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 video

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 video