Differentiating Instruction for a Successful Class Environment

Writing Prompts That Stimulate Cultural Awareness, Prior Knowledge, and Student Engagement

Flood of Memories:

• Draw a map of your favorite childhood memory.
• Draw a map of your favorite childhood neighborhood, or place to visit.
• Draw a floor plan of your childhood room and mark different events and feelings associated with each room, and/or each place.
• Jot down all the memories that came up as you were sketching.
• Write a personal narrative of a personal experience based on something in your past.

Shimmering Moments:

List 10 moments in your life that you keep returning to, and that you can’t let go. Think of some things that were turning points, like a move to somewhere new, or getting a gift, giving a gift, or getting advice from someone special.

• Eliminate the memories until you get down to one powerful memory that you can write about and involve all of your senses.
• Tell what you felt, what you saw, what you heard, and even the things you smelled – anything to trigger that memory and bring it back to life.

Random Autobiographical Poem:

• Make a list of the towns and states you have lived in, and write a note about what you saw and did there.
• List places you have visited touched or petted. Describe what it looked and felt like.
• List historical events you have been  part of, or witnessed. Think about places you have lived and visited.
• List things you have gained.
• List things you have lost.
• List odd things you have experienced, like funny events.
• List places you have worked.
• List places you have shopped.
• List memorable things that have happened in your classroom, or with your classmates at school.
• List places, people, and things that are special to you with a few details about each.
• Use the following:
  • I was the expected…
  • I held…
  • I lost…
  • I tell you sincerely…
  • Once…
  • Twice…
  • I bought…
  • I loved…
  • I was scared when….
  • I saw…
  • I learned…
  • I witnessed…
  • I will testify…
  • I found…

Cultural Artifact Paper

Collect 3 to 5 artifacts that represent things important in your life outside of school. These things must symbolize your culture.

Talk about the artifacts with another person, and explain their significance.

Decide which one to focus on for this exercise.

Write in response to the following prompt about this artifact, and write for 5 minutes without stopping on each prompt:

• Describe the artifact so someone can visualize it without looking at it.
• In the present tense, reflect on the artifact. Imagine you are using it or working with it. Write as if the artifact itself is speaking, and/or speak as if you are there at that moment using it. Get directly into the world of the artifact.
• Write bout the importance and significance of the artifact to you in your own life. Explore all possible meanings; go beyond statements and speak in ways that it represents your whole view of life. If the artifact were to be removed from you, how would your life be different if you never had the artifact? How did it change you?
• Return to writing and describing the artifact if you run out of things to say about it until other ideas come. Or end altogether by describing the artifact again.

Where I am From Freewrite:

• Write about a pleasant time in the past.
• Write about a building where you once lived.
• Recall a secret you once had.
• A magical person from childhood, or someone who seemed magical.
• An incident that filled you with dread
• Something dangerous
• Something exciting
• Something that happened near water.
• Something that happened in school.
• Something that happened when on vacation.
• Something that happened in a dream.
• Something you lost.