Guide to Creating Effective Visual Writing Ideas

Write About has more than 5,000 educator-created writing Ideas included, but teachers can also quickly create their own to share with their students. Many teachers also share their Ideas to the global Write About community so that other classrooms can benefit.

 

Here are a few things we’ve noticed about the visual writing ideas that work best:

Use Engaging Images:

The best visuals spark writing. They convey emotion or action. In some cases, they fit a particular question. In other cases, they spark a question or a thought. Some teachers start with a list of questions or scenarios and find or take the perfect picture. Others do a Creative Commons search and start with an intriguing visual. Another great source for copyright-friendly images is Photos For Class.

Push Critical Thinking:

Students want to think deeply about a particular idea or subject. Asking them to analyze, evaluate or create something new all contribute toward deeper thinking and deeper writing. As you create writing ideas, think about writing critical thinking questions that will spark deeper thought.

Tap Into Student Interests:

Kids like writing about zombies and ninjas and unicorns. They might even enjoy writing about ninja unicorns that fight zombies. Sometimes it helps to ask students what they care about. What do they geek out about? As you create writing ideas, consider the vast range of student interests that will tap into their passions and prior knowledge.

Embrace Creativity:

Writing is inherently creative. Even functional and informational texts can spark student creativity. As you create writing ideas, think about wandering off the beaten path. Often, the most popular ideas are the quirky ones that students would never have considered.

Make it Meaningful:

While it’s important to choose ideas that tap into student interests, it can also be helpful to offer chances for students to write about the deep things that matter to them. It might be interpersonal relationships. It might be life at school or at home or in the neighborhood. It might be a part of their culture. It might be a deeply existential question that they’re wrestling with.

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We hope you have fun providing your students with inspiration for their writing!