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Inspired by the Exquisite Corpse Adventure
The Exquisite Prompt: Classroom Writing Resources
The Exquisite Prompt is a set of writing challenges designed as a classroom activity for kids in grades K-12. Our writing prompts are inspired by the celebrated authors and illustrators who participated in the Exquisite Corpse Adventure (what's that?), a progressive story game sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA) that launched in 2009.
You can learn lots more about the Exquisite Corpse Adventure at the NCBLA's Educational Resource Center. You'll find interesting articles about the exquisite corpse art form as well as links to each episode, activities, discussion questions, and much more.
Visit the NCBLA website >
And you can follow the rollicking serial story as it unfolds on the Library of Congress website. Look for a new episode every two weeks.
Visit Read.gov>
Writing prompts
For each author and illustrator, you'll find a set of four grade-leveled writing prompts and a goldmine of resources that support each prompt and writing genre — for example, information about map making, diaries, expository writing, idioms, poetry forms, cliffhangers, tall tales, pourquoi stories, biography, or letter writing. You'll also have a chance to learn more about the authors and illustrators, with links to biographies, booklists, and video interviews.
M.T. Anderson (Me All Alone at the End of the World)
- Grades K-2: Map making
- Grades 3-5: Diaries
- Grades 6-8: Persuasive writing
- Grades 9-12: Music review
Natalie Babbitt (Tuck Everlasting)
- Grades K-2: Personal stories
- Grades 3-5: Word play, neologisms
- Grades 6-8: Heroes journey
- Grades 9-12: Persuasive writing
Calef Brown (Polkabats and Octopus Slacks)
- Grades K-2: Descriptive writing and onomatopoeia
- Grades 3-5: Myths
- Grades 6-8: Invented animal poetry
- Grades 9-12: Speech writing
Susan Cooper (The Dark Is Rising)
- Grades K-2: Dream journa
- Grades 3-5: Weather report
- Grades 6-8: Nature descriptive writing
- Grades 9-12: Playwriting
Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux)
- Grades K-2: Animal stories
- Grades 3-5: Food descriptive writing
- Grades 6-8: Heroes
- Grades 9-12: Contemporary fairy tales
Timothy Basil Ering (illustrator of The Tale of Despereaux)
- Grades K-2: Weather report
- Grades 3-5: Cinquain poetry
- Grades 6-8: Circular adventure story
- Grades 9-12: Tweeting history
Nikki Grimes (Danitra Brown, Class Clown)
- Grades K-2: Riddles and jokes
- Grades 3-5: Poetry
- Grades 6-8: Letter writing
- Grades 9-12: Book review
Shannon Hale (Princess Academy)
- Grades K-2: Creative writing
- Grades 3-5: Fables
- Grades 6-8: Pourquoi stories
- Grades 9-12: Re-invented fairy tales
Steven Kellogg (Pecos Bill)
- Grades K-2: Descriptive writing
- Grades 3-5: Descriptive writing
- Grades 6-8: Tall tales
- Grades 9-12: Anecdotes
Gregory Maguire (Wicked)
- Grades K-2: Tooth fairy letter writing
- Grades 3-5: Fairy Tale Catalog
- Grades 6-8: "Improbable meeting" creative writing
- Grades 9-12: Fairy tales, point of view
Megan McDonald (Judy Moody)
- Grades K-2: Practical jokes
- Grades 3-5: Descriptive writing, voice
- Grades 6-8: Idioms
- Grades 9-12: Expository writing
Patricia and Fredrick McKissack (Goin' Someplace Special)
- Grades K-2: Personal stories
- Grades 3-5: Dark-Thirty (scary) stories
- Grades 6-8: Proclamations
- Grades 9-12: Interior monologue
Linda Sue Park (Bee-Bim Bop!)
- Grades K-2: Map making
- Grades 3-5: Diaries
- Grades 6-8: Persuasive writing
- Grades 9-12: Music review
Katherine Paterson (Lyddie)
- Grades K-2: Diaries and journal writing
- Grades 3-5: Historical letter writing
- Grades 6-8: Historical promotional flyer
- Grades 9-12: News story
James Ransome (This Is the Dream)
- Grades K-2: Quilts
- Grades 3-5: Pourquoi stories
- Grades 6-8: Biography
- Grades 9-12: Collage, primary sources
Jon Scieszka (Knucklehead)
- Grades K-2: Family stories
- Grades 3-5: Family stories, oral history
- Grades 6-8: Family stories, point of view
- Grades 9-12: Songwriting
Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
- Grades K-2: Cliff-hangers
- Grades 3-5: Inventing
- Grades 6-8: Obituaries
- Grades 9-12: Letter of inquiry
Chris Van Dusen (If I Built a Car)
- Grades K-2: Descriptive writing
- Grades 3-5: Persuasive writing, advertising
- Grades 6-8: Journal writing, time travel
- Grades 9-12: Car review
About the Exquisite Corpse
What's an "Exquisite Corpse?"
It's a kind of writing game, where one person begins a story, then passes it down through a chain of writers to continue the narrative.
Writer M.T. Anderson explains it all here 
What's "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure?"
It's a year-long serial adventure story that offers young readers an opportunity to get to know the hilarious side of a crew of award-winning, talented, and versatile authors and illustrators — sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance.
Let M.T. Anderson fill you in more
