary word. The student in the hot seat can call on three of their classmates to give them clues about the word without saying it. This will keep the rest of the class engaged, even when they themselves aren’t on the seat! You can use this for a daily review, but it can also work well if you’ve been with students for the duration of one chapter or unit.

19. Play ‘Heads-Up!’

For this game, create sticky-notes with vocabulary words, the names of fictional characters, science concepts, or any other relevant classroom topic. Have the students put the sticky-notes on their heads without looking at them. Their partners try to get the other student to guess what’s written on their card without saying it.

20. Play ‘Pass the Chicken’

As long as you don’t mind traveling with a rubber chicken, you can play this silly review game with your class. The chicken gets passed from student to student. Ask one student a question and tell the student to answer it before the chicken reaches them. If the chicken reaches them before they can answer, they go to the center of the class or “the pot.” If another student can’t answer a question, the student in the middle gets a chance to get out of the pot.

These activities offer a mix of creativity, collaboration, and educational value, making them suitable for various classroom settings and age groups.

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