Dream Writing Assignments

Book excerpt: Creative questions elicit creative responses. That's what English teacher David LeCount demonstrates in this collection of quirky, provocative writing prompts designed to release students from standardized writing assignments. More than 600 prompts serve as multidisciplinary opportunities for students to write creatively. Dream Writing Assignments can be used in two ways: as a practical, flexible, and handy resource for teachers who are looking for creative topics to assign, and as a stimulating student text. The prompts encourage students to research, reflect, and explore; engage in wordplay; and experience writing as a form of discovery and delight. Think of the results if you should invite your students to answer the following questions: How are violence and intelligence related? What is your idea of the perfect experience of beauty or happiness? If greed is an addiction, how can it be cured? More than a list of topics, Dream Writing Assignments includes student writing samples, plus principles and examples of masterpieces of Asian literature woven throughout the prompts. Haiku is a favorite of American teachers, and LeCount uses his expertise in this short verse form to offer some examples for the curious to try their hand or refresh their thinking. Use the prompts so students can discover their own voices. Shake them from their daily, routine minds and awaken them to a world where their imaginations can roam.