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Teen April writing prompt calendar

by | Mar 16, 2017 | High school, Writing & Journal Prompts

April writing prompt calendar for teens grades 6-12• free from WriteShop

One of the best ways to ensure you stick with a daily writing habit is to have plenty of prompts on hand. Teens thrive when they are given boundaries with generous margins. The twenty writing prompts in this free printable April writing prompt calendar provide the perfect amount of structure to stimulate your high schooler while allowing for plenty of creative expression!

The calendar is not dated, so you can use it year after year whenever you need writing inspiration for your middle school or high school student. Each week features five different categories of prompts so your tween or teen isn’t stuck in a rut of only expository or only persuasive topics.

Example writing prompts from a week of the teen April writing prompt calendar

  • persuasive — Your friend’s mom is thinking about homeschooling her kids. Can you help her make up her mind? Give at least three reasons in your persuasive essay why she should—or should not—homeschool.
  • creative — Write story or description of a scene that includes these three items: a blue ball, a photograph, and a key.
  • argumentative — Where do you stand on the issue of consuming animals? Using examples, write an essay explaining why you choose to eat—or not eat—meat.
  • expository — As an ambassador to a distant planet, you plan to take three gifts from Earth. What items will you choose? Explain why each is a fitting gift to offer from your own planet.
  • reflective — A role model is a person you look up to—someone you respect or admire more than anyone else. Who is your role model? Your grandpa? Youth pastor? Coach? What have you learned from this person? Which of their character qualities or traits do you hope to one day have yourself? Write an essay explaining how this individual has influenced who you are today.

Key to the 5 prompt types

1. Persuasive

The PERSUASIVE essay attempts to sway the reader to accept the writer’s position. Key Words: Persuade, convince, sway, argue, convert.

2. Creative

The CREATIVE essay tells a story or describes a situation, person, or location. Key Words: imagine, story, tell, describe, detail.

3. Argumentative

The ARGUMENTATIVE essay is developed from a thesis in which the student takes a stance/gives an opinion. Key words: Justify, prove, take a stance, agree or disagree, argue for or against, should you or should you not, why or why not.

4. Expository

An EXPOSITORY essay explains a premise. Key words: Define, describe, demonstrate, tell how, illustrate, explain, outline the steps needed, compare or contrast, distinguish between, show cause and effect, give examples.

5. Reflective

The REFLECTIVE Essay encourages students to analyze and write about their life, personality, and/or experiences. Reflective essays are much less academic in nature. Key words: your, you.

April writing prompt calendar for teens grades 6-12• free from WriteShop

Ideas for using your teen April writing prompt calendar

There is no single way to use the calendar. It’s flexible, so you can make it work for you and your teenagers! Here are a few options.

  • Let your tween highlight or cross off the prompts as she uses them.
  • Number the pages with the dates she has homeschool lessons in April.
  • Let your teen skip around on the calendar, choosing the prompts out of order.
  • Pin the calendar to a bulletin board where it will be seen daily.
  • Assign a certain number of the twenty prompts, letting your high schooler select the ones she prefers.
  • Tape or glue the calendar into a composition notebook or journal.
  • Focus on a different type of writing each week or month, choosing only those particular prompts.
  • Each month, select one or two of your teens’s daily journal entries to take through the full writing process for composing a complete essay.

If you would like to share this prompt with others, please link to this post instead of linking directly to the PDF file. Feel free to save and print this PDF file for your own personal use. Please do not sell or host these files anywhere else.

Receive daily writing prompts via email

Would you prefer to have these prompts delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our teen prompt of the day emails, and that’s exactly what you will get. Each morning, Monday through Friday, you will receive a new message with a writing prompt you can use that day in your homeschool writing lessons.

Writing Prompt of the Day for grades 3-8 or 7-12

Take your pick! Download an April calendar PDF or get the free emails. Or get both for double the writing reminders.