Journal Prompts
77 Elementary Writing Ideas for the New Year
These prompts are designed for use in January, when the new calendar year begins, but could also be adapted to the start of the school year.
180 Journal Writing Prompts
Prompts are designed for one-a-day use and are organized by quarter.
Bernadette Mayer's List of Journal Ideas A list of journal topics that will work on multiple grade levels. Scroll down for a list of "Writing Experiments" that will work well in a creative writing unit.
Close Reading Journals
Suggestions for incorporating close reading journals in your classroom.
Daily Writing Prompt
This site, designed by a teacher, offers a wide variety of writing prompts, available by genre or as story starters. It also includes an opportunity to publish student work.
Elementary Writing
A list of 49 journal prompts for younger writers. Scroll to the bottom for links to seasonal prompts and for prompts suggested by readers.
Introduction to the Nature Journal
"Students exercise the observation skills that are essential to writing, visual art, and science." This lesson from the Smithsonian Institute is designed for all grade levels.
Journal Prompts
A collection of 81 writing prompts for grades 7-12.
A Month of Writing Prompts
Writing prompts based on historical events with a suggestion for creative or analytical writing.
Opposing Point of View Journals
How can students develop argument skills? This journal activity encourages students to develop perspective by qualifying an argument or by disagreeing altogether.
Using Photography To Inspire Writing
An educator shares ideas that have worked well in his classroom.
Visually Speaking: Using Visual Journaling to Build Elaboration Skills in Writing
Students will keep a visual journal. The objective of this unit is for the students to develop better writing skills specifically in the area of elaboration. It addresses the needs of all learners, from non-English speakers and students with learning disabilities to high achievers with extensive vocabularies. This unit can be easily adapted for any grade level, and it can be implemented in a variety of ways: as a weekly or monthly supplement to the language arts curriculum or as an autonomous unit.
Writing Prompts / Journal Topics
This extensive collection of prompts is intended for elementary students, but many of them are also appropriate for older students.