is creative writing required in high school

A Comprehensive High School Writing Curriculum Guide

In this comprehensive high school writing curriculum guide, I explain necessary components of planning a writing for a year. 

Writing is an essential skill that students need to develop in high school. Part of teaching this essential skill is encouraging, inspiring, and mentoring.

However, not all writing curriculums are created equal. A well-structured writing curriculum can help students understand the fundamentals of writing, improve their skills, and explore their creativity.

High School Writing Curriculum: A Comprehensive Guide

Honesty time: I do not suggest one entire curriculum but rather, pieces from several sources. Many tools can get you to meeting standards, encouraging young writers, and working through common struggles. However, as someone who has taught in various capacities for over twenty years, one set curriculum will probably not work. You will need to incorporate pieces of your own to address the learners in front of you and modify it each semester.

Therefore, in this blog post, I’ll explore the components, considerations, and requirements for high school students.

Why are you writing about a high school writing curriculum?

If you have followed me for a few years, you were with me while I finished my second master’s degree, one in English Literature . Now, I teach dual-credit writing courses at my high school in coordination with a local community college. Many of my subscribers teach a similar class for high school credit.

The previous seven years, I taught freshmen and worked with those standards. Therefore, my teaching load focuses on standards for seniors, a shift for me.

As I create and build my high school writing curriculum, these considerations come into play.

Understanding the Essentials of a High School Writing Curriculum

A comprehensive high school writing curriculum will address students’ writing skills and grammatical knowledge. Meeting language skills alongside the writing standards can happen naturally.

A well-rounded high school writing course will also address essential aspects such as argumentative writing (sometimes referenced as persuasive writing), informative, and creative/narrative writing, providing students with a holistic understanding of the writing process.

Here is my teacher’s guide to incorporate all these factors.

Importance of a Structured Approach to Writing

A structured approach to writing is essential in a writing curriculum. In my teaching career, I have taught several semester-long courses like public speaking, creative writing, and English 101. My #1 learned lesson: Have an overarching project that builds community in classes. For public speaking, speakers set goals for public speaking. In creative writing, writers compile a journal with writing prompts.

In a standard writing class, we use images to write about mentor sentences and fun topics . Images help young writers envision their responses, and the images work as a form of scaffolding. An ongoing activity, a habit, allows writers to reflect on their writing process, figurative language use, and sentence structure. Take time to reflect with students.

Diverse Writing Assignments

Instilling excellence in writing skills and grammar instruction is essential for an effective writing curriculum. One research paper and one narrative alongside “drill and kill” grammar will not produce an engaging high school writing curriculum.

A few of my favorite writing assignments for high school:

• Mini-memoirs (narrative standards)
• Response to informational text (an assortment of standards)
• Argumentative RAFT (argumentative standard)
• Researched famous events (expository standards)

If you look at the mentor texts (below) and provide excerpts to your classes, you will also create diverse writing assignments from those inspired pieces.

Calendar of Writing

Map out your calendar of dates. No amount of researching and organizing will help us creators of a high school writing curriculum: We must sit down with a calendar.

My high school writing curriculum contains two large-ish type assignments, one due about six weeks into the semester and another at about fourteen weeks. I space them out so that students understand my expectations and feedback, so that we have worked through our standards together, and so that large assignments are not due when students are already overwhelmed. Spacing out assignments in this manner also provides me time to provide meaningful feedback.

If you are interested in looking at my outline for a creative writing course, you can make a copy on Canva (for free).

Grammar Excellence

If you have floated around my blog for a bit, you’ll realize that my preference is not to teach grammar with worksheets. A grammar workbook and worksheets have their place, sure. But once classes understand the basics of language, I branch into additional resources.

For instance, with my high school grammar activities , students use interactive pieces to practice punctuations, to add types of clauses to sentences, and to experiment with difficult concepts. The pieces allow writers to take their own writing and implement lessons. In doing so, they are experimenting with language.

Another addition to any writing program will be addressing grammatical errors . My suggestion is to assign paragraph writing and while grading, note common errors. Then, provide direct instruction and practice correcting the errors.

Any grammar curriculum will connect grammar to writing. One of my goals is to approach language in a positive way so that my brave writers feel empowered instead of crushed by grammar rules.

Meeting Standards with Writing

Writing standards define the expectations for what students should be able to do at each grade level. These standards aim to develop clarity, coherence, and effective communication through writing.

However, meeting these standards can sometimes be a challenge for both students and teachers. Below, I explain what helps me as my students and I work to meet writing standards.

Importance of Writing Standards

Writing standards are guidelines that outline the skills and knowledge students should acquire in writing. They provide a common framework for teaching writing skills, ensuring consistency across classrooms and grade levels.

Be prepared to breakdown standards with students in sensible ways. For instance, in my creative writing activities, I break down pieces like implementing pacing and external conflicts into smaller lessons. With those smaller activities, we can dive deep into the standards.

Overall, writing standards promote clarity, coherence, and effective communication, which are essential skills in the 21st century.

Implementation of Standards

The more you build your writing curriculum, the more engrained and natural the standards will be.

To start, align writing activities with specific standards. By doing so, you ensure that the writing skills targeted are directly tied to the standards. This alignment helps reinforce the skills and knowledge necessary for students to meet the standards effectively.

Additionally, incorporating a wide range of writing skills into lesson plans allows you to address multiple standards simultaneously, providing a comprehensive writing instruction experience for students. In the example above, pacing and external conflicts will occur in smaller activities and then implemented into larger one.

Don’t fear breaking down a standard with students. (Some teachers call this process “unpacking the standards”). The more you discuss writing expectations that derive from the standards, the more meaningful discussions you and your students will have.

Considering mentor texts.

Mentor texts are simply example texts that work well for providing example of structure, vocabulary, language use, and any other piece of writing. Below, I have included books from which I pull pieces. Included are explanations of ways I use the excerpts.

Plus, university writing courses often use excerpts, so using them is a great way to prepare classes. If you read a publication like the New York Times, keep your eyes open to pieces you can add.

All of these affiliate links will take you to Amazon. You can read my disclosures about affiliate links.

This book might be the most loaned book from my classroom library. Dashka Slater is a journalist who wrote The 57 Bus , a story told from two perspectives of what became a hate crime.

Five Little Indians

Michelle Good’s novel portrays the lives of residential school survivors. The uses for Five Little Indians is diverse. Dialogue, setting, and pacing shine through in this story.

The Forgotten Girls

Monica Potts’ memoir weaves research into a narrative. The story covers rural women and their limited options. When older students write narratives, I encourage them to add research and use Potts’ memoir as a mentor text.

The Sun Does Shine

I’ve written about The Sun Does Shine before. Pieces from Anthony Ray Hinton’s story have been in my American literature class too. For a writing class, chapter two, “All American,” works well for modeling background and flashback.

Chapter twenty-seven, “The Symbols of Caste” works as a model for comparing two situations. Isabel Wilkerson compares America’s response to slavery to Germany’s response to the Holocaust. Her pacing and transitions serve as strong examples.

Slavery by Another Name

Douglas A. Blackmon’s book provides examples of incorporating primary sources into research. The end to the chapter, “New South Rising” has a short piece to analyze with writers.

The chapter, “Took Over the OxyContin Belt” serves as a mentor text for narrative nonfiction. From its hook to its powerful concluding paragraph, this short chapter helps me to model narratives.

Patient H.M.

Patient H. M. is about lobotomies, written by the grandson of a famous doctor who performed them decades ago. Luke Dittrich incorporates interviews into research. You can also use excerpts to model writing about delicate topics.

Excerpts from larger books provide authentic texts for young writers and if they are interested, you can loan them the book. Incorporating mentor texts into your high school writing curriculum provides young writers with inspiration and examples.

For those readers who are designing a homeschool writing curriculum, you can ask your local librarian for suggestions regarding books of varying genres.

In conclusion, a high school writing curriculum should provide a structured approach to writing that covers key components such as grammar, vocabulary, and essay writing. It should also offer options that cater to different learning styles and preferences.

While most writing curriculums have their merits, it is important to incorporate creative elements to engage and inspire today’s high schoolers with your own touch. By tailoring the curriculum to your student’s needs and interests, you can make the learning experience more enjoyable and effective.

Replace a student workbook with excerpts, webinars, and audio pieces to diversity the curriculum.

Remember, the goal is to equip them with the necessary skills to express themselves confidently and effectively in various writing formats. You can see details of my high school writing curriculum as a foundation for your classes.

Would you like access to our free library of downloads?

Marketing Permissions

We will send you emails, but we will never sell your address.

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at [email protected] . We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices.

writing writing activities writing lessons

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, what's the standard high school curriculum you should take.

Coursework/GPA

Are you wondering what a typical high school curriculum looks like? Do you want to know what classes you'll be taking as a high school student?

Read this guide to learn about the standard high school curriculum, high school graduation requirements, and what classes colleges expect you to have taken.

How to Find Your School's Curriculum

This is a general guide to high school curricula. It was created by researching national education standards, as well as the curricula of high schools across the country. While the information below applies to many students , not all high schools teach the same courses, follow the same course sequence, or have the same curriculum requirements. Use this information as a guideline to research your own high school's curriculum more in-depth.

To find your own school's curriculum, talk to your academic adviser . You can also look on your school's website, searching for "graduation requirements", "course sequence" or something similar. Your high school's course catalog will also usually contain this information.

Which Subjects Should You Take More Rigorous Courses In?

In addition to explaining typical graduation requirements, each core subject in this guide includes ways to exceed basic requirements and strengthen your transcript . However, trying to go the extra mile in every subject can be exhausting and lead to you getting burned out. Because colleges appreciate depth more than breadth, concentrate on putting extra effort in the area(s) you plan to continue studying in college.

For example, if you plan on majoring in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field, try to follow our guidelines for exceeding expectations in your math and science classes, and worry less about taking advanced courses in English and history (although still work to get solid grades in those courses). Similarly, if you plan on majoring in something like journalism, concentrate most of your effort on taking advanced English classes and additional English electives.

Also, if you are looking at attending a highly competitive college , know that most expect applicants to have taken honors or advanced classes if their school offers them, and most also require or highly recommend completing four years in each core subject (math, science, English, and social studies).

Standard High School Curriculum

Below is information on the typical classes a high school student will be expected to take, organized by subject. Each subject includes classes that are required to graduate high school, classes colleges expect students to have taken, and suggestions for ways to impress by going beyond these expectations.

Requirements:

• Four years of English are required to graduate high school.
• Freshman and Sophomore years: Classes during these years will be primarily focused on developing writing and critical reading skills.
• Junior year: This year will focus on American literature, as well as continued development of writing skills.
• Possible electives include British literature, creative writing, and world literature.
• Colleges will expect all high school graduates to have completed four years of English.

To Exceed Expectations:

• There are two AP English classes: English Language and Composition (usually taken junior year), and English Literature and Composition (usually taken senior year).
• There are three IB literature classes: Language A: Literature, Language A: Language and Literature, and Literature and Performance.
• Also consider taking additional English electives in areas that you're interested in, such as literature or writing.

• At least three years of math, including algebra and geometry, is required to graduate high school.
• Algebra 2/Trigonometry
• Pre-Calculus
• (Not all students start with Algebra 1, and not all students complete all the above courses or follow the above order exactly)
• Most colleges require three-four years of math for non-STEM majors, including algebra 1 and 2 and geometry.
• For STEM majors, most colleges require four years of math, sometimes including pre-calculus and calculus.
• Take four years of math.
• Take math at the highest level offered by your school, such as at an honors or AP level.
• There are three AP Math classes: Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics.
• There are four IB Math classes that cover roughly the same material but vary in difficulty and speed.
• Take pre-calculus and calculus, if possible.
• Take additional math-related electives such as statistics and computer math.

Requirements

• Two to three years of science, including biology and chemistry, is required to graduate high school.
• Freshman year: Biology
• Sophomore year: Chemistry
• Junior year: Physics or Earth Science
• Students who are more confident in their math and science skills typically take physics, while those who are not take earth science instead.
• Senior year: optional electives
• Potential electives include astronomy, environmental science, and human biology.
• Most colleges require two-three years of science for non-STEM majors.
• For STEM majors, most colleges require four years of science, including physics.
• Take four years of science.
• Take honors or accelerated classes your first three years.
• Take physics instead of earth science your junior year.
• AP science classes include: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (1,2, and C versions), and Environmental Science
• There are seven IB science classes: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Design Technology, Environmental Systems and Societies, Sports, Education and Health Science
• You can also take more career-focused classes if your school offers them, such as job shadowing at a hospital.

Social Studies

• Three years of social studies, including US history, is often required to graduate high school.
• This can be a human geography course or another introductory social studies class.
• Sophomore year: World history
• Junior year: US History
• Possible electives include psychology, US government, and anthropology.
• Most colleges require completing at least two years of social studies, often including US history and World or European history classes.
• For students planning on majoring in a related field, such as political science or history, most colleges require they have completed four years of social studies.
• Take four years of social studies.
• AP options during these three years include Human Geography, World History, European History, and US History
• AP electives include Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, US Government and Politics, and Comparative Government and Politics.
• IB classes for social studies are offered under the group entitled "Individuals and Societies".
• Ten classes are offered on varying subjects.

Foreign Language

• Foreign language requirements can vary greatly by school.
• Most high schools require students to complete one-two years of foreign language.
• Most colleges require one-two years of a foreign language, and highly competitive schools may require or recommend up to four years.
• Most high schools and colleges require that these credits all come from the same foreign language. For example, if your high school requires two years of foreign language, taking Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 will meet that requirement, but taking Spanish 1 and then switching to Italian 1 often won't.
• Take one foreign language all four years of high school, including AP level if possible.
• You may also want to consider taking a second foreign language.

Other Classes

These are classes that are not part of the core curriculum, but may still be a part of graduation requirements.

• Most high schools require students to complete a certain number of credits in order to graduate. Core requirements (such as those listed above) usually do not fill all these credits, so extra space in your schedule can be used to take electives.
• Electives can be regular, honors, or AP level.
• They can relate to a core subject, such as statistics, creative writing, and zoology, or not, such as choir, drawing, and woodworking.
• Many high schools require students to complete one-four years of physical education. This may be waived if you participate in a school sport.

How to Use This Information

Now that you know what the typical high school curriculum looks like, you can use this information to make more informed decisions about your own high school classes. Some actions to take include:

• Think about your course sequence early, ideally starting freshman year if possible.
• Reflect on your course choices each quarter or semester. Are you on track to graduate on time? Are you taking the classes you need to get into the colleges you want and the major you want? Talk to your academic adviser if you're not sure.
• Think about the subject areas where you want to exceed expectations and choose your classes accordingly. However, don't be afraid to drop to a lower level if you're having a lot of trouble with a particular class.

What's Next?

Wondering if you're taking enough challenging classes? Check out our guide to learn what a rigorous high school course load looks like .

Do you know what colleges look for on your transcript? Learn what a high school transcript is and why it's so important to colleges.

Want to get more detailed information about the classes you should take? Check out our guides to choosing classes for English , Math , Science , History , and Foreign Languages !

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

Academic Insights: Revisiting Creative Writing in High School

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

The Importance of Creative Writing in High School Education

Exploring the benefits of incorporating creative writing in the curriculum, nurturing imagination and expression through creative writing, enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills through creative writing, fostering empathy and emotional intelligence through creative writing, strategies for implementing effective creative writing programs in high schools, supporting and encouraging creative writing talent in high school students, frequently asked questions, concluding remarks.

Creative writing is an invaluable component of high school education, fostering a wide range of skills that extend far beyond the realm of literature. By encouraging students to explore their imaginations, express their thoughts and emotions, and develop their own unique voice, creative writing helps students to develop vital communication skills that are applicable in every sphere of life. It nurtures creativity and originality, allowing students to think outside the box and approach problems with fresh perspectives.

Engaging in creative writing also enhances critical thinking skills, as students learn to analyze and evaluate their own work and the work of their peers. It encourages self-reflection and self-expression, helping students to understand and articulate their own thoughts and feelings more effectively. Through writing and receiving feedback, students develop the ability to think critically and improve their own writing, an essential skill in any academic or professional pursuit.

Moreover, creative writing fosters empathy and understanding by encouraging students to develop characters and narratives that differ from their own experiences. By exploring diverse perspectives and cultures, students broaden their horizons and gain a deeper appreciation for different viewpoints. Creative writing provides a safe space for students to explore difficult topics and grapple with complex emotions, enabling them to develop empathy and compassion for others.

In conclusion, cannot be overstated. It equips students with crucial communication and critical thinking skills while fostering empathy and understanding. By allowing students to unleash their creativity and explore new ideas, high schools can empower students to become well-rounded individuals with a lifelong love for learning and self-expression.

Introducing creative writing into the curriculum brings a plethora of benefits that extend beyond just honing writing skills. This expressive form of writing opens up new doors that encourage students to think critically, enhance their communication abilities, and foster their creativity. Here are some key advantages of incorporating creative writing in the curriculum:

• Development of Self-Expression: Through creative writing assignments, students are provided with a platform to effortlessly express their ideas, thoughts, and emotions. This can significantly contribute to their self-confidence and overall emotional well-being.
• Cultivation of Critical Thinking Skills: Engaging in creative writing exercises challenges students to think outside the box, leading to improvements in their analytical and problem-solving abilities. As they explore different perspectives and concepts, students become better at generating innovative ideas and making connections.

With the incorporation of creative writing, educators will witness an improved classroom environment that encourages collaboration and nurtures imagination. Moreover, students will discover the joys of crafting something uniquely their own, allowing their creativity to flourish alongside their academic growth.

Creative writing is a wonderful avenue for nurturing the imagination and fostering self-expression. Through the power of words, individuals are transported to worlds beyond their wildest dreams, exploring new ideas, characters, and emotions. Whether it’s penning a captivating short story, constructing vivid poetry, or crafting a compelling screenplay, creative writing provides an outlet for artistic expression like no other.

When engaging in creative writing, it’s essential to embrace the freedom that comes with it. There are no limits to what one can create on the blank canvas of a page. Encourage your imagination to soar by delving into various genres and experimenting with different writing styles. From whimsical fairy tales to gripping thrillers, let your creativity roam free, unbound by convention. Unleash your unique voice and infuse your writing with your own personal experiences and insights. By doing so, you not only develop your writing skills but also harness the power of storytelling to connect with others on a deeper level.

To nurture imagination and expression through creative writing, consider the following techniques:

– **Brainstorming**: Kickstart your creative process by brainstorming ideas or themes that intrigue you. Jot down words, phrases, or images that come to mind and let your imagination make connections between them. – **Free Writing**: Allow your ideas to flow freely without any judgement or editing. Set a timer and write continuously, exploring different tangents and ideas. This practice helps overcome writer’s block and taps into the subconscious mind. – **Character Development**: Create multidimensional characters by giving them unique traits, backstories, and desires. Explore their motivations and conflicts, allowing them to come alive in your writing. – **Setting the Scene**: Paint a vivid picture by describing the setting in detail. Engage the reader’s senses to transport them to the world you have created. – **Revision and Feedback**: Don’t shy away from revising your work multiple times. Seek feedback from trusted friends, writing groups, or online communities. Constructive criticism can help refine your storytelling skills and enhance your writing.

In the realm of creative writing, the possibilities are endless. By conquering your inhibitions and embracing the world of imagination, you can embark on a thrilling journey of self-discovery while captivating others with your words. So, grab your pen, open your mind, and let your creativity flow onto the pages – there’s a captivating story waiting to be told!

Creative writing is not just a form of self-expression; it is also a powerful tool for enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills . Through the act of creating stories, poems, and other forms of written expression, individuals are encouraged to think critically and analyze situations from different perspectives. This process allows them to develop valuable problem-solving skills that can be applied to various aspects of their lives.

When engaging in creative writing, individuals are required to think deeply and imaginatively. They must analyze characters, plot developments, and conflicts, evaluating the consequences of different choices and decisions. By doing so, they begin to develop a greater understanding of cause and effect, honing their critical thinking abilities. Furthermore, creative writing encourages individuals to think outside the box and explore unconventional solutions. This type of thinking can be extremely beneficial in problem-solving scenarios, as it opens up new avenues and possibilities.

• Through creative writing, individuals learn to ask critical questions and challenge assumptions, further strengthening their critical thinking skills.
• By experimenting with different writing styles and techniques, individuals develop their ability to analyze and solve complex problems creatively.
• Creative writing allows individuals to practice empathy, as they deeply connect with various characters and explore different perspectives, fostering a more nuanced approach to problem-solving.

Ultimately, incorporating creative writing into one’s routine can have a tremendous impact on their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. It not only allows individuals to explore their own creativity but also equips them with valuable skills that can benefit them in academic, professional, and personal domains.

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, fostering empathy and emotional intelligence has become crucial. One effective way to develop these skills is through creative writing. By engaging in the art of storytelling and self-expression, individuals can better understand and connect with the emotions and experiences of others.

Through creative writing, individuals can learn to identify and explore their own emotions, as well as develop a deeper understanding of the diverse range of human experiences. This process encourages self-reflection and introspection, allowing individuals to gain insights into their own emotional world.

• Enhanced empathy: Creative writing allows individuals to step into the shoes of different characters, experiencing their joys, sorrows, and challenges. This practice prompts a more empathetic and understanding attitude towards others in real life.
• Improved communication skills: Writing creatively involves finding the right words to express complex emotions and ideas. This exercise develops effective communication skills that can be utilized in various personal and professional settings.
• Increased self-awareness: By writing about their thoughts and feelings, individuals gain a deeper understanding of themselves. This self-awareness can lead to personal growth and improved emotional intelligence.

Whether through poetry, short stories, or journaling, creative writing provides a platform for individuals to tap into their emotions, expand their perspective, and cultivate empathy. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the human condition and foster meaningful connections with others.

Implementing an effective creative writing program in high schools can greatly enhance the writing skills and creativity of students. Here are some strategies that can be employed to create a thriving creative writing environment:

• Encourage freedom of expression: Allow students the freedom to explore their own unique writing styles and ideas. Avoid limiting them to strict guidelines and encourage them to think outside the box.
• Provide diverse writing prompts: Offer a wide range of writing prompts to cater to different interests and inspire creativity. Include prompts related to various genres, such as fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, to give students the opportunity to explore different writing styles.
• Create a supportive community: Foster a sense of community among aspiring writers by organizing workshops, writing groups, or open mic sessions where students can share their work and receive feedback from peers. This creates an environment that is conducive to growth and learning.

An effective creative writing program should also focus on skill development. Here are a few strategies to develop and enhance the writing skills of high school students:

• Incorporate grammar and language exercises: Dedicate some time to reinforce grammar rules, punctuation, and syntax. Provide exercises and worksheets to help students practice and improve their understanding of the English language.
• Introduce writing techniques: Teach students various writing techniques, such as storytelling, descriptive writing, and character development. Explore different literary devices and encourage students to experiment with their usage in their own writing.
• Review and provide constructive feedback: Regularly review students’ writing and give constructive feedback that focuses on both strengths and areas for improvement. Encourage students to revise and edit their work based on feedback received.

At [Organization Name], we believe in fostering and nurturing the creative writing talents of high school students. We understand the importance of providing a platform for young writers to express their thoughts and ideas through the power of words. Through our various initiatives and programs, we aim to support and encourage these budding authors, helping them unlock their full potential.

1. Workshops and Writing Labs: Our organization hosts regular workshops and writing labs conducted by experienced authors and poets. These sessions provide students with the opportunity to enhance their writing skills, learn different writing techniques, and receive valuable feedback on their work. By participating in these interactive sessions, students can develop their unique writing style and improve their storytelling abilities.

• Gain insights from professional writers
• Learn techniques to enhance creativity and imagination
• Understand the nuances of different genres

2. Writing Contests and Scholarships: To recognize exceptional talent, we organize annual writing contests exclusively for high school students. These contests encourage students to push their boundaries, experiment with different writing styles, and showcase their literary prowess. Winners of these contests not only receive recognition for their skills but also have the chance to win scholarships to further their education or attend writing programs, fostering their passion for creative writing even more.

• Opportunity to compete with other young writers
• Promote healthy competition and self-improvement
• Potential funding for future educational endeavors

Q: What is the importance of creative writing in high school? A: Creative writing in high school is invaluable as it enhances students’ communication skills, fosters creativity, and encourages critical thinking. It allows students to express themselves freely and develop their unique voices.

Q: How does creative writing benefit students? A: Creative writing provides students with a platform to explore their imagination, develop empathy, and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. It also helps improve their writing and storytelling skills, which are essential in various academic and professional fields.

Q: What are the key elements of a successful high school creative writing program? A: A successful creative writing program in high school should offer a wide range of genres and writing styles, provide ample opportunities for feedback and revision, and encourage experimentation and risk-taking. It should also expose students to contemporary and diverse voices while promoting a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Q: How can creative writing be integrated into the high school curriculum? A: Creative writing can be integrated into the high school curriculum by dedicating specific classes or modules to it. Additionally, it can be infused into other subjects, encouraging students to write creatively as part of their assignments or projects across disciplines like history, science, or even mathematics.

Q: What role should teachers play in fostering creative writing skills? A: Teachers play a crucial role in fostering creative writing skills by providing guidance, constructive feedback, and encouragement. They should create a safe space for students to express their ideas and creativity, while also introducing them to various literary works and writing techniques.

Q: How can technology support creative writing in high school? A: Technology can support creative writing in high school by providing students with easy access to online resources, writing communities, and digital tools for drafting, editing, and publishing their work. It can also facilitate collaborative writing projects and allow for peer feedback and discussions through online platforms or writing software.

Q: How can high schools collaborate with local writers and authors to enhance creative writing programs? A: High schools can collaborate with local writers and authors by inviting them as guest speakers, organizing workshops or writing contests, or establishing mentorship programs. Such collaborations provide students the opportunity to learn from professionals, gain insights into the publishing industry, and receive valuable feedback on their work.

Q: How can creative writing competitions and publications motivate high school students? A: Creative writing competitions and publications provide high school students a goal to strive for and a platform to showcase their talent. They create a sense of accomplishment and recognition among students and can serve as a catalyst for further improvement and engagement in the field of creative writing.

Q: Are there any long-term benefits of studying creative writing in high school? A: Absolutely! Studying creative writing in high school can have long-term benefits. It can help students develop their passion for writing, discover career paths in writing and publishing, and improve their college admission prospects. Furthermore, creative writing skills are transferable and applicable in various professional domains, fostering critical thinking and effective communication.

Memory Writing Prompts: Dive into Reflective Narratives

Velocity of Ideas: Sufficient Velocity Creative Writing

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Reach out to us for sponsorship opportunities.

Welcome to Creative Writing Prompts

At Creative Writing Prompts, we believe in the power of words to shape worlds. Our platform is a sanctuary for aspiring writers, seasoned wordsmiths, and everyone. Here, storytelling finds its home, and your creative journey begins its captivating voyage.

© 2024 Creativewriting-prompts.com

It's Lit Teaching

High School English and TPT Seller Resources

• Creative Writing
• Teachers Pay Teachers Tips
• Shop My Teaching Resources!
• Sell on TPT

Teaching Creative Writing: Tips for Your High School Class

When I was first told that I’d be teaching creative writing, I panicked. While I had always enjoyed writing myself, I had no idea how to show others how to do it creatively. After all, all of my professional development had focused on argumentative writing and improving test scores. 

Eventually, though, I came to love my creative writing class, and I think you will too. In this post, I hope to help you with shaping your own creative writing class. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.

The Importance of Teaching Creative Writing

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of how to teach creative writing, let’s first remind ourselves why you should teach a creative writing class.  

How often do you see students freeze in your English class, wondering if what they’re writing is “right”? How often do your students beg you to look over their work to make sure that they’re doing it “right”? 

We English teachers know that there’s no such thing as “right” when it comes to writing. But our students really struggle with the idea of there being no one correct answer. Creative writing is one solution to this problem.

By encouraging our students to explore, express themselves, and play with language, we show them how fun and exploratory writing can be. I know there have been many times in my life when writing clarified my own ideas and beliefs for me; creative writing provides this opportunity for our high school students. 

Plus, creative writing is just downright fun! And in this modern era of standardized testing, high-stakes grading, and just increased anxiety overall, isn’t more fun just what our students and us need? 

Creative writing is playful, imaginative, but also rigorous. It’s a great balance to our standard literature or composition curriculum. 

Whether you’re choosing to teach creative writing or you’re being voluntold to do so, you’re probably ready to start planning. Make it as easy as possible on yourself: grab my done-for-you Creative Writing Class here !

Otherwise, preparing for an elective creative writing class isn’t much different than preparing for any other English class .

Set your goals and choose the standards you’ll cover. Plan lessons accordingly. Then, be sure to have a way to assess student progress. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #1: Get Clear on Your Goals

First, what do you want to achieve with your creative writing class? In some school, Creative Writing is purely a fun elective. The goal is create a class that students enjoy with a side of learning. 

For other schools or district cultures, however, Creative Writing might be an intensely academic course. As a child, I went to an arts middle school. Creative writing was my major and it was taken very seriously. 

The amount of rigor you wish to include in your class will impact how you structure everything . So take some time to think about that . You may want to get some feedback from your administrator or other colleagues who have taught the course. 

Some schools also sequence creative writing classes, so be sure you know where in the sequence your particular elective falls. I’ve also seen schools divide creative writing classes by genre: a poetry course and a short story course. 

Know what your administrator expects and then think about what you as an instructor want to accomplish with your students.  

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #2: List Out Your Essential Skills

Regardless of your class’s level of rigor, there are some skills that every creative writing course should cover. 

First, you need to cover the writing process. Throughout the course, students should practice brainstorming, outlining, writing, and editing their drafts. In nearly every Poem Writing Activity that I use in my class, students follow the same process. They examine a model text, brainstorm ideas, outline or fill out a graphic organizer, put together a final draft, and then share with a peer for feedback. 

That last step–sharing and critiquing work–is an essential skill that can’t be overstated. Students are often reluctant to share their work, but it’s through that peer feedback that they often grow the most. Find short, casual, and informal ways to build in feedback throughout the class in order to normalize it for students. 

Literary terms are another, in my opinion, must-cover topic for teaching a creative writing class. You want your students to know how to talk about their writing and others’ like an actual author. How deep into vocabulary you want to go is up to you, but by the end of the course, students should sound like writers honing their craft. 

Lastly, you should cover some basic writing skills, preferably skills that will help students in their academic writing, too. I like to cover broad topics like writing for tone or including dialogue. Lessons like these will be ones that students can use in other writing assignments, as well. 

Of course, if you’re teaching a creative writing class to students who plan on becoming creative writing majors in college, you could focus on more narrow skills. For me, most of my students are upperclassmen looking for an “easy A”. I try my best to engage them in activities and teach them skills that are widely applicable. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #3: Make Sure Your Materials are Age-Appropriate

Once you know what you’re teaching, you can begin to cultivate the actual lessons you’ll present. If you pick up a book on teaching creative writing or do a quick Google search, you’ll see tons of creative writing resources out there for young children . You’ll see far less for teens. 

Really, the content and general ideas around creative writing don’t change much from elementary to high school. But the presentation of ideas should .

Every high school teacher knows that teens do not like to feel babied or talked down to; make sure your lessons and activities approach “old” ideas with an added level of rigor or maturity.

Take for example the haiku poem. I think most students are introduced to haikus at some point during their elementary years. We know that haiku is a pretty simple poem structure. 

However, in my Haiku Poem Writing Lesson , I add an extra layer of rigor. First, students analyze a poem in which each stanza is its own haiku. Students are asked not only to count syllables but to notice how the author uses punctuation to clarify ideas. They also analyze mood throughout the work.  

By incorporating a mentor text and having students examine an author’s choices, the simple lesson of writing a haiku becomes more relevant and rigorous. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #4: Tell Students What They Should Not Write About

You’ll often be surprised by just how vulnerable your students are willing to be with you in their writing. But there are some experiences that we teachers don’t need to know about, or are required to act on. 

The first day of a creative writing course should always include a lecture on what it means to be a mandated reporter. Remind students that if they write about suicidal thoughts, abuse at home, or anything else that might suggest they’re in danger that you are required by law to report it. 

Depending on how strict your district, school, or your own teaching preferences, you may also want to cover your own stance on swearing, violence, or sexual encounters in student writing. One idea is to implement a “PG-13” only rule in your classroom.

Whatever your boundaries are for student work, make it clear on the first day and repeat it regularly.

Engage your students in more creative writing!

Sign up and get five FREE Creative Writing journal prompts to use with your students! 

Opt in to receive news and updates.

Keep an eye on your inbox for your FREE journal prompts!

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #5: Give Students Lots of Choice

Creative writing should be creative . Yes, you want to give students parameters for their assignments and clear expectations. But you want them to feel a sense of freedom, also.  

I took a class once where the story starters we were given went on for several pages . By the time we students were able to start writing, characters had already been developed. The plot lines had already been well-established. We felt written into a corner, and we all struggled with wrapping up the loose ends that had already been created. 

I’ve done an Author Study Project with my class in which students were able to choose a poet or short story author to study and emulate. My kids loved looking through the work of Edgar Allan Poe, Elizabeth Acevedo, Neil Gaiman, and Jason Reynolds for inspiration. They each gravitated towards a writer that resonated with them before getting to work. 

Another example is my Fairy Tale Retelling Project. In this classic assignment, students must rewrite a fairy tale from the perspective of the villain. Students immediately choose their favorite tales, giving them flexibility and choice.

I recommend determining the form and the skills that must be demonstrated for the students . Then, let students choose the topic for their assignment. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #6: Use Hands-On Activities

If you’re teaching a class full of students who are excited to write constantly, you can probably get away writing all class period. Many of us, however, are teaching a very different class. Your students may have just chosen an elective randomly. They might not even have known what creative writing was!

(True story–one of my creative writing students thought the class would be about making graffiti. I guess that is writing creatively!)

For students who have no long-term writing aspirations, you need to make your lessons and activities a little more engaging. 

When possible, I try to make writing “hands-on.” Adding some tactile activity to a standard lesson breaks up class, engages students, and makes the lesson more memorable.

For example, when I teach students the old adage “Show. Don’t Tell” , I could just give them a scene to write. Instead, I print simple sentences onto strips of paper and have students randomly select one from a hat. (Then they turn this simple sentence into a whole “telling” scene.)

Simply handing students a strip of paper that they can touch and feel makes the lesson more exciting. It creates more buy-in with students. 

Another one of my favorite hands-on activities is a Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt. I hang up posters of mentor poems around the room, each full of different figurative language techniques. 

Then, students must get up and explore the posters around the room in an attempt to find an example of 10 different figurative language techniques.

We could do the same lesson on a worksheet, but having students up and moving increases engagement, collaboration, and gives everyone a break from constantly sitting. 

Teaching Creative Writing Tip #7: Incorporate Mentor Texts

One way to make sure that your creative writing class is rigorous–and valuable–enough for high school students is to use mentor texts . 

Mentor texts are essential for older students because it shows them what’s possible . Many of my students will rush through an assignment just to be done with it. If you ask them what they could do to improve their writing, they say that they think it’s fine. 

But when they’re shown mentor texts or exemplar products produced by their peers, suddenly students see a myriad of ways in which they could improve their own work. They’re quick to make edits. 

I try to always include a mentor text and several examples whenever I introduce students to new ideas or teach a new lesson. You can pull mentor texts from classic writers. However, I also recommend including writing from more modern poets and writers as well. 

Teaching Creative Writing truly is a special job. Your students trust you with writing that many adults in their lives will never see. You’ll be able to watch students grow and bloom in a totally new way.

That doesn’t mean that teaching creative writing is without challenges or difficulties, however. If you want an easy place to start, or just want to save yourself a ton of planning time, I highly recommend checking out my Complete Creative Writing Class . 

Inside this bundle, you’ll receive daily warm-ups, weekly lessons, two projects, several activities, a lesson calendar, and more! It’s truly everything you need for an engaging 9-week elective course!

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Our 2020-21 Writing Curriculum for Middle and High School

A flexible, seven-unit program based on the real-world writing found in newspapers, from editorials and reviews to personal narratives and informational essays.

Update, Aug. 3, 2023: Find our 2023-24 writing curriculum here.

Our 2019-20 Writing Curriculum is one of the most popular new features we’ve ever run on this site, so, of course, we’re back with a 2020-21 version — one we hope is useful whether you’re teaching in person , online , indoors , outdoors , in a pod , as a homeschool , or in some hybrid of a few of these.

The curriculum detailed below is both a road map for teachers and an invitation to students. For teachers, it includes our writing prompts, mentor texts, contests and lesson plans, and organizes them all into seven distinct units. Each focuses on a different genre of writing that you can find not just in The Times but also in all kinds of real-world sources both in print and online.

But for students, our main goal is to show young people they have something valuable to say, and to give those voices a global audience. That’s always been a pillar of our site, but this year it is even more critical. The events of 2020 will define this generation, and many are living through them isolated from their ordinary communities, rituals and supports. Though a writing curriculum can hardly make up for that, we hope that it can at least offer teenagers a creative outlet for making sense of their experiences, and an enthusiastic audience for the results. Through the opportunities for publication woven throughout each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply being media consumers to become creators and contributors themselves.

So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, whether to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas, or analyze culture. We can’t wait to hear what your students have to say!

Each unit includes:

Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.

We publish two writing prompts every school day, and we also have thematic collections of more than 1,000 prompts published in the past. Your students might consider responding to these prompts on our site and using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.

Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.

If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it gets published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who might read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.

Guided practice with mentor texts .

Each unit we publish features guided practice lessons, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. From how to “show not tell” in narratives to how to express critical opinions , quote or paraphrase experts or craft scripts for podcasts , we have used the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.

“Annotated by the Author” commentaries from Times writers — and teenagers.

As part of our Mentor Texts series , we’ve been asking Times journalists from desks across the newsroom to annotate their articles to let students in on their writing, research and editing processes, and we’ll be adding more for each unit this year. Whether it’s Science writer Nicholas St. Fleur on tiny tyrannosaurs , Opinion writer Aisha Harris on the cultural canon , or The Times’s comics-industry reporter, George Gene Gustines, on comic books that celebrate pride , the idea is to demystify journalism for teenagers. This year, we’ll be inviting student winners of our contests to annotate their work as well.

A contest that can act as a culminating project .

Over the years we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we want to help teachers “plan backwards” to support those projects.

All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations, or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site, and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.

Webinars and our new professional learning community (P.L.C.).

For each of the seven units in this curriculum, we host a webinar featuring Learning Network editors as well as teachers who use The Times in their classrooms. Our webinars introduce participants to our many resources and provide practical how-to’s on how to use our prompts, mentor texts and contests in the classroom.

New for this school year, we also invite teachers to join our P.L.C. on teaching writing with The Times , where educators can share resources, strategies and inspiration about teaching with these units.

Below are the seven units we will offer in the 2020-21 school year.

September-October

Unit 1: Documenting Teenage Lives in Extraordinary Times

This special unit acknowledges both the tumultuous events of 2020 and their outsized impact on young people — and invites teenagers to respond creatively. How can they add their voices to our understanding of what this historic year will mean for their generation?

Culminating in our Coming of Age in 2020 contest, the unit helps teenagers document and respond to what it’s been like to live through what one Times article describes as “a year of tragedy, of catastrophe, of upheaval, a year that has inflicted one blow after another, a year that has filled the morgues, emptied the schools, shuttered the workplaces, swelled the unemployment lines and polarized the electorate.”

A series of writing prompts, mentor texts and a step-by-step guide will help them think deeply and analytically about who they are, how this year has impacted them, what they’d like to express as a result, and how they’d like to express it. How might they tell their unique stories in ways that feel meaningful and authentic, whether those stories are serious or funny, big or small, raw or polished?

Though the contest accepts work across genres — via words and images, video and audio — all students will also craft written artist’s statements for each piece they submit. In addition, no matter what genre of work students send in, the unit will use writing as a tool throughout to help students brainstorm, compose and edit. And, of course, this work, whether students send it to us or not, is valuable far beyond the classroom: Historians, archivists and museums recommend that we all document our experiences this year, if only for ourselves.

October-November

Unit 2: The Personal Narrative

While The Times is known for its award-winning journalism, the paper also has a robust tradition of publishing personal essays on topics like love , family , life on campus and navigating anxiety . And on our site, our daily writing prompts have long invited students to tell us their stories, too. Our 2019 collection of 550 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing is a good place to start, though we add more every week during the school year.

In this unit we draw on many of these resources, plus some of the 1,000-plus personal essays from the Magazine’s long-running Lives column , to help students find their own “short, memorable stories ” and tell them well. Our related mentor-text lessons can help them practice skills like writing with voice , using details to show rather than tell , structuring a narrative arc , dropping the reader into a scene and more. This year, we’ll also be including mentor text guided lessons that use the work of the 2019 student winners.

As a final project, we invite students to send finished stories to our Second Annual Personal Narrative Writing Contest .

DECEMBER-January

Unit 3: The Review

Book reports and literary essays have long been staples of language arts classrooms, but this unit encourages students to learn how to critique art in other genres as well. As we point out, a cultural review is, of course, a form of argumentative essay. Your class might be writing about Lizzo or “ Looking for Alaska ,” but they still have to make claims and support them with evidence. And, just as they must in a literature essay, they have to read (or watch, or listen to) a work closely; analyze it and understand its context; and explain what is meaningful and interesting about it.

In our Mentor Texts series , we feature the work of Times movie , restaurant , book and music critics to help students understand the elements of a successful review. In each one of these guided lessons, we also spotlight the work of teenage contest winners from previous years.

As a culminating project, we invite students to send us their own reviews of a book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance performance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The Times critiques.

January-February

Unit 4: Informational Writing

Informational writing is the style of writing that dominates The New York Times as well as any other traditional newspaper you might read, and in this unit we hope to show students that it can be every bit as engaging and compelling to read and to write as other genres. Via thousands of articles a month — from front-page reporting on politics to news about athletes in Sports, deep data dives in The Upshot, recipes in Cooking, advice columns in Style and long-form investigative pieces in the magazine — Times journalists find ways to experiment with the genre to intrigue and inform their audiences.

This unit invites students to take any STEM-related discovery, process or idea that interests them and write about it in a way that makes it understandable and engaging for a general audience — but all the skills we teach along the way can work for any kind of informational writing. Via our Mentor Texts series, we show them how to hook the reader from the start , use quotes and research , explain why a topic matters and more. This year we’ll be using the work of the 2020 student winners for additional mentor text lessons.

At the end of the unit, we invite teenagers to submit their own writing to our Second Annual STEM writing contest to show us what they’ve learned.

March-April

Unit 5: Argumentative Writing

The demand for evidence-based argumentative writing is now woven into school assignments across the curriculum and grade levels, and you couldn’t ask for better real-world examples than what you can find in The Times Opinion section .

This unit will, like our others, be supported with writing prompts, mentor-text lesson plans, webinars and more. We’ll also focus on the winning teenage writing we’ve received over the six years we’ve run our related contest.

At a time when media literacy is more important than ever, we also hope that our annual Student Editorial Contest can serve as a final project that encourages students to broaden their information diets with a range of reliable sources, and learn from a variety of perspectives on their chosen issue.

To help students working from home, we also have an Argumentative Unit for Students Doing Remote Learning .

Unit 6: Writing for Podcasts

Most of our writing units so far have all asked for essays of one kind or another, but this spring contest invites students to do what journalists at The Times do every day: make multimedia to tell a story, investigate an issue or communicate a concept.

Our annual podcast contest gives students the freedom to talk about anything they want in any form they like. In the past we’ve had winners who’ve done personal narratives, local travelogues, opinion pieces, interviews with community members, local investigative journalism and descriptions of scientific discoveries.

As with all our other units, we have supported this contest with great examples from The Times and around the web, as well as with mentor texts by teenagers that offer guided practice in understanding elements and techniques.

June-August

Unit 7: Independent Reading and Writing

At a time when teachers are looking for ways to offer students more “voice and choice,” this unit, based on our annual summer contest, offers both.

Every year since 2010 we have invited teenagers around the world to add The New York Times to their summer reading lists and, so far, 70,000 have. Every week for 10 weeks, we ask participants to choose something in The Times that has sparked their interest, then tell us why. At the end of the week, judges from the Times newsroom pick favorite responses, and we publish them on our site.

And we’ve used our Mentor Text feature to spotlight the work of past winners , explain why newsroom judges admired their thinking, and provide four steps to helping any student write better reader-responses.

Because this is our most open-ended contest — students can choose whatever they like, and react however they like — it has proved over the years to be a useful place for young writers to hone their voices, practice skills and take risks . Join us!

7sistershomeschool.com

Homeschool Help and Curriculum

High School Writing Requirements: An Authoritative Guide

• Pinterest 44

Another post in the suite of Authoritative Guides for homeschooling high school: High School Writing Requirements: An Authoritative Guide.

When my youngest son headed off to college (he started out at our local community college ), one of his first courses he had to take was Freshman Composition. After the first writing assignment was graded, his instructor asked him to stay after class for a second. This, of course, was a bit anxiety inducing…was he in trouble for something?

But no, he was not in trouble. Instead, his instructor asked him, “What high school did you go to? This is one of the best papers I’ve ever seen from a freshman.”

My son was able to proudly share that he was homeschooled and learned to write by lots of practice. (He did not mention that the curriculum that he used was 7Sisters! In fact, over the high school years, He completed every single writing guide that we had constructed!

Anyway, the point of the story is that writing matters.

For college-bound teens, it is vital that homeschool high schoolers head to college well prepared to do lots of quality writing . For non-college bound teens, writing is a life skill that will be needed for lots of practical needs.

Because writing matters, it is an important part of every English/Language Arts credit (as you know, homeschooling high schoolers need four ELA credits for graduation ). The components of an English/Language Arts credit include:

• Literature (check out our Authoritative Guide to Literature for Homeschool High School )
• Writing (the topic of this entire post)
• Public Speaking

In this Authoritative Guide we will discuss the writing component of homeschool ELA credits

We will cover the following topics:

• What kinds of writing should be covered for homeschool ELA credits?

Where is the best curriculum for my teen?

• many papers should my teen write each year?
• do I grade papers?
• can I motivate my teen for writing projects?
• do I find resources to help my struggling writer?
• can I teach the writing requirements in homeschool co-op classes?

High school writing requirements: What kinds of writing should be covered for homeschool ELA credits?

To be clear, there’s not ONE right way to look at writing requirements, so you do what is best for your homeschool high schoolers and your family. However, in our years of advising homeschool teens and working with colleges and employers, we have found that there are some writing components that are:

• Good yearly requirements

Yearly writing requirements include:

• Essay writing is important because it trains teens to own their own thoughts and ideas, synthesize them, capture them and defend them. This is the exact process that writing essays takes teens through. It trains their minds on this kind of critical thinking skills and helps them learn to communicate accurately.
• This genre of writing can sometimes feel like boring busywork to teens, but when they understand that essay writing is like going to the gym and building muscles (only they are going to the essay-gym for their brains and building their critical thinking and communication skills) it helps the hard work feel purposeful.
• All 7Sisters essay writing guides include writing prompts, but here are some more prompts that might be relevant to your teens
• For more on critical thinking skills check out this post on c ritical thinking and this post on thinking well .

Research Papers

• Dig for information
• Learn valid information versus bad information (learn to look for good sources of information)

• Citing sources of information
• Choosing research topics
• Developing thesis statements
• If you get confused (it’s easy to get confused, we know) on the difference between essays, reports and research papers, here’s an explanation .

Short Stories

• Have fun with a project (and sometimes this kind of fun builds confidence in writing skills which generalizes to other types of writing
• Exercises the creative part of the brain, which in turn activates other parts of the brain to work better. Creativity is part of a healthy lifestyle (that’s why we include some creativity advice in the health curriculum).
• 7Sisters even has an optional Holiday Family Narrative Writing Guide
• Two: Tall Tale (where teens have a blast getting creative with characters, conversation and storyline)

• Poetry is so very useful for homeschool high schoolers. Because poetry says a lot in relatively few words, it teaches teens how to use words powerfully. It teaches teens to think about the best way or most impactful way to say things. (My teens have told me that their poetry writing gave them word-usage skills that have helped them write more interesting papers in college. More interesting papers get better grades.)
• This genre of writing is also a creative avenue for expression and healing .
• Because many pre-high school writing curriculum include little poetry writing (or get SO serious that it takes the fun out of poetry), 7Sisters recommends starting from scratch in high school (which is what our Introductory Guide to High School Poetry Writing does). Going back to basics in high school gives a chance for poetry to be fun and memorable.

Occasional requirements (those that should be covered at least once before graduation) include:

Professional writing.

• Complaint Letters

• Organizational Newsletters
• Taking and Formatting Meeting Minutes
• Advertising Copy and Press Releases
• Product Reviews
• Book Reviews
• Sets of How-To Instructions
• Professional Bios
• Expository Speeches
• Project Proposals and Abstracts

Out of the box creative writing, for instance:

• Biographies or other non-fiction as a narrative. This Homeschool Highschool Podcast interview with Janet and Geoff Benge tells you how
• It is a delightful combination of scrapbooking and writing! This is such a fun senior-year writing project !

College application essays

• Click here for an excerpt from the college application essay writing guide .

For more specific details, check out these posts about the kinds of writing that should be done by:

• college-bound teens
• non-college bound teens

That’s a trick question!

No, really. There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school and there’s not ONE right curriculum that is best. However, there are writing curricula and courses out there for just about any need. For instance:

• 7Sisters Writing Curriculum: Essays, Research Papers, Short Stories, Poetry, Professional Writing, Creative Writing…all with the classic 7Sisters NO busywork, adjustable to different levels of rigor, don’t overdo it, style.
• FundaFunda Academy
• True North Academy
• Dreaming Spires Home Learning
• Heavy duty, college prep programs like Institute for Excellence in Writing.
• More traditional courses (lots of grammar) like Time4Writing , Abeka, Bob Jones.

You do what is best for you and your teen!

High school writing requirements: How many papers should my teen write each year?

As you know there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school, so there’s not ONE right number of papers to write each year. Every family and teen have different needs and goals, so paper writing will vary.

We have found that we can expect that each year:

• More and longer papers from a tenth grader than a ninth grader
• A bit more and longer papers from an eleventh grader than a tenth grader
• And then more and longer papers from a twelfth grader than an eleventh grader

We also have found that writing needs differs by the level of rigor that a student needs:

• Remedial students needs for support, types and lengths of papers will vary by student. (Check the section below on suggestions for special needs students.)
• Average (non-college-bound students) do not need to waste their time on extremely long papers. They should definitely write to increase their critical thinking, communication and creative skills, but there is no need to overdo it.
• Here are more tips for college prep writin g for college-bound teens

If you want a in-depth, year-by-year, leveled breakdown of how many papers we have found work best for the homeschool families we have advised over the years, check out this post: How many papers should my teen write .

How do I grade papers?

We have found over the years, that we have grown to love rubrics . You can easily find one you can adapt on the internet or use our guidelines in this freebie: Tips for Grading Writing.

Also, many writing curriculums, including 7Sisters Writing Guides, include grading rubrics with each guide.

There are more guidelines for grading particular writing projects in these posts:

• How to Grade Poetry
• Grading Papers for History or Science
• Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode on goals and grading writing assignments . (GOOD info.)

How can I motivate my teen for writing projects?

There are lots of things you can do to motivate your teen for their writing projects:

Start with a growth mindset, teens need to:

• know that learning to write skillfully takes practice. The more they practice, the easier and more natural writing becomes.
• talk resiliently. Instead of saying, “I’m bad at writing,” try, “I’m learning to be a good writer.”
• think hopefully. Their brains need to know that they will keep working on their writing in order to improve. Talking hopefully makes a difference in the way the brain works. For more growth mindset ideas, check this post

Take a giant step back

• Remember, you are homeschooling your teens in order to do what is best for them. You get to choose the educational goals. So if you are setting your teens’ goals, then do not pressure yourself to have “grade appropriate” writing to start with. Take a step back:

Make assignments short

Keep them simple.

• And as often as possible, make them interesting, meaningful or fun (believe it or not, there are even fun essay topics- check out this post )

Here’s a post with more practical tips for helping reluctant writers with essays (sometimes this is the writing project that most intimidates young writers).

For teens with struggling with writing because of special needs:

• Feel free to make the compensations they need:
• Dictate writing assignments for first drafts to mom or using Dragon Dictation or other dictation app. (We are not affiliates, btw.)
• Do journaling daily or weekly where students can free write with no need to be graded. This can be done by hand, dictation or dictation app.
• Create a verbal progressive story (instructions in YouTube below)
• Check out SPED Homeschool’s website or Facebook group for lots of ideas and support
• 7Sisters Introductory Poetry and Introductory Short Story Writing (Family Narratives) can be good fits for the short lessons and achievable success
• Here’s more favorite curricula for teens with special needs

How can I teach the writing requirements in co-op classes?

If you are teaching writing high school homeschool co-op classes , you can have SO much fun! We have done some of the work for you, so read these posts then create some plans and a syllabus for your teens.

• Check out these how-to posts:
• How to Teach Essay Writing in Homeschool Co-op
• Using Myth-Fantasy Writing in the Classroom
• How to use College-Application Writing Guide in Homeschool Co-op
• Activities for MLA Research Paper for Homeschool Co-op
• How to Teach Short Story Writing in Homeschool Co-op
• Introducing Poetry in Homeschool Co-op
• How to Teach Writing Co-op Using 7Sisters Comprehensive ELA bundles
• Bonus post: If your teen feels overwhelm with all the writing, here are some helpful tips

Don’t forget we have co-op discounts on 7Sisters curriculum ! (And feel free to contact us with questions at [email protected] or even more fun, throw questions out to the 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group and get lots of ideas from your many 7th Sisters!)

Do you have teens who are homeschooling high school or are planning to homeschool high school soon? Check out 7Sisters Authoritative Guide post on planning high school .

Your homeschool high schoolers can love their writing experiences. High school writing: You CAN teach this!

Follow our Pinterest board on High School Writing Requirements.

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Vicki Tillman

Hi Christina, Welcome to homeschooling high school. These are the best years yet! All 7Sisters curriculum are pdf downloads. When you complete a purchase, the screen will show you links to download the curriculum (be sure to remember where you save it- maybe start a “high school” file). You will also receive an email with the links.

I am very interested in this writing curriculum for my daughter and so do I get it in my email and then print it? My daughter is going into ninth grade. Of course I know I need to pay for it. Thanks. . Thanks much.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Teach Creative Writing In High School With 10 Fun Activities

Creative writing is a meaningful aspect of literature that mandates you to utilize your expertise, ingenuity, and story to depict a critical message, emotion, or plot. It defies the traditional bounds of other forms of writing and is completely subjective to our preferences and experiences. In creative writing, it’s all about imaginativeness!

Using creative imagination and originality to convey feelings and concepts in a unique way is at the heart of creative writing. Simply stated, it’s about infusing your own ‘flair’ into your writing, moving beyond academic or other technical kinds of literature. 

In this post, we will explore the various activities which would be advantageous for a high schooler who wishes to indulge in creative writing!

What Happens When Creative Writing Is Put To Use?

Creative writing is any form of writing that deviates from traditional professional, investigative journalism, educational, or technological forms of literature. It is typically distinguished by emphasizing narrative craft, character development, literary tropes, or various poetic traditions.

Here are the few ways how high schoolers can benefit from creative writing –

1. Imagination

When you write creatively, you expand your imagination by creating new environments, scenarios, and characters. This way, you are also boosting and stretching your imagination, as well as “thinking out of the box.” This allows you to concentrate your energy on many other things and improve your ability to find fresh ideas and alternatives to problems you’re having. Whether you’re a researcher or a businessman, creative writing will increase your imagination and help you think more creatively, and push the boundaries.

2. Empathy and Communications skills

When you create characters, you’ll be constructing emotions, personalities, behaviors, and world views that are distinct from your own. Writers must conceive personalities, emotions, places, and walks of life outside of their own lives while creating universes with fictional characters and settings.

This can give children a good dose of empathy and understanding for those who aren’t like them, who don’t live where they do or go through the same things they do daily. Writers are better equipped to communicate when they have a greater understanding of other points of view. They can come up with creative ways to explain and debate subjects from multiple perspectives. This ability is crucial in both professional and personal situations. 

3. Clarification of Thoughts 

Creating structures in creative writing allows you to organize your impressions and emotions into a logical procedure. You may express both your thoughts and your sentiments through creative writing. For example, if you’re a marketing executive, you could create a short tale in which your clientele reads your promotional emails. You can guess what they’re up to, where they’re seated, what’s around them, and so on.

This enables you to focus on the language and strategies you employ. Alternatively, if you’re a technical writer writing on a new desktop platform, you could create a creative scenario in which a user encounters a problem. 

4. Broadens Vocabulary and gets a better understanding of reading and writing

You’ll learn a larger vocabulary and a better understanding of the mechanics of reading and writing as you begin to practice writing exercises regularly. Even if you’re writing a budget report, you’ll know when rigid grammar standards work and when they don’t, and you’ll know what will make your writing flow better for your readers. Exploring different ways of expressing yourself when writing creatively allows you to extend your vocabulary.

You’ll notice a change in your use and range of language as you improve your writing over time, which will be useful in any professional route and social scenario. You’ll be able to bend and break the rules when you need to, to utilize your voice and make what you’re writing engaging without coming off as an amateur, dull, or inauthentic once you’ve grasped the fundamentals of writing professionally and creatively.

5. Building Self-Belief 

When you write creatively, you’re actively involved in an activity that allows you to fully develop your voice and point of view without being constrained. You have a better chance to investigate and express your feelings about various issues, opinions, ideas, and characters. And you’ll feel more at ease and secure stating your thoughts and perspectives in other things you write as a result of this.

Writers who don’t write creatively may be concerned about appearing authoritative or trustworthy. They accidentally lose their voice and sound like drones spouting statistics by omitting to include their perspective on the topics they’re writing about. As a result, they miss out on using their distinct voice and presenting themselves as an expert with real-world expertise.

Creative Writing Activities That Will Strengthen Your Writing Skills  

Short spurts of spontaneous writing make up creative writing activities. These writing exercises push a writer to tackle a familiar topic in a new way, ranging from one line to a lengthy tale. Short, spontaneous projects are common in creative writing programs, but any writer should make them a regular practice to extend their abilities and learn new tactics to approach a series of stories.

These activities must be performed for ten minutes at a time, several times a week – by creative writers. They’re designed to help you improve your writing abilities, generate fresh story ideas, and become a better writer.

1. Free Writing

Writing is the first and foremost activity that is going to give your creative writing a boost. Start with a blank page and let your stream of thoughts and emotions flow. Then simply begin writing. Don’t pause to think or alter what you’re expressing. This is known as “free writing.” This writing activity is referred to as “morning pages” by Julia Cameron, the author of ‘The Artist’s Way.’ She recommends that authors do this every day when they first wake up. Stream of consciousness writing can provide some intriguing concepts.

Allow your intellect to take the lead as your fingers type. Or write a letter to your younger self.  Consider a topic you’d like to discuss, such as a noteworthy event, and write it down. Give guidance or convey a message that you wish you had heard as a youngster or a young adult.

2. Modify a Storyline – Read

Most of us like to read. However, just reading won’t really help augment your creative writing skills. While reading bestows insight into the deeper meanings of numerous things, you need a more concrete approach to better your aptitude. To do this, you can modify any storyline. Take an episode from a chapter, if you’re feeling brave—from one of your favorite books and recreate it. Write it from the perspective of a different character. Swap out the main character in this exercise to examine how the story may be conveyed differently.

Take Percy Jackson’s thrilling conclusion, for instance, and rework it with Annabeth as the primary character. Another way to approach this creative activity is to keep the primary character but switch viewpoints. Rewrite a scene in the third person if the writer has told a story in the first person. 

3. Add Creative Writing Prompts or Create Flash Fiction

Use writing prompts, often known as narrative starters, to produce writing ideas. A writing prompt is a sentence or short excerpt that a writer uses to start composing a story on the spot. You can look up writing prompts online, pick a sentence out of a magazine at random, or use a brilliant line from a well-known work as the start of your short scene.

Another thing you can do to accentuate your writing is to create flash fiction. Sit down at your desktop or pick up a pen and paper and write a 500-word story on the spur of the moment. This isn’t the same as just writing whatever comes to mind. With no fixed guidelines, free writing generates a stream of consciousness. All of the basic components of a story arc, such as plot, conflict, and character development, are required in flash fiction, albeit in a shortened form.

4. Create a Fictitious Advertisement

Pick a random word from a nearby book or newspaper and create a fictitious commercial for it. Write one ad in a formal, abbreviated newspaper classified format to require you to pay special attention to your word choice to sell the item. Then write one for an online marketplace that allows for longer, more casual text, such as Craigslist. Describe the item and persuade the reader to purchase it in each one.

5. Engage in Conversations 

Engaging in conversations with your friends/family – or simply communicating can help brush up your writing skills. Talk to your loved ones about their hobbies, career, views on societal issues – any suitable topic for that matter. This helps implement others’ points of view and expands your mental ability. Another useful thing that you can do is – make another person’s tale and create it by implementing your own thoughts. Then talk about it in an impeccable manner. Also, talk in complete sentences. This goes to show your Linguistic intelligence proficiency – and helps augment your creative writing skills.

6. Create Your Own Website/Blog

Start your search for blogging. There are a million writing suggestions out there, but they all boil down to the same thing: write. Blogging is excellent writing practice because it gives you a place to write regularly.

To keep your fingers and mind nimble, write a post every day. Like most bloggers, you’ll want to restrict your subject—perhaps you’ll focus on parenting or start a how-to site where you can tell stories from your point of view.

7. Participate in Debates/Extempores  

Participating in debates, extempores – anchoring for your school function, giving a speech, all of these activities help boost your creative spirit. These group events make you understand what other people are envisioning, which in turn helps you generate new ideas, approaches, and methods. Not only do they improve your articulation and research skills, but they also develop critical thinking and emotional control abilities. All of these promote a better creative writing aptitude.

8. Start a YouTube Channel or Podcast 

Starting a YouTube channel or podcast will definitely level up your creative game. YouTube is a never-ending platform, covering myriads of topics. Choose a particular niche for your channel.

Then do your topic research, create content, manage SEO, approach brands, talk to clients and influencers – do all the good stuff. Communicating with other influencers and creating content will take your creative writing skills to another level. Starting a podcast will have a similar impact. 

9. Love them? Say it with your words!

We have many festivals, occasions, birthdays, parties, anniversaries and whatnot! You can employ these special days and boost your creative writing skills. You can make a token of love for them – writing about your feelings. You can also make gift cards, birthday cards, dinner menus, and so on. So let’s say, it’s your mother’s birthday, you can write her a token of love, elucidating your feelings and letting her know what all she’s done for you and that you’re grateful. Do this for all your near and dear ones. This not only spreads positivity and love but helps you develop your creative aptitude.

10. The What-if Game

The What-If game is an incredible way to upgrade your creative abilities. You can play this game with your friends, cousins, relatives, or solo. Here, you need to find links to many interesting hypothetical questions. For instance, what if the sun doesn’t rise for a week? What if there’s no oxygen for one minute? Play it with your peeps, or ask these questions to yourself. It can be anything random but concrete. If you don’t know the answers to the questions, look them up on Google. This way, you’re training your mind to learn new concepts all the while enhancing your visualization process. 

We can conclude that creative writing encourages students to think creatively, use their imaginations, imply alternatives, expand their thinking processes, and improve their problem-solving skills. It also allows the child to express themselves and grow their voice. Besides, it enhances reasoning abilities. The principle behind the creative writing concept is that everyone can gain the qualities that are needed to become a successful writer or, rather become good at writing. Creative writing is all about using language in new and innovative ways.

Sananda Bhattacharya, Chief Editor of TheHighSchooler, is dedicated to enhancing operations and growth. With degrees in Literature and Asian Studies from Presidency University, Kolkata, she leverages her educational and innovative background to shape TheHighSchooler into a pivotal resource hub. Providing valuable insights, practical activities, and guidance on school life, graduation, scholarships, and more, Sananda’s leadership enriches the journey of high school students.

Explore a plethora of invaluable resources and insights tailored for high schoolers at TheHighSchooler, under the guidance of Sananda Bhattacharya’s expertise. You can follow her on Linkedin

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

Creative Writing Opportunities for High School Students

Do you have a plan for applying to college?

With our free chancing engine, admissions timeline, and personalized recommendations, our free guidance platform gives you a clear idea of what you need to be doing right now and in the future.

If you’re a high school student interested in creative writing, you may or may not have a number of broad extracurricular options to pursue during the school year, depending on your school. You might be a part of your school’s literary magazine, or participate in creative writing workshops. Maybe you are lucky enough to attend a school with dedicated creative writing classes or poetry electives.

But what if your school doesn’t seem to offer much for students who want to pursue creative writing? Or what if you don’t even know where to begin looking? How can you keep your momentum headed towards your goal or otherwise use your time productively if you passionate about creative writing?

There are many activities available to high school students who enjoy creative writing. Some might be available through your school, but many are out there waiting for you to pursue them independently.

In this post, we’ll outline how you can take the initiative to pursue multiple creative writing opportunities both in and out of school. Keep reading to learn more about what opportunities are out there for high school-aged creative writers.

Why Pursue Creative Writing?

There are many reasons to pursue extracurriculars in general. They can serve to strengthen your academic profile, they allow you to pursue interests not otherwise available through traditional classwork, and they can provide valuable, real-world experience.

Creative writing is an extracurricular that is closely tied with your academic coursework in English and Language Arts and in fact is probably a partial requirement of at least some of your English classes. Pursuing it further exemplifies your commitment to the craft and gives you some insight into writing as a possible career path.

It might be easy to think of creative writing as nothing more than a hobby, but in reality many careers exist in which strong writing skills are coveted. By pursuing creative writing, you become well equipped for a career as not only an author or poet, but also in many other fields. We’ll discuss these more in depth at the end of this post.

Opportunities to Pursue Creative Writing

Literary magazine:.

This is the most obvious and most common way to study and produce creative writing in a formal setting at school. Many schools already have a literary magazine established and likely have regular meetings and a faculty adviser equipped to lend insight and advice.

You can usually join your school’s literary magazine at the beginning of a new school year, though you may also be able to join mid-year in some circumstances. Contact the editor or faculty advisor if you want to become involved. Over time you may even be able to take on a leadership role yourself. To learn more about the importance of this, check out CollegeVine’s Your Resume, Revamped: Securing Leadership Positions and Perfecting Your Extracurricular Profile . 

Another way to be involved with the literary magazine, even if you aren’t a part of its team, is to become a regular contributor. This isn’t always easy; some schools have highly competitive literary magazines or only produce one printed edition per year. If this is the case at your school, don’t get discouraged. Submit your best work, learn from feedback, and keep trying.

If your school does not have a literary magazine, you might consider starting one. Begin by talking to other students who have expressed interest in creative writing. Once you have a strong group of interested students, approach a member of your school’s faculty who would make a good adviser.

Your faculty adviser should be someone who has worked closely with you in the past and has some level of expertise in creative writing. Be clear what sort of commitment you are asking for from this person. You may need him or her to be present at every meeting, or you might simply need his or her signature and sporadic stamp of approval. Also remember that you will have some associated costs so having a faculty adviser who can help with fundraising could be important.

Literary magazines provide students interested in creative writing with some general insights into a formal writing publication, a glimpse at the process for submitting work and receiving feedback, and the opportunity to have their writing published for all to see.

Creative Writing Club:

If your school does not have a literary magazine or you are interested in pursuing creative writing in a less formal setting, a creative writing club might be a good bet for you.

These clubs generally operate as regular writing workshops during which students respond to prompts or practice free-writing, and then share their work and offer feedback to others. It is often similar to the submissions approval process at a literary magazine without the stress of possible rejection.

In addition, a creative writing club does not generally produce a publication, though some might print a collection of work at the end of the school year. Again, this differs from the traditional literary magazine because work is selected by the author rather than submitted for acceptance or rejection.

If your school does not have a creative writing club, it is easy to start one. Because there is no associated publication as in the case of a literary magazine, the process is generally less formal. You could meet before or after school and sometimes you don’t even need a faculty adviser; you just need a teacher who’s willing to share classroom space outside of school hours.

Alternatively, you could form a writing club that is completely independent of your school by meeting at the library or a friend’s house. Simply gather creative writing exercises from books or online searches and then gather on a regular basis to respond to them, share work, and offer constructive criticism.

A creative writing club can also be an important accountability tool for students who are working on independent creative writing projects. If you’re writing a longer piece or even a novel, or working on a collection of poetry, meeting regularly with like-minded writers can help to keep you on track and provide outside feedback that might otherwise be unavailable.

Creative Writing Tutor:

If creative writing is your passion and you want to share it with others, you might consider becoming a creative writing tutor for younger students.

Contact a local elementary school and ask if you might be able to volunteer. If so, arrive prepared to lead a small writer’s workshop. Bring any handouts you might need and practice your oral presentation ahead of time. If you need some inspiration for activities, check out the Creative Writing for Children page at PBS parents or the Story Starters page at Scholastic . These kid-friendly writing prompts are sure to inspire even the youngest authors.

If you can’t find a volunteer position at an elementary school, you could try reaching out to other local organizations. Girl or boy scout troops, community centers, or the local library are all possibilities.

Leading a creative writing group for younger students is a great way to hone your own thinking about creative writing, to practice your teaching and leadership skills, and to give back to your community.

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

Writing Contests:

If you’re looking for more direction for your writing, and the idea of fame and fortune intrigues you, you should consider entering some writing contests. There are many to choose from, and most offer either cash prizes or scholarship money. Some are also quite prestigious.

For a list of some of the most respected writing contests open to high schoolers, check out The CollegeVine Ultimate Guide to High School Writing Contests .

Summer Programs:

As is now the case for most extracurriculars, there are many strong summer programs to choose from if you’d like to pursue creative writing during your school break. These programs can be competitive to get into and you will usually be required to submit a writing portfolio as a part of your application.

Programs such as these also strengthen your college application and reinforce your commitment to writing. A few of the strongest are:

• Interlochen
• Kenyon Review Young Writer’s Workshop
• California State Summer School for the Arts (Primarily for California residents, but a small number of non-residents are accepted each year.)

Many of these programs have scholarships available, so if finances are a concern, be sure to research a few options before ruling anything out.

In addition, many colleges offer summer programs in creative writing as well. These are usually similar in format to any of the aforementioned summer programs, with the added bonus of allowing you to build connections at colleges or universities that you might wish to attend. 

See if any schools on your list of potential colleges or universities offer summer programs and look into attending those. Otherwise, consider one of the following, which are known for their high quality instruction:

• Duke Young Writer’s Camp
• Carleton College Summer Writing Program
• Stanford Summer Institutes
• Lewis and Clark Fir Acres Workshop
• University of Iowa Young Writer’s Studio

Start a Blog

If you find that you are writing often but have nowhere to showcase your work or have trouble holding yourself accountable for producing work on a regular basis, starting your own blog might be a good fit. A blog is a great way to share your writing on a public platform, it can act as an informal portfolio of your work, and it helps to hold you accountable to a larger audience.

Many blogs are easily set up and hosted for free on websites such as WordPress , Blogger , LiveJournal , or Weebly . Share a link to your blog on your social media accounts or send out a group email to let friends and family know about it. As is the case any time you add to your online presence, be sure to discuss your plans with a parent or guardian ahead of time. 

Get Published Elsewhere

A blog isn’t the only platform for publishing your work. Many magazines and periodicals accept submissions from high school students. A long list of publications reviewing high school submissions can be found in the NewPages Young Authors’ Guide . 

You can also check with local publications like newspapers, smaller regional magazines, or even blogs you follow that might accept a guest post.

There are a myriad of ways to get your work to a bigger audience, and if that’s something you’re interested in doing, don’t be shy about asking or even sending unsolicited submissions. All it takes is one person to take a chance on you before you can call yourself a published author.

Career Aspirations for the Creative Writer

It’s easy to think of creative writing as the entry point to becoming a novelist or poet. You might even think that these are your only long-term career options should you choose to pursue creative writing seriously.

This is definitely not the case. Many, many career paths incorporate writing, and while you may not be writing fictional works the entire time, that does not mean that you won’t be incorporating your background in creative writing. All strong writing benefits from creativity.

Writers are especially valued in the fields of:

• Advertising
• American Literature
• Digital Media
• Educational and Instructional Technology
• Media Studies
• Public Relations
• Radio and Television
• Sports Communications
• Technical and Business Writing
• Webpage and Multimedia Design    

Remember, pursuing creative writing doesn’t necessarily mean you have to write a novel or publish a collection of poetry. Writers have valuable skills that can be applied broadly depending on their others skills and interests.

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

3 Creative Writing Projects for High School Students

English teachers have the tough job of helping students grow their comprehension, grammar, argumentation, and persuasive writing skills. While literary analysis, research papers, and basic essays are important in that journey, creative writing projects can sometimes give students a nice break from the more mundane aspects of writing.

But coming up with creative writing projects requires, well, creativity. If you need help to think of ways to introduce this form to your students, we've provided some starting points below.

Why Choose Creative Writing?

High school creative writing projects can be beneficial in many ways. These projects have much more flexibility than other forms of writing, letting students explore things like structure and prose. It can also be an excellent reason to study other creative writing and be exposed to new styles, taking students out of their comfort zone.

These projects can be more long-term and require students to plan accordingly, allowing them to learn time management and planning skills. Meanwhile, the effort required will help them learn class material in a way that feels more applicable to their life.

But what is creative writing in high school? It can come in many forms - these are just some of them to get your students started.

1. Create a Website, Blog, or Podcast

Students may feel writing, or books need to be more exciting or applied in the internet age. If your student needs help to connect, a great path is to help them connect the art of writing with technology.

Students will create a website, blog , or podcast during these projects. The media can be based on an area of interest in their lives, a historical or cultural topic of their choice, or a theme related to a book or set of books they’re reading in class. You can set parameters within this, so long as they have freedom about what they write within the project.

Through this project, students will learn to synthesize and communicate information, write their copy, and exercise creativity and individuality. They will be able to take ownership of the information they choose to share on their website, blog, or podcast and take pride in what they are sharing.

Depending on the type of project they choose, they may also learn the technical skills required to create these mediums. Of course, as the educator, you can choose a medium you are confident can help students develop or even find a way to partner with another educator. These skills may follow them later in life or lead to a long-term project!

2. Give a Speech or Presentation as a Book Character

When you're focused on a particular work of fiction in class, asking students to embody the characters can be a great way to engage with the text and exercise their creativity. This can be done with a book the whole class reads, or you can allow students to choose their text and characters.

Crafting a speech or presentation from a character's perspective requires students to understand the story itself and deeply think about the character they choose--their personality, wardrobe, speech patterns, interests, etc. Not only will this help with understanding the text, but it's also a great exercise in empathy and walking in someone else's shoes.

Creative writing comes in once students have developed this understanding when they need to craft the speech or presentation. There can be a lot of freedom in what they write, and you may or may not require them to present in front of the class. If they do, it's also a great way to practice public speaking!

3. Turn a Book Chapter into a Short Film

Often, students better understand a book when they see it acted out as a play or film. To add another layer of understanding, you can ask the students themselves to convert the text into a short film. This is a great group project, though it can be done individually. You could allow students to turn material into a talk show or reality show to add more creative elements and variety to the project.

Like the character exercises, this will require students to understand the text they’re reading more deeply than if they were just discussing the material, taking a test, or writing a standard essay. Students will have to register scripts for their short film or talk show and create a concept for their reality show, which will help them learn more about writing in a different format.

Then, students can choose which role they want to play in the project, if they wish to spend time behind the camera writing, producing, directing, or filming , or if they want to act in the film. Once completed, their project will also be a teaching tool for their classmates!

Creative writing in high schools can be more than simply coming up with project ideas for a book or asking students to write a simple story. Ideas like these three help students synthesize information, work collaboratively, and ultimately learn to think outside the box.

When your students begin creative writing, you're likely to be surprised and delighted by the things they come up with that you couldn't have imagined!

Follow us on Social Media

The Curriculum Choice

Making homeschool decisions easy

in High School · Language Arts · Writing

A Complete Guide To Creative Writing Curriculum for Homeschool High School

I feel like creative writing is either one of those things kids love or one that they hate. Whichever way your child leans, there is sure to be something to get their creative juices flowing. When it comes to teaching writing, specifically for high school, I have created a collection of your options for creative writing curriculum for high school.

I often feel as though high school writing is solely focused on essay writing, response, and research papers. While all of these are important types of written work, we should not be leaving out creative writing in our homeschool high school studies.

Creative Writing Curriculum Options

One Year Adventure Novel – a high school fiction writing curriculum through which the kids write an entire novel by the end of the year. It’s entertaining, educational, adventurous and fun!

Cover Story – From the same company as the One Year Adventure Novel. While it is listed as a middle school curriculum it is great for your struggling or reluctant high schoolers.

Bardsy Homeschool – an online program with multiple digital helps for writing

Byline Video Writing Program – turns students into time-traveling reporters who practice journalism in the forgotten corners of history. 

No Plot! No Problem – is a low-stress, high velocity guide to writing a novel in 30 days.

Writing Workshop for Multiple Ages – Sometimes in our homeschool we just need to focus on a certain subject. In this case, writing. See how multiple curriculum options are used to infuse writing into your homeschool.

Other Ways to Teach Creative Writing

There are more ways to teach creative writing for homeschool high school than with a full curriculum. Here are some writing prompt and project ideas to get you started.

Writing About Nature: A Creative Writing Book for Your Homeschool – The Writing About Nature book will help a wide range of writers who find their passion for nature moves them to document in words the creatures, plants, rhythms and cycles experienced in the great outdoors.

Fairy Tale Retelling – is a great Creative Writing assessment. For this project, students choose a fairy tale. Then, they rewrite the story from the perspective of the villain.

Author Study – In this project, students choose one author to study in-depth. Then, they attempt to replicate that author’s style in an original work.

55 Creative Writing Activities and Exercises – Activities that teach creative writing serve as drills to exercise your student’s writing muscle. When used effectively, they help reluctant writers get past that intimidating blank paper and encourage the words to flow. 

Engaging Homeschool Literature Activities Your Kids Will Love – With these engaging homeschool literature activities, you can create a homeschool learning environment that celebrates the wonder of the written word and the magic of storytelling. Literature can come to life by infusing your homeschool studies with imagination, hands-on activities, and student-led learning. 

37 Creative Writing Prompts for High School – Prompts for poetry, fiction (long and short), and even non-fiction.

The Ultimate Guide to Nature Journaling: Tips for Writing About Nature – A creative writing idea from the Outdoor Nature Challenge

More Writing Options for High School

• Homeschool Writing Curriculum Round Up – a collection of all the writing curriculum reviews here at The Curriculum Choice
• Essay Rockstar – Writing courses for grades 7-12 in The Expository Essay, The Textual Analysis Essay, The Persuasive Essay, The Personal Statement
• Using Writing & Rhetoric for Homeschool Writing –  a 12-book series that will teach students to write and speak persuasively

Heidi Ciravola is mom to three kids who were all homeschooled. Two have graduated college and one is finishing homeschooling high school. She spends much of her time navigating the high school waters (from electives to college prep) and reviewing homeschool curriculum for all ages. You can find her writing about these things as well as her love of books and homeschool life in general over at Starts At Eight .

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Creative Writing

Young writers learn the value of craft and sound writing techniques from experienced, published authors..

Developed by professional writers, the Creative Writing program is intensive and highly challenging to ensure talent development and productivity. During their two years in the Creative Writing program, students create short stories, poems, personal essays, and movie scripts.

The program attracts talented young writers in South Carolina by offering a creative, supportive atmosphere and a course of study supervised by practicing, published writers. 

Creative Nonfiction  |  Fiction  |  Poetry  |  Screenwriting  

Creative Writing students spend their time in small, collaborative sessions where they are constantly reading, writing, editing, and critiquing works under the guidance of practicing writers/mentors. Several times during the school year, students have the opportunity to meet with nationally-known, visiting writers.

Creative writers give two public readings a year and submit their work to a variety of state, regional and national competitions for additional critique, publication, and awards.

Guest artists in the Creative Writing department have included an Oscar winner, a Tony winner, a National Book Award winner, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and U.S. Poet Laureates. 

Student Achievements

• 13 students have received $10,000 Portfolio Awards in the national Scholastic Writing Competition.
• 9 writers have been named U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, an annual honor bestowed on only 20 high school seniors nationally.
• In the past decade, 32 Governor’s School writers were recognized as YoungArts National Finalists.
• Governor’s School students have received prestigious scholarships including YoungArts Lin Arison Excellence in Writing Award and the Thomas Wolfe Scholarship from UNC.

Dear Young Artist: A Letter from a Govie Creative Writer

Award-Winning Student Works

• "Six Feet Under Silence," by Camryn Hambrick, American Voices Medal, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (2020)
• "For XYZ Institution" , by Tyler Kellog, Gold Medal Portfolio Award, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (2021)
• "A Daydream for Sofia, " by Cristina Sanchez, Silver Medal, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (2021)  

Apply for Creative Writing 

Questions about the Creative Writing program? Email: [email protected] Call: 864.546.0197

Try searching for

• Concerts and Events
• Employment / Jobs
• Faculty and Staff

Applications are still open for Arts Camp and Arts Academy. Programs fill quickly—submit your app today!

Creative writing portfolio requirements for summer programs (high school students).

Please submit up to five PDF files for Interlochen Art Camp's creative writing summer programs.

PDF #1:  A one-page, double-spaced personal essay that addresses these two points:

• How the practice of reading and writing enriches your life.
• How your time at Interlochen will help you attain your goals for creative writing.

PDFs #2-5:  Assemble a portfolio that includes at least two of the following genres:

• Poetry—four to five poems, preferably non-rhyming, that offer a variety of forms, styles, and subject matter.
• Fiction—two short stories, only one of which may be so-called "genre" writing (science fiction, fantasy, etc.).
• Playwriting—two dialogue-driven scenes or plays.
• Nonfiction—two personal or outward-looking essays. Please do not send academic essays, like book analyses for English class.
• Experimental or Unclassifiable work—one or more pieces that don't play by the rules and which perhaps include visual or sonic components.

All portfolio materials should be typed and proofread, double-spaced, with a standard 12-point font. Single-spacing is preferred but not required for poetry. Portfolios must not exceed 25 pages.

Office of the Vice President for Research

Ovpr announces recipients of 2024 discovery and innovation awards.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is honoring 11 faculty and staff for their exceptional contributions to research, scholarship, and creative activity as part of the 2024 Discovery and Innovation Awards .

“ The winners represent the best and the brightest of our University of Iowa faculty and staff, who are making an impact across a range of disciplines,”  said Marty Scholtz, vice president for research. “Their research and scholarship enhance undergraduate and graduate education on campus, and their efforts to expand the frontiers of discovery betters our community, state, and world.”

The OVPR solicited nominations from across campus for the awards, which include: Scholar of the Year, Early Career Scholar of the Year, Leadership in Research, and awards that recognize achievement in communicating scholarship with public audiences, community engagement, arts and humanities, mentorship, research administration and safety. A campuswide event on April 30 will celebrate the winners.

Faculty Awards

Jun Wang , James E. Ashton Professor and interim departmental executive officer in the College of Engineering’s

 Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, is the 2024 Scholar of the Year . The award celebrates nationally recognized recent achievement in outstanding research, scholarship, and/or creative activities. 

Wang’s research centers on the development of novel remote sensing techniques to characterize aerosols and fires from space. He serves as the University of Iowa’s lead investigator on NASA’s TEMPO, Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring Pollution, which Time magazine named one of its best inventions of 2023. 

“Professor Wang's scholarly endeavors over the past two years stand out as a paradigm of excellence, serving as an exemplary model for both emerging and seasoned faculty members to aspire toward,” said Karim Abdel-Malek, professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Iowa Technology Institute.

James Byrne , assistant professor of radiation oncology in the Carver College of Medicine ( CCOM ), is the 2024 Early Career Scholar of the Year . The award honors assistant professors who are currently involved in research, scholarship, and/or creative activity and show promise of making a significant contribution to their field. 

As a physician scientist, Byrne continues to care for patients while developing novel biomedical therapies for cancer, finding inspiration in everything from latte foam to tardigrades. In his first two years as faculty at the UI, he has earned more that $2.5M in external research funding, including a K08 award from the NIH.

“Dr. Byrne’s scientific creativity stems from both an active and curious mind as well as his ability to bridge diverse fields from engineering to biology to medicine,” said Michael Henry, professor and interim director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. “These interdisciplinary boundaries are where some of the most interesting and important work is happening today.”

Donna Santillan , research professor and director of the Division of Reproductive Science Research in the CCOM Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the Leadership in Research Award , which recognizes research and scholarly accomplishments throughout a career. 

While Santillan’s research has spanned across the field of reproductive science, she has a particular interest in the deadly diseases of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and its intergenerational effects. She designed and directs the Women’s Health Tissue Repository. Santillan’s work has been cited more than 2,700 times, and she has mentored 114 early career scientists and students, a testament to her expansive impact.

“Dr. Santillan has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fostering the professional and personal development of trainees in research, including myself,” said Banu Gumusoglu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology. “Her mentorship extends beyond the confines of traditional academic settings, touching the lives of many aspiring trainees from high school through residency, clinical fellowship, and faculty levels.”

Stephen Warren , professor of history and American studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), received the Distinguished Achievement in Publicly Engaged Research Award . The award recognizes an individual faculty member who has put addressing public needs and direct engagement with the public, in the service of improving quality of life through research, at the forefront of his or her academic activities.

A prolific scholar of Native American culture, Warren’s research has centered on the Shawnee people of Oklahoma for the past two decades. He has published four books and co-authored the most recent one , Replanting Cultures: Community-Engaged Scholarship in Indian Country, with Chief Benjamin Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe. 

“Over the last two decades, Professor Warren has established himself as a leading community-engaged scholar, and his achievements in research and publishing demonstrate that community engagement and strong scholarship are not mutually exclusive,” said Nick Benson, director of the Office of Community Engagement. “Professor Warren’s work serves as an inspiration for researchers at Iowa and nationally who seek not only to make a difference in academia, but also in our communities.”

Kaveh Akbar , associate professor of English in CLAS, received the Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Humanities Research Award . This award honors distinguished achievement in humanities scholarship and work in the creative, visual and performing arts. 

Akbar joined Iowa in 2022 to serve as the director of the English and creative writing major. In January, his new novel, Martyr!, was published to critical acclaim. Akbar previously published two prize-winning poetry collections and has served as poetry editor for The Nation  since 2021. 

“Akbar’s leadership in the profession and on campus continues: his transformative work in our department not only enriches the academic experiences of 700+ English and creative writing majors, but also enhances the profile of UI as ‘The Writing University,’” said Blaine Greteman, professor and departmental executive officer of the Department of English.

Cara Hamann , associate professor of epidemiology, received the Faculty Communicating ideas Award . This award recognizes excellence in communication about research and scholarship in the sciences and humanities and the study of creative, visual, and performing arts to a general audience directly or via print and electronic media.

Hamann has frequently shared her work on transportation issues, including teen driving, bike and scooter safety, and pedestrian safety, through peer-reviewed journals and extensive media outreach. Her recent op-ed, “The most deadly traffic policy you’ve never heard of leaves you vulnerable, too,” drew widespread attention to a legal loophole in crosswalk laws and appeared in more than 50 news outlets nationwide, including USA Today .

“Dr. Hamann’s work is not only academically rigorous but also accessible and impactful to a

wide audience,” said Diane Rohlman, associate dean for research in the College of Public Health. “Her ability to communicate with clarity, creativity, and passion coupled with her extensive media outreach, exemplifies how she utilizes multiple approaches to address transportation challenges impacting society.”

Bob McMurray , F. Wendell Miller Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Caroline Clay , assistant professor of acting in the Department of Theatre Arts, were recipients of the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Distinguished Mentor Awards . The awards honors mentors’ dedication to making their students research experiences successful.

“I can’t imagine my research journey without Bob’s welcoming kindness, thriving lab community, and confident mentorship, and I am so deeply grateful for his impact on me,” said Hannah Franke, a psychology and linguistics major mentored by McMurray.

“I know I am far from the only student whose life has been impacted by Caroline Clay,” said Isabella Hohenadel, a second-year theatre arts major. “She deserves to be recognized of all of the wonderful work she does and how much she cares about us as students. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of recognition than her.”

Staff Awards

Angie Robertson , department administrator for CCOM’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, received the Distinguished Research Administrator Award . The award recognizes staff members who performed exceptional service in support of research at the UI by exploring funding opportunities, assisting in grant proposal preparation, submission, post-award administration, and operational support. 

In addition to overseeing every aspect of daily operations for the department, Robertson manages nearly 100 research grants for the department and three longstanding NIH T32 training grants. 

“Angie plays a leading role in our department office, inspiring us to achieve all aspects of our missions ,” said Li Wu, professor and department chair. “She is innovative, collaborative, accountable, and respectful  in her daily work. She exceeds any expectations and sets a great example for staff members in the department.”

Min Zhu , research specialist in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research (IIOHR) within the College of Dentistry, received the Distinguished Research Professional Award . The award recognizes staff members who performed exceptional service in support of research at the UI by conducting experiments, collecting, and analyzing results and performing operational duties associated with a laboratory or research program. 

Zhu has worked as a lab bench scientist in the College of Dentistry since 2006, executing experimental work for grants and other research, working closely with IIOHR faculty members, overseeing lab maintenance and environmental health and safety efforts. 

“Beyond her research skills, Dr. Zhu has been an exceptional mentor and educator for my students and other junior researchers,” said Liu Hong, professor of prosthodontics. “Her kindness and willingness to share her knowledge have made her a beloved figure among them.”

Curtis Iberg , manager of sterilization services in the College of Dentistry, received the Innovation in Safety Award, which celebrates exceptional and ground-breaking innovations that advance safety at the UI. Iberg led a major renovation of the College of Dentistry’s instrument processing and sterilization area, with the aim of encouraging better workflow and support for future growth. 

“His innovations in workspace are a valuable asset to the greater University and demonstrates that the most important people to be involved in a space renovation are those that use the area because they can see how the facility can better function and how it can be designed for future needs,” said Kecia Leary, associate dean of clinics.