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Assignment writing

150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity (Free Google Slides)

Use a picture to write a thousand words!

Creative writing is a challenge for many students, often because they can’t come up with anything to write about. That’s why we love picture writing prompts. Each one sparks the imagination and helps young writers jump right into crafting a story to match. We rounded up a whole collection of intriguing images for use with kids in grades K-12 along. Plus we designed a set of free Google Slides featuring all of the prompts so you can easily share them with students.

Tip: Start by showing students the picture (or let them choose from among several) without making any comment about what they’re seeing. For kids who still struggle to get started, suggest a potential title or opening sentence, like the examples included here.

Don’t miss our free downloadable. Grab your full set of ready-to-go Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all of the prompts below.

Elementary Picture Writing Prompts

Middle school picture writing prompts, high school picture writing prompts, art picture writing prompts.

When kids first see these picture writing prompts, they may or may not immediately feel inspired. If they need some help, ask them questions like “What led up to this moment?” or “What’s going to happen next?”

When Larry fell in love, he fell hard.

When the new sign appeared on Main Street, everyone in town wondered exactly what it meant.

Snowy Footprints

After that crazy day, all that was left to show for it was footprints in the snow.

Dinosaur Bones

“Come with me if you want to live!” Ash said, reaching out a hand.

Undersea Treasure

For years, no one saw the locked treasure chest but the local fish, who wondered what it could contain.

A Game of Fetch

To Scout, it was a game, but to Mr. Freezy, it was much more.

Ladybug Gossip

The ladybug’s picnic was an excellent chance to meet up with old friends and hear all the latest gossip.

We met them when they peeked into our window, watching us as we ate lunch and watched cartoons.

King of the Jungle

It wasn’t the crown that made Amari the king of all he surveyed.

The Final Pitch

It all came down to this—the final pitch in a game that was tied 2-2.

Doggie Massage

Every dog in the neighborhood knew that Rocky gave the best massages and was always willing to lend an ear too.

Skateboard Life

When Charli got her first skateboard, she made herself a promise.

Garden of the Past

The woman walked in the garden every day, never saying a word.

Sunset Friends

They met on the jungle gym every day at sunset, sharing everything about their days.

Pink Umbrellas

When the pink umbrellas first appeared, Toni thought they might be magic.

Firefly Forest

Olivia was surprised to discover that the fireflies didn’t just glow, they also sang.

Robot Spider

When it first crawled ashore, the mechanical spider moved slowly.

Fallen House

Staring at their house, which was now on its side, the whole family was in shock.

Red Riding Hood

If only she’d been riding her faithful steed the day she’d met the Big Bad Wolf, things might have been very different.

Kangaroo Fall

“Well, this is embarrassing,” thought Bouncer, as laughter filled the air around him.

Daci’s big brother said her signs wouldn’t help them find their runaway cat, but he was wrong.

Penguin Bookshop

A visit to Mr. Pickerel’s Penguin Bookshop is always an adventure.

Of all the eggs in the carton, Ella was the one who could always crack you up.

That was the year Min was finally tall enough to ride the Sky Swings, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Rubber Duck Parade

It was truly an honor to be asked to lead the Spring Duck Parade.

Teddy Story Time

Every afternoon, the three friends gathered for story time in their favorite spot in the woods.

Underwater School

Nia thought going to school underwater would be exciting, but some days she really missed going outside for recess.

The day Amos started his journey down the river, the sun was shining brightly.

Turtle Trouble

“None shall pass,” growled the old sea turtle, blocking the way.

Dinosaur Race

Pia was supposed to keep Balthazar on a leash, but once they reached the forest, she set him free and they both began to run.

Finally Seeing Eye to Eye

“So, we meet at last, face to face,” Lord Squeakerton said to his enemy, the Count of Catnip.

It takes a lot to surprise a monkey, but you don’t see something like this every day.

Not Coming Out

The day started out normally enough, but by the end, Chris knew he was in over his head.

Life on Other Planets

“Hurry up,” Grnklor told his robopup. “We have to get back inside before nightfall.”

Reindeer Games

The wind had died down, but the setting sun seemed to take all the warmth of the day with it.

Something to Celebrate

Their classmates could hear their shouts of joy from all the way down the hall.

Home Sweet Mushroom

When the fairies that lived in the garden invited her to stay with them for awhile, Maria wasn’t sure what to expect.

Loch Ness Mystery

“There it is! I told you Nessie is real!” Angus whispered to Lee.

Lonely Bear

It was hard to say who was lonelier that night, Amil or his lost stuffed bear, Jasper.

Sometimes You Lose

When his team lost the championship, Miguel was crushed, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.   

Middle school writing prompts can be a little more complex, with pictures that have a lot of potential interpretations. Encourage students to delve deeper into the story by describing how the characters feel and why they behave the way they do.

Morgan was incredibly proud of those shoes, paid for entirely with money from after-school jobs.

Never Lose Hope

With his last bit of energy, Kai scrawled his message in the wet paint.

The keyboard button could only be used once, and no one knew exactly what happened when you pressed it.

Piano Lessons

Before she could even speak, Arya was drawn to the black and white keys.

There was no doubt about it, this was was indeed a very special kind of garden.

No matter how you looked at it, it had been a very rough day to be the Easter Bunny.

Empty Chairs

By sunset, all four chairs were empty, and the only signs of life were the gulls swooping down from above.

Floating Treasure

To the birds, it was simply a convenient place to land, but Ali and I knew it was much more than that.

Shadow Question

That was the day they discovered that just because you were invisible didn’t mean your shadow was.

Letter and Key

The day she turned 12, Vivi’s aunt handed her an envelope containing the family secret.

Space Target

Onyx paused, knowing that once their arrow hit the target, there was no knowing what would happen.

Mermaid Mystery

It was a mermaid—or was it?

World on a String

Her dad had promised to give her the world, but she wasn’t expecting three more planets as well.

Bee Standoff

“This flower ain’t big enough for the both of us!” said Bianca.

Solitary Seat

For as long as anyone could remember, Angus McGee spent his evenings in the same chair next to the woodstove.

Best Friends

When you decide to run away from home forever, you can’t possibly leave your best friend behind.

Dinosaur Demise

In retrospect, setting the time machine to randomly choose a day and time in the past might not have been such a good idea.

Magic Lamps

“Choose wisely,” said the old shopkeeper, “for only one of these lamps is truly magic.”

Message in a Bottle

The message floated at sea for more than 50 years before the day we found it on the beach.

Barrel Boat

Of all the ways to impress someone, Jonah thought to himself, this had to be one of the most ridiculous.

Dragon Guardian

When your parents give you your own dragon guardian, your childhood is bound to be enchanted.

Octopus’s Garden

Wouldn’t you like to be under the sea, in an octopus’s garden in the shade?

Around the Corner

After finally pressing “send,” she couldn’t resist peeking around the corner to watch him read the text.

Beam Me Up!

Milo’s earliest memory was of watching his beloved tricycle float into the sky above him, caught in a beam of light.

Poison Apple

To join the club, all Aaron had to do was creep up and snatch the apple from the skeleton’s hand without being seen.

Giraffe Council

“It is now 3 p.m., and I call this meeting of the Mighty Council of Giraffes to order,” announced Imari.

Mystery Creature

At first glance, it was hard to tell whether the little creature was friend or foe.

As the sky turned orange, Keisha ran faster than ever and used the last of her energy to push off and soar over the water below.

The End of Days

Despite their best efforts, they arrived too late—the battle had already begun.

Out of the Book

“Happily ever after” was about to take on a whole new meaning.

Stopped Clock

I was sure that the time on the broken clock was the clue to solving the mystery.

Dueling Webs

It’s never a good idea to build your web too close to another spider’s, but this time I had no choice.

Do Shoes Grow on Trees?

The day I threw my own shoes into the tree was the day I really started to grow up.

Abstract Art

“So,” asked their art teacher, “what do you think this painting means?”

Wandering Robots

Everything about NB-317 was made of cardboard except his heart—that was made of flesh and blood and very capable of being broken.

Dream Come True

It all started when Quinn watched her favorite movie the night before they assigned partners for the eighth grade science fair project.

Mysterious Cave

The cave was unlike anything we’d ever seen before, and what was more, it almost seemed like the rock was alive.

Storm at Sea

As the rain lashed his face and lightning tore apart the sky, Kiran had to admit he’d always thought it would be a lot more fun being a pirate.

Grasshopper Close-Up

That’s when Javed realized it wasn’t that the grasshopper was too big—it was that he was suddenly very, very small.

UFO Parking

“Well, that’s convenient,” Javdok remarked to Qabow when they saw the sign.   

High school writers are ready to dig deep, exploring character development and detailed plots. These pictures offer a jumping-off point to set their imaginations free.

Cyborg Girl

When she was 14, Tasha’s parents finally told her the truth about what she really was.

BBQ Cookout

“So, I’m guessing no one told you I’m a vegetarian?” asked Sadie with a smile.

The latest app was like a time machine, allowing people to look back in time, but it also had a dark side.

She was surrounded by people but never felt more alone.

Hippo Troubles

Like all parents, hippos sometimes really need a break from their kids.

iPad Farmer

Grandpa Jack never failed to surprise us.

Marching Band Blues

Kaleel sat sadly on the bench, watching the rest of the band march away in jaunty time to the music.

Never-Ending Tunnel

The tunnel seemed to stretch to infinity, but Jayma knew what was at the end, and it terrified her.

Carving Out Love

For years, we wondered who “WP” was, and who it was who loved them so much they carved it into a tree for all to see.

Glowing Globe

Just then, the globe began to glow, and Jaxson knew he was about to leap through space and time once again—destination unknown.

See No Evil

It seemed like a funny joke to pose the skeletons in front of old Mrs. Petoski’s house, but then she turned up dead, and the police said it was murder.

Upside Down

It’s an odd feeling to wake up one morning and find yourself able to walk on the ceiling.

Face at the Fence

So much depended on which side of the fence you were on.

Bicycle Race

Finley had trained too hard for this race to come in third—it just wasn’t good enough.

Family Travels

In the picture, my grandmother’s expression is hard to interpret, but she’s told me the story many times.

Laundromat Antics

Dani never expected to meet her first love feet first.

Molly’s mom probably didn’t mean for her to be the one to find the note, but that’s how things turned out.

Through the Storm

Javier knew it would have been smarter to stay put, but he had to make sure his mom was safe before the worst of the storm arrived.

Lifetime Friends

They’d been friends for as long as they could remember—even longer, in fact.

Stray Kitten

“I am NOT taking you home with me,” Kai told the tiny mewling kitten firmly.

Abandoned Greenhouse

Willow was free to leave at any time, but she couldn’t make herself go.

Amani’s earliest memory was razor wire—miles and miles of it.

Church Graveyard

Everyone feels differently in a graveyard, but for me, they’re very peaceful places.

Orb of Death

“Do you really want to know?” Death asked. “Because once you know, you won’t be able to forget.”

Missed Shot

Steve was sure his shot would make it, but it bounced off the rim just as the buzzer rang to end the game.

First Contact

This was it—the moment that would change what it meant to be human forever.

One Life To Live

His face said his life had been a hard one, but his eyes told a different tale.

Winter Walk

Snow fell, creating a blank canvas to record the story of that fateful walk.

Train to Nowhere

It certainly wasn’t the most luxurious way to travel, but then again, no one really wanted to make this trip in the first place.

Modern Mary Poppins

She dropped into our lives on a gray day in midwinter, a hint of the spring that was to come.

All That Remains

Dust motes filled the air of the abandoned hallway, replacing the voices once heard there.

From the day he found the little creature, Luis refused to go anywhere without him.

The Question

Their happily ever after began quietly, with a bouquet of wildflowers.

Night Lights

Misty rain both blurred and emphasized the lights that lit Suri’s way home that evening.

Forest of Fear

At first, Mateo thought it was a joke, but the screams that followed told him there was nothing remotely funny about it.

At the elite level, being a spy meant serious commitments.

The Yellow Door

On their 14th birthday, every resident of Fresnia was required to stand before the Wall of Doors and make a choice.

Graffiti Palace

To strangers, it seemed random, but every mark on those walls had deep meaning for us.

Fossil Fish

Millions of years ago, the fish gave one final flop before lying still in the deep mud.

On the Rails

Aliyah stood on the tracks, uncertain of where to go next.

These picture prompts are all works of art, some more well known than others. Try providing them to students without sharing the titles first, then offer up the titles if they need some help getting started.

The Dance Class (Edgar Degas)

Greek Funerary Plaque (520-510 BCE)

Washington Crossing the Delaware (Emanuel Leutze)

Kyōsai’s Pictures of One Hundred Demons

First Steps, After Millet (Vincent van Gogh)

Lady Lilith (Dante Gabriel Rossetti)

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat)

After the Hurricane, Bahamas (Winslow Homer)

Drawing Lots for Prizes (Kitagawa Utamaro)

Portions of Field Armor (Jacob Halder)

Sadie Pfeifer, a Cotton Mill Spinner (Lewis Wickes Hine)

Still Life With Monkey, Fruits, and Flowers (Jean Baptiste Oudry)

Man Leading a Giraffe, 5th Century Byzantine

The Three Skulls (Paul Cézanne)

The Madame B Album (Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier)

Coiled Trumpet in the Form of a Snarling Feline Face (c. 100 BCE to 500 CE)

Crazy Quilt With Animals (Florence Elizabeth Marvin)

Storytime (Eugenio Zampighi)

Cubist Village (Georges Gaudion)

Zig-Zag Passenger and Freight Train (Unknown)

The Power of Music (William Sidney Mount)

The Large Tree (Paul Gauguin)

After the Bath (Mary Cassatt)

Wedding Gown (Korea, Late 1800s)

The Contemplator (Eugène Carrière)

The Girl I Left Behind Me (Eastman Johnson)

24c Curtiss Jenny Invert Single

Creeping Baby Doll Patent Model

Wrecked Zeppelin (British Library)

Skeleton (Tales of Terror Frontispiece)

Get Your Free Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides

Just click the button below to fill out the form and get instant access to free downloadable Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all the prompts included above.

How do you use picture writing prompts in your classroom? Come share ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

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PICTURE PROMPTS

144 Picture Prompts to Inspire Student Writing

A school year’s worth of short, accessible image-driven posts that invite a variety of kinds of writing.

By The Learning Network

We’ve been publishing our Picture Prompts series four days a week since 2016. These short, accessible, image-driven prompts invite students to create short stories, poems and memoirs; share experiences from their lives; analyze illustrations, graphs and charts; and weigh in on hot-button issues.

Here, we’ve rounded up all the Picture Prompts we published for the 2019-20 school year and organized them by the type of writing they ask students to do. You can find even more in our roundups for the 2016-17 , 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years. That’s over 600 prompts in all. And many are still open for comment by students 13 and up.

To learn how you can use Picture Prompts to build literacy skills, promote critical thinking, spark discussion and foster creativity in your classroom — physical or virtual — watch our on-demand webinar, “ A Picture Prompt Is Worth a Thousand Words .” For dozens more ideas, see our lesson plan, “ How to Teach With Our Picture Prompts (and Other Times Images) .”

If you use this feature with your students, or if you have other ideas for how to use photos, illustrations and graphics to encourage writing, let us know in the comments.

What story does this image inspire for you?

Trapped Inside Wilderness Wayfaring Magical Chores I’m Sorry Dollar Bills Dinosaurs Endless Conversation Looking Back Social Distancing Vibrant Youth Fake Ice United States of Love Over the Falls Marching Band Heavy Head Night Circus Submerged Subway Ride Subway Balloons Under the Ice Resourceful Raccoon Calendar Vivid Voices Writing a Novel Passport Scramble Racing Pug Castle on a Hill Clowns Travel In the Hallway Striking Out Meeting in the City

Share experiences from your own life.

Collect Them All The Stories Maps Can Tell Strange Times, Strange Dreams Songs of Hope Drawing Ramadan in Isolation Across Divides Instagram Challenges Book Updates Funny Flicks Stuck in Paradise Pandemic Projects Home Cooking Your Learning Space Empty Spaces Helpers Favorite Flops St. Patrick’s Day Birthdays The Agony of Defeat Alligators in the Sewers In Memoriam Sibling Dynamics Slumber Parties Food Favors Super Bowl LIV Morning Moods Lunar New Year Internet Affirmation Pet Keepsakes Stargazing New Year, New You? Last-Minute Shopping Car-Free Travel Feasting With Family Mister Rogers ‘No.’ Dream House Strange Cuisine Multitasking Headless Horseman Music Therapy The Heroic Ideal A Place of Solace Pet Pampering Notes of Lavender Neighborhood Celebrations Fashion Idols Tributes Family Cooks Favorite Season Back to School

What do you think this image, chart or cartoon is saying?

‘OK Boomer’ Shadows Open and Shut Baseball Eyeballs Protesting Carrying the Weight Music Notes Flickering Sign Helping Hands Brick Wall Inside a Book Talking and Listening Maze Credit and Blame Newspaper City Pack of People ‘A 📖 of Two 🏙’ Head Spinning You Love You, Bro The President’s Tweets Split Reflections Forest in a Stadium Chasing ‘They’ Missiles, Hummers and Tanks Looking Over the Edge

What’s your opinion on this issue?

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Resources for Teachers: Creating Writing Assignments

This page contains four specific areas:

Creating Effective Assignments

Checking the assignment, sequencing writing assignments, selecting an effective writing assignment format.

Research has shown that the more detailed a writing assignment is, the better the student papers are in response to that assignment. Instructors can often help students write more effective papers by giving students written instructions about that assignment. Explicit descriptions of assignments on the syllabus or on an “assignment sheet” tend to produce the best results. These instructions might make explicit the process or steps necessary to complete the assignment. Assignment sheets should detail:

• the kind of writing expected
• the scope of acceptable subject matter
• the length requirements
• formatting requirements
• documentation format
• the amount and type of research expected (if any)
• the writer’s role
• deadlines for the first draft and its revision

Providing questions or needed data in the assignment helps students get started. For instance, some questions can suggest a mode of organization to the students. Other questions might suggest a procedure to follow. The questions posed should require that students assert a thesis.

The following areas should help you create effective writing assignments.

Examining your goals for the assignment

• How exactly does this assignment fit with the objectives of your course?
• Should this assignment relate only to the class and the texts for the class, or should it also relate to the world beyond the classroom?
• What do you want the students to learn or experience from this writing assignment?
• Should this assignment be an individual or a collaborative effort?
• What do you want students to show you in this assignment? To demonstrate mastery of concepts or texts? To demonstrate logical and critical thinking? To develop an original idea? To learn and demonstrate the procedures, practices, and tools of your field of study?

Defining the writing task

• Is the assignment sequenced so that students: (1) write a draft, (2) receive feedback (from you, fellow students, or staff members at the Writing and Communication Center), and (3) then revise it? Such a procedure has been proven to accomplish at least two goals: it improves the student’s writing and it discourages plagiarism.
• Does the assignment include so many sub-questions that students will be confused about the major issue they should examine? Can you give more guidance about what the paper’s main focus should be? Can you reduce the number of sub-questions?
• What is the purpose of the assignment (e.g., review knowledge already learned, find additional information, synthesize research, examine a new hypothesis)? Making the purpose(s) of the assignment explicit helps students write the kind of paper you want.
• What is the required form (e.g., expository essay, lab report, memo, business report)?
• What mode is required for the assignment (e.g., description, narration, analysis, persuasion, a combination of two or more of these)?

Defining the audience for the paper

• Can you define a hypothetical audience to help students determine which concepts to define and explain? When students write only to the instructor, they may assume that little, if anything, requires explanation. Defining the whole class as the intended audience will clarify this issue for students.
• What is the probable attitude of the intended readers toward the topic itself? Toward the student writer’s thesis? Toward the student writer?
• What is the probable educational and economic background of the intended readers?

Defining the writer’s role

• Can you make explicit what persona you wish the students to assume? For example, a very effective role for student writers is that of a “professional in training” who uses the assumptions, the perspective, and the conceptual tools of the discipline.

Defining your evaluative criteria

1. If possible, explain the relative weight in grading assigned to the quality of writing and the assignment’s content:

• depth of coverage
• organization
• critical thinking
• original thinking
• use of research
• logical demonstration
• appropriate mode of structure and analysis (e.g., comparison, argument)
• correct use of sources
• grammar and mechanics
• professional tone
• correct use of course-specific concepts and terms.

Here’s a checklist for writing assignments:

• Have you used explicit command words in your instructions (e.g., “compare and contrast” and “explain” are more explicit than “explore” or “consider”)? The more explicit the command words, the better chance the students will write the type of paper you wish.
• Does the assignment suggest a topic, thesis, and format? Should it?
• Have you told students the kind of audience they are addressing — the level of knowledge they can assume the readers have and your particular preferences (e.g., “avoid slang, use the first-person sparingly”)?
• If the assignment has several stages of completion, have you made the various deadlines clear? Is your policy on due dates clear?
• Have you presented the assignment in a manageable form? For instance, a 5-page assignment sheet for a 1-page paper may overwhelm students. Similarly, a 1-sentence assignment for a 25-page paper may offer insufficient guidance.

There are several benefits of sequencing writing assignments:

• Sequencing provides a sense of coherence for the course.
• This approach helps students see progress and purpose in their work rather than seeing the writing assignments as separate exercises.
• It encourages complexity through sustained attention, revision, and consideration of multiple perspectives.
• If you have only one large paper due near the end of the course, you might create a sequence of smaller assignments leading up to and providing a foundation for that larger paper (e.g., proposal of the topic, an annotated bibliography, a progress report, a summary of the paper’s key argument, a first draft of the paper itself). This approach allows you to give students guidance and also discourages plagiarism.
• It mirrors the approach to written work in many professions.

The concept of sequencing writing assignments also allows for a wide range of options in creating the assignment. It is often beneficial to have students submit the components suggested below to your course’s STELLAR web site.

Use the writing process itself. In its simplest form, “sequencing an assignment” can mean establishing some sort of “official” check of the prewriting and drafting steps in the writing process. This step guarantees that students will not write the whole paper in one sitting and also gives students more time to let their ideas develop. This check might be something as informal as having students work on their prewriting or draft for a few minutes at the end of class. Or it might be something more formal such as collecting the prewriting and giving a few suggestions and comments.

Have students submit drafts. You might ask students to submit a first draft in order to receive your quick responses to its content, or have them submit written questions about the content and scope of their projects after they have completed their first draft.

Establish small groups. Set up small writing groups of three-five students from the class. Allow them to meet for a few minutes in class or have them arrange a meeting outside of class to comment constructively on each other’s drafts. The students do not need to be writing on the same topic.

Require consultations. Have students consult with someone in the Writing and Communication Center about their prewriting and/or drafts. The Center has yellow forms that we can give to students to inform you that such a visit was made.

Explore a subject in increasingly complex ways. A series of reading and writing assignments may be linked by the same subject matter or topic. Students encounter new perspectives and competing ideas with each new reading, and thus must evaluate and balance various views and adopt a position that considers the various points of view.

Change modes of discourse. In this approach, students’ assignments move from less complex to more complex modes of discourse (e.g., from expressive to analytic to argumentative; or from lab report to position paper to research article).

Change audiences. In this approach, students create drafts for different audiences, moving from personal to public (e.g., from self-reflection to an audience of peers to an audience of specialists). Each change would require different tasks and more extensive knowledge.

Change perspective through time. In this approach, students might write a statement of their understanding of a subject or issue at the beginning of a course and then return at the end of the semester to write an analysis of that original stance in the light of the experiences and knowledge gained in the course.

Use a natural sequence. A different approach to sequencing is to create a series of assignments culminating in a final writing project. In scientific and technical writing, for example, students could write a proposal requesting approval of a particular topic. The next assignment might be a progress report (or a series of progress reports), and the final assignment could be the report or document itself. For humanities and social science courses, students might write a proposal requesting approval of a particular topic, then hand in an annotated bibliography, and then a draft, and then the final version of the paper.

Have students submit sections. A variation of the previous approach is to have students submit various sections of their final document throughout the semester (e.g., their bibliography, review of the literature, methods section).

In addition to the standard essay and report formats, several other formats exist that might give students a different slant on the course material or allow them to use slightly different writing skills. Here are some suggestions:

Journals. Journals have become a popular format in recent years for courses that require some writing. In-class journal entries can spark discussions and reveal gaps in students’ understanding of the material. Having students write an in-class entry summarizing the material covered that day can aid the learning process and also reveal concepts that require more elaboration. Out-of-class entries involve short summaries or analyses of texts, or are a testing ground for ideas for student papers and reports. Although journals may seem to add a huge burden for instructors to correct, in fact many instructors either spot-check journals (looking at a few particular key entries) or grade them based on the number of entries completed. Journals are usually not graded for their prose style. STELLAR forums work well for out-of-class entries.

Letters. Students can define and defend a position on an issue in a letter written to someone in authority. They can also explain a concept or a process to someone in need of that particular information. They can write a letter to a friend explaining their concerns about an upcoming paper assignment or explaining their ideas for an upcoming paper assignment. If you wish to add a creative element to the writing assignment, you might have students adopt the persona of an important person discussed in your course (e.g., an historical figure) and write a letter explaining his/her actions, process, or theory to an interested person (e.g., “pretend that you are John Wilkes Booth and write a letter to the Congress justifying your assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” or “pretend you are Henry VIII writing to Thomas More explaining your break from the Catholic Church”).

Editorials . Students can define and defend a position on a controversial issue in the format of an editorial for the campus or local newspaper or for a national journal.

Cases . Students might create a case study particular to the course’s subject matter.

Position Papers . Students can define and defend a position, perhaps as a preliminary step in the creation of a formal research paper or essay.

Imitation of a Text . Students can create a new document “in the style of” a particular writer (e.g., “Create a government document the way Woody Allen might write it” or “Write your own ‘Modest Proposal’ about a modern issue”).

Instruction Manuals . Students write a step-by-step explanation of a process.

Dialogues . Students create a dialogue between two major figures studied in which they not only reveal those people’s theories or thoughts but also explore areas of possible disagreement (e.g., “Write a dialogue between Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock about the nature and uses of art”).

Collaborative projects . Students work together to create such works as reports, questions, and critiques.

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• Image Prompts

85+ Picture Writing Prompts For Kids (+ Free Printable)

A picture is worth a thousand words. So how many words can you write for these 85 picture writing prompts for kids and grow-ups alike! Pictures, whether something as simple as an apple or as complex as an action scene can spark the imagination in more ways than one.

Of course, when looking at pictures you can take the literal route, and describe whatever you see in front of you. Or you can explore your imagination, and think about the ‘What Ifs..’ of a picture. What if that person is actually upset? What if this picture is of a broken family? What if the world looked like this years ago? A picture can have so many hidden meanings and can hide so many secrets. The slightest detail could mean everything. Just imagine you’re a detective solving a crime from one picture alone. Examine every detail, write it down and think why? Only then can you fully understand a picture.

For more inspiration take part in our daily picture writing prompt challenge . Each day you will be given a new picture prompt to write about.

Picture Prompt Generator

In this post, we have included a mix of simple pictures, story picture prompts, photographs, fantasy images and even some action-packed images.

You can find the complete list of our picture writing prompts below. We’ve also created a smaller PDF version that includes 30 random picture prompts. Download the printable PDF here .

You might also be interested in the following posts:

• 30 Christmas Pictures To Get You Writing ‘Tis Jolly Season
• 25+ Halloween Image Prompts For Mastering Horror Stories
• How to Use Image prompts To Inspire You

150 Picture Prompts To Inspire

Over 85 picture prompts for creative writing, story-telling and descriptive writing assignments:

How to Use these Prompts

Picture prompts are the perfect writing stimulus especially when you hit writer’s block . Here are a number of ways you can use these picture writing prompts to spark your imagination:

• Descriptive Writing: Directly describe everything you see in extreme detail. You could even go beyond the physical appearance of things, and explore your other senses, such as smell, hear, feel and taste.
• Story-Telling: Pick just one image, and tell a whole story based on this one image.
• Story Starter: Similarly you can pick one image, and use it as the starting place of your story.
• Collaborative Story-Telling: In a group of 5 – 7 students, each student can have a random picture. The first student uses their picture as the story starter, and then the next student continues the story based on their own image. Keep going until the final student ends the story.
• Idea Generation: Pick one image and try to think of at least 3 story ideas related to that one image. 
• Daily Writing Challenge: Give your students 7 images, and tell them to write a description for each image every day. 

These are just some ways to use images as writing prompts. You can also check our post on 8 fun story-telling games using image prompts for more ideas.  Did you find our picture writing prompts useful? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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8 Ways to Create AI-Proof Writing Prompts

C reating 100 percent AI-proof writing prompts can often be impossible but that doesn’t mean there aren’t strategies that can limit the efficacy of AI work. These techniques can also help ensure more of the writing submitted in your classroom is human-generated. 

I started seeing a big uptick in AI-generated work submitted in my classes over the last year and that has continued. As a result, I’ve gotten much better at recognizing AI work , but I’ve also gotten better at creating writing prompts that are less AI-friendly. 

Essentially, I like to use the public health Swiss cheese analogy when thinking about AI prevention: All these strategies on their own have holes but when you layer the cheese together, you create a barrier that’s hard to get through. 

The eight strategies here may not prevent students from submitting AI work, but I find these can incentivize human writing and make sure that any work submitted via AI will not really meet the requirements of the assignment. 

1. Writing AI-Proof Prompts: Put Your Prompt Into Popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Bard 

Putting your writing prompt into an AI tools will give you an immediate idea of how most AI tools will handle your prompt. If the various AI chatbots do a good, or at least adequate, job immediately, it might be wise to tweak the prompt. 

One of my classes asks students to write about a prized possession. When you put this prompt into an AI chatbot, it frequently returns an essay about a family member's finely crafted watch. Obviously, I now watch out for any essays about watches. 

2. Forbid Cliché Use

Probably the quickest and easiest way to cut back on some AI use is to come down hard on cliché use in writing assignments. AI tools are essentially cliché machines, so banning these can prevent a lot of AI use. 

Equally as important, this practice will help your students become better writers. As any good writer knows, clichés should be avoided like the plague. 

3. Incorporate Recent Events

The free version of ChatGPT only has access to events up to 2022. While there are plugins to allow it to search the internet and other internet-capable AI tools, some students won’t get further than ChatGPT. 

More importantly, in my experience, all AI tools struggle to incorporate recent events as effectively as historic ones. So connecting class material and assignments to events such as a recent State of Union speech or the Academy Awards will make any AI writing use less effective. 

4. Require Quotes

AI tools can incorporate direct quotations but most are not very good at doing so. The quotes used tend to be very short and not as well-placed within essays. 

Asking an AI tool for recent quotes also can be particularly problematic for today’s robot writers. For instance, I asked Microsoft's Copilot to summarize the recent Academy Awards using quotes, and specifically asked it to quote from Oppenheimer's director Christopher Nolan’s acceptance speech. It quoted something Nolan had previously said instead. Copilot also quoted from Wes Anderson’s acceptance speech, an obvious error since Anderson wasn’t at the awards .  

5. Make Assignments Personal

Having students reflect on material in their own lives can be a good way to prevent AI writing. In-person teachers can get to know their students well enough to know when these types of personal details are fabricated. 

I teach online but still find it easier to tell when a more personalized prompt was written by AI. For example, one student submitted a paper about how much she loved skateboarding that was so non-specific it screamed AI written. Another submitted a post about a pair of sneakers that was also clearly written by a "sole-less" AI (I could tell because of the clichés and other reasons). 

6. Make Primary or Scholarly Sources Mandatory

Requiring sources that are not easily accessible on the internet can stop AI writing in its tracks. I like to have students find historic newspapers for certain assignments. The AI tools I am familiar with can’t incorporate these. 

For instance, I asked Copilot to compare coverage of the first Academy Awards in the media to the most recent awards show and to include quotes from historic newspaper coverage. The comparison was not well done and there were no quotes from historical newspaper coverage. 

AI tools also struggle to incorporate journal articles. Encouraging your students to include these types of sources ensures the work they produce is deeper than something that can be revealed by a quick Google search, which not only makes it harder for AI to write but also can raise the overall quality.  

7. Require Interviews, Field Trips, Etc. 

Building on primary and scholarly sources, you can have your students conduct interviews or go on field trips to historic sites, museums, etc. 

AI is still, thankfully, incapable of engaging in these types of behavior. This requires too much work for every assignment but it is the most effective way to truly ensure your work is human- not computer-written. 

If you’re still worried about AI use, you can even go a step further by asking your students to include photos of them with their interview subjects or from the field trips. Yes, AI art generators are getting better as well, but remember the Swiss cheese analogy? Every layer of prevention can help. 

8. Have Students Write During Class

As I said to start, none of the methods discussed are foolproof. Many ways around these safeguards already exist and there will be more ways to bypass these in the future. So if you’re really, really worried about AI use you may want to choose what I call the “nuclear option.” If you teach in person you can require students to write essays in person. 

This approach definitely works for preventing AI and is okay for short pieces, but for longer pieces, it has a lot of downsides. I would have trouble writing a long piece in this setting and imagine many students will as well. Additionally, this requirement could create an accusatory class atmosphere that is more focused on preventing AI use than actually teaching. It’s also not practical for online teaching. 

That all being said, given how common AI writing has become in education, I understand why some teachers will turn to this method. Hopefully, suggestions 1-7 will work but if AI-generated papers are still out of hand in your classroom, this is a blunt-force method that can work temporarily. 

Good luck and may your assignments be free of AI writing! 

• 7 Ways To Detect AI Writing Without Technology
• Best Free AI Detection Sites
• My Student Was Submitting AI Papers. Here's What I Did

Washington Square News

Students arrested at Gould Plaza required to complete ‘dozens of writing assignments,’ faculty group says

NYU’s Office of Student Conduct is allegedly requiring that some students arrested at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in Gould Plaza write “reflection papers” and complete “dozens of writing assignments,” a recent Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine press release stated. The release said that in emails se​nt last week, the university informed students they would receive a censure — or a “ formal reprimand for violation of university policy ” — on their transcripts if they did not submit the assignments by May 29. 

One of the assignments instructed students to write a reflection paper describing the “incident” for which they were called in the OSC and assessing whether the decision they made aligned with their “personal values.” The paper “cannot serve to justify” the student’s actions, “evaluate the actions of others, or challenge a conduct regulation,” according to the assignment’s instructions. The other assignment is a 49-page “series of readings and reflective activities” that aims to help students “learn about and understand” their own values and how their actions “affected others and the community.”

“Either they really don’t understand that these students are living their values, or this was just intended to be humiliating and infantilizing,” Sara Pursley, a CAS professor and FSJP member, said in an interview with WSN. “It’s ironic to say the least that, in an essay on integrity, they tell students they can’t actually talk about what their real values were.” 

In the May 13 press release, FSJP also criticized NYU’s use of Advocate — a higher education software created by the “behavioral intervention management” company Symplicity — which the group claims houses the OSC’s writing prompts. The group noted that Symplicity, which supplies student conduct programs to NYU and over 250 universities, pleaded guilty in federal court on criminal hacking charges in 2014. 

In a written statement to WSN, university spokesperson John Beckman called FSJP’s press release “disappointingly misleading” and said that the only people “determining the sanctions that students may receive from conduct proceedings” are staff at the OSC.

“The implication that there’s something insidious going on or that NYU has ‘outsourced’ adjudication of the university’s student conduct procedures is deceptive propaganda,” Beckman wrote. “Symplicity has nothing —  repeat, nothing — to do with the specific sanctions NYU students may receive as a result of a conduct process.”

The FSJP press release comes after the university had allegedly dropped criminal charges brought against all protesters arrested at the pro-Palestinian encampment in Gould Plaza three weeks ago, including dozens of students and faculty . Since the encampment, on-campus groups, including FSJP and the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition have been demanding that NYU pardon students facing disciplinary action for their involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, divest from companies with ties to Israel, shut down its study away site in Tel Aviv and remove police from campus. 

NYU allegedly began disciplinary hearing for students who were involved with pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus last week, although NYU PSC did not say how many students received misconduct violations or what university policies they were accused of violating. More recently, nine students were suspended and two were given persona non grata status after a demonstration in Bobst Library on Friday, according to NYU PSC. 

Contact Dharma Niles at [email protected] .

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Telling detail in Harry and Meghan tour pictures

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just completed their first overseas mission since Megxit and something strange has been going on.

King Charles’ unsettling new portrait

Twist after shock Harry, Meghan claim

Sussexes charity declared ‘delinquent’

I never had much cause to use the word ‘bamboozled’ before I started writing about the royal family . Or ‘befuddled’. Or ‘gobsmacked’.

Yet they have all been sorely needed and used thanks to a toadyish Prince Andrew, hoist on the petard of his ego and freebie holidays with a pedophile. Thanks to a duke and his duchess who decided they preferred to make light infotainment than having to suit up and take the late Queen’s shilling. And thanks to a king and a princess being struck with cancer at nearly the exact moment.

And today? Let’s go for ‘disoriented’ with a strong side note of slightly dizzy.

Prince Harry and Meghan , the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have just wrapped their first overseas tour in the four-plus years since the cymbal clash of Megxit – and the deja vu is pretty much blinding.

The last time the duke and duchess jetted off to gladhand a foreign nation it was September 2019, when they travelled to South Africa. It was a make-or-break-oh-jeez-so-much-is-on-the-line moment.

We saw the couple surrounded by adoring schoolchildren, the duchess flew the flag for women’s empowerment, there was dancing, there was a nod to Diana, Princess of Wales through Meghan’s jewellery, and Harry spent time supporting people scared by conflict.

And this time? Late last week the duke and duchess flew to Nigeria. It was a make-or-break-oh-jeez-so-much-is-on-the-line moment.

Errrr …. quite what year is it?

Look at images of the Sussexes three-day tour of the West African nation from last week and it is a discombobulating (there’s another word) experience, with the main beats looking eerily like that of their 2019 South African one. Take a look at the striking visual similarity.

For example, the photos of Harry and Meghan on the floor while visiting a mosque in Cape Town in 2019 and then the shots of them in Abuja last week.

Or take the myriad shots of the crowds of adoring children who flocked to the beaming couple in 2019. And the crowds of adoring children who flocked to the beaming couple in 2024.

And then there are their two programs, conducted nearly five years apart.

Back then, Meghan met with women entrepreneurs and technology investors and attended a “Women in Public Service” breakfast. Last week, Meghan spoke at a Women in Leadership event co-hosted with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.

In South Africa Meghan claimed kinship in a powerful speech, saying “I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour, and as your sister.”

In Nigeria, Meghan referenced “this country … my country.” (In her 2022 podcast Archetypes the duchess revealed that a genealogy test had revealed she was 43 per cent Nigerian .)

In 2019, Harry travelled to Huambo in Angola and spent time with those wounded by landmines and amputees. In 2024, Harry visited a military amputee hospital.

In 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with the British High Commissioner. In 2024, they met with the Governor of Lagos State.

So what are we to make of this? Why might their first post-palace overseas sortie have looked so much like their last international role of the dice as full time HRHs?

First off the bat, this is about commitment.

What the duke and duchess’ Nigeria schedule shows is that the duo, despite having changed countries, jobs, allegiances, continents, time zones and religions (from Church of England to the Gospel of Oprah) they have remained steadfast and true to their primary causes.

Harry has long championed veterans and the military community and focused on the power of sport to heal; women’s empowerment has long been Meghan’s bailiwick.

But second up we get to the less cheer-worthy part. I wonder, do Harry and Meghan have any idea how to do post-royal work that does not look quite so, um, royal?

Since huffing off into the sunset to make it in the US in 2020, as the duke and duchess have carved out hit-and-miss book, TV and podcasting careers, they have also valiantly fought to work out how to be public figures under their own aegis, banner and steam.

So far it has not been a battle they seem to be out and out winning.

The 2022 accounts for their Archewell Foundation showed they pulled in just over $3 million in donations (down from $19.6 million in their debut year). This is a far cry from the $19.9 million that William and Kate’s Royal Foundation (of which the Sussexes were formerly half owners) made in the same year.

(This month California’s lawyer general issued a “delinquency notice” to Archewell for not having filed its most recent tax return . According to The Telegraph , the documents were filed on time but a posted cheque got lost en route and it has now been sorted.)

Even if Harry and Meghan don’t have to worry about how to foot the bill for their good works, there is the actual doing part.

Giving speeches, shaking hands, going to a charity fundraising event here and there, recording the occasional video, and posting regularly about good works via their own channels: This has been, for years, the cornerstone of the professional royaling done by King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales – and pretty much exactly what the Sussexes are still doing even though they are in the US.

The couple, having left the royal family back in 2020 because they wanted to be free agents and to be able to follow their own unhampered, bold and authentic star, charity-wise that star looks remarkably similar to the one that still hangs over Buckingham Palace.

The Sussexes’ attempts at off-piste, more adventurous do-gooding have not exactly met with roaring success. Meghan’s 40x40 mentoring initiative from 2021 all but vanished overnight and it is now nearly two years since, during a Vogue conversation with Gloria Steinem, the duchess told the feminist icon, “it seems as though you and I will be taking a trip to D.C. together soon.” No trip has yet occurred.

The Sussexes have also struggled to match the scale or reach of the work they did under the royal umbrella.

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I’m not suggesting it’s a matter of the couple’s will or interest but, now that they are working freelance, they have struggled to quite find a new vision or MO. Meanwhile, they have had to face much slimmer budgets and do all this without the bureaucratic and covering might of the monarchy behind them.

There is one more congruence between the Sussexes’ 2019 tour and their 2024 one – the Duchess of Sussex has again proven she is the absolute and utter Queen of the tour wardrobe. And in case you are wondering, thanks to the Telegraph, we know that “Camp Sussex is keen to make clear that Meghan styles herself”. Noted.

Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles

The monarch has showcased his first post-coronation portrait, just weeks after returning to public duties amid his cancer battle.

Sources close to the royal couple have hit back after their charity was branded “delinquent” amid claims its had allowed its fees to lapse.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s charity has been declared “not in good standing” by the watchdog after failing to pay fees and disclose documents.