This writing prompt from author Lisa Ko invites students to explore the impact of social movements by envisioning and writing from an ideal future.
Grades 7–11
Narrative
Screenwriting with Spike Jonze
by Spike Jonze, award-winning screenwriter and producer
Spark Summary
A pair of prompts that invites students to consider how time, location, and dialogue can be used to construct a scene and build meaning.
Grades 7–12
Narrative, Poetry
Playing With Words
by poet Aracelis Girmay in collaboration with Aarti Monteiro & Nico Garbaccio, 826NYC
Spark Summary
What lives inside a word? Find out how to trace connections between two dissimilar words with playful Spark from award-winning poet Aracelis Girmay.
Grades 7–12
Narrative
Protester Portraits
by 826 National
Spark Summary
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.
Grades 7–12
Narrative
Taboo Emotions
by author Tiphanie Yanique
Spark Summary
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.
Grades 7–12
Narrative
Last Times
by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the US
Spark Summary
Students recall “last times” in their lives and revisit the depth of their experience through writing.
Grades 9–12
Narrative
Life in the Time of Coronavirus
by Princess McDowell, the 826 Dallas Project
Spark Summary
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.
Grades 6–12
Informational, Narrative, Persuasive, Poetry
Write Here, Write Now
by 826 National
Spark Summary
These 10 prompts ask students to browse the 826 Digital Student Writing Gallery for writing inspiration and extend their imagination beyond the walls of their home.
Grades 1–12
Informational, Narrative, Persuasive, Poetry
A Good Time to Write: Remote Learning Kit
by 826 National
Spark Summary
Engage young writers of any age at home with this collection of 826 Digital writing prompts and activities.
With a little folding and loads of creativity, students make their own zines that feature abstract recipes.
Grades 4–8
Narrative
Setting the Tone
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Spark Summary
This activity explores the way emotions change how we perceive settings. Students work in groups to create descriptions of apartments based on an emotion they draw from a hat.
Grades 6–12
Narrative, Poetry
Memory Line
by Anna Griffin, 826 National
Spark Summary
Students plot significant memories on a timeline in this reflective writing activity.