Story Starters

Scholastic's Story Starters is a writing prompt generator.  Users choose a grade level, then click the spin lever to create the prompt.  Each prompt consists of four sections.  Users can change the word or phrase in a section of the prompt by clicking on the "spin this wheel" button below each part.

Here are a few prompts that were created:

• Describe an outfit for an orange milkshake who sneaks into the movies.
• Write a quick fairytale about a grouchy plant who likes to sing.
• Write a postcard to a lonely flamingo who travels in a time machine.
• Write a myth about a self-conscious weasel who gets lost in the Amazon.
• Write a brief biography about a know-it-all screenwriter who is the worst singer in the world.

Then, users can click the "next" button if they want to type their story using the interactive tool.  They will then be able to choose a format for their story (notebook, letter, newspaper, or postcard).  Users can create drawings for their writing as well.  Stories can then be printed out.

Storybird

Storybird is a free website where users can create their own stories or read stories that other authors create.  Users can start a Storybird by looking through the gallery of artwork or by themes.  If you choose to begin a story based on artwork, you choose which gallery to begin with and add selected images to your book.  Themes are keywords associated with the different artwork.  Adding artwork to your story is easy with the drag and drop tool.  Images can be placed in various positions on the page.  Text can be added by clicking on the textbox.  Users can also collaborate with others to create a story.

Click on the video below for more information about how to set up a Storybird account and how to begin a story.


Storybird Quick Tour from Storybird on Vimeo.

Visual Thesaurus Word Lists

The Visual Thesaurus site also has various word lists created by users.  The lists cover a variety of topics including sports, food, books, movies, and historical documents.  For each word in a list there are links to other lists that the word can be found in. 

These word lists can be used for spelling words, vocabulary units, alongside a novel study, as writing prompts, or during social studies units.  Students could also make lists of their own or make changes to current lists to make them better.  Here are a few of the interesting lists on the site:

• ABC's of Fabulousness
• National Spelling Bee '09 Finals
• Skateboarding Verbs
• Football Words
• 75 Cent Words
• Positive Words to Describe Someone

Make Beliefs Comix

Make Beliefs Comix allows users to create simple comic strips.  Users can create 2-4 frame comics.  There are 20 characters to choose from and 25 different objects that can be added to the comic strips.  When the comics are finished, they can be printed or emailed to others.  Make Beliefs Comix can be used in a variety of ways including for vocabulary instruction, writing, social studies, math, or reflections.  A few possible ideas are listed below.

Student-created comics:

• To illustrate their understanding of spelling/vocabulary word
• Illustrate the importance or details of a historical event
• Reflection about a lesson or field trip
• Describing the character traits of characters from a novel

Teacher-created comics:

• To introduce vocabulary words
• Morning message
• Instructions for an activity
• Writing prompts

Bubbl.us

Bubbl.us is free flash-based collaborative mind-mapping tool.  Users create webs of any size.  Users can use the drag and drop feature or use their keyboard to add and delete elements to their map.  Once a mind-map is created, it can be exported as a .jpg or .png file, embedded into a website/blog/wiki, or sent via a link.  Possible uses for Bubbl.us include

• Creating mind-maps with your class to discuss a topic
• Brainstorming writing ideas
• Making connections between different historical events or people
• Development and organization of ideas for a project

Six-Word Memoirs

Six-word memoirs would be an interesting way for students to introduce themselves at the beginning of the school year, teachers to introduce themselves as a team for Open House, discussions about characters in novel groups, or for discussing historical figures.  There is an article by NPR about six-word memoirs with several examples.  Not all of the examples on the site are appropriate for school.  The video below includes several six-word memoirs by a high school creative writing class.



A good free online tool for editing and modifying photos is Picnik.

More Writing Prompts

Earlier in the year I posted links for different writing inspirations.  Here are a few more ideas.

• Imagination Prompt Generator - Various writing prompts that mainly focus on personal experiences and beliefs.
• 365 Pictures
• Education World: Writing Bugs - Writing prompt ideas organized by month.
• WritingFix: Left-Brained Prompts - The prompts on this page are organized into different categories including beginning with a list, experimenting with language structures, and pre-planned story parts.  A few interesting prompts on this page include Emotional Recipe Write-ups, Unlikely Resumés, and Magical Creature Field Guide.
• WritingFix: Right-Brained Prompts - The majority of the ideas on this page focus around things that are random.  Prompts on this page include Serendipitous Superhero Creator, several story starters, and Crazy Illustrations.
• Read Write Think: Great Leads - This page includes several interesting leads from novels to discuss how writers begin stories.

PicLits

Determining what to write about is often the most difficult part of the writing process.  PicLits is a creative writing site that allows users to choose an image, then select words that go along with the picture. Users can choose words from a word bank or they can choose the freestyle option and work on your own.  PicLits has a variety of pictures for users to select from.  Users can also browse the PicLits Gallery to view work that others have created.

Also, here are a few websites with writing prompt generators:

• The Writing for Children Resource Site - This page has three different prompt generators.
• Adjective, Noun, Verb/Phrase generator
• Three objects generator
• Random plot generator
• Prompt Generator
• WritingFix: Writing Prompts

Ideas to Inspire

Ideas to Inspire



This site has many presentations with ideas for lessons including uses for web tools such as Wordle, Twitter, and GoogleEarth. There are also lesson ideas for different curricular areas including math, science, writing, music, and geography.