The Character-O-Matic is a writing tool that helps students to create new characters. In this lesson, students will use it to create a character profile that reflects their own identies.

Through a series of short drawing activities, students will explore the ways observable details can have a major impact on their writing.

Students pose questions to the magic 8 ball in this activity centered on character motivation.

This poetry prompt from Rachel Eliza Griffiths asks students to consider the ordinary in their lives—then write a poem that celebrates those ordinary objects and figures.

In this Spark, students will learn more about conducting interviews and practice by interviewing a classmate.

Students identify the power of imagery in poetry, then practice putting this power to use in a poem about their neighborhood.

This activity prompts students to write words unspoken, in letters undelivered.

Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.

In this Spark, students will mine their home and their habits for story and personal essay ideas.

Students consider perspectives of activists speaking up against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd and use imagery to capture protest scenes in writing.

To jumpstart their own poems, students take inspiration from the poetry of the others.

This poetry prompt from Ada Limón invites students to consider a personal connection to an animal.

This activity prompts students to use words related to community and identity to reframe ancestral stories of resistance, growth, and survival.

A hauntingly good pair of prompts! Students will reconsider the purpose of ghosts by either describing a haunted setting or writing from the perspective of a misunderstood ghost.

Students enter a Writing Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation to embark on their writing process.

A pair of prompts that invites students to consider how time, location, and dialogue can be used to construct a scene and build meaning.

In this Spark, students will learn more about voice: what it is exactly, and how to name the elements of it.

What lives inside a word? Find out how to trace connections between two dissimilar words with this playful Spark from award-winning poet Aracelis Girmay.

In this Spark, students will explore the many ways you can connect to a poem.

Students revisit powerful memories to generate personal stories filled with heart.

Writing can be a powerful tool when working through feelings of grief, sadness, or anger. This Spark creates an intentional opportunity for youth to write and speak about what is on their minds.

This writing prompt from author Lisa Ko invites students to explore the impact of social movements by envisioning and writing from an ideal future.

Author bios offer students another opportunity to express themselves through writing and to feel like a real author. This Spark walks students through the process of writing one.

Author and activist P. Carl asks students to write dialogue that captures two distinct and opposing voices, crafting a scene of action and discord.

This spark activity is designed to get your students on their feet while reinforcing the need for strong dialogue in narratives.

Encourage students to confront abstract, messy topics in their writing with philosophical journal prompts.

Usually, an ode is written in celebration, but this Spark asks students to write an anti-ode—a poem about something they can’t stand!

Using a place with personal meaning, students will learn a strategy for getting over the hurdle of beginning the writing process.

Students consider the influence that labels hold and write poetry to become empowered to describe themselves however they want.

Candy hearts are a Valentine’s Day staple, with their funny—even punny—sayings about love. In this Spark, students will lean into the world of youth slang to write some “sweet” sayings of their own.

By combining two classic games, students will learn how storytelling and art can build community or help them break through writer’s block.

Students recall “last times” in their lives and revisit the depth of their experience through writing.

These 10 prompts ask students to browse the 826 Digital Student Writing Gallery for writing inspiration.

Students will collectively create a running list of golden details—details and descriptions that are singular, completely original, and make one's subject unforgettable.

Students will write a personal narrative where they describe themselves as a place. Not a specific place, but all the things a "place" consists of.

Students discuss the 2021 inaugural poem by Amanda Gorman and write their own poems in response to "The Hill We Climb."

With this pair of prompts, students look to the past and future for writing inspiration.

Students draw inspiration from powerful change-makers to write celebratory, haiku poetry.

An effective writing prompt about a significant threshold.

This Spark provides students with the opportunity to get to know their classmates by sharing personal stories about a specific topic.

Leslie Margolis invites students to consider their own personhood and what determines or defines it with two short prompts.

Make space for creativity in nonfiction! Students will play with traditional nonfiction formats with these two writing prompts from Kelly Jensen, writer and editor.

Students draw inspiration from a real or fictional location and use this sense of place to develop an in-setting document.

In this Spark, students will explore two taboo emotions, desire and fear, by mapping where these feelings dwell in their bodies and using tactile language to describe their impact.

Students plot significant memories on a timeline in this reflective writing activity.

Daniel Ehrenhaft asks students to consider perspective in a piece of their writing with this reflective spark.

How is a scene different from a summary? In this Spark, students will explore the answer to that question and put both techniques into practice.

Whether students write to process, to remember, to imagine, or to heal, this collection of prompts asks students to recognize how their world has changed in response to COVID-19.

Students create an identity chart and write about parts of their identity most salient to them.

At a time of rising book bans, The New York Public Library invites all teens to reflect on the essential freedom to read.

This Spark uses a popular improv game to show students the value of their ideas and the importance of keeping an open mind while writing.

This Spark introduces students to the fantastical world of Flood City and prompts them to write a journal entry from the perspective of a Flood City resident.