Description | Exposition | Narration | Persuasion | All
Want to inspire your teens to write? Could you use some engaging writing prompts that won’t put your teens to sleep? You’ve come to the right place!
You’ll find prompts for opinions, descriptions, story writing, current events, prompts that are really tutorials in disguise, and much more. Complete instructions are included with each prompt.
Looking for tutorials on essay writing, proofreading, and so on? Interested in writing prompt bundles that span many grades? Click here.
Find prompts for your middle school students here.
Thanks for visiting the High School Prompts page. If you have a writing prompt you would like to submit, please contact Sharon Watson.
“You can’t wait for inspiration.
You have to go after it with a club.”
— JACK LONDON
What Would You Walk Across Your Country For?
Eric Peters was a 23-year-old U.S. Army veteran when he spent seven months walking across America. He began in Clark, New Jersey, and ended in California. Along his trek, he talked to reporters, DJs, other veterans, and anyone willing to listen.
Why?
Peters, recently back from a tour in Afghanistan, suffers from (more…)
Where to Put the Comma, Period, Colon, and Semicolon When Using Quotation Marks
This compelling grammar lesson answers such thorny questions as this one: “Mom, does a period go before or after the last quotation mark?”
You can find the first in the series of grammar tutorials here; it’s all about compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, and commas. And if that doesn’t create some excitement in the classroom, I don’t know what will.
Punctuation and quotation marks tutorial
This week’s tutorial includes the following:
- An infographic to teach the material
- A set of sentences your students can correct to reinforce the material
- The answers to the sentences
There are only two rules (can you believe it?), and they are easy (again, is it to be believed?).
This lesson does not cover quotation marks in dialog. Tarzan is in charge of that here.
As you’ll notice by the infographic, (more…)
What Memory Would You Give?
Memories are powerful.
Jonas finds that out in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.
Memories can cause pain. They also can bring hope, courage, or feelings of love.
Although no one can transmit memories from one person to another simply by touching them, this is exactly what happens in The Giver, and a 
particular memory gives Jonas wisdom when he has to make an important life-and-death decision. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to spoil the book or the movie for you. (more…)
How to Use Commas in Compound Sentences with Coordinating Conjunctions
Okay, so the title of today’s article isn’t the most exciting. In fact, you might find it downright boring—or intimidating.
I’ve been known to zone out when my husband tries to explain football lingo and rules to me. My eyes glaze over. My ears stop working. The same might be true for your students and the subject of commas.
Commas, Compound Sentences, and Coordinating Conjunctions
You can use the infographic below to teach students when to use commas in a compound sentence that is joined by a coordinating conjunction.
In this tutorial, you’ll find the following goodies:
- An infographic to teach the material
- A free, downloadable exercise
- The answers (more…)
That’s a Commercial?
When is a commercial not a commercial?
When it’s written to look like a movie trailer, complete with spies, secret missions, and a plot line.
The Ford Motor Company’s latest commercials for their cars and trucks resemble movie trailers, which you can see on YouTube here and here . Other elements that aid in the “movie” look are the colors (blues and grays), lighting, and the spy-movie music.
View at least one of the commercials and then come back here for more thrills and excitement. (more…)
A Real Science-Fiction Town
This real-life news report is just too good to pass up. I had to share it with you.
What would you do if most of the people in your town moved away, disappeared, or died?
According to Chuck Sheppard’s News of the Weird—and this qualifies—an older woman moved back to her hometown in Japan to find that it was no longer thriving. In fact, it was down to about 37 people.
What did this intrepid woman do? (more…)
