Writing Prompts May be Obstacles to Quality Writing
Writing prompts are ubiquitous in this age of high-stakes testing. The belief is if we allow students to respond to (daily) prompts, their writing will improve. But this doesn't always happen. This morning, via a tweet from Ira Socol , I came across a post entitled The Over-Prompting of Young Writers . The excellent points made in this article may cause you to rethink your use of writing prompts. What are the unintended consequences? Do writing prompts, in fact, stifle quality writing? What do we do when students are unable to make connections to the prompt because it does not relate to their life? The author, Heather Rader states: Some teachers tell me their students respond to a writing prompt every day. Here are a few prompts I've read student responses to: Write about your favorite TV program. Write about a time you wished you could fly. You discover a magic egg. Tell the story of what happens next. While many kids will compliantly write to these starters, their resp...