This month, encourage student writing by using these fun, shamrock shapebook templates to encourage creative writing and self-publishing.
Created for two different writing levels (solid and dashed lines), these templates can be used for multi-level classrooms. Students can use these templates to create unique March related stories and poetry. Allow students complete autonomy to chose what to write or give them a specific topic. You can also ask that they include current spelling and vocabulary words.
Have you assigned journal writing assignments (prompts) to your students? While an informal and sometimes ungraded assignment, journal entries can help students develop other transferable writing skills. So, what is journal writing exactly?
Journal writing is the process of recording personal insights, reflections and questions on assigned or personal topics. Journal projects assigned in class may include student thoughts about daily experiences, reading assignments, current events or science experiments. Journal entries are a form of reflective writing, in that students can use writing assignments (or prompts) to consider and respond to something.
Often, teachers do not need one more thing to ‘plan’ for each day. That is why having a large set of writing prompts can make life so much easier for a teacher and at the same time, greatly benefit each student!
My Teaching Library has developed monthly writing prompts for journal writing for every day of the year! These selected writing prompts have been designed to help students think, create and express their own ideas and opinions on a variety of topics.
Here are a five writing prompt examples from these products:
March 3rd – (Star Spangled Banner became the U.S. national anthem) The Star Spangled Banner was written during the Revolution, but it didn’t become the national anthem until 1931. Some people think that it’s a great anthem. Other people think that it isn’t. What do you think? If we were to change the national anthem, what would you want to have instead? Or would you not want to change it, no matter what?
April 2nd – (Reconciliation Day) What does reconciliation mean? Is there someone with whom you need to reconcile? Who is it and what caused your fall out? If not, describe a reconciliation that has occurred sometime in your life.
September 12th – (Video Games Day) Your name is Tonette Play. You create video games for a living and you have just though of a new video game that you want to produce. Describe your game and tell why/how our game is different than other games you’ve seen before. Why do you think others would want to buy your game?
November 11th – (Veterans Day) Veterans Day (celebrated somewhat differently as Remembrance Day in Canada, Australia and Great Britain) originally commemorated the end of World War I. In the United States, it is now a day to honor all those who serve in the military, living and dead, from all wars and during peacetime. Do you know any veterans? Write a letter to a veteran you know or, if you don’t know one, to any veteran.
December 4th – (Mary Celeste was found) On December 4th, 1872, a British ship came across another ship, the Mary Celeste, which was drifting in the Atlantic Ocean. The Mary Celeste was sailing from New York to Genoa, Italy. The captain, his wife, their daughter and the crew of eight were all missing from the ship. They were never found and nobody knows why they left the ship. The ship still had food, water and all its cargo. What do you think happened?
Library of Learning Resources 