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Picture Prompts Writing Exercise

Tags

ELA: Writing ^21st Century Skills All Ages Strategy

Skills

Expressive Language

Picture Prompts Writing Exercise

If your students need to practice creative writing

Teach It!

  1. Objective: Students will exercise flexible thinking, close reading, and writing skills when identifying or developing a story around what is going on in an interesting photo.
  2. Instruction and Practice: a) Give students a unique photo with interesting elements that provides opportunities to actively use their imagination about what could be going on in the picture. Guide students to develop stories around what is going on in the photo. Consider what types of photos will be age-appropriate and of interest to your students. b) Depending on your goals, have students identify a main theme and/or title. Next have them identify the specific details in the photo that support the main theme.
  3. Teacher Notes: For students with weaker flexible thinking, have students work in pairs to brainstorm possible ideas for stories. Have students explain their thinking as they share their ideas.
  4. OER Resources: For high school students, try 40 photos from the NY Times. For elementary and middle school students a good app to try is Write About This.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Photos can effectively engage students, particularly those who might be reluctant readers or writers. Describing unusual photos enables students to use their imaginations and feel more free to express themselves because they can point to the photo to back up their ideas. Since this exercise uses many of the same skills teachers expect students to use with close reading or detailed writing, it can provide an enjoyable and less conventional learning opportunity.