Students benefit greatly from learning more about world cultures. Thus a slide show of photos from around the world is great fun when used as a writing prompt. Help students build a worldview by showing pictures that depict everyday life in other countries. Students will expand their knowledge of the world and about the geography and people of other nations. They will also practice creative writing skills with this photo prompt activity.
Help students understand that when they take standardized tests they will be presented with a photo or work of art and will have to use it as a stimulus to create a short story. Thus it is important to show them a wide range of photos and art throughout the year to help them grow comfortable of “writing on demand” after seeing a photo. Students benefit greatly from practice doing timed photo prompts. The more familiar they are with the process of this assignment the better they will do on standardized tests utilizing photo prompts.
First, show a slide show of photographs from around the world. You may find photos at museums, get them from your photo album, or borrow pictures from friends. Try to find an assortment of pictures that show life in a myriad of different countries. Often on standardized tests the art used is abstract and the photos used are simply scenes, they do not contain people or action. This makes it harder for students; they must create a story that somehow mentions details in the photo and yet is entirely of their imagination as the photo itself does not tell a story of any kind.
Discuss several pictures together as a class. Ask students what they see in the photograph that differs from life in America. Are the elements of nature shown in the setting different? Are the people in the picture dressed in a unique way?
Ask students to discuss the most interesting aspects of the photos from around the world. Ask if any students have visited or lived in the country depicted in the photo. If so give them time to present information about the country to the class.
Then give the class a writing rubric for creating short stories. Next, ask the class to make a list of 8-10 details from the photo that they will use in their story. They may use the details in the setting or as names of the characters. Remind students to be creative and look at the photo and quickly list details. Then as they start writing they should incorporate the photo’s details into the story they create.
To assess this assignment ensure that students have followed the guidelines in the story writing rubric. Next, assess the story for writing skill and creativity.
