Inspire the Love of Writing

I built this site with a simple idea – that writing should be fun. Challenging? Yes. Important? Absolutely. But also fun. When students love writing, they write more (improving fluency) and they work to improve their writing (improving quality).

As a former middle school teacher, I lived for those magical moments when students would be so into their writing that they would groan when I announced a transition time. I loved watching reluctant writers grow into passionate authors who had found their voice.

This is why I’ve created these free video prompts that you can use as you inspire your students to fall in love with writing.

Featured Writing Prompt

The Power of a Teacher

When my son was in the fourth grade, he had a teacher who inspired her students to love writing. They wrote picture books and blog posts and filled their journals up with persuasive essays and personal narratives. They met regularly for their writer’s workshop and, over the course of the year, they began to view themselves as authors and writers.

My son would finish his chores early in the morning and hop onto the computer to start writing. During the summer, he formed a writer’s workshop and co-write stories on a shared document.

Because of a teacher.

An innovative teacher. Now, she didn’t design everything from scratch. Her creative genius was that she knew how to curate resources and find the right tools to help her students fall in love with writing.

I believe that the most powerful element for helping developing writers is the role of a teacher. Yes, teachers are artists and architects, but they also need tools. This is why I created Video Writing Prompts. These are a suite of tools that you can add to your toolbox. Sign up below to get a set of prompts and updates each time I create a new one.

I WANT THIS!

Why Video Writing Prompts?

Any time. Anywhere.

With video prompts, students can access the prompts from any device. If they need to review the prompt, they can rewatch it any time.

Provide Scaffolding

Video prompts make learning visible by creating a bridge between the abstract and the concrete. This is especially helpful for students who are second language learners.

Boost Creativity

Video prompts will inspire students to think more divergently, solve problems, engage in creative writing, and make creative use of argumentation.

Increase Motivation

These high-interest prompts will help your students fall in love with writing. When students love writing, they write more and when they write more, they improve in their writing fluency.

How to Use Video Writing Prompts

The following are a few of the ways you can use video writing prompts:

  • Assignment prompts and project prompts: You might use these videos at the start of a project or an assignment to spark student interest and help students visualize what they will be creating.
  • Stations or centers: Video prompts can work great as an independent workstation. You might have maker prompts available on a computer in a makerspace station or you might use it as an ELA rotation station activity.
  • Enrichment activity: You might send students to videowritingprompts.com as an enrichment activity when they have finished their other assignments.
  • Warm-ups: Many of these video prompts work well as a daily warm-up activity. 
  • Choice-based writer’s workshop: you can integrate these into a writer’s workshop and allow students to choose which prompts they want to use.
  • High-interest option for a substitute teacher. This is a great alternative to a packet of worksheets. 
  • Before Breaks: These can also work well right before a fall, winter, or spring break.

If you’re interested in accessing a set of video writing prompts, click on the button below.

I WANT THIS!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this site actually free?

Yep. These video prompts are free to use in a non-commercial way (you can’t use them to make money).

If you like what you see and you want to “pay it back,” please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel and telling a friend about this site.

I can’t access the videos because YouTube is blocked. What should I do?

At the bottom of each post, you will see a place where you can download the video. If you type in your email address and press “submit,” I will send you the video straight to your inbox. You should get them within an hour.

How do you create those sketch videos?

You can find the directions here. A word of caution: because they are hand-drawn and I don’t use fancy animation software, the process can take hours. You might have better luck with a different approach.

I have an idea for a writing prompt. Can I share it with you? 

I would love to hear your ideas. Feel free to email me at john@spenceruathor.com. Please understand that I have tons of ideas and limited time. So, it’s not personal if I don’t end up using your idea.

We’d love to have you speak at our school. How do we contact you?

Please email me at john@spencerauthor.com. You can also find me on my speaking page on my main site.

Do you do product placement or advertising? 

At this time, I prefer to keep this site fully ad-free.