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S C H O L A S T I C
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Marvelous Month-by-Month
Writing Prompts250 Knock-Their-Socks-Off Writing Prompts
to Inspire Super Writing All Year Long!
By Justin McCory Martin
Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
Scholastic Teaching Resources
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DedicationTo Diane Caldwella wonderful aunt and inspiring
teacher
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the
contents of this book for classroom use only. No other part of this
publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a
retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission of the publisher. For information regarding
permission,
write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Cover design by Norma OrtizCover artwork by Amy
VangsgardInterior design by Sydney WrightInterior artwork by Brian
Floca
ISBN: 0-439-22250-8Copyright 2001 by Justin McCory Martin
All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.
Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Writing PromptsSeptember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .5
October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
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4riting can be a deeply satisfying activity for kids. Its a
great outlet for their creativity, one that lends itself to wild
flights of fancy. Its
also a wonderful vehicle for personal expression, more so now
than everin this age of e-mail.
But writing is also tough. Simply staring at a blank piece of
paper is noway to get started. Its just too discouraging, when what
is needed isencouragement and plenty of it. If only kids can start
with the seed of anidea, their imaginations can flower. Writing can
become an activity thatsboth exciting and enriching.
Thats the purpose of the prompts contained in this book. Think
of themas a little push to help your students get started, the same
kind of pushthat any writereven the most gifted veterannaturally
needs.
The prompts are organized by the ten months of the school year.
Most ofthem are tied to specific events in a given month. For
example, Octoberincludes a selection of Halloween-related prompts
and June is full of thosewith summer themes. There are also prompts
pegged to the anniversariesof historic happenings, like the Wright
Brothers famous flight (December17); prompts tied to the birthdays
of famous childrens authors such asTheodor Geisel (March 2); and
even some that relate to unusual datessuch as Elephant Appreciation
Day (September 22).
Kids will find that the prompts send them off in all kinds of
directions,urging them to write stories, poems, songs, and
mini-essays. The emphasisis on varietyinteresting exercises spur
interesting writing. Kids are evenencouraged to write rap songs,
e-mails, petitions, sports stories, and gos-sip columnsall in an
effort to get those creative juices flowing.
Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
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5Back-to-School ListIts the beginning of a new school year.Make
a list of the top ten most impor-tant things you will need for
school.This will help you get started: Youllneed your own desk,
some paper, somepencils. What else? Think of at least tenother
items.
The Rap on SummerThis past summer, did you have fun inthe sun?
Did you swim with your friendTim? Write a rap song that
describeswhat you did this summer. Rap aboutall your good times and
make sureit rhymes.
New School-Years Resolutions
In January, people often make NewYears resolutions. They promise
them-selves that during the coming year theywill change their lives
in good ways.September is the beginning of theschool year. Maybe
there are somethings you would like to do differentlythis school
year. Maybe you want toimprove at math or learn how to playsoccer.
Writedown five New School-Years Resolutions.
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Dear DiaryStart a back-to-school diary. What sub-jects are you
studying? What are somefun activities that you have done? Haveyou
made any new friends? Each dayduring the first week of school
writedown your thoughts.
Photographic MemoryLook at a photograph in a magazine
ornewspaper for one minute. Study itvery carefully. Then, put the
photo-graph away where you cant see it.Write down every single
detail that youcan remember.
Bothered in BostonSeptember is Childrens Good MannersMonth.
Pretend you write an advicecolumn in the newspaper called Askthe
Manners Expert. Heres a letteryou receive: Dear Manners Expert,
Ilike my friend Josh. But when we eatlunch in the cafeteria he
always talkswith his mouth full. How can I makehim stop this
without hurting his feel-ings? Signed, Bothered in Boston.Now,
write an answer and give somegood advice on good manners. Startout,
Dear Bothered in Boston, . . .
Grabmunch for ThoughtHere are some made-up names forvery common
things. Sun = Brighto.House = Livebox. Car = Gobox.Person =
Smartbot. Food = Grabmunch.Talk = Yakyak. Write a story usingall of
these made-up words. This willhelp you get started: Two
smartbotswere driving in a gobox. They wereyakyaking about . .
.
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In ReverseTell the story of coming to school thismorning,
backwards. This will betough. Waking up was the first thingyou did.
But in a backwards tale, itbecomes the end of your story. Heresthe
beginning of your story: I arrivedat school.
3001: A Space OddityThe popular show Star Trek was firstshown on
TV on September 8, 1966. StarTrek is an example of whats known
asscience fiction. Its a type of story aboutthe future thats full
of exciting inven-tions like time-travel machines. Whatdo you think
the future will be like?Write your own science fiction storyfull of
rocket rides, space aliens, andcool gadgets.
Festival of the PrunesEach year on September 9 and 10, YubaCity,
California, holds a Prune Festival.That sounds pretty silly, right?
Whatdo you think happens at the PruneFestival? Is there a prune
toss? Do theycrown a really wrinkly person as Mr. orMiss Prune?
Write a story about whatyou think happens at the Yuba CityPrune
Festival.
Summer.comIts a new school year. But what did youdo this past
summer? Create your ownpretend Summer.com web site so youcan
remember all the fun you had. Didyou go on vacation? Did you have
somefavorite summer songs? What flavors ofice cream did you eat?
Make lists, drawpictures, and write short stories foryour very own
Summer.com site.
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Town AnthemOn September 13, 1814, Francis ScottKey wrote the
Star Spangled Banner,our countrys national anthem. Make upthe words
of an anthem for your town.You can mention local sports teams
orfoods that your town is famous for.
The RiddlerDo you like riddles? Heres one: Whathas teeth, but
cannot eat? Answer: Acomb. Come up with some riddles ofyour own.
Write them on one side of apiece of paper; write answers on
theother. When youre done, share themwith a classmate.
Big WhopperA really ridiculous story that isnt true iscalled a
whopper. Each year on Septem-ber 16, the town of New
Harmony,Indiana, holds a Big Whopper contest.Dream up the biggest
whopper you canand write it down.
Class ConstitutionOn September 17, 1787, the leadersof the
United States agreed on theConstitution. The Constitution is a
veryimportant document. It spells out manyof the rules for making
the UnitedStates a good place to live. Create yourown School
Constitution, with rulessuch as use quiet voices in the class-room
and walk in the hallways.
Clowning AroundClowns from all over the United Statesattend
Clownfest. Its held in SeasideHeights, New Jersey. It starts each
yearon September 17 and runs for five days.Make up a clown of your
own and givehim or her a name. Then, write a storydescribing the
adventures and misad-ventures of your clown.
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Trading CardsUse two index cards for this exercise.Label one
Character and the otherPlace. On the Character Card, writedown a
type of character. It can beanything: a genie, a farmer, a
world-champion ping-pong player. On thePlace Card, list a location.
Again, itcan be anywhere: Kansas, Mars, ashopping mall. Trade your
CharacterCard with one classmate and yourPlace Card with another.
Write a storyfeaturing the character and place youwind up with.
Mini-DictionarySamuel Johnson was born onSeptember 18, 1709. He
created thevery first English language dictionary.Here are ten
words: sausage, tennis,school, rain, gorilla, wristwatch, rock-et,
peach, movie, computer. Think ofgood definitions for these words
andcreate your own mini-dictionary.Because this is a dictionary,
rememberto put your words in alphabetical order.
Elephant Appreciation DaySeptember 22 is officially
ElephantAppreciation Day. Go to the library orget on the Internet
and do some researchabout these fascinating animals. Then,write
down ten facts about elephants.
All About NeptuneOn September 23, 1846, the planetNeptune was
discovered by astron-omers. Do some research to learn aboutthis
planet. How large is Neptune andhow far is it from Earth? Write a
mini-report about Neptune that includes yourown ideas about what
might be discov-ered in the future if a spaceship landson the
planet.
Snail MailTheres regular mail that arrives in themailbox. And
theres e-mail that showsup on your computer. Imagine anotherkind of
mail: catmail or watchmail orsuperball mail. Write a message to
afriend using your strange new kind ofmail.
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Wild FansWhat is your favorite sportbasket-ball, football,
gymnastics? And who isyour favorite athlete? Pretend you area
reporter for a TV show called WildFans. What questions would you
wantto ask your favorite athlete? Make upthe answers that he or she
would giveto your questions.
Whale of a TaleShamu the orca whale was born onSeptember 26,
1985. Shamu was thefirst orca born in captivity that sur-vived and
grew to be an adult. Do someresearch on orcas. Then, imagine
thatyou are a trainer for an orca. Whatwill you name it? What
tricks will youteach it? Write a whale of a tale aboutyour
adventures.
Add Those AdjectivesThe man put on his coat and walkeddown the
street to his car. This is apretty boring sentence, right? But
addsome adjectives to make it more inter-esting, like this: The
angry man put onhis heavy coat and walked down thedark street to
his fancy car. Rewritethe sentence three times using
variouscolorful adjectives.
Imperfect Ira Saves the World!
The fourth week of September isNational Imperfection Week.
Pretendthat the mascot for this week is a boynamed Imperfect Ira.
Imperfect Irabrushes his hair with a toothbrush,always forgets to
tie his shoes, andhis favorite sandwich is a slice ofbread between
two pieces of bologna.But guess what! Imperfect Ira has tosave the
world from an invasion ofthree-legged monsters. Write a storyand
describe how Imperfect Ira savesthe day.
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Remember SeptemberNow its October. September was lastmonth. Try
to remember all the thingsthat happened to you in September.Make a
list of ten memories fromlast month.
We Are FamilyAutumn seems like a good time tocreate a family
tree. List as manyrelatives as you can think of: brothersand
sisters, aunts and uncles. Go backas far as you can to your
grandparentsor even your great-grandparents. Writedown descriptions
of the variouspeople in your family tree.
A FableA fable is a story that teaches animportant lesson. Aesop
was famousfor his fables such as the The Tortoiseand the Hare. In
this story, theTortoise and the Hare race. The Hare isso sure he
will beat the slow Tortoisethat he doesnt try very hard. To
hissurprise, the Tortoise actually wins therace. The lesson of the
fable: Alwaystry hard or you might be surprised.Write your own
fable, and be sure toinclude a helpful lesson at the end.
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Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
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School Lunch MenuOctober 8 through October 14 isNational School
Lunch Week. Create amenu of different foods that you wouldlike to
have each day of this specialweek. Remember, dont just pick
yourfavorite foods. Your choices should benutritious, too.
Whats Irking Gilbert Grouch?
October 15 is National Grouch Day.Write a story about a
character namedGilbert Grouch. This will get you start-ed: Gilbert
Grouch woke up on thewrong side of the bed once again. Hefixed his
usual breakfast, bacon andeggs. As usual, he thought it
tastedawful. Then, he put on his least favoriteshirt and . . .
Breezy TaleAutumn is here and leaves are falling.Tell a story
from the point of view ofa single leaf. Give your leaf a name.Think
about what kind of tree it livesin. Describe its trip down, down to
theground. Then what happens?
Time CapsuleOn a piece of paper, write down someimportant facts
about the present timein history. Who is the U.S. president?What
are some popular TV shows ormovies or songs? Place the paper
insidean envelope. Label the envelope TimeCapsule and seal it. You
can hold on tothis envelope as long as you like. If youopen it in
one year, or five years, or eventwenty years, youll have a reminder
ofwhat things used to be like.
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Nickname GameThe musician John Birks Gillespie wasborn on
October 21, 1917. Everyonecalled him Dizzy Gillespie. That washis
nickname. Do you have a nickname?If so, why were you given this
nick-name? If not, think of a nickname foryourself and explain why
you chose it.
Monster DiaryCreate an imaginary Monster Diary forthe days
leading up to Halloween onOctober 31. Heres a sample entry tohelp
you get started: October 22.Today on the way to school I
noticedthat the bus was being driven by aghost. I screamed very
loudly. Now,write your own hair-raising diary, andinclude all the
monsters, ghouls, andgoblins you can think of.
Count On It!Finish the following story. Make it goall the way up
to ten. One day, twosisters named Jill and Jenna ran intothree . .
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Just the OppositeSalt and pepper are opposites. So areup and
down. Pick out a passage in afavorite book or newspaper
article.Now, rewrite it using opposites when-ever you can. For
example, the shortman becomes the tall woman.
Rainforest PetitionWorld Rainforest Week is October 21through
October 29. Do some researchon rainforests. Then, write a
petitionto save the rainforest. A petition is aspecial letter that
asks people to takea particular action. Make sure to givereasons
why its important to save therainforest. This will help you get
start-ed on your petition. I, (your namehere), want to ask the
citizens of theworld to help save the rainforest.Rainforests are
important because
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Weird Jennifer AndersonOctober 23 is the birthday of singerand
comedian Weird Al Yankovic. Hechanges the words of famous
songsaround to create his own silly versions.One of his most
popular songs is EatIt instead of Beat It, the hit song byMichael
Jackson. First, place a Weirdin front of your own name. Next,
writea silly version of a favorite song.
Abbreviation CreationU.S. stands for United States. S.O.S.stands
for Save Our Ship. These arecalled abbreviations. Create
fiveabbreviations of your own, such asI.C.W.F.R., which stands for
I CantWait For Recess!
A to Z TaleIts October 26. To celebrate, write astory in which
you use all 26 letters ofthe alphabet, A to Z. Some letters
arereally tough, such as Q and X and Z. Butheres a tip: You can use
a letter in themiddle or at the end of a word. Forexample, the word
box uses the letter X.
Synonym SpeedwayA synonym is a word that has the samemeaning as
another word. Spend oneminute writing down as many syn-onyms for
the word big as you canthink of. Hint: There are a huge numberof
synonyms for big. Now, on yourmark, get set, go!
Halloween CarolsDuring December, people often singChristmas
carols. You may know somepopular carols such as Silent Nightand
Deck the Halls. But no one eversings Halloween carols. Wouldnt it
becool if the holiday had its own specialsongs such as Scary Night
or Spookthe Halls? Make up a Halloween carolthats fun to sing and
will frighten lis-teners so their hair stands on end.
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Pumpkin PowerHalloween has plenty of monsters. Butit needs a
good superhero. Write ashort script for a movie about
Jill-O-Lantern, crime-fighting pumpkin andmonster avenger.
Spork It OverSometimes when you eat at a fast-foodrestaurant,
they will have a specialutensil called a spork. Its a combina-tion
of a spoon and a fork. What wouldyou call a combination of a
bicycleand a car, then? A bicycar, maybe?Think up five new combo
words ofyour own. Make sure you write downtheir definitions,
too.
Interview with thePurple-Crested Fiend
Imagine theres a monster called thePurple-Crested Fiend. It
sounds prettyscary, right? But you must have lots ofquestions. What
does it look like? Whatdoes it eat? Think of ten questionsfor the
Purple-Crested Fiend. Then,exchange your questions with a
class-mate. Answer your classmates tenquestions. Your classmate
will answeryour ten questions. Then everyone willknow everything
about the Purple-Crested Fiend.
Gold Medal, A-1, Grand-Prizewinning Invention
What do you think is the most impor-tant invention ever? Do you
thinkits fire, or the wheel, or maybe thecomputer? Write about the
inventionthat you think is most important inthe whole history of
the world.
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Cool CostumeWhat would you like to be forHalloween? Would you
like to be apirate, a tiger, or maybe a rock star?Describe the
coolest costume that youcan possibly imagine.
CrosswordsIt is possible to cross the wordsTexas and melt. Both
include theletter e. Thats where you cross them.On a piece of
paper, cross as manywords as you possibly can. Remember,its
possible to cross a word more thanonce. For example, you can cross
theword example many times, withpet, map, and pillow.
Going BattyUnlike many favorite Halloween ghoulsand goblins,
bats are real animals. Theyare very interesting, too. Did you
know,for example, that they are not birds?They are mammals just
like humans.You can learn more about bats frombooks or by looking
in the encyclopediaor on the Internet. Do some researchand write a
mini-report full of true factsabout these fascinating animals.
One More for RushmoreMount Rushmore was completed onOctober 31,
1941. Its a monument inSouth Dakota that features the faces offour
American presidents carved into amountainside. The presidents
areGeorge Washington, Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln, and
TheodoreRoosevelt. What if you could addanother face to Mount
Rushmore? Whowould you choose? It doesnt have tobe another
president. It can be anyoneyou consider a hero. Write about thenew
person that you would add toMount Rushmore.
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Author, AuthorNovember 1 is National Authors Day.In honor of
this day, try your hand atbeing an author. Finish the
followingstory: This was truly amazing. Darrelland Katie could not
believe it. If youopened the special door, on the otherside was . .
.
Fearless Fiona and the Temple of the Amazon
King Tuts tomb was discovered inEgypt on November 4, 1922.
Imaginethat you made an exciting archaeologi-cal find: the Temple
of the Amazon,maybe, or the Lost City of Antarctica.Give yourself a
cool explorers namelike Fearless Fiona and write aboutyour
discovery in an Adventure Log.
Multiple MelMultiple Mel can do the followingthings:A) Say
something funnyB) Do a somersaultC) Eat somethingD) Go someplace
differentE) Say, Awesome!
Pick out ten letters among A through Ein any order. For example,
you couldchoose CECADDBCAE. That meansMultiple Mel eats something
(letter C),then says Awesome!(letter E), theneats something else
(letter C), and soon. That might lead to the followingMultiple Mel
adventure: Multiple Melate a cantaloupe and shouted out,Awesome!
and then . . . Pick yourten letters first. Then, write your
ownMultiple Mel adventure.
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Yard SkiingJames Naismith was born onNovember 6, 1861. He
invented thegame of basketball. Can you name asport you would like
to invent? Writedown the rules and describe how itis played.
Coining a CoinTheres a new one-dollar coin featuringthe Native
American hero Sakajawea.Pretend you are creating your own newcoin.
How much would it be worth?What famous person would you featureon
it and why?
Huge TaleA Tall Tale is a story that is simplytoo strange to be
believed. Heres anexample: Once, a boy blew a bubblegumbubble the
size of a hot-air balloon. Hefloated up into the air and traveled
allthe way to China. Make up your ownTall Tale. Really stretch your
mind sothat yours will actually be a Huge Tale.
X-Ray VisionThe X-ray was discovered on November8, 1895. An
X-ray makes it possible tosee inside of things. Imagine that
youhave your own X-ray machine. What ifyou went home and found
three boxesin your room: one huge, one medium-sized, and one tiny.
You could use theX-ray to see inside the boxes, right? Useyour
imagination and describe what yousee inside the three boxes.
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Kid TVThe show Sesame Street first appearedon television on
November 10, 1969. Ithad popular characters such as Kermitthe Frog
and the Cookie Monster. Ifyou could create a childrens show,what
would you name it? Who wouldbe some of the characters? Now, writea
short script of your very own kidsTV show.
Dont Trash It!November 12 is America Recycles Day.Maybe you
already recycle cans andnewspapers in your home. Make a listof ten
other things people can do tohelp the environment.
Book ReportNational Childrens Book Week isNovember 13 through
19. What is yourfavorite book? Write a book report inwhich you
discuss the characters andthe story and explain why you especial-ly
like this book.
Strange StreetHere are a couple of shops that mightappear on
Strange Street. Theres afarmacy. Thats where chickens go toget
medicine. Theres also a pie cleaner.Thats where you go to have your
piescleaned, of course! Think of ten othershops that belong on
Strange Street.If you like, write a story about yourshops, Strange
Street, and the unusualthings that happen there.
Hidden TreasureRobert Louis Stevenson was born onNovember 13,
1850. He is the author ofthe classic adventure story
TreasureIsland. If you had a treasure, wherewould you hide it?
Think carefully,because you wouldnt want to lose it,and you wouldnt
want anyone else tofind it either. Write down careful direc-tions
that will allow you to find yourtreasure even many years in the
future.You can also draw a map.
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Face TimeStories often include great descriptionsof peoples
faces. Heres a descriptionof an imaginary character namedDibblyhoo,
the Worlds Silliest Man: Hehad big elephant ears, fuzzy
caterpillareyebrows, and google eyes. Here arethree more
characters: Dr. Goptar, theWacky Genius; Princess Petunia;
andSecret Agent Sam Steele. Describe thethree characters faces.
Happy Mouse DayOn November 18, 1928, the very firstMickey Mouse
cartoon was shown.That makes November 18 MickeyMouses birthday. How
do you thinkMickey Mouse would celebrate hisbirthday? Write about
it.
Group ExerciseOn a windy November day, Ted took awalk in the
park. Copy this sentencedown on a piece of paper. Then, you
orsomeone in your class should add asecond sentence. Pass it around
untileveryone in the class has added onesentence. As a group, you
will havewritten a story!
Fan MailThink of someone to whom you wouldlike to send a letter.
It can be absolutelyanyonea famous athlete, a characteron TV,
someone from history. Make upan e-mail address for that person.
Forexample, Abraham Lincoln might [email protected]. Now,
writean e-mail that you would like to send tothat person.
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Everything DayThanksgiving is known for turkey. TheFourth of
July is known for fireworks.Christmas is known for presents.
Butwhat if there were one big holiday thatmixed together all these
holidays andmorewith Halloween pumpkins andEaster eggs, too.
Pretend this nuttynew holiday is called Everything Day.Write a
story describing your familyduring a typical Everything Day.
Rah, Rah, Shish-Bang-Boom
Heres a cheer:Hip hurrah hip hooray,We are going to win
today.From the East to the West,You know were the very best.
Make up your own cheer. It can be foryourself, your family, your
school, yourtown, whatever. Just make sure youshout it loudly!
Turn That Smile Upside Down
Frown! November 19 is official Have aBad Day Day! Make up an
ExtremelyAwful Day Story that includes thefollowing things: wet
shoes, losthomework, a broken bicycle, and amessy food like
spaghetti for lunch.
The First ThanksgivingThe fourth Thursday in November
isThanksgiving. This holiday is celebrat-ed to honor a meal that
the Pilgrimsand Wampanoag Indians ate togetherway back in 1621. The
Pilgrims werevery thankful that the Indians werefriendly and
brought delicious foodslike corn. Write a brief essay
aboutsomething for which you are thankful.
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Autumn PlayHere are two characters for an autumnplay: Willard
Wind and Kelly the Kite.Write some more lines for each charac-ter
and finish the play.
Kelly the Kite: Im ready to come down,Willard. Ive been up here
a long time.Willard Wind: Should I hold my breath?
Loopy LeftoversThanksgiving dinner is a very big meal.People
often have lots of food left over.Come up with a list of ten ways
to useyour Thanksgiving leftovers. Be creative.Dont be shy about
suggesting turkeypizza or cranberry and corn soup.
The Rules of the GameThe fourth week of November isNational Game
and Puzzle Week. Thinkof a game that you really like. It can
bebaseball or checkers or hide-and-seek.Write down the rules as
carefully asyou can so that other people can learnto play your
favorite game.
Fly Like a TurkeyBenjamin Franklin wrote a letter tohis daughter
in 1784. In it, he said hewished the turkey had been chosen asthe
symbol of America instead of theeagle. Write your own Ben
Franklinstyle letter. Come up with some strongarguments for why the
turkey shouldbe Americas official symbol.
Spiral StoryWriting in straight lines from left toright gets
boring, dont you think? Howabout writing a spiral story. Start at
theouter edge of a piece of paper andwrite around and around. This
will helpyou get started: The penny rolledthrough the crowded
grocery store.Ricky Rounder chased after it . . .
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After December Comes . . .December is the twelfth and finalmonth
of the year. But what if therewere a thirteenth month? What wouldit
be called? What new holidays wouldbe celebrated during this
month?For example, National Popsicle Day.Write a description of
your made-upthirteenth month and let yourimagination run wild.
Union HillOn December 3, 1775, the very firstofficial American
flag was flown. Whatif you could design your own personalflag?
Write about what colors and sym-bols you would choose and why.
CookiesThe first week of December is Cookie-Cutter Week. Youve
heard of theGingerbread Man. Make up your ownspecially shaped
cookie. It can be agingerbread dinosaur or a chocolatechip cookie
in the shape of a star. Willyour cookie have sprinkles for
eyelash-es or will you draw a smiley face withfrosting? Describe
your cookie anddraw a picture, too, if you like.
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Escape from Pickle IslandThe bad news is that you are trappedon
Pickle Island. The good news is thatyou have the following items:
somerope, an empty bottle, a hula hoop, aballoon, a pencil but no
paper, and agum wrapper. What can you do withthese items? Write a
story in which youdescribe how you use them to eitherescape or call
for help and get rescued.
BrainiacOn December 8, 1894, Elzie Segar wasborn. He created the
famous cartooncharacter Popeye. When Popeye atespinach he instantly
grew strong.Imagine a new character namedBrainiac. When Brainiac
eats asparagushe instantly grows incredibly smart.Write a story
about the adventuresof Brainiac.
Walter Mitty StoryThe writer James Thurber was alsoborn on
December 8, 1894. He createda famous character named WalterMitty.
Walter Mitty was just a regularguy. But in his imagination he did
allkinds of heroic feats and had manyexciting adventures. Are you
like that,too? Think of an adventure youve hadin your imagination.
Put it down onpaper as a story.
Walking, Talking,Power Robot
Every December theres a brand newtoy for sale that all the kids
are excitedabout. Pretend you are the president ofa toy company.
Think up a new toy thateveryone will want. Make sure its some-thing
really cool, like a Walking, Talking,Power Robot. Now, write a TV
adver-tisement that describes your new toy.
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Hear, HearCar horns go beep. A ball bouncingon the ground goes
bonk. Cats saymeow. Make up sounds for thefollowing things: a
rocking chair, atomato splattering, a lightbulb burningout, water
running in the sink, and agoldfish. Use your five made-upsounds in
a story.
December PoemDecember is a long word. But manywords rhyme with
it, including remem-ber, September, timber, member, andeven short
words like fur and purr.Write a December poem using theseand other
rhyming words.
Four Words Hiding in Mississippi
Mississippi became the twentieth U.S.state on December 10, 1817.
There arefour words hidden in Mississippi: miss,sis, is, and sip.
Write a short story usingthese words.
Classmate InterviewNewspaper stories are based on inter-views.
Pair up with classmates and askone another interview
questions.Remember to write down the answersyour classmates give
you. Then, write astory about your classmate based onthe
information you learn in the inter-view. Here are some interview
ques-tions to help you get started: Wherewere you born? Do you have
any broth-ers or sisters? What is your favoritefood? Do you play
any sports?
The X-ForceHere are the four superheroes thatmake up the
X-Force: Micro, a super-hero who can become microscopicallysmall;
The Bolt, a superhero who cantravel over wires and takes the form
ofhuman electricity; The Blur, the worldsfastest superhero; Flexor,
a superherowho can bend and stretch like arubber band. Now, write
an adventurestarring the X-Force. You can evendo it in comic book
form completewith pictures.
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TriviaAre you good at trivia? Heres an easyone: Who was the
first president of theUnited States? Answer: GeorgeWashington.
Think up three pieces oftrivia. Put your trivia questions on
oneside of an index card and the answerson the other. Quiz your
classmates.You can even have a class-wide triviatournament.
Town MonumentOn December 15, 1832, Gustave Eiffelwas born in
France. He was an engi-neer who designed the Eiffel Tower inParis
and helped build the Statue ofLiberty for New York City. What if
youcould create a monument for yourtown? Would it be a statue of a
giantprairie dog, or maybe of a girl eatingice cream? Describe a
town monumentof your own design.
Zany Z TaleThe letter Z is a lot of fun. But itdoesnt get used
very often. How aboutshaking things up by using the letter Zinstead
of the letters C and M? A catbecomes a zat. A monkey becomes
azonkey. Write a Zany Z Tale and usethe letter as often as you
zan!
The Wright StuffOn December 17, 1903, Orville andWilbur Wright
flew an airplanesuccessfully for the first time ever.The Wright
Brothers famous flight tookplace at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.Can
you think of other famous brothersor sisters? Write about what
theyaccomplished.
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Run-On-and-On SentenceYou can keep a story going just byadding
and then. Heres an example:I woke up and then I brushed my teethand
then I ate breakfast and then . . .Whew, seems like that could go
on for-ever. Try writing your own and thenstory. Keep writing and
then keep writ-ing and then keep writing until youreall tired
out.
Humbug DayDecember 21 is Humbug Day inhonor of the character
EbenezerScrooge from Charles Dickenss bookA Christmas Carol. If
Scrooge didntlike something, he would shout outBah, humbug! Write
down five thingsyou dont like. At the end of eachdislike, write
Bah, humbug! Heresan example: Whenever I watch myfavorite TV shows,
commercialsalways come on. Bah, humbug!
Mixed-Up MealsA taco usually contains beef or chick-en. A
sandwich might have turkey orbologna. Pizza often has pepperoni
ormushrooms. Make a list of ten mixed-up foods such as a mushroom
taco orbologna pizza.
Being Paul Polar BearWhat do you think its like to be a
polarbear? What do you think goes on in apolar bears mind? Are they
happy,funny, hungry? Imagine that you are apolar bear. Then, write
a story from apolar bears point of view.
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The Dinosaur Next DoorDinosaurs became extinct millions ofyears
ago. But what if dinosaurs werestill around today? There would
bedinosaurs in the woods along withbears and oak trees. Certain
kinds oftame dinosaurs might live on farmsalong with cows and
chickens. Youcould even have a dinosaur as a pet.Write a story
about what it wouldbe like now if dinosaurs still walkedthe
earth.
Alpha-TrainCreate an Alpha-Train and make it aslong as possible.
Heres how: Write asentence in alphabetical order, such asA big cow
didnt enjoy funny games.Thats a good train for letters A throughG.
It can be a silly sentenceas longas its a sentence. See how far
youcan go.
Holiday CarolYou probably know some popularcarols that are sung
during theholidays. Theres Silent Night andJingle Bells, for
example. Write yourown holiday carol. Make it very jollyand lots of
fun.
Opposite WorldWhat if snow was warm instead ofcold? What if
people ate hamburgersfor breakfast and cornflakes fordinner? Think
about a world whereeverything is the opposite. Now, writea story
about Opposite World includingas many upside-down . . . er,
downside-up details . . . as you can imagine.
ScrapbookDecember 31 is the very last day of theyear. A lot has
happened, hasnt it?Create a scrapbook for the year. Writeabout
memorable events and includedrawings and photos if you like.
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Happy New Year!January is the month when one yearchanges over to
the next. But what ifyou had a time machine? Last yearcould be
followed by a truly new anddifferent year1900, say, or 1776, orthe
year 3000. Would you use your timemachine to travel into the past
or intothe future? Describe your adventure ina story.
New Years AcrosticHappy New Year! January 1 is the firstday of a
brand-new year. Create aHappy New Year acrostic. Choosewords or
phrases that relate to yourwishes for the coming year. The H,
forexample, could be Hope Ill make anew friend this year.
One Smart CookieEating black-eyed peas is supposed tobring you
good luck in the New Year.Make up special powers for otherfoods.
Maybe cookies make you smart,or pickles make you laugh a lot.
Createa menu of your food choices and theirspecial powers.
Flys-Eye ViewWhat do you think things look like to afly? A grain
of salt looks very tiny to aperson. Maybe a fly sees the same
grainof salt differently. A fly might describeit as a large white
cube, about thesame size as one of those big blocks ofsand. Think
of five different objects.Describe what each would look likefrom a
flys point of view.
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Get Your Flashlight Hat!People who run stores have to sellsome
pretty strange things. For exam-ple, if you ran a shoe store you
mighthave to sell purple cowboy boots. Oneway to get people
interested would beto create an advertisement. Weve gotthem! You
need them! Be the first inyour neighborhood to own a pair ofstylish
and comfortable purple cowboyboots! Pretend you run a
departmentstore. You have to sell 500 hats withflashlights
attached. Create an ad tohelp sell them.
SmithtownJanuary 6 is National Smith Day, inhonor of all the
people named Smith.Its the most common last name in theEnglish
language. There are two millionSmiths in the United States. But
what ifeveryone were named Smith? It wouldbe really confusing,
right? Jimmy Smithwould ride his Smith bicycle downSmith Street to
Smiths Grocery Storeto pick up some Smiths ChickenNoodle Soup.
Write a story about atown where everyone and everything isnamed
Smith.
Scrambled StorySchool from Billy home came. Bear ahouse the was
in. Unscramble thesetwo sentences. Then finish this story.
The Write StuffJanuary 8 through 14 is UniversalLetter-Writing
Week. Do you have afriend or relative who lives far away,even in
another town or country? Writethat person a letter and describe
yourplans for the new year.
The Next Big ThingJanuary is National High-Tech Month.Think
about all the high-tech inventionsthat exist today: CD players and
com-puters and video games and cellularphones. What kind of new
inventiondo you think the world needs next?What would make life
easier or helpyou to do things faster? Write about ahigh-tech
gadget that you would liketo invent.
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SlogansMany places have slogans. For exam-ple, America is
sometimes called TheLand of the Free. Missouri is calledThe Show-Me
State. Chicago is calledThe Windy City. Make up slogans foryour
house, your neighborhood, yourtown, your state, and for
America.
Poetry BreakJanuary 13 is Poetry Break Day. Take abreak and
write several verses to finishthe following poem.
I look up at the sky and I see the moon
I go to the zoo and I see a baboon
I go to the store and I see . . .
Nutty and NuttierComedian Jim Carrey was born onJanuary 17,
1962. Hes the star of suchmovies as Ace Ventura: Pet Detectiveand
Dumb and Dumber. Pretend JimCarrey is the star of your own movieand
write the mini-script. Make sure itsweird, wild, and very
funny.
Why Are You Always Feeding Me Fish?
January 22 is Answer Your CatsQuestion Day. What a weird day!
Butwhat if a cat could ask you questions?What would it ask? Write
down fivecat-to-human questionsand yourhuman-to-cat answers,
too.
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Get VividQuestion: What kind of dog is that?Answer: Its just a
dog.
Dont you hate it when someone givesyou a really boring answer
like that?
Try again and make your descriptionexciting and fun.
Question: What kind of dog is that?Answer: Its a fun, friendly
dog. Itloves to run and play catch and roll inthe grass. Its name
is _____.
Silly SoupJanuary is National Soup Month.Pretend you are a chef
and you havecreated a secret recipe for somethingcalled Silly Soup.
Silly Soup has 25different ingredients! They are thewackiest things
you can think ofbubblegum and ice cubes and cat foodand
wristwatches. Write down yourrecipe for Silly Soup, and dont
forgeta good batch requires 25 differentingredients!
Simile JubileeA simile is a phrase that compares twothings using
the words like or as. Hereare some examples: He ran like thewind.
It was easy as pie. Use at leastfive similes in a short story.
Winter on TrialImagine that the season of winter is ontrial for
being too cold, too long, andtoo boring. You are a lawyer and it
isyour job to defend winter, telling thejury the good things about
winter, suchas making snowballs and drinking hotchocolate.
This will help you get started: Ladiesand gentlemen of the jury.
Before youtoday sits winter, accused of beingcold, too long, and
too boring. But Iwould like to argue that . . . Now,complete this
speech and convince thejury that winter is a good season.
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Gold Rush TaleOn January 24, 1848, gold was discov-ered in
California. That started a goldrush. People poured into
Californiahoping to get rich. Finish the followinggold rush
tale:
________ (mans name) had just
arrived in California from ________
(which state?). He had a thick
beard and ________ (describe his
face), he was wearing ________
(describe clothes), and . . .
Sounds Like . . . January 28 is National Kazoo Day. Howwould you
describe the sound a kazoomakes? One example might be: Akazoo
sounds like a goose screaming atthe top of its lungs. Come up with
fiveimaginative descriptions for othermusical instruments, too,
such aspianos, guitars, and drums.
OprahOprah Winfrey, the famous televisiontalk show host, was
born on January29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi.Imagine that you
are on Oprahs show.Write down the questions Oprahmight ask you. And
write down youranswers, too.
Strange UdderanceAdding something strange to a normalsituation
can start a story. You and yourfamily are at the table eating
dinner.Thats pretty normal, right? But whenyou pour yourself a
glass of milk, themilk carton says Mooooo. Theres thestart of a
story. Finish it.
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State of the TownLate in January, the president of theUnited
States often delivers an impor-tant speech called The State of
theUnion. In this speech, the presidenttalks about various things
that might beimportant to Americans: new laws, dis-asters such as
hurricanes, or excitingscientific discoveries. Write a State ofthe
Town speech in which you discussgood things and bad things
currentlyhappening where you live.
Say What?Dialogue is one of the most importantparts of writing.
It involves writingdown what characters say to eachother. Create a
story by finishing thisconversation between Katrina andEleanor.
I have a secret, says Katrina.Oh, please tell me. Please,
please,begs Eleanor . . .
Food CombosWhat if you combined a cranberry anda banana? You
would have a cranana.Write about a mixed-up food combina-tion of
your own. What would it becalled? What would it look like? Couldit
be used in a new juice or as an icecream flavor?
Random WritingCut out a whole lot of words from anewspaper or
magazine. Cut out singlewords, as many as 20 or 25. Put them ina
hat or a box. Close your eyes, reachin, and select five words. Use
thosewords to write a short story.
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Freedom WriterFebruary 1 is National Freedom Day.In honor of
this special day, take amoment to think about some symbolsof
freedom: the flag, the Liberty Bell,eagles. Do you have a favorite
symbolof freedom? Do some research at thelibrary or on the
Internet. Then, write amini-essay about why this symbol isimportant
to you.
Favorite SayingThere are so many great sayings. Anapple a day
keeps the doctor away. Apenny saved is a penny earned. Whatis your
favorite saying? Write aboutwhat the saying means and why it
isimportant to you.
InkblotLook at the inkblot below. If you lookat it long enough
maybe it wont looklike an inkblot anymore. What doesit look like to
you? Write about whatyou see.
Winter WearIts winter now. Across much of theUnited States it is
very chilly. Dreamup some clothing items you would liketo invent
for winter. Try to come upwith ten really out-there ideas, suchas
ski sneakers so you dont have towear boots.
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Really ChillyThe coldest day ever recorded any-where in North
America happened onFebruary 3, 1947. In the tiny town ofSnag,
Canada, the temperature wasminus 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pretendyoure a television weather forecasterin the town of Snag.
Write down theweather report you would give on thatincredible day.
This will help you getstarted: Good evening, ladies and gen-tlemen.
Brrr. Its a chilly one . . .
I Meant That as a Compliment
February 6 is official Pay-a-ComplimentDay. Heres a compliment:
You are avery good writer. You really know howto tell a good story.
Think of compli-ments for the following five people: ateacher, a
parent, a friend, a neighbor,and someone you see every day, like
abus driver. Write them down.
Story TimeThe time that a story takes place is veryimportant. At
the top of a piece ofpaper, draw the face of a clock, withthe
numbers one through twelve. Next,draw in the clocks hands so that
ittells time. Now, write a story that takesplace at the time you
chose. If youpicked midnight, it might make senseto write a scary
story. If you chose 5:30in the morning, you might want to writea
story about a person who is fishingand watching the sunrise.
Little House in TahitiLaura Ingalls Wilder was born onFebruary
7, 1867. She is famous for herseries of Little House books
aboutgrowing up on the prairie as a pioneer.Write your own pioneer
story aboutgrowing up in an unusual place. It canbe Little House in
the Rainforest orLittle House in Tahiti. Have fun andlet your
imagination roam.
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Fortune CookiesHave you ever had a fortune cookie?Inside the
cookie, theres a piece ofpaper with a message. Sometimes themessage
is a prediction about yourfuture. Sometimes its a piece of
goodadvice. Write down five messagesthat you would like to find
insidefortune cookies.
A Tale of Two TuttlesFebruary 2 is the second day of theyears
second month. Seems like a goodday for a story about a pair of
twins.This will get you started: Mack andZack Tuttle were known as
the TuttleTwins. The Tuttle Twins talked alike,dressed alike, and
even rode every-where on a tandem bicycle. One day,while they were
both eating double-dipice cream cones . . .
Magic WordsA wizard has given you three magicwords. Saying
Crazzabelam makesyou invisible. Saying Frappa Wappamakes any object
you choose growlarger. Saying Slobibble makes anyobject you choose
become very, verytiny. Write a story in which you use thethree
magic words.
Stardust MemoriesThe spacecraft Stardust was launchedon February
7, 1999. It will travel threebillion miles. It will be gone from
theearth for five years. Its mission is togather samples of comets.
TheStardust is unmanned, meaning nopeople are on board. No one will
get tosee all the places it travels. Arent youcurious? Create a
Stardust Flight Logand write down some of the excitingthings you
think will happen during thespaceships long, long trip.
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Pennies for Your ThoughtsAbraham Lincoln was born onFebruary 12,
1809. Take a look at apenny; it has an image of Lincoln onthe
front. Now, trace around the pennyto create a circle. In that
circle, write aword that describes Lincoln. For exam-ple, you could
write tall. Using onepiece of paper, see how many pennyoutlines you
can fill with words aboutAmericas sixteenth president.
My MagazineThe first issue of the first magazinepublished in
America appeared onFebruary 13, 1741. It was calledAmerican
Magazine. Its editor wasAndrew Bradford. What if you couldcreate
your own magazine? Whatwould you call it? Would it cover sportsor
movies or what? Write a story foryour magazine.
The Sun Is Yellow, the Grass Is Green
Heres a well-known Valentines Daypoem:
Roses are red. Violets are blue.Sugar is sweet.And so are
you.
Make up your own Valentines Daypoem using different objects or
othercolors: red fire trucks, for example, orgreen grass.
Animated ObjectsImagine that something that cannottalk could
suddenly speak. Your choicecan be any objecta tree, a lightbulb,a
car, an old pair of blue jeans. (Dontpick an animal. They already
speakwith purrs and barks and growls.) Now,think about what your
object wouldsay. Would it speak in a sweet or agruff voice? What
kind of personalitydo you imagine this object would have?Write a
story in which you describe thisamazing talking object.
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Cucumber PhoneThere are regular telephones and thereare cell
phones. But what if there weresuch a thing as a Cucumber Phone?Who
would call you on a CucumberPhone? What kind of things would heor
she say? Ring, ring! Better get that,someones calling you on
theCucumber Phone. Write about thecaller and describe your
conversation.
Dear Diary . . .Samuel Pepys was born in England onFebruary 23,
1633. Hes a famousdiarist. Hes still remembered all theseyears
later because he kept verydetailed diaries. Come up with a
diaryentry for today. Make it exciting andfull of details like
Samuel Pepys diary,so that people will still find it interest-ing
in 400 years!
The Odd TripleHere are three of the strangest friendsever: a
firefighter who loves chocolatemilk, a race car driver who
alwaysgets lost, and a rock star who also hasa pet python. What
names would yougive each of these characters? Createan adventure
story for these threeunusual friends.
Fairy TaleOn February 24, 1786, Wilhelm Grimmwas born. The
Brothers Grimm,Wilhelm and Jakob, wrote some ofthe greatest fairy
tales ever, such asCinderella and Snow White. Make up asimilar
story of your own. Remember,it can be very strange and
surprisingthats what makes it a fairy tale.
Cool New SportThink of a new winter sport. It can besomething
strange like playing golf onskis. Let your imagination glide
anddescribe the rules of your made-upnew sport.
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The Worlds Biggest Sandwich
Have you ever read the Guinness Bookof World Records? It has all
kinds ofstrange records: the person with thelongest fingernails,
the loudest rockband ever. Write about a strange recordthat you
would like someone to set.
Eel E-MailEels are long, snake-like fish that livein the ocean.
Imagine that theres onenamed Edgar Eel who actually can bereached
by e-mail. His address [email protected] an
e-mail to Edgar. Ask himabout living in the ocean and tell himall
about life on land.
Movie-Star Name GameDo you know how to play the Movie-Star Name
Game? Take your middlename and combine it with the town inwhich you
were born. Say, for example,there is a girl named Melissa
AmberJones who was born in Denver. Hermovie-star name would be
AmberDenver. Whats your movie-star name?Make up the plot of a movie
in whichyour own personal star would appear.
TravelogueArizonas Grand Canyon became aNational Park on
February 26, 1919.Have you ever visited there? Its anamazing place.
Think about a beautiful,natural place that you have visited. Itcan
be a lake or a beach or a mountainrange. Then, write down
everything youcan remember: how it looked, whetherit was warm or
cold, any animals thatyou saw. Make your description excit-ing and
beautiful so other people whoread it will also want to visit.
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Magic Yellow UmbrellaMarch is National Umbrella Month.Use this
prompt to start a story thatcelebrates this useful invention.
OnRudys eighth birthday his parents gavehim an umbrella. It was big
and brightand yellow and magic. Yes, magic!When Rudy opened the
umbrella . . .
Pig PowerMarch 1 is National Pig Day. In honorof this wacky
holiday, write a storyabout a heroic pig. Maybe the pigsaves some
skiers trapped in anavalanche. Or maybe this hero pigcatches some
criminals.
Some Assembly RequiredWhat if you had the following: ahammer and
nails, blue paint, somesquare pieces of wood, some panes ofglass,
six wheels, a kite, a flashlight, abicycle horn, and a fan. What
wouldyou build? Dream up a cool invention.Then,write down
instructions so thatsomeone else can make one, too.
The Cow That Says Wow!Theodor Geisel was born on March 2,1904.
Hes better known as Dr. Seuss.One of his most famous books was
TheCat in the Hat. Write a rhyming storyfeaturing your own Dr.
Seussstylecharacter. It can be The Mouse in theHouse, or The Cow
That Says Wow!
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Texas Independence DayMarch 2 is Texas Independence Day.On this
day in 1836 Texas gained itsindependence from Mexico. Do
someresearch at the library or on theInternet and write down ten
factsabout this great state.
Backhanded ExerciseHave you ever heard somebody say: Iknow that
like the back of my hand?How well do you know the back ofyour hand?
Study it for a while. Thenwrite a description. Be as detailed asyou
possibly can.
The CrumpetsImagine theres a TV show called TheCrumpets. It
features four main charac-ters. Mr. Crumpet is a policeman.
Mrs.Crumpet is a karate expert. Their daugh-ter Missy Crumpet is
always gettinginto mischief. They have a dog namedWaldo. Now, write
a short episode of theimaginary TV show, The Crumpets.
Seymour Stars, Inventor of Powerful New Telescope
Alexander Graham Bell was born onMarch 3, 1847. He invented the
tele-phone. Isnt it strange that the manwho invented the telephone
was namedBell? Dream up five inventions andfittingly named
inventors to go alongwith them. For example, you couldhave a pocket
fan invented by WendyMcBreeze.
Autograph WeekAutograph Collecting Week runs fromMarch 5 to
March 11. Who is someonethat you would like to collect an
auto-graph from? Write about why you likeor respect this
person.
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Prefix MadnessA unicycle has one wheel. A bicycle hastwo wheels.
A tricycle has three wheels.Make up some new words, using
theprefixes un and bi and tri in frontof some other words. For
example, atripencil could be a pencil with threepoints and three
erasers. Make up tennew words, and make sure you alsowrite down
what they mean.
Singing a Different Neptune
Pretend that you are a visitor to Earthfrom the planet Neptune.
When youreturn home you will want to describeEarthlings to your
fellow Neptunians.But what if you dont have a word foreyes in the
Neptunese language? Youmight have to describe them as shinyballs
that humans use to see. Now,describe what a person looks like
toyour friends on Neptune. But do notuse the following words: eyes,
mouth,teeth, tongue, lips, nose, ears, hair,arms, legs, hands,
feet, fingers, ortoes. Good luck! Or as Neptunianssay, Urk
bliff!
In-action, Un-adventurous Films
Each year on March 6, the BoringInstitute gives out its Most
Boring FilmAwards. What is the most boring movieyouve seen
recently? First, rate themovie in terms of Zs. Maybe it getsseven
Zs: Zzzzzzz. Then, write a review.Describe why this particular
movie wasso awfully, incredibly, terribly boring.
State-MentsWhat is Mom making for dinner?Answer: Dont know,
Alaska. Get it?(Ill ask her.) Make up at least three ofyour own
State-ments. Hint: Delaware,New Jersey, Washington, Missouri,Ohio,
Utah, and Maine all work well.
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Excuses, ExcusesMarch 6 through 12 is NationalProcrastination
Week. Procrastinationmeans putting off duties and making allkinds
of excuses. Be creative and writedown a really imaginative excuse
forwhy you cant clean your room thisweek. This will help you get
started:Im so sorry. I really want to clean myroom. But, you see,
the most incrediblething has happened . . .
The Grass Is Always BluerTaxis are usually yellow. Stop signs
areusually red. But what if taxis werepink? What if stop signs were
purple?Write a story using all they mixed-upcolored things you can
think of.
P.I. JoeOn March 9, 1959, the very first Barbiedolls appeared in
toy stores. What ifyou could create your own doll oraction figure?
(It can be male orfemale.) What would you name it?What would it bea
spy, a basketballplayer? Pretend you are creating anadvertisement
in a toy catalog andwrite a description of your doll oraction
figure.
Knock-Knock JokesKnock-Knock Jokes are a lot of fun!Heres an
example:
Knock, Knock!Whos There?Lettuce.Lettuce Who?Lettuce In!
Make up your own Knock-Knock Jokeand write it down.
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The Buck Starts HereThe first paper money in the UnitedStates
was issued on March 10, 1862.What if you could create your own
bill?What would it be: a $1 zillion bill,maybe? Whose picture would
you puton it? On a piece of paper, design yourown bill. Look at
real bills for ideas.Your bill should have various sayingsand
slogans written on itOfficialMoney of the Town of
Muskogee,Oklahoma, for examplejust like areal bill.
Tongue TwisterHeres a tongue twister: Fuzzy-Wuzzywas a bear.
Fuzzy-Wuzzy had no hair.Fuzzy-Wuzzy wasnt fuzzy, was he? Trysaying
that five times fast. Now, createyour own tongue twister. Hint: Use
lotsof rhyming words and use the sameletters over and over.
Wendy WatermelonseedMarch 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day. Doyou know
about Johnny Appleseed?He walked all over the United Statesduring
the 1800s planting apple seeds.Some of the trees he planted
arestill alive today. Imagine there wasa Peter Pumpkinseed or a
WendyWatermelonseed. Write a story aboutyour characters
adventures.
Green TaleSt. Patricks Day is March 17. This is abig day for the
color green. Think abouthow many things are green: emeralds,frogs,
grass, and lettuce. Write a storyusing at least five different
green things.
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Great SealMarch 1 is International Day of theSeal. Create a
Great Seal of the Seal.This can be similar to the great seal ofyour
own home state. Draw a pictureof a seal. Then, surround the
picturewith written slogans and facts aboutthese fascinating
animals.
RelativityAlbert Einstein was born in Germanyon March 14, 1879.
When people thinkof a genius, they often think of thisfamous
scientist. But who do you thinkof as a genius? Does a genius have
tobe someone who is smart at solvingcomplicated math problems? Or
can agenius be someone who is exceptional-ly good at other thingsa
genius atvideo games, for example, or a geniusat making friends?
Write about a per-son you think of as a genius andexplain why.
Remember That TuneMarch 21 is Memory Day. Think abouthow many
different songs you haveheard during your life. Try to rememberas
many song names as you possiblycan. Make a list and make it
long.
March ManPretend theres a new superheroknown as March Man. He
has specialpowers, such as his Super Flower-Power Ray. Design your
own MarchMan trading card, with a picture and adescription. Then,
trade cards withyour classmates.
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Keep America BeautifulApril is Keep America Beautiful Month.Do
you have some ideas on how tohelp do this? Picking up garbage
fromparks is one good idea. Giving houses afresh coat of paint is
another. Create aKeep America Beautiful poster thatincludes your
ideas.
Class ClownsDo you like a good joke? April happensto be National
Humor Month. Heres ajoke for you: What did the flower sayto the
bee? Answer: Buzz off. Thinkup some jokes of your own and writethem
down. Trade jokes with yourclassmates and laugh, laugh, laugh.
SignsSigns are everywhere. Some restaurantshave signs that say,
Please wait to beseated. Stores sometimes have signsthat say, No
dogs allowed. Think offive signs that you think should exist.What
would they say? Where wouldyou put your five signs?
Shhhh!April is Listening Awareness Month. Bereal quiet and
listen very carefully forfive minutes. What do you hear?Chances are
you will hear new thingsthat you wouldnt notice if you werentpaying
very careful attention. Describeevery different sound you hear.
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The Opposite BrothersOscar and Otis are the OppositeBrothers.
When Oscar wears black,Otis wears white. When Oscar walks,Otis
runs. Write a story about theOpposite Brothers.
April Fools!Theres a new kind of gum calledForever-Chew. You can
chew it forhours and hours and the flavor nevergoes away. It
changes flavors, too.First, its grape, then its peppermint,then its
cinnamon. Would you like astick? Really? April Fools! Now,
writeyour own tricky tale. Remember at theend to write, April
Fools!
Ferret CareMany people have dogs or cats or fishas pets. But
some people have ferrets,which are a strange and unusual kindof
pet. Do some research on ferrets atthe library or on the Internet.
Then,pretend youre going on a trip. Yourfriend has promised to take
care ofyour pet ferret. But what does it eat?Does it stay in a cage
sometimes? Canit go outside by itself like a cat or adog? Write a
note for your friend withinstructions on how to take care ofyour
pet ferret.
Express MailThe very first Pony Express riderbegan his trip on
April 3, 1860. He hada bag full of letters to deliver and
hetraveled from St. Joseph, Missouri, toSacramento, California. It
took tendays, but this was considered very fastmail service.
Remember, this was morethan 100 years before e-mail. Do
someresearch on the Pony Express. Then,pretend you were alive
during thedays of the Wild West. Write animaginary letter to be
delivered bythe Pony Express.
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Space ExplorationSpace is fascinating. Its full of distantstars
and speeding comets and unex-plored planets. April 3 through 9
isAstronomy Week. Write about what youthink is out in space. Are
there any tinyplanets the size of marbles? How abouttime warps? Do
you think there areother living creatures in space?
The Class CourierCreate your own class newspaper!Write a story
about something interest-ing that happened recently. Maybethere was
an exciting sports event.Or maybe your favorite band has anew CD.
If you combine stories fromeveryone in class, youll have a
com-plete newspaper. It will have all kindsof stories on all kinds
of subjects. Youmight even give your paper a name.
The Long SleepWashington Irving was born on April 3,1783. He
wrote a famous story calledRip Van Winkle about a man who wentto
sleep and woke up 20 years later!What do you think would happen if
youslept for 20 years? How would theworld have changed when you
finallywoke up?
Add Van Winkle to your last name.For example, if your name is
MarcyPhillips, you become Marcy VanWinkle. Then, write a story
aboutwaking from a 20-year nap.
The 100-Meter Sack HopThe first modern Olympics were heldin
Athens, Greece, on April 6, 1896.The Olympics is a huge event
withcompetitions in many different sports:swimming, skiing, and
running, forexample. Whats something you arereally good at that you
would like toadd to the Olympics? Do you wishthere was kickball at
the Olympics, orhopscotch? It can even be somethingstrange like
holding your breath under-water. Write a sports story about
yourvery own Olympic event.
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The Skinny on Olive OylFamous gossip columnist WalterWinchell
was born on April 7, 1897.Pretend that you write a gossip columnfor
the newspaper. Your job is to writegossip items about various
cartooncharacters. This will help you get start-ed: Snow White was
spotted at a localbeach, trying to get a suntan. Mean-while, I have
learned that Spider Manloves apples. Maybe we should becalling him
Cider Man . . .
In Bad ShapeSome things have their own specialshapes, right? But
what if donuts weresquare? What if wheels were triangu-lar? Finish
the following story andmake sure you change lots of shapes:Jill
took a square CD out of its roundbox. She could not believe it! Her
eyesgrew large and rectangular . . .
Oceans of FunApril 9 through 15 is National Week ofthe Ocean.
More than half the Earthis covered by oceans; theyre full ofwhales
and strange fish. Do someresearch at the library or on theInternet
and write down ten fun factsabout the ocean.
Paul Reveres Midnight RideOn April 18, 1775, American patriot
PaulRevere took his Midnight Ride. Use thelibrary or Internet to do
some researchon this famous event. Then, write ashort play about
Paul Reveres ride.
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Loads of LabelsHave you ever noticed how manywords are on a food
label? There is thefood companys name, an advertisingslogan, a
description of the food, theingredients, even a recipe
sometimes.Create your own label. It can be for anykind of
foodcereal, taco shells,sloppy joe mixwhatever makes youhungry.
Give your product a fun namelike Big Bills Baked Beans, andremember
to include lots and lots ofinformation on the label.
Iceland When It SizzlesApril 20 is officially the first day
ofsummer in Iceland. Its a big nationalholiday! What do you think
summer islike in Iceland? Do you think it evergets very warm? Do
you think people inIceland eat ice cream in summer?Pretend that a
girl named Bjork lives inIceland and is your friend. Come upwith
five questions for an imaginarye-mail that you could send her.
Exact-o WorldWelcome to Exact-o World. This is aplace where
words are exactly as theysound. A butter knife is a knife madeout
of butter. A cowboy is a young malecow. Boxing gloves are gloves
that fighteach other. Write a story that takesplace in Exact-o
World. Be very exact.And let your imagination run wild . . .but
make sure it doesnt escape!
Write a WriterWhat is your all-time favorite book?Who is the
author? Write a letter to theauthor. Tell the author how much
youenjoyed the book. Maybe ask somequestions, too. How did the
authordream up the idea for the book? Doesthe author have any tips
on how youcan become a great writer, too?
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Raining Cats and DogsIn many places across the UnitedStates, the
month of April means lots ofrain. Have you ever heard the
saying,Its raining cats and dogs? Thats astrange saying, right?
What if it reallydid rain cats and dogs? Write a storyabout what
would happen.
Spring CleaningSpring is a time when people like toclean their
houses and get a fresh start.If you could clean up absolutely
any-thing, what would it beyour room,your town, the world? Write a
storyabout a giant spring cleaning job.
KindergartenFrederich Froebel was born on April21, 1782. This
famous German educatorinvented many childrens toys and alsoinvented
kindergarten! What kinds ofthings do you think are important
tolearn in kindergarten? What do youwish you had learned at that
age? Writea lesson plan with recommendedactivities for
kindergartners.
Personal Power WordsWhat are some words that you like?They can
be anythingripple, violet,fusebox, you name itas long astheyre
words you think are cool. Pickout five of them. These are
yourPersonal Power Words. Write a shortstory using your chosen
words.
April Really Bugs MeThere are insects known as mayfliesand June
bugs. Make up a bug withApril in its namean Aprilflea forexample.
Write a description of yourimaginary insect.
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Hatching a StoryMay is National Egg Month. Finish
thiseggs-cellent tale. The egg was lightblue, the size of a
football, and had redand yellow spots. It began to crack andout
popped . . .
Jumbo BurgerMay is National Hamburger Month.Imagine that you
have opened a newrestaurant called Jumbo Burger. Makeup a menu
listing all the differentthings you would offer, and dont for-get
to give the prices. Maybe therewould be a Triple Jumbo Burger
withcheese$1.75. Or a Wacky Meal withfries$2.50. Create your own
mouth-watering Jumbo Burger menu.
Nursery Rhyme TimeMay 1 is Mother Goose Day. When youwere
younger, did you have a favoritenursery rhymeHumpty-Dumpty,maybe,
or Old Mother Hubbard? Maybeyou have a younger brother or sisterwho
enjoys nursery rhymes. Create anursery rhyme and make it lots of
funfor little kids.
UniformsWhen you write stories, it may be usefulto know how to
describe various uni-forms. For example, firefighters wearboots and
hats and long slickers. Look ina book or magazine and find an
interest-ing person wearing a uniform. Describethat uniform as
carefully as you can.
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Imaginary Pen FriendPen Friends Week is May 1 through 7.Imagine
that you have a pen friend in afaraway countryRussia or Egypt
orBrazil. Do some research on thatcountry at the library or on
theInternet. Think of some questionsyoud like to ask about that
country,and put them in a letter to your imagi-nary pen friend.
Remember to giveyour pen friend a name that matcheswith the country
he or she is from.
Loyalty DayMay 1 is Loyalty Day by a specialpresidential
proclamation. Do youthink loyalty is important? Write a storyabout
a loyal friend or a loyal pet.
BackpackingHow about playing a game calledBackpacking? Think of
a persons nameand an item that starts with the sameletter. Now,
work your way through thealphabet, A to Z. This will get you
start-ed. My name is Alice. Im going back-packing and Im taking an
anteater.
Weather ReportMay 4 is National Weather ObserversDay. How does
the weather look? Whatis your prediction for tomorrow? Whatwill the
temperature be? Will it bewindy? Will there be any rain? Write
aweather report with your predictionsfor the next five days.
Wacky CritterSome real-life animals have verystrange names, such
as orangutansand koala bears. Make up a weirdand wacky animal of
your own anddescribe what it looks like, where itlives, and what it
eats.
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Spinning a YarnImagine a character named KellyKitten. Write down
ten differentsentences about Kelly. Make sure thatyou write each
sentence on a separateline. Now, cut out each of the ten
sen-tences. Then, tape them together, oneafter the other. You will
have a single,long, skinny story. It should looksomething like a
piece of yarn thatKelly the Kitten might play with.
Cinco de MayoIn Mexico, May 5 is called Cinco deMayo. Its a big
national celebration,with music and dancing and food. Dosome
research at the library or on theInternet. Then, make a list of ten
factsabout Mexico.
Short Month, Long ListMay is the month with the shortestnameonly
three letters long. Manyother words have only three letterssuch as
bat and hat and dot. Make along list with all the three-letter
wordsyou can think of. Write a story using atleast ten of your
words.
InventoryAn inventory is a list of all the itemsin a particular
place. For example, aninventory of a room might include
bed,dresser, mirror, shoes, and so on. Picka place: your house,
your classroom,a store. Then, create an inventory.Think hard and
try to list everythingthat you can think of.
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Scooter Wins By a Claw . . .
Each year on May 5, a lobster raceis held in the town of Aiken,
SouthCarolina. Sounds pretty strange,doesnt it? Write a sports
story aboutan exciting race between five lobstersnamed Scooter,
Shelly, Bubbles, Red,and Clawdius.
Greetings from FijiNational Postcard Week starts on May7.
Pretend you are visiting the coolestplace you can imagine: the Fiji
Islands,or China, maybe. Do some research onthis very cool country.
Then, write apostcard to a friend from this place. Ifyou like, you
can also draw a picture onthe front of the postcard.
Lisas LemonadeMay 10 is National Small Business Day.If you could
start a small business,what would it be: a lemonade stand,maybe, or
a lawn mowing service? Giveyour business a snappy name and cre-ate
an advertisement. Remember, youwant your ad to be exciting and full
ofinformation so that people will want touse your business.
Idioms DelightI aced that test. The English languageis full of
these kinds of colorful phras-es. Theyre called idioms. You
donttake them literally. Acing a test doesntmean turning a test
into a playing card,right? It means scoring really highhigh like an
ace. Now, fill in the blankand create five of your own idioms.
I________ that test. For example, Isewered that test could mean you
didreally, really poorly.
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TacofestMay 12 and 13 is Picklefest in Atkins,Arkansas. Theres a
pickle-eatingcontest and a pickle beauty contestand all kinds of
other silly events.Think up your own silly festival. It canbe
anything: Mushroomfest, Tacofest,or Sausagefest. List ten events
that youwould have at your festival.
Colorful StoryStories are always better when theymention lots of
bright colors. Write astory and fill it with as many colors asyou
can: plump red tomatoes, yellowtaxi cabs, and green, green
grass.
Were Not in Kentucky Anymore
L. Frank Baum was born on May 15,1856. He wrote The Wonderful
Wizardof Oz. In this story, there are famouscharacters such as the
Tin Man, whoneeds a heart, and the Lion, who needscourage. Here are
three new charac-ters: Cheetah wants to run fast. TheStone Statue
wishes he could laugh.Dottie wishes to return home toKentucky.
First, read The WonderfulWizard of Oz. Then, write an Oz-stylestory
and describe how these newcharacters dreams come true.
Secretabub CodegopHeres a secret code. On all words thatend with
a consonant, place abub atthe end of the word. On all words thatend
with a vowel, place gop at theend of the word. Now, write a
messagein secret code and exchange it witha classmate. Goodabub
luckabubcrackingabub thegop codegop!
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Abigail SupersleuthArthur Conan Doyle was born on May22, 1859.
He wrote many famous storiesabout a made-up detective namedSherlock
Holmes. Write your owndetective story using a character namedeither
Arnold or Abigail Supersleuth.This will help you get started:
Themansions bedroom window was open.The diamonds and rubies and
otherjewels were missing . . .
All-Four-OneMia Hamm is a famous soccer player.Marie Curie is a
famous scientist. SallyFields is a famous actress. Sally Rideis a
famous astronaut. Roll all four ofthem into one and you have Mia
MarieFields Ride, the worlds first soccer-playing, scientist,
astronaut actress.Write a story about this wacky woman.
Birthday SongHow come the only song people hearon their birthday
is Happy Birthday?Shouldnt there be another birthdaysong called Its
Your Big Day orCake and Candles? Think of somegreat new words and
write a brand-new birthday song.
Wild, Wild WestWild Bill Hickok was born on May 27,1837. Hes a
famous figure from theWild West. Here are some new meanand ornery
Western-style characters:Tough Terry McGillicutty, One-EyedPete,
Bronco Betty, and her horseThunder. Put these characters into
aWestern story.
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VolunteersJune 1 through 7 is InternationalVolunteers Week. If
you could volun-teer to help out around your town,what would you
do? Would you cleanup trash, maybe, or deliver meals topeople who
are sick and cannot leavetheir homes? Think about what youwould
like to do as a volunteer. Writeabout your choice of volunteer
activityand why being a volunteer is important.
Garage SaleOn June 3 each year, the worlds largestgarage sale is
held in South Bend,Indiana. Usually about 12,000 peopleattend! What
if you had a garage sale?Make a list of ten things you own thatyou
would like to sell.
Worth a Thousand WordsTheres a famous saying: A picture isworth
a thousand words. Find a photo-graph that you like. It can be in a
bookor a magazine or a newspaper. Study itclosely. Then, write
about what youthink is happening in the photograph.
Pet AppreciationThe second week of June is PetAppreciation Week.
Do you have a pet?If not, what kind of animal would youlike to have
as a peta cat, a parrot,maybe a goldfish? Write as complete
adescription of your real or imaginarypet as you can, mentioning
the kind ofanimal your pet is, what it eats, what itlooks like, its
personality, and so on.
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PicnicEvery year on June 10 theres a BettyPicnic held in Grants
Pass, Oregon.Everyone in the whole world namedBetty is welcome.
What if there were apicnic held for everyone with yourname? Who are
some famous peoplewith the same name as you? Write astory about
this unusual picnic.
Cool CreationsSummer is here and the weather is get-ting hotter.
You know what that means.Ice cream! Now, what if you couldinvent
your own special ice creamflavor? Would it be something
likechocolate peanut-butter banana swirl?Pretend you own an ice
cream shop.Create a menu listing at least ten newdelicious flavors
of ice cream of yourown invention.
June Juggling MonthJune 20 is World Juggling Day. Imagineif you
tried to juggle a skunk, a can ofpurple paint, and a cowboy hat.
Write astory about the mixed-up results.
Space AddressYour space-alien friend Iplik wants tosend you a
postcard. But first you needto give him your full address. Fill in
the blanks:
_________________________ (name), __________________ (street
address), _______ (city), ________ (country),________ (planet),
________ (galaxy).
Make your address as detailed aspossible to make sure Ipliks
postcardreaches you.
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Hall of FameTheres a Baseball Hall of Fame, aFootball Hall of
Fame, even a Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. What kind ofHall of Fame
would you like to see:fashion models, maybe, or all-starwrestlers?
Make a list of members ofyour own special Hall of Fame, andalso
write down some reasons whyeach member was chosen.
A Fat, Yellow Hippo SmartlyDove Into Four Warm PondsThe quick
brown fox boldly jumpedover a tall fence. Rewrite this
ten-wordsentence ten times. Each time yourewrite it change just one
word. Forexample, sentence number-one mightread: The quick brown
cow boldlyjumped over a tall fence. Sentencenumber-two might read:
The quickbrown cow gracefully jumped overa tall fence. By the time
you arefinished you should have a verydifferent sentence.
For Your Own AmusementWhat if you had your own amusementpark?
You could give it a great name,like Wades Wild World. What types
ofrides would you have? You could havesome really fun ones, like a
TripleUpside-Down Scream Coaster. Writeabout an amusement park you
wouldbuild. Remember, give it a great nameand fill it with all
kinds of exciting rides.
April May MarchIt has been a long school year. Manydifferent
months have passed. Writea few sentences using the names
ofdifferent months in various ways. For example, April could be a
girlsname. Bands and soldiers March. You May be able to write some
interesting sentences.
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Dr. Doolittle VacationWhen the famous fictional characterDr.
Doolittle wanted to go on vacation,he would close his eyes and
place hisfinger on a map. Wherever his fingerpointed, thats where
he would travel.Plan a Dr. Doolittle Vacation. Closeyour eyes and
touch your finger to amap or globe. Do some research andwrite about
the place you chose.
Pretend PostcardPretend you are a visitor to your owntown. Does
your town have some inter-esting places or special types of foodor
sports teams? Write a postcarddescribing an imaginary visit to
yourown home town.
Stretch Your SensesIts pretty easy to describe how rosessmell.
Its pretty easy to describe howspaghetti and meatballs taste. But
howabout stretching your senses? Describeroses and spaghetti using
a differentsense than the one you would usuallydepend on. What does
it feel like totouch a rose? How do spaghetti andmeatballs look? If
you enjoy this, trysome other sense-stretching exercises,such as:
What does salt sound like?
Bat NightsThe hottest days of summer are knownas the dog days.
Cant you almostpicture a dog panting in the heat?Well, how about
making up your owndescriptive names for other parts of theyear?
Maybe the days in early April areflower days. Or maybe the
nightsclose to Halloween are bat nights.Think of ten and let your
imaginationgo hog wildor is it kangaroo wild?
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62Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
Scholastic Teaching Resources
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Elvis Is EverywhereElvis Presley is famous for rock songssuch as
Hound Dog and BurningLove. He was so popular that he wasknown as
The King. He died in 1977.Or did he? Some people think he gottired
of all his fame and decided to gointo hiding. Every now and then
some-one will claim to have seen Elvis stillalive and walking
around. Imagine thatyou spotted Elvis. Where would hebe? At the
mall, maybe, or working asa teacher? Would he be wearing adisguise?
Write a story about spottingElvis the King.
Summer Fashion ReviewEvery summer there are new stylesof
clothes: new types of shorts andsneakers, new swimsuits, or
popularnew T-shirts. Have you noticed any newfashions for this
summer? Write areview discussing one or more of them.Remember
reviewers have to be tough.They must express strong opinions,such
as: Sneakers with blue stripes arepopular this summer. I think they
lookterrible, because . . .
Sheer NonsenseSome of the very best stories are full ofnonsense.
Humpty-Dumpty was an eggwho fell off a wall. Who ever heard ofthat?
Heres a bit of nonsense to getyou started on a story of your
own:Watookie had on her favorite pink over-alls. She was singing
Happy Birthday tono one in particular, and was gatheringsticks for
a stick pie. She ran into Mr.Chompers, the blue mule. Mr.
Chomperswas headed off to Soap Bubble City . . .
Summer JobWhen you are older you may have a jobduring the
summer. Maybe you will be alifeguard, or perhaps you will work in
amusic store. Write about your perfectsummer job.
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63Marvelous Month-by-Month Writing Prompts Justin McCory Martin,
Scho