Writing Prompts

[LeoGirl728]

In NJ we have to prepare the students for the ever changing state tests. This year they have changed the test to include a 45 minute persausive prompt and a 25 minute speculative writing prompt. Does anyone have any practice prompts I can use to prepare the students for each? Or any suggestions of web-sites or books for them.

 

[LA Teacher]

I'm in Georgia and the Ga Dept of Ed. has released last years' prompts on their website. We just revamped our test last year. The students now could possibly get a narrative (personal or imaginative), informational, or persuasive. I practice every year with this prompt:

Your teacher posted this sign in class: WANTED: CLASSROOM PET
What pet would you choose? Write a letter persuading your teacher to buy the pet of your choice.

Hope this helps...

 

[Mr. C]

One of my favorite persuasive writing activities occurs shortly before Thanksgiving. I have them write a persuasive letter (through the voice of a turkey) persuading the president to pardon them. They love this activity, and they use great persuasion (usually humorous!). Maybe next year, huh?

 

[TeacherBB]

persuasive prompts

Persuade Santa to do one of the following things:
--get a new high powered speedy sleigh
-- give you everything on your list
--give some of your presents to less fortunate children
--let you go for a ride on Christmas eve with him.
---------------You can even come up with some of your own..these are just some I thought of to get them started.
I provide them with a persuasive essay template with introduction, reason 1....details...reason 2 details and reason 3 with details. and conclusion. they write this in the form of a letter.


Persuade your parents to let you stay home alone for a week. (this one gets very funny and some of them think of the movie home alone when they write about the reasons.

Persuade your principal to allow you:
to have extra long recess
to go on a field trip to Six Flags/Disney World
to have a week with no uniforms
to use your Ipod in class

the principal actually reads my students letters and comes up to talk to them...they love it.

 

[Amy Schipske]

aschipske

I too am a teacher in NJ, 6th grade. Please let me know if you find any speculative writing samples and/or prompts.

 

[ASchipske]

Speculative Writing

I too am a teacher in NJ, 6th grade. Please let me know if you find any speculative writing samples and/or prompts.

 

[troysbride04]

speculative writing?

I teach 5th LA/SS, and am involved with training teachers K-12 in the writing process. I have NEVER heard of a speculative writing prompt. Might this be the same as a reflexive, or reflective writing, where students write about a time they.....(had an exciting day, helped someone or were helped by someone, etc..)? I am very curious! Thanks!

I model persuasive writing by reading a picture book, such as Ira Sleeps Over, where the character in the book does something that can be debated...Should Ira bring his teddy bear to spend the night, or should he not?

I give kids yellow index cards to write down reasons he should, and pink index cards to write down reasons he should not. They do not need to develop their ideas at this point...I am just getting them to stretch and consider both sides of the issue.

Then they get in small groups and share their thoughts, and are invited to take a stand on one side of the issue. I ask them to take their cards that support their side of the issue and rank their cards for their strongest argument and model for them that it is appropriate to either begin or end with your strongest argument.

Again, lots of sharing, discussing, etc. Kids are able at any time in this process to revise, borrow, change their minds, etc. It is the process of planning to express your thoughts persuasively that I am trying to model...

Sometimes I ask them to have more than 3 reasons. in this part of the process...that way, as they are composing, if they hit a road block in how to develop support for a reason, they can easily shift to another thought that may be easier to develop and support.

Then I give out large green index cards for kids to write support for each reason.

This way, kids can manipulate and visualize the entire persuasive process.

Of course, I am using colored butcher paper that matches their colored index cards to model, model, model....

Hope this is helpful!

 

[troysbride04]

speculative writing?

I teach 5th LA/SS, and am involved with training teachers K-12 in the writing process. I have NEVER heard of a speculative writing prompt. Might this be the same as a reflexive, or reflective writing, where students write about a time they.....(had an exciting day, helped someone or were helped by someone, etc..)? I am very curious! Thanks!

I model persuasive writing by reading a picture book, such as Ira Sleeps Over, where the character in the book does something that can be debated...Should Ira bring his teddy bear to spend the night, or should he not?

I give kids yellow index cards to write down reasons he should, and pink index cards to write down reasons he should not. They do not need to develop their ideas at this point...I am just getting them to stretch and consider both sides of the issue.

Then they get in small groups and share their thoughts, and are invited to take a stand on one side of the issue. I ask them to take their cards that support their side of the issue and rank their cards for their strongest argument and model for them that it is appropriate to either begin or end with your strongest argument.

Again, lots of sharing, discussing, etc. Kids are able at any time in this process to revise, borrow, change their minds, etc. It is the process of planning to express your thoughts persuasively that I am trying to model...

Sometimes I ask them to have more than 3 reasons. in this part of the process...that way, as they are composing, if they hit a road block in how to develop support for a reason, they can easily shift to another thought that may be easier to develop and support.

Then I give out large green index cards for kids to write support for each reason.

This way, kids can manipulate and visualize the entire persuasive process.

Of course, I am using colored butcher paper that matches their colored index cards to model, model, model....

Hope this is helpful!

 

[klsgirl5]

Speculative Writing

I am a 6th grade teacher is South Jersey. I start in September with persuasive writing, but this curve ball of a 25 minute speculative writing prompt is so typical of Jersey....

Anyway, I have looked into this type of writing and from what I can gather, it is like a picture prompt, but without the picture. Students will be given a situation (You are walking home from school and you notice a very strange doorway leading into a building that you never noticed before. You approach the doorway and a strange light is shining from it. You push the door open and......)

My students actually find this a fun challenge.

Good Luck!!!!

 

[BlossomNJ]

BlossomNJ

I am a SS/LA teacher in NJ and we began speculative writing as well. It is exactly as the previous person stated....a picture prompt without the picture. Here is an example of one we used today and the children loved it. If anyone gets new ones, I would love to see them.

Speculative Writing Exercise
You are on a road trip with your family for Christmas, New Year's Eve, or another major holiday (pick one) It's night. Something has happened to prevent you from reaching your final destination (major storm is headed your way, low tire, etc.) and you've got to stop for the night. The only place is an off road motel. You know the kind, where it says "otel" because one neon light is out? And of course, being a holiday, there are limited services available. Not everything at this establishment is exactly on the up and up. The point is, you're stranded in an isolated area, and have to get to safety before whatever boogeyman gets you. Use whatever elements you want to up the ante. (Cell phone is out, you have kids with you, etc. etc.)

 

[redraven]

Redraven

Hi!! I, too, am looking for Speculative Writing prompts!! Do you have anything else I can use? Any websites out there I can go to? Thank you!!

 

[BlossomNJ]

BlossomNJ

I have been looking all over for websites, but it is just too new of a concept. I am thinking that we are going to have to get creative and write our own.

 

[LeoGirl728]

Tough to Find

Hi All! Thank you for your responses. I have the one prompt from the state. I took the speculative prompt, like you all did, to be a picture prompt in words. I have heard the one about the door way, but thought they were supposed to be more criptive. I have been under the impression that they are supposed to pose a problem without giving an exact problem. That students should be able to come up with the problem and then solve it in the same story. The sample prompt from the state is:

A young boy busily collected everything he would need to take with him. The next day, as he began to set up his equipment, he realized he was missing a very important piece. He has to decide how to solve this problem. Write a story about the boy, his problem, and what he does to solve it.

If anyone is up to making one or finds anymore please post. My fifth grade team and I are working to create our own as well.

Gotta love NJ, lets give them one prompt to practice with for the whole year. They should be ok, taking the end of 5th grade test with 1/3 of the year left and no practice.

 

[camroc]

Speculative Writing

Grades 5-8 on NJASK always had a Picture Prompt - (Speculative Writing) Students were to speculate what story this picture evokes. Now, there will be no picture but a "Speculative Prompt" Students still need to write a story to this prompt - Character, setting, problem, solution in 25 minutes. Teachers - practice writing your own speculative prompts. Take a picture and write a prompt to it. We don't need to purchase any Test Best books for this. It is very easy. Make sure you have given your students some practice with this. See NJDOE "assessments" - there is a sample speculative prompt. Gr. 5.

 

[linday121]

Great idea!

I love this writing idea! I was wondering if you have an explanation and rubric that you give to the students?

 

[Kimgra7tea]

thank you

Thank you for creating this website. New Jersey wants to change and add so many things to the state test with no help. I am a new grade 7 language arts teacher.

 

[dori24601]

Speculative Writing

Hi, our district just gave us a "Speculative Writing" packet (love those packets developed by Rosemary Howell. It's a step-by-step guide that includes brainstorming and pre-writing templates. We're working with these now and meeting this Friday (2/1) to discuss the plan and packet. We have also been given nine sample prompts that teachers in our district have developed.

I've been working on this in my resource center classes (before receiving the info) by giving my kids journal topics that are rather cryptic and encouraging them to use their imaginations to write a story based on some limited info (i.e. The monster under my bed was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich... OR Today in school...etc).

Good luck!

I'm actually having a problem coming up with possible realistic situations (that my sixth-grade RC kids might relate to) for the boy with the equipment problem...Any suggestions?

Thanx

 

[guest]

Speculative and loving Rosemary Howell's pack

I would love to see the packet that you are talking about. Rosemary has such amazing things!!!!

 

[McKat]

Care to Share?

This packet sounds amazing! I teach 5th grade in NJ and am greatly struggling with the speculative writing piece. Are there any graphic organizers or prompts that you could share? Thanks for your consideration

 

[dori24601]

Speculative Packet

OK...well, if you're familiar with Rosemary Howell, you know that she believes in "stretching out" writing assignments. Her plan for the Speculative Writing essay is a 20-21-day plan!

First day is describing Speculative Essay, giving the kids a copy of a sample prompt (the one from the NJ website), having them highlight pertinent info and then brainstorming topic ideas.

Second day:
The first GO is a Brainstorming Thinksheet:
1. List what you know from the prompt.
2. List possible realistic situations.
3. Narrow that list down to situations I know about
4. Narrow further to two possible situations/topics for essay.

Third day:
The second GO is a Prewriting organizer:
1. Describe specifics about the person(s) and general situation (from BS Thinkhseet)
2. State specific problem and scenario
3. List possible solutions and why they are good solutions
4. Choose best solution and describe why it's best.

Fourth day:
Collect and score these GOs -- make sure students are ready to start writing. If not, conference to help them narrow their ideas and come up with a specific answer to the problem. Then model the first draft -- making mistakes -- on an overhead.

Fifth day:
Have kids start writing, check progress, conference, etc...

For the next fifteen days she continues with writing and revising. She also throws in mini lessons on opening hook, elaboration, word choice (vivid language), compositional risks, metaphor/simile, transitions, closing with a punch, punctuation, mechanics, paragraphing, etc.


Edit and publish...Voila! Hope this helps??

 

[lstefano]

lstefano@franklintwpschools.org

Who is Rosemary Howell? Where can I get the packets?

 

[mmguest]

speculative prompt

Has anyone contacted or complained to the nj dept of education about the lack of information provided for this new speculative prompt?

How do they expect a rise in scores if teachers have no idea what to expect? Results should be interesting! It really is not fair to the teachers and the kids.

 

[Taylorl]

Special ed.

I used the prompt from the NJ Ed Dept. and a lot of my kids wrote about sports. Some were missing their mittens, lucky socks, favorite bat and many other equipments. That seemed to be the first thing to come to thier minds when they heard the word equipment

 

[sunpuddle]

Why?

My sentiments exactly. I don't understand. I have been following this thread for three months and I've read several remarks relating to R. Howell's packet but no one will list a direct resource. If you're writing about it couldn't you please let us know how to get it? There are no direct Google references to the Speculative Writing packet. You people are very frustrating.

 

[Cori]

Teacher

Hi - Could you give me any information on Rosemary Howell? I'd love to learn more about her writing strategies, but haven't found anything about her on the web. Thanks.