Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self! Today’s prompt challenges you to get creative visually!
Make art out of your favorite writing! Here artist Ros Rixon prints his favorite poems like Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s How Do I Love Thee? and wraps them up in beautiful bottles. How can you put words into art?
This winter we utilized our taste buds and sank our teeth into the food curriculum where we wrote poems and stories about our favorite cuisines. Check out some of our favorite excerpts from the session below!
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Oh, Sushi, Oh, Sushi.
You’re a wild animal.
You taste like a flash of light.
You look like you’re going to hop like a cheetah into my mouth.
You’re going to stop everyone in world wars because you taste so good.
Sushi makes freedom come out the door with feeling.
Sushi jumps into my mouth!
- Jack
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Oh, Chocolate Cake, you are the taste everyone calls gold.
You smell like a rose swaying in the sunlight.
You feel like a cloud moving slowly in my mouth.
When I see chocolate cake my eyes burst into flames!
You have the taste of my life.
- Sidney
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Oh, Chip, My Love.
How fresh you are!
You crunch in my mouth as my white blades chomp into you.
Oh, how you shatter into little bits.
I taste your salty coat. My mouth starts to water.
- Amanda
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Oh, Chicken Curry. You look like fish in the ocean.
You feel like a slippery monkey bar.
You smell of my home… India
- Maya
From a personification exercise in which students were asked to write from the point of view of fruit:
They Call Me the Lime.
I’m green with envy because lemon gets all the credit.
When you make limeade from me I get revenge and turn myself sour!
And you know what? You can’t listen any more. Why? …Because it’s over.
- Miles
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Oh, Chocolate Cake, how you make my mouth explode with flavor like a cloud bursting with rain. Your color looks like mud on the ground…
But you make my stomach feel so good.
- Lauren
From a poetry exercise using alliterative food descriptions:
Sleeping ice cream sandwich is slimy with a silky taste.
Sleeping ice cream sandwich is stalking some stockings and silly socks while looking at his snakes doing the splits.
- Sophia
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Ice cream is sweet.
Ice cream is filling.
Ice cream is paradise.
Ice cream is in my mouth.
Ice cream is gone.
I am ice cream. Eat me if you would.
- Aidan
From an exercise about writing odes to favorite foods:
Chocolate Cake that crumbles in my mouth, slice after slice.
That yummy little cake wouldn’t mind if I take another slice…
Soon it’ll be gone, like an iguanadon.
But I wouldn’t cry… or even say goodbye!
- Josh
From a personification exercise in which students were asked to write from the point of view of fruit:
I love my life living in a shell.
Shake, Shake, Boom!
I just fell from the tree!
Anyway, there will be no more interruptions
Hey! Someone just picked me up!
Now anyway, my name is Coco the Coconut.
Sometimes I do wish I was a person, not a brown ball with juice inside.
Wait a minute… they’re cutting me open for a snack!
I’m still around, but not for long…
- Aisling
From a personification exercise in which students were asked to write from the point of view of fruit:
I’m Angela the Apple, and I’d like to stay on this tree forever and play and eat popcorn.
It feels like I’m dying when they pick me off the tree
But if they don’t I can plant a seed.
That’s a ball for apples!
- Adriana
From an exercise in which the kids wrote about their favorite personal qualities as recipe ingredients:
1 teaspoon of laughter
1 cup of reading
mix while pouring in a pound of family
Add a tablespoon of kindness
3 ounces of smartness
slowly pour into a bowl and bake for an hour and a half
Spring a pinch of soccer on top of it all
Your Elijah is done!
- Elijah
As a break from the food curriculum, kids were given the beginnings of well-known proverbs and asked to write their own endings:
Never underestimate the power of… stars.
You can lead a horse to water but… not food.
Don’t bite the hand that… hurts.
No news is… today.
If you lie down with dogs you’ll… get better.
Love all, trust… all.
The pen is mightier than the… paper.
Happy the bride who… is good.
- Isabelle
As a break from the food curriculum, kids were given the beginnings of well-known proverbs and asked to write their own endings:
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and the whole world… frowns.
Love all, trust… another.
Better late than… sorry.
Where there’s smoke there’s… frowns.
A penny saved is… lucky.
children should be seen and not… yelled at.
- Ava
At “Take My Word For It!” our goal is to introduce kids to writing as an adventure, a chance to try on different personas, and as an outlet for their feelings, thoughts and ideas (even those they don’t want to share with anyone).
There are a lot of other folks out there who share our philosophy and so if you are looking for a way to keep your child inspired to write this summer, there are some websites and blogs you should know about. (Please keep in mind, this is just the tip of the writing-resource iceberg!)
Karen Benke is a Bay area teacher and author who is always up for a Word Party! Her two books, Rip the Page! and Leap Write In! are designed to give young authors lots of novel ideas to get them writing. Her website has an activity page that’s a great place to look for ideas to ignite the creative spark.
Creative Everyday Challenge. Leah Piken Kolidas’ website isn’t just for writers, but young writers can visit to find fertile soil for their creativity. Each month she posts a themed creative challenge, and, in her words, invites creative acts in “cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay…”.
Scholastic features a fun Story Starter page on their website – it functions sort of like a roulette wheel for story ideas that come up at the click of a button. You can choose prompts by genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Fantasy and Scrambler (a hodgepodge of all three).
Imagination Soup is a super-cool website with the tagline, “bite-sized wisdom for thinking parents”. Put together by Melissa Taylor, a Mom, teacher and freelance education blogger, it covers a wealth of topics including writing, reading, toys & games and tech. Her writing activities for kids page is chocked full of wonderful ideas that also include art and other DIY projects.
Magnetic Poetry words appear on many of our refrigerators and they make starting a poem or a story oh-so-easy. I own set of giant magnetic words that I often pull out to use in our writing workshops. Magnetic Poetry’s website has a page where kids can play around with an online set of “magnetic” words to create stories and poems.
Or visit ReadWriteThink, a website sponsored by the International Reading Association, where a community of educators working to improve literacy for every student post their innovative lesson plans, to learn how to make a kit of your own.
We have these, and other writing resources, posted on our website. If you know of one that we haven’t included, please let us know! We love to spread the word about like-minded folks doing outstanding work with kids and literary creativity.
-Sondra Hall
Founder & Director, “Take My Word For It!”
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self!
Today is a complete free write! The world needs a few more words to make it go round, so open up your notebook and write about whatever you want! What’s on your mind, your hopes, your fears, a funny story that happened to you recently. Anything is fair game!
This Winter at West Portal Elementary, we’ve been exploring the theme of “secrets” using a variety of writing exercises such as secret recipes, secret identities, and secret codes. Take a look!
From an exercise where each student acted as a reporter and wrote a front page headline about their superhero and secret identity:
Skyler
Blue Vulture in Town!
Last night the first national bank was robbed, but someone dressed as a vulture stopped the crime. Witnesses heard some fighting. The Blue Vulture punched a thug out the door. He nailed the second thug to the wall using his feathers. The last guy almost escaped. But the hero appeared in front of him. The police captured him. The hero kind of looked like Mike Lee, the reporter on the case!
-Skylar
From an exercise where each student choose a secret and expanded on it:
Bryan
My dad is a secret agent
My dad secretly first goes to his secret lab and gets his gadgets. He was going to go to a crime scene but then his computer suddenly started beeping – there was a mission. Someone stole the Statue of Liberty! He dropped his water on the floor and suddenly left the base. He was on his way to New York – he was on time when the police were there. The criminal got away and the next day he came back to steal something else but then my dad caught him and sent him to jail!
-Bryan
From “Secret Recipes” where students create their own secret recipes using secret ingredients:
Stephanie
How to Make Weird Cake
How to Make Weird Cake
-Stephanie
From an exercise where each student choose a secret and expanded on it in journal form:
Angel
The secret is: “a fairy lives in my room and sleeps under my bed”
Dear Journal,
I don’t like this fairy here. It’s very annoying because she’s talking all night. I want to tell my best friend Jenna, but I’m not sure what to say. The fairy’s curly hair keeps on tickling me. And her big teeth shine like the moon. Everywhere I go, she goes too. I feel worried about this thing here. I don’t really like the happiness that she gave me (or maybe it didn’t work.) I think I should make a trap. Then I’ll be very happy!
-Angel
From an exercise where each student acted as a reporter and wrote a front page headline about their superhero and secret identity:
Zoe
Extra! Extra! Jump Up Girl Saves the Day!
Last night there was a bad guy. He went in to a spaceship and flew up into space. The space ship had a lot of money in it. But then the Jump Up Girl jumped into space. She can hold her breath for ten hours. So she jumped to space and pushed the spaceship down. Then the police came and arrested the bad guy.
-Zoe
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self!
What kinds of patterns do you see around you everyday? Take a journal and write down the designs on your street, at school, even on your clothes that interest and inspire you!
This session at Thornhill we’re exploring the elements of a good mystery. The kids have been crafting mystery stories and learning all about creative writing techniques, from character and plot development to using concrete details and the five senses to tell a story. We’ve been having a great time. Here are some teasers…
From left to right: Maxwell, Parsa, Michela, Sophie, Reemi, Jamie, Elise, Sidney and Mitch
From: Write a letter to or from one of your characters.
Dear Police Officer,
You wanted to know my story so…here it is! This is my story! I am Violet V. 12 years old with short brown hair and blue eyes. I used to have parents and they disappeared during a hurricane. I was left alone with only my strict grandfather to look after me. He lived in a big, shining new house with a backyard and swimming pool in Cuba. He was a rich, greedy and mean old man. He made me be his servant! If I refused he would threaten or punish me.
-Michela
From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”
Have You Lost Your Mind?
“So, who am I again?” I asked and then he vanished. Was gone. Disappeared. Left. Was Away. And I was all alone. No idea what had just happened.
“You shall go on a quest to find your memory,” said a strange man.
-Sophie
From: Describe a setting and mood with the five senses.
Small Town in the Future
The survivors wouldn’t say, so no one knew what had happened. Everyone who survived knew, but vowed to never give up. The treacherous story had brought them here, accidentally, without food, water, or any recognition of what was happening and what already had. After spending what they used to call a week, they knew what people have spent a millenia wondering, still arguing on an answer. What happens after the sun has died? The survivors are the strongest out of the strong. They are the last humans.
-Sidney
From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”
I said, “Good morning, Kikii!” No answer. “Kikii, I got your favorite breakfast kitty chow!” Still no answer. I went to check her room. “Kikii, I called you a million times where were yo–” I stopped in the middle of my sentence, She wasn’t there! I looked everywhere for her. The bathroom, the kitchen, even her favorite litter box! P.U. “Reemi. Focus!”
-Reemi
From: Rewrite a twist ending for a common fairytale.
The beginning of The Boy Who Cried Wolf
In a town, lived a boy shepherd by the name of Claude. He was very tall and was very demanding with his voice. He wasn’t watchful as sheep were disappearing. One day he was bored and he cried “Wolf!” The men came running but there was no wolf. He did that every day for a week and the town was getting annoyed. They decided that they wouldn’t come anymore. The next morning Claude was missing and so were his sheep. There was blood everywhere. They looked for him for days.
-Elise (collaborated with Mitch)
From: Rewrite a twist ending for a common fairytale.
The ending of The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Finally one night they saw something moving. It was a wolf! It was talking to someone and they noticed it was a full moon. The voice was Claudes! The next morning they found bloody paw prints leading to dead sheep’s wool. I hope that creature doesn’t come to our town again, said one of the men. We spotted Claude! his feet look like claws. Funny coincidence. Claude came back. He said he was sick and he was back. But that night it was a full moon. Suddenly Claude turned into a wolf! Everyone screamed! Claude ran off and as far as I know he never came back. I’m sure everyone’s glad about that.
-Mitch (collaborated with Elise)
From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”
Kila scored the winning goal!! The Shooting Stars had won the game. At the end of the game the Coach gave Kila a ball signed by everyone on her soccer team, but Jessica just gave her an evil glare. Bella was so happy she just started hugging Kila so tight. Since it was a soccer game at Disney World, Kila decided to put her ball down and go play with her friends.
-Jamie
From: Write a letter to or from one of your characters.
2/11/1943
Dear runaway parent,
There were buckets of rain leaking through my abandoned truck. Spent the morning underneath the Grove in the park. Listening to the chirping birds as if they were crying my name, “Dustpin, Dustpin.” The winter is near, 11th Tale of my Life, leaking one tear of Hope, that you’ll be coming. Spent the afternoon seemed to leave a shadow of hunger. Found “the bike” + rode off to Charity Red Fund for supper. Now watching my life go by.
-Dustpin
(P.S. Please come for me.)
-Maxwell
From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”
One day Jordan was reading his book at home when all of a sudden there was a knock on the door. Jordan went to the door to open it. At the door his friend Mike was there. “Hi, Jordan!” said Mike. “Do you want to go to the park to play basketball?” Sure!’ said Jordan. “First let me ask my mom.” Jordan’s mom said yes then he went to put on his basketball shorts. When Jordan and Mike got to the park, Jordan said, “Sooo, where is the basketball?” “Basketball? I thought you were bringing it.” So they both went back to Jordan’s house where Jordan asked his dad where his basketball was. Jordan’s dad said, “I don’t know, but maybe it’s in the garage. Let’s go check.” They searched for half an hour but couldn’t find his ball. When they got back into the house Jordan whispered to Mike, “My dad is acting suspicious, don’t you think?”
-Parsa
Every Wednesday our creative writing prompt challenges you to pick up your pen and indulge your author self!
Ever had your fortune told? Take a look at your hand and give a go at reading your own palm! Write about what your future holds…
Photo Credit: Svetlana Kolosova
Want to get to know some of the creative writing masters behind “Take My Word For It!”? Meet this month’s teacher spotlight, Apollo Papafrangou!
Name: Apollo Papafrangou
Currently working at: Thornhill Elementary
Hometown: Oakland, CA
What’s your favorite bookstore? Diesel Books. Good selection of titles, friendly staff, and it’s walking distance from my house!
What’s your favorite VERB? Persevere.
If your life was a book, what would be the title? “The Chronicles of a Gentleman.”
Did a teacher or another writer inspire you to write? How? A local author named Jess Mowry inspired me to begin writing seriously at the age of twelve. I had written stories prior to reading his work, but his lyrical fiction — about Bay Area youth — resonated with me to such a degree that I wanted to write a book of my own.
This Winter we explored the wonderful world of food in our “Peanut Butter and The Pen” curriculum. We practiced writing vivid descriptions of food, using adjectives and active verbs, similes and metaphors. Students wrote stories, advertisements, warnings and odes, as well as a “Recipe of Me.” Read some of our favorite excerpts from the session below!
From an experience trying a suspicious food for the first time:
Zenas and Alan
I thought frog legs were not good tasting but after I went to the same buffet for the second time, my mom urged me to eat the frog legs. To my surprise, the fried frog legs weren’t mushy. The fried frog legs were not that salty. It tasted a bit like chicken.
- Alan
Mushrooms have a mushy, gushy, slimy and nasty taste. I think they look cool, but taste gruesome. They should be against the law. They have a frothy texture. I forever hate mushrooms. The first time I tried them I felt sick!
- Sophia
From an exercise using similes, metaphors and/or personification to describe the following foods:
Nathaniel and Dominic
Chips taste like something from Yellowstone Park.
Corn on the cob tastes like little rubber tents filled with liquid.
Jello looks like a see-through jelly substance.
Bubble gum looks like cooked slime brains.
Barbeque ribs taste like the ribs of an alien animal with traditional smushed brain sauce.
- Nathaniel
From a prompt – A mad scientist invents a new glow-in-the-dark food using weird ingredients, and tries to get an unsuspecting kid to volunteer to eat it:
A mad scientist invents a glow in the dark food that contains globs of chewed up liver, killer zombies and 18,000,000,000 glow worms.
- Dominic
From a prompt – Describe your breakfast this morning using all five of your five senses:
The fried eggs I had for breakfast were golden brown. Bubbles appeared and instantly popped, creating a sizzling sound. Its aroma filled the air.
- Zenas
Once there was a vial. It lived happily with his test tube brothers. Then one day there was a mad scientist and he poured a green liquid into the vial and the vial turned evil. He poured himself into drinks and food. Then one day he made the mistake of pouring himself into a rich person’s drink and it was then that he met his enemy the antidote, who saw the person choking and went to the rescue. (To be continued…)
- Cody
Cody, Zenas, Sophia, Tiffany, Emma, Daniel
From a prompt –I discovered a new food: CHEESTERAMBOCCOLLI. What is it?
Cheesteramboccoli is cheese with broccoli. It looks like broccoli drizzled with cheese. The broccoli is cooked with oil and fried, and the cheese is melted.
- Emma
From an ode – a poetic form written either to praise or pay tribute to the subject of the poem (in this case, food):
Ode to Orange Chocolate Ganache
Spit out your orangey flavor
Give me thick, coarse dark chocolate
Don’t just leave me
I will always love your flavor
Now, you may leave me now
Wait! May I have another bite?
- Tiffany
From creating a food character (personifying food) and writing its story:
Patty Potato was doing nothing one night in her Potatomobile but licking her pink hair. She then saw the potato signal and jumped into the potato suit. She zoomed through the produce section and into the frozen aisle. There, standing with stainless steel throwing sporks, was Annette Applehead. She hurled a spork at Patty but Patty dodged, and the spork hit some microwave lasagna. When Patty turned around, Annette was gone. She hopped in her vehicle and zoomed through the chips and bean dip section. She got out of the mobile and searched the aisle. “Kieahh!!” came a loud cry. Patty jerked her head towards the sound, just in time to see Gabe Garbonzo bean leap on top of her. She shucked him off, and pushed a secret button. A bowl appeared out of nowhere and cooked him! (Continued…)
- Daniel
From a Recipe of Me – write ingredients that include characteristics about you, plus measurements and directions for preparing, cooking and serving:
Audrey
This great looking recipe is full of strange, awesome ingredients. After eating this you’ll jump as if you are doing gymnastics!
1. Add 20 teaspoons of kindness with 12 ounces of candy lover. Stir in 1 big bowl.
2. Blend 9 cups of shyness with 100 tablespoons of gymnast. Add a little less than ½ of a micropinch of kind sister. Put into 2nd bowl. Cook in pan until turned into cake.
3. Last, add caramel to 1st bowl and make frosting out of it. Drench the frosting over cake and… EAT!!!
- Audrey
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