Making up a story is easy when you are just speaking about it. However to describe things in a more academic setting requires considerable practice for your homeschool student to get it right. Here are some writing prompts that can be used to help your budding teenage writer.
Ask for a Story
When asked to tell a story encompassing all details of a given situation, your homeschool student will be forced to use the narrative style of writing. He can illustrate what us happening to different characters and encapsulate what he needs to describe in succinct statements. Have the student develop the situation, the story and the characters in an on going story through the week.
Describe an Object
From the coffee pot to a fountain in the park, pick up any object that is familiar to your homeschool student and ask him to describe it in a couple of sentences completely. This allows the homeschool student to pick up more adjectives to accurately describe the object as briefly as possible. Keep up the exercise with about five different objects in teh week.
Ask a Rhetoric Question
An open ended question is a good way for the student to try persuasive writing. Pick up a question which has no right or wrong answers and ask them to state their point of view with justifications. Have each opinion backed by a set of facts and figures where possible. Make them convince you that what side they picked is the right one.
Quote Someone
A popular quotation by someone famous can be a good starting point for a narrative. Ask the homeschool student to come up with a story on their own, full of characters, plot, etc., based on the quote that you have provided. This gives them creative expression within a limited frame work.
Action Plan for a Solution
Give the homeschool student a problem and make them describe it in an expository style. Then have them provide a solution to the problem they have described as an action plan that can be taken in the future. This will help develop lateral thinking as well.
