15 Sample Common Core Writing Prompts

This is a PDF* with a set of fifteen creative writing prompts that are aligned to Common Core Writing Anchor Standards 1,2, and 3.

These are visual prompts and are meant to be used for practice on Common Core Writing Anchor Standards. They are suitable for upper elementary, middle school, and high school.

If you like these, I have a set of 300 for sale in my store.

I typically use a projector to put these prompts on the screen in front of the class. I describe the prompt and answer any questions about it, and then I have my students write for five to ten minutes straight. After the the time is up, we discuss their writing, typically starting with a “pair share” and then moving on to a whole class discussion. We usually do one of these a day, and then toward the end of the unit, the students pick their favorite prompt to make into a polished, final piece, which we take through the whole writing process.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes,
Luke Neff

Common Core Writing Standards that are covered in these prompts:

Writing Anchor Standard 1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Writing Anchor Standard 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Writing Anchor Standard 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.



*They are in PDF format because converting to PowerPoint considerably alters the formatting. If you'd like to get them in the original Keynote file, please let me know, although it seems Keynote users are few and far between.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.