The First Christmas: You Are There

That first Christmas.

It’s easy to forget all the noise, confusion, exhaustion, rejection, and fear Mary and Joseph experienced. Though our nativity sets look peaceful and serene, I imagine things would have looked very different had we been there to observe those world-changing events.

Whom do you most identify with when you read the Christmas accounts in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2:40? That is, when you read the Bible accounts, which person do you feel closest to? Which one has some similarities to your life? Or think of this: Which person do you wish you could have been?

Your Turn to Give for Christmas

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

Many stores and libraries this time of year have donation boxes to collect gifts for children. Some even have Christmas trees with places to hang mittens, warm hats, socks, and so forth. Those items will be distributed later to children who have no other way to get these needed items.

Christmas is the perfect time to think about giving something to others less fortunate than ourselves.

How Can You Say “Thank You”?

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

How can you tell someone, “Thank you”? What can you do to show your gratitude?

Reader’s Digest asked their Facebook followers to suggest some ways. Here are two of the methods their followers recommended:

What Will Happen Here?

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

Dark woods have long been a vital part of many stories.

Snow White encounters the huntsman in a dark woods and escapes into another part of the woods. Ditto with Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf.

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz is attacked in dark woods. Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves are set upon by oversized spiders in the dark woods called Mirkwood.

When the Frost Is on the Pumpkin: 3 Fun Writers’ Devices

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

This is a good time of year to read James Whitcomb Riley’s “When the Frost Is on the Punkin,” which you can read here. It describes the glories of life on the farm during the cool, crisp days of autumn, and the harvest season.

In the poem, you’ll find this phrase: “The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn / And the raspin’ of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn. . .”

Note: Riley misspells “russel” on purpose. The correct spelling is “rustle.” Same with “tossels,” which is supposed to be “tassels.” And, of course “punkin,” which is, you guessed it, “pumpkin.” He’s using a country dialect in his writing.

Riley uses the three wonderful words “husky, rusty russel” to describe the sound of the dried leaves of the corn plant as they rub together in the wind. If you have ever heard those dry leaves or blades rubbing together, you can almost hear the “s” sound in the wind, as though they are whispering to each other.

What are Riley’s secrets to writing so well?

What’s Your Motivation?

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

“It’s just like playing in the world’s biggest sandbox.”

“It is a bond that links the generations together.”

“You get to be a part of history and the future.”

What are these people talking about?

They’ve written one sentence to explain why they do something. Can you guess what it is?

How to Convince an Audience: Opinion versus Persuasion

SHARON’S BLOG

You may be very good at expressing your opinions, especially when you want to change someone’s mind.

What you may not know is that if you truly want to change someone’s mind, you have to stop thinking about your opinion and start thinking about your audience.

This tutorial, with a free infographic to download, will show you very clearly the difference between writing an opinion and writing to persuade an audience.

Opinion versus Persuasion

Writing or expressing an opinion is all about what you like; convincing another person to do something is all about what they need to hear to be persuaded.

Here’s an infographic that shows the difference between writing an opinion and writing to persuade. After the infographic, I’ve included a short writing exercise you can do quickly. My writing class just did it, and they had fun sharing their ideas about alligators, snow leopards, snakes, and so forth.

Writing Is Better When . . .

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

Writing is hard. My students tell me this, and I believe them.

Writing makes their hands hurt. They don’t know what to write or how to write it. They have trouble coming up with topics. They’ll write if someone gives them a topic they are interested in. Or if someone gives them a topic, they don’t want to write.

Can you identify with any of these? If so, let’s make it easier on you.

Writing tip: When you are writing, be aware of your environment.

What do I mean by that? I mean be a detective and find out where you like to write and what you like around you when you write. Do you enjoy being in a room full of people, your favorite pet, or solid quiet when you write? Would you rather be at a desk . . . or slouched in the beanbag in the corner?

Never Do the Following

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

Rules, rules, rules! You find them everywhere.

I even found some in a guide book to a Florida vacation area.

But these weren’t strictly rules. They were more like advice. In Emerald Coast Guide, I found all sorts of advice and things to avoid.

Quirky Beach Rules

For instance, in their “NEVER do the following” column, they mention some obvious things and some funny things:

Write a Story from an Animal’s Perspective

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

How do you write a story about Alaska before people arrived? You make animals the main characters, which is exactly what James A. Michener does in Alaska.

Michener creates Matriarch, a mammoth that is old enough to be the grandmother of many other mammoths. Through her eyes, we see the landscape and experience the early troubles of the area now known as Alaska.