Description | Exposition | Narration | Persuasion | All

high school writing promptsWant 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

Use This Evaluation Form for Your Student’s How-to Essay

Posted by on Dec 20, 2021 in High School Tutorial, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial | Comments Off on Use This Evaluation Form for Your Student’s How-to Essay

Use This Evaluation Form for Your Student’s How-to Essay

SHARON’S BLOG

In this week’s post, you’ll find a mini lesson explaining what goes into a how-to or process essay, and you can download a printable evaluation form you can use to grade your 7th-12th graders.

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Give the Gift of Yourself This Christmas

Posted by on Dec 13, 2021 in High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts | Comments Off on Give the Gift of Yourself This Christmas

Give the Gift of Yourself This Christmas

SHARON’S BLOG
Do your children and teens wish they could communicate better with the special people in their lives? Sometimes it’s hard to talk or to come up with something brilliant to say. Other times they may have trouble connecting with family members.

At this time of year, they may be wondering what to give that special family member or friend. But do they know that once in a while, the family member doesn’t want a new item? What they really would value is something personal from your child.

The following pages allow your children and teens to jot down their thoughts and ideas and then share them with others. Their gift now becomes personal and meaningful.

Each prompt comes with a free, colorful page you can print out for them and they can write on. Collect them all and begin a journal, if you wish. If your children plan to give them as gifts, they can give certain pages as presents or gather all the pages into one gift.

These prompts are suitable for people in grades 5 – 12.

Ready? Let’s do this . . . (more…)

Thanksgiving Prompts—Good for the Soul

Posted by on Nov 22, 2021 in High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts | Comments Off on Thanksgiving Prompts—Good for the Soul

Thanksgiving Prompts—Good for the Soul

SHARON’S BLOG

We want our students and our children to develop attitudes of gratefulness, to say thank you without being prompted, and to appreciate any worldly goods and advantages they have.

Use these four Thanksgiving prompts to get them thinking about their blessings and how they can bless others. (more…)

Intro to Writing, Parts 1 and 2

Posted by on Sep 10, 2021 in High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Middle School Prompts, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial | Comments Off on Intro to Writing, Parts 1 and 2

Intro to Writing, Parts 1 and 2

SHARON’S BLOG

Intro to Writing

Do your students get stuck when they have to write a paragraph or an essay?

I have a secret I’d like to share with you.

Your students do not have to write a paragraph or a whole essay every time they put pencil to paper. One of the best ways to unplug the fear of writing is to do some of the prepare-for-writing tasks but never write the whole paragraph or essay.

It’s called practice, as when members of a basketball team practice dribbling or passing. The team does not play a game every time they get together. They practice pieces of the game.

So let’s practice brainstorming and organizing ideas. (more…)

3 Prompts to Celebrate the Olympics

Posted by on Jul 19, 2021 in High School Prompts, Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts | Comments Off on 3 Prompts to Celebrate the Olympics

3 Prompts to Celebrate the Olympics

SHARON’S BLOG

Celebrate the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics with us. Here are three prompts and one BONUS prompt for your 5th-12th graders to enjoy as the festivities get underway! Some are light and fun. Others involve controversies and get your students thinking. Be sure to download the colorful worksheet in #1.

On your mark . . . get set . . .

*****

1. Let’s Pack

You’re packing to go to Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but you can pack only 26 things. It’s a good thing there are 26 letters in the alphabet because you are going to pack one item for every letter in it. What will you pack that begins with “A”? With “B”? With “Z”???

Download this colorful worksheet to help you pack. >>

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Composition: Let’s Make it Easier

Posted by on Jan 28, 2021 in High School Tutorial, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, tutorial | Comments Off on Composition: Let’s Make it Easier

Composition: Let’s Make it Easier

You’ve just read the title of this post and are laughing uncontrollably. I get it. Writing is hard. My students confirm this, and so do yours.

Many moms report that their students have ideas in their heads but can’t get them on paper. Let’s start fixing that today.

What creates this strange head-to-hand disconnect? One major reason is that students don’t organize their thoughts or plan their papers. Big mistake. They think it’s a time waster; but you know otherwise.

The following is a short activity on opinion writing, devised for success. Practice these four steps to writing with your students. They won’t actually be writing this essay, which is one of the reasons this activity works so well.

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