Prompts for Narrative, Expository, Argument and Persuasive Writing

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1 Prompts for Narrative, Expository, Argument and Persuasive Writing

2 Prompts for Narrative, Expository, Argument and Persuasive Writing Congratulations! Here they are the best of the best writing prompts you ll ever need for your school! Teachers are always on the lookout for effective writing prompts in a variety of genres for a number of purposes. A solid prompt is one that is open-ended enough for students to bring something of themselves into it, while supplying some common elements that provide a level of objectivity for the teacher assessing the writing. Traditionally, prompts have been used as tools for determining what writing skills students can apply independently. The resulting writing reveals valuable information about the effectiveness of the teaching, helps the teacher drive instruction through review, reinforcement, reteaching, or enrichment, and offers a view of both class trends and individual student strengths and challenges. Here s what you ll find in the material that follows: A Teacher Reference Sheet with guidelines for writing effective narrative, expository, and opinion prompts that are clear in purpose and reinforce the vocabulary of each genre. Your school or district can use this as an aid in constructing prompts for whatever purpose you deem necessary. A set of prompts for both imaginative and realistic personal experience narrative stories. These can be used effectively in grades 2 6. The resulting writing will differ in the level of maturity and sophistication the young writers bring to the experience. A collection of expository prompts for students in grades 2 6 that range from fairly specific to more open-ended. A variety of argumentative/persuasive prompts for grades 5-8 accompanied by related source material so that students can point to evidence to support their claims. All of these prompts have been excerpted from our collection of Empowering Writers Comprehensive Writing Guides. Go to for more information.

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5 Student Page Name There is a house on your street that no one has lived in for years. Some people say it s haunted. You go in and explore it. Write a story about what you see and what happens next. As you prepare to write: 1.) Analyze the givens and variables in this prompt. 2.) List at least two segments of elaborative detail you would include.. 3.) Remember to showcase all of the writing skills you have learned. 4.) Use the following framework to plan your story: This is a story about. character - GIVEN The adventure, experience, or problem is that. main event - GIVEN and VARIABLE The adventure or experience concluded/problem solved when Empowering Writers, LLC 353

6 Student Page Name You are camping out in the wilderness in a tent. One night you hear a strange noise outside the tent and go investigate. Write a story about what you find outside the tent and what happens next. As you prepare to write: 1.) Analyze the givens and variables in this prompt. 2.) List at least two segments of elaborative detail you would include.. 3.) Remember to showcase all of the writing skills you have learned. 4.) Use the following framework to plan your story: This is a story about. character - GIVEN The adventure, experience, or problem is that. main event - GIVEN and VARIABLE The adventure or experience concluded/problem solved when Empowering Writers, LLC 359

7 Student Page Name Every season of the year is special in some way. Think about a season you really enjoy. Write a story about a special seasonal experience that you ve had or that you d like to have. As you prepare to write: 1.) Analyze the givens and variables in this prompt. 2.) List at least two segments of elaborative detail you would include.. 3.) Remember to showcase all of the writing skills you have learned. 4.) Use the following framework to plan your story: This is a story about. character - GIVEN The adventure, experience, or problem is that. main event - GIVEN and VARIABLE The adventure or experience concluded/problem solved when Empowering Writers, LLC 367

8 Student Page Name Some people enjoy having a special pet. Write a story about a memorable experience you had with a pet of your own, or someone else s pet. As you prepare to write: 1.) Analyze the givens and variables in this prompt. 2.) List at least two segments of elaborative detail you would include.. 3.) Remember to showcase all of the writing skills you have learned. 4.) Use the following framework to plan your story: This is a story about. character - GIVEN The adventure, experience, or problem is that. main event - GIVEN and VARIABLE The adventure or experience concluded/problem solved when Empowering Writers, LLC 371

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16 Student Page Name Energy Drinks: Good, Bad or No Worse Than Soda GOOD Can give you an energy boost Can help you workout longer to help you meet your fitness goals. Easily available and convenient Works faster than a power nap Includes B vitamins BAD High in sugar; can cause weight gain Can cause irregular, rapid heartbeat and increased blood pressure Can disrupt sleep cycles Can be addictive when used regularly. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, mood swings Linked to heart attacks, miscarriages, convulsions and psychotic disorders NO WORSE THAN SODA Can give you an energy boost High in sugar; can cause weight gain If you drink enough of it at night, caffeinated soda can cause wakefulness Like every product with caffeine, can be addictive and cause withdrawal symptoms Easily available and convenient. Emergency Room Visits Related to Energy Drinks ,128 3,126 10,052 16,053 Source: Drug Abuse Warning Network, Empowering Writers, LLC 360

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20 Lesson Plan Integrating Information from Multiple Sources Objective: Students will learn how to integrate second-hand evidence from a variety of sources into their argument writing. Procedure: 1.) Copy and distribute pp , Integrating Information from Multiple Sources and pp , Green Energy vs. the Desert Tortoise: A Showdown in the Mojave. Read through the directions as a class. 2.) Watch the video The Great Green Rush (www,kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/solarthern ( as a class and ask the students to take notes on key points. Allow students to re-view if they need to using laptops or tablets. 3.) Explain that students are going to use information from all three sources the video, the article and the chart to develop a claim and write a 5-paragraph argument essay about this issue. Distribute planning sheets and allow students to complete planning sheets independently. 4.) When students have completed their planning sheets, they should begin their first draft and finish by the end of the class period. This mirrors the demands of a timed assessment. You should review the first drafts as if they were completed timed assessments, noting any skills that students may have trouble applying 5.) After you ve reviewed first-drafts and made suggestions for improvement, reteach the skills that students were unable to apply in their first-drafts. Then, have students revise and rewrite their essays independently. (Note: The activity is different from the earlier activities because you are not providing students with time to do additional research. That s because earlier activities only provided one source of information and this activity provides three. In a testing situation, students will probably have to work only with the research they are provided with.) 6.) Once completed, choose some strong examples and share with the class. On another day, follow the same procedure to complete the activity on pp , About Hunting and Trapping Gray Wolves in Idaho and Montana. Remind students that they get extra points for completing any math (calculating percentages, for example) to analyze statistics. 7.) On another day, follow the same procedure to complete the activity on pp , About Energy Drinks: Good, Bad or No Worse Than Soda? OPTIONAL ACADEMIC EXTENSION: Research often connects us with information that sparks our interest in related issues. Ask students to identify any environmental or health issues similar to those explored here, research them and share their thoughts about them in argument essays Empowering Writers, LLC

21 Student Page Name Integrating Information From Multiple Sources Take notes from the three resources listed below and develop a claim for an argument essay about the conflict between green energy production and wildlife preservation. Use these notes to complete a planning sheet for a multi-paragraph argument essay exploring the issue. View: The Great Green Rush ( Read: Green Energy vs. The Desert Tortoise: A Showdown in the Mojave Study: Turtles Observed in the Western Mojave Desert NOTES 2013 Empowering Writers, LLC 350

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