Here’s a really fun creative writing prompt kids will enjoy at any school party or for National Popcorn Day, January 19th… 

“How To” writing prompt activity:  Make or bring in popcorn, put it in cups or little popcorn bags for the children to eat while they write, and give them the following writing prompt.

PROMPT:  You are going to write the steps for making popcorn.  You can imagine someone using either a popcorn machine, or a bag of microwave popcorn.  Make sure you number your steps, your writing is detailed, and you use transitional phrases such as:  first, next, then, after that, finally.  Review your steps when you’re finished, imagining your reader has never made popcorn before.  Would they be successful following your directions, or did you leave something out?  Now, enjoy your popcorn!

Yes, that’s right…Doris TheSaurus is one of the best gifts for teachers you can give, especially if they teach elementary school or are a media specialist/librarian.  How do I know?  I personally searched for such a book and couldn’t find one, so I wrote my own!  I have found trade books about synonyms (words with similar meanings), but not one that does that, as well as introduce how to use a thesaurus. 

Most librarians and elementary school teachers instruct students in how to use a thesaurus to improve writing which can be a rather dull resource lesson.  So, a ‘trade book’ that brings it all alive is a well-received, end-of-year gift for language arts teachers.  They will use this book year after year.  Truly a gift that keeps on giving.  Trust me–I know.