Writing Prompts
Teachers, you know your students best. That’s why we created these rich and flexible lesson ideas that can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
Tackle Vocabulary and Writing at the Same Time
Each of our Word Up songs tells a story. Why not combine a Word Up story with one of our reading and writing units? Have students examine a Word Up story from different angles, such as:
- Rewriting the story using a different character’s point of view (see this activity for an example)
- Identifying the figurative language used in the lyrics
- Writing the next “chapter” of the story: What happens next?
- Identifying the conflict, climax and conclusion of the story
Here are some pairings we suggest, but we encourage you to adapt these ideas for your students’ needs! Let us know how you combined units in the comments section below.
| Grade | Vocab Song | Activity Suggestion | ELA Skill |
| 2nd | “Stranded!” | Tell the story from Leila’s point of view | Point of View |
| Map or outline the story’s plot elements | Plot Elements | ||
| Identify the story’s main idea | Main Idea | ||
| 5th | “Water Balloon Fight” | Tell the story from D’s point of view | Point of View |
| Rewrite the story using at least 8 transition words | Transition Words | ||
| Identify uses of metaphor in the song lyrics | Figurative Language | ||
| 8th | “It’s Alright” | Create an outline for a speech for the congresswoman | POWER to Write |
| Use persuasive language in writing the speech | Persuasive Language | ||
| Present the speech to the class | Public Speaking | ||
| 12th (SAT) | “Friends” | Tell the story from Brandon or the girlfriend’s point of view | Point of View |
| Incorporate descriptive language for all five senses | Descriptive Language | ||
|
Identify uses of consonance and assonance in the song lyrics |
Figurative Language |