creative writing samples for grade 1

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25 Fun First Grade Writing & Storytelling Prompts (Free Printable!)

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First graders have lots of big ideas and opinions, but they are still learning how to put letters and words together in order to communicate in writing. Help spark their imaginations and get them writing with these 25 first grade writing prompts.

The following writing prompts are designed to spark your first grader’s imaginations and get them writing! And they are perfect for in-person or virtual learning.

(Want this entire set in one easy document? Get your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here, so you’ll always have the challenges available!)

1. After school I love to_______.

2. I’m proud of myself when_____.

3. To be a friend you must_____.

4. One of the fun things my family likes to do together is _____. 

5. Would you rather fly like a bird or swim like a shark? Why?

6. If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?

7. What would you put in a treasure chest?

8. This is how you make a sandwich.

9. If I were as tiny as an ant, I would ______.

10. My favorite color is ____ because_____.

11. I’m excited to learn about _____. 

12. Who is the funniest person you know?

13. If I could fly, I would go_____.

14. My favorite thing to do on the playground is_____.

15. I’m really good at_____.

16. Listening is really important because_____.

17. When a friend is sad how can you help them feel better?

18. List five things you know about bugs.

19. What is your favorite sport? Why?

20. I like to read books about_____.

21. My favorite art activity is_____.

22. One thing I find very interesting is_____.

23. I am different because_____.

24. When I am by myself I like to_____.

25. What are three things you do before you go to bed at night?

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100 Fun Writing Prompts for 1st Grade: Journal Prompts

• Narrative Writing Prompts
• Informative Essay Writing Prompts
• Research Writing Prompts
• Funny Writing Prompts
• Self-writing Prompts
• Fiction Writing Prompts
• Animal Writing Prompts
• Journal Writing Prompts For 1st Graders
• Descriptive Writing Prompts

Writing prompts are important tools that parents can use when they want to improve their child’s inherent abilities. The right 1st grade writing prompts can help your kids improve their writing, reading, comprehension, and visual processing abilities.

By having prompts of different themes, styles, and objectives, you can diversify the way that your child approaches writing. You can also enhance their divergent thinking abilities with the right writing prompts. Let’s start with our list of the 100 best writing prompts for 1 st graders.

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Here are more educational resources for your first grader so that they never stop practicing!

10 Narrative Writing Prompts

Narratives can be powerful teaching tools to help kids understand the importance of sequencing in writing. They can practice the core skills of narration, including storytelling, plot design, and conclusion. The best narrative-driven 1st grade journal prompts can help kids refine their writing capabilities. You can use these 1st grade narrative writing prompts to help your young ones develop their storytelling. 

1. What if you had a magical wand? What would you do with it?  

2. What are your favorite after-school activities?

3. Describe a time when you felt lost. What did you do? How did you feel?

4. What superpower would you love to have the most?

5. What are your favorite things about being in the 1 st grade?

6. Describe a difficult time in your life when you had to face some form of adversity.

7. What is your best memory from a vacation that you took with your family?

8. If you could meet one cartoon character in real life, who would it be?

9. Describe your favorite animal. What are its characteristics?

10. What is your favorite holiday? Why do you love that time of the year? 

10 Informative Essay Writing Prompts

Informative prompts help kids understand the value of being accurate, precise, and descriptive. You can have them talk about events, historical figures, and facts in greater detail with the right informative prompts.

1. Write an informative essay about animated movies for kids .  

2. Pick any stationery item from school. Write about the importance of using that tool.

3. Talk about why it is important to consume healthy foods. Why are vegetables good for us?

4. Talk about how you would teach a special skill to someone you’ve never met.

5. Talk about your favorite hobbies. Why do you enjoy participating in them?

6. Think about what you want to be when you grow up. Talk about your plan on how you’re going to achieve it.

7. Explain in detail why reading is important for all 1 st grade kids.

8. Talk about a time when you failed at something. How did you get back up and succeed?

9. What do you like the most about your best friend? Why is your friendship so special?

10. Select a food item that you love eating, and talk about why it is your favorite.

10 Research Writing Prompts

Research writing is an innovative way of instilling the right work ethic in kids at an early age. You can have your kids practice reviewing, researching, and fact-checking when they prepare their writing prompts. The best 1st grade writing prompts are research-driven ones that require extensive analysis and reviewing. 

1. Talk about the origin of alligators.

2. What is the lifecycle of a butterfly? Write about all major stages.  

3. What is germination? Write about the process of germination.

4. Why does the earth have oceans?

5. Why does an elephant have large tuskers?

6. Write down five facts about your favorite teacher.

7. Research your family history. What are some interesting facts that you could find?

8. Find ten facts about your city and what makes the city special.

9. What is a biome? Why do we have biomes?

10. What does an ant eat? Describe its journey.  

10 Funny Writing Prompts

Funny 1st grade writing prompts can be hilarious to work on, giving younger kids a chance to develop their humor. You can have them imagine funny scenarios and come up with jokes that are in the form of long paragraphs. You can talk to them about the idea of a premise, a funny line, and a storytelling joke for kids .

1. Imagine a world where every house is a gingerbread house. What would your living room look like?

2. Write a funny story about going to space and meeting an alien.

3. Write an adventure short story about saving your friend from ghosts.

4. Write a funny story about futuristic methods of transportation.

5. Imagine that you’re permanently stuck on a ship. What would your life be like?

6. Write a story about what would happen if you woke up in a dog’s body.

7. Write a story about diving into the deepest ocean in the world.

8. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

9. What would you do if you had a tiger as a pet?

10. You have just invented a translation machine to talk to animals. What would you say first? 

10 Self-writing Prompts

Poems for kids can be an excellent form of self-expression. You can introduce poetic 1st grade writing prompts and have your little ones practice their creative thinking skills. Poems can also empower kids to sound letters and words, which helps in cementing phonics and other concepts.

1. Write a poem about your favorite animals. 

2. Talk about your day, but in the form of a poem. Make it rhyme to AABB.    

3. Create a poem about the spring season.   

4. Write a Haiku about the sky.

5. Create a Limerick about how much you love dancing.

6. Write a poem about the tiniest things in the universe.

7. Can you write a poem about words that don’t rhyme? Try it!

8. Write a poem about the letters of the alphabet.

9. Write a short poem about how much you love your family.

10. Write a poem about counting fruit, vegetables, or marbles. 

10 Fiction Writing Prompts

Fiction-based 1st grade writing prompts are also amazing writing tools that can help your child access new areas of their creative thinking. You can help them uncover their true writing potential and improve their problem-solving skills with the right fiction-themed 1st grade writing prompts.

1. You’re suddenly thrust into a game of Island survival and are tasked with saving the people. What would you do?

2. On your next fishing trip, you spot a deep-sea monster. Describe it in detail.

3. You suddenly have wings and are able to fly freely through the sky. Where do you go first?

4. You just slipped on a banana peel and made a mess. How do you clean it up?

5. You left for school and realized that all the streets are made of candy. What happens next?

6. You met Santa’s reindeer in the spring. What kind of questions would you ask it?

7. There are dinosaurs everywhere, and they’re taking control of the city. What happens next?

8. You’re a time traveler and you decided to visit ancient Egypt. What do you see?

9. Start a fairy tale and complete it with the prompt – “There was once a fire-breathing dragon protecting middle earth.”

10. You’re asked to write a completely new language. What would it sound like? 

10 Animal Writing Prompts

Animal-themed 1st grade writing prompts can bring a sense of joy back into practicing writing. Your kids can explore the depths of their imagination with prompts about different habitats and species. With the right animal-based 1st grade writing prompts, you can also improve their visual processing capabilities. 

1. What is your favorite animal in the whole wide world? Why?

2. Describe your last visit to a petting zoo.

3. If you met a talking cat, what would it say?

4. Which dog breed do you love the most?

5. I love dogs because they are _.

6. What magical animal would you like to meet and why? (Unicorn, dragon, etc.)

7. If you could pick up three animal traits, what would they be?

8. Think of a completely new imaginary animal. What would it look like?

9. Who’s the scariest animal in the jungle?

10. What kind of animal makes the best pet? Why? 

10 Prompts to Help Your Kids Understand and Appreciate Emotions

Some of the most impactful 1st grade journal prompts focus on writing about emotions. While opinion writing prompts 1st grade questions are great, you can really get into the mental framework of a child with emotion-driven prompts. 

1. When was the last time you were brave?

2. How do you feel when you goof up? Do you feel angry or sad?

3. What I love about myself is _.   

4. What makes me happy is when I am _.

5. How do you comfort a friend who is feeling scared?

6. Recall the last time you burst out laughing. How did you feel?

7. Sometimes I feel sad about _.

8. If I could change one thing in the world, it would be _.

9. Sometimes I am hard on myself about _.

10. Something I wish I were better at is _.  

10 Journal Writing Prompts For 1st Graders

The best first grade journal prompts are the ones that involve introspection, critical thinking, and active recalling. You can improve their writing and comprehension skills with some fun writing prompts for 1st grade students.

1. How are you feeling today? Talk about what emotions you felt.

2. What are five things that you are grateful for?

3. What is the one thing that surprised you today?

4. I love my mom because she’s _.

5. My idea of a fun vacation is.

6. If I lived on a mountain, my daily routine would be.

7. This spring season, I plan on doing _.

8. I love my sibling because _.

9. Write about your last vacation.

10. My favorite day of the year is.  

10 Descriptive Writing Prompts

When it comes to writing topics for 1st graders, descriptive ones are some of the most fun for little kids. The top writing ideas for 1st grade students can involve describing events, objects, narratives, and storylines, giving them more control on their vision for their answers. You can use these creative writing prompts 1st grade level questions at any time during the year. 

1. Describe a dream walk through a garden.

2. Describe a typical school day in detail.

3. What type of music makes you happy? Describe why you love your favorite artist.

4. Describe the most interesting birthday you’ve had.

5. What’s your favorite hobby? Describe it in detail.

6. How would you describe a smartphone to someone from 1920?

7. What’s your favorite dessert? Why do you love it so much?

8. Which is your favorite memory in the whole wide world?

9. Talk about someone you look up to in detail.

10. Is there a comic book hero you love? Describe their qualities and what makes them special. 

Quick Tips on Helping Your 1st Grader Improve Their Writing Skills

Now that we’ve explored the best writing prompts for 1 st graders, you can help them become better at the craft with the right strategies. You can use the best 1st grade journal prompts and encourage your kids to write with clarity and purpose.

You should also use different types of writing prompts for 1st grade kids. This will help you keep things interesting for your little ones while making them feel joyful when writing. In fact, the best 1st grade journal topics are the ones that are within your kids’ realm of interest.

Additionally, you can continue to reward them for writing extensively. By giving them toys, books, and colorful stationery, you can subtly encourage them to continue improving their writing and comprehension at the 1 st grade level. 

Start With The Best Prompts That Appeal to Your Kids

You can start by mixing around writing prompts for your kids with different styles. You can also prepare your own prompts by referencing the examples mentioned above. The best way to get your kids excited about writing is to give them prompts that make them think outside the box.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your kids writing engaging narratives with these amazing writing prompts!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do i select the right writing prompts for my 1st grader.

You should start with topics that they enjoy talking about organically.

How do I improve participation and excitement for writing prompts?

You can have them write about their favorite cartoons, movies, and books during the initial stages of writing prompts.

What are some ways to improve my child’s writing?

You can use prompts, worksheets, and tracing sheets, to help your kids improve their writing.

What are some writing activities for 1st graders?

You can have them write letters, poems, stories, and other narrative-driven pieces.

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50 Exclusive First Grade Writing Prompts that are Printable for Free

• February 21, 2024

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Why use first grade writing prompts, first grade journal writing samples, interesting 1st grade writing prompts, creative writing topics for grade 1, tips for using writing prompts, recommendations.

First-grade writing prompts can spark a world of imagination in young minds, paving the way for creativity to flourish. By providing simple first grade journal writing samples, children can explore new ideas and express their thoughts through words.

These prompts not only encourage writing skills but also help in developing critical thinking and communication abilities from a young age.

From imagining fantastical adventures to describing their favorite animals, first-grade writing prompts offer a glimpse into the colorful minds of children.

Through these exercises, kids can learn to structure sentences, use vocabulary creatively, and bring their ideas to life on paper. This early exposure to writing prompts sets the foundation for confident and expressive writers in the future as they grow and develop their storytelling skills with each prompt they engage with.

In this article, we will take you through 50 exclusive first grade writing prompts that are printable for free. Carefully read through!

Writing prompts for the first grade can develop young minds into imaginative thinkers. Children are encouraged to use their imaginations and communicate their thoughts entertainingly and engagingly by providing organized suggestions.

These writing exercises offer a basis for the early development of fundamental writing abilities like syntax, sentence construction, and narrative devices.

First Grade Writing Prompts are also a great way to help young students express themselves more confidently and freely.

Children develop their ability to express themselves clearly and feel a sense of achievement when they finish tasks as they interact with a variety of cues.

This develops their writing skills as well as a positive outlook on education and self-discovery. First Grade Writing Prompts are essentially stepping stones that help students develop a lifetime love of writing as they begin their scholastic path.

These journal writing samples are perfect for first-grade students:

• Write about why you appreciate your favorite animal.
• Tell me about a good time you had with your buddies in the park.
• Consider being able to fly like a bird. To what place would you go?
• Write a tale of a fantastical forest excursion.
• If you came upon a treasure map, how would you proceed?
• Tell us about your favorite book and the reasons you like it.
• Write about an instance where you got someone’s help.
• Which pet, if any, would you choose?
• Tell us about the flavor of your favorite food.
• Consider yourself a superhero. Which abilities would you possess?
• Write a narrative using a talking animal.
• What do you like to do the most while it’s raining outside?
• Where would you travel to, if you could go anywhere in the world?
• Give an account of a unique family custom.
• Write about a moment when you were pleased with yourself.
• Imagine being able to construct anything out of Legos. What would you construct?
• Which activity do you enjoy doing most with your family?
• Which invention, if you could make one, would you choose?
• Write about a moment when you gained new knowledge.
• Give the details of your ideal home.

Read ALSO: 107+ Creative Writing Prompts For Middle School Students

You can help 1st-grade kids learn to share their opinions with this concept by using 1st grade writing prompts like these.

• Consider a day when you might possess any superpower. Which option would you pick?
• Write a tale of a birthday celebration that is spectacular.
• What aspect of education do you enjoy the most?
• Which animal would you choose to embody for a day, if you could?
• Give an example of a joke that makes you chuckle.
• Write about a moment when you overcome a difficulty.
• Assume you discover a hidden hallway within your home. To what end does it lead?
• Which season is your favorite, and why?
• When you grow up, what kind of job would you like to have?
• Tell about a family day you spent at the beach.
• Write a story about a time you bonded with a stranger.
• Which holiday is your favorite, and how do you commemorate it?
• Envision can travel to any planet inside the solar system. Which one would you pick?
• What is your preferred outdoor pastime?
• Which magical animal would you like to keep as a pet if you could?
• Write a narrative using a talking toy.
• Which activity do you enjoy doing most with your friends?
• Consider being able to go back in time to any historical occasion. To what place would you go?
• Tell about a moment when you were afraid and how you overcame it.
• Write about a unique skill you possess.
• What is your go-to pastime when you have free time?
• Which superpower, if any, could you live with forever?
• Tell of an instance when you assisted someone without being asked.
• Write on an occasion when you felt thankful.
• Consider being able to travel to any fictitious place from a book. Which one would you pick?
• Which aspect of nature is your favorite?
• Which animal would you like to be your friend, if you could have any?
• Write a tale of a fantastical voyage to a distant place.
• Which family memory is your favorite?
• Consider being able to have any wish come true. What do you hope to achieve?

Read ALSO: 140 Exclusive Writing Prompts For Adults

Here are some ideas for first-grade creative writing projects:

• My Favorite Animal: Describe your favorite animal and the reasons behind your preference.
• A Good Day with Friends : Tell us about a good day you spent with your pals.
• If I Could Fly: Envision being able to soar like a bird. To what place would you go?
• Discovering a Treasure: If you came across a treasure map, how would you proceed?
• My Favorite Book: Tell us about your pick of the books and why you like them.
• Dream Pet: Which pet, if any, would you choose to have?
• Favorite Food: Tell us about your favorite dish and its flavor.
• Superman Me: Envision yourself as a superhero. Which abilities would you possess?
• Fun Activities for Rainy Days: What is your go-to pastime on a soggy day?
• Dream Trip: Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world?
• Family custom: Give an account of a unique family custom.
• Feeling Proud: Describe an occasion when you were pleased with yourself.
• Family Time: Which activity do you enjoy doing most with your family?
• Inventing Something: What would you invent, if you could?
• Getting New Knowledge: Describe an instance in which you gained new knowledge.
• Dream Home: Give an account of your ideal home.

Read ALSO: 50 Exclusive 4th Grade Writing Prompts That Are Printable For Free

Writing prompts are best used when you know the hacks around them. Here are some of the sure tips to help you use writing prompts effectively:

Select Appropriate Prompts: Make sure the prompts you choose are in line with your student’s interests, skills, and learning goals. Take into account their age, grade level, and any particular subjects or themes you are teaching.

Offer Variety: To keep students interested and to take into account their various learning preferences and styles, provide a wide variety of prompts. Provide prompts that encourage introspection, creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression.

Promote Freewriting: Tell kids to write whatever comes to mind without first thinking about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. The emphasis should be on coming up with ideas and freely expressing thoughts.

Establish Clear Expectations: When using writing prompts, be sure to express your expectations in terms of length, format, and substance. To assist students in understanding what is expected of them, provide guidelines or rubrics.

Encourage Students to Reflect: As they go through each writing assignment, ask them to consider their writing process and experiences. Inquire about things like the lessons they took away, the difficulties they encountered, and potential writing improvements.

Establish a Supportive Environment: Encourage students to share their writing in a classroom setting that is both supportive and encouraging. To improve learning and engagement, promote peer review and teamwork.

Use Prompts Across Subjects: To strengthen learning and cross-curricular connections, incorporate writing prompts into a variety of subjects and disciplines. Writing exercises can be utilized to encourage interdisciplinary learning in language arts, science, social studies, and even math.

Make it Fun: Add comedy, inventiveness, and innovation to writing challenges to make them interesting and pleasurable. To motivate students and make writing more relevant and approachable, incorporate multimedia, images, and real-world examples.

Yes, these writing prompts are specifically designed for first grade students.

  – Yes, you can easily print these writing prompts for free from our website.

  – There are 50 exclusive first grade writing prompts available for you to choose from.

  – Yes, our writing prompts are carefully crafted to spark creativity and engagement in young writers.

Read ALSO: Chinese vs Japanese Writing: A Side-by-Side Comparison

These unique first-grade writing prompts are an invaluable tool for teachers and parents who want to get their kids involved in imaginative and purposeful writing. These prompts are simple to utilize in the classroom or at home thanks to their printable format.

Students can enhance their language proficiency, cultivate their creativity, and gain self-assurance in articulating their ideas and opinions by integrating these prompts into their regular writing routines.

These writing prompts cover a broad spectrum of subjects to encourage young writers, from imaginative tales to introspective essays.

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50 First-Grade Writing Prompts

One entire year of weekly writing prompts that are simple and easy to print. 50 first-grade prompts that cover narrative, opinion, expository, and descriptive writing to get the ideas flowing!

First-Grade Journal Writing Prompts

In first grade, children begin to learn for the first time how to communicate their thoughts and ideas through writing. This often comes in the form of stories. However, telling a story off the top of their heads can be difficult for young children, so writing prompts provide a springboard to get the ideas flowing, making the writing process much easier and more fun. We all know that sometimes the hardest thing about writing a story is figuring out what to write about!

First-Grade Story Starters

First-grade story starters need to be simple enough that any 6- or 7-year-old can finish the thought but not so simple that they merit a short answer. The idea is to get these youngsters to write several sentences at a time, using their imaginations and creativity to share what’s inside their heads. The best story starters get the ball rolling and inspire students to build their storylines. Sometimes, silly prompts give rise to the most inventive stories! We’ve created some of those “best story starters” for FREE for you to use with your first grader. Give them a try, and see what we mean!

50 FREE First Grade Writing Prompts

• If I were a bird, I would fly to
• My favorite book character is _______________ because _______________
• My favorite season is _________________ because ________________________
• If I could have any superpower, it would be ________________________
• My grandma said she’d make my favorite dinner so I choose
• When it rains, I like to
• My favorite thing to do when it snows is
• If I could visit any country, I would visit
• My favorite thing about school is
• If I were an astronaut I would
• If it rained frogs for a week I would
• After school, I like to
• During winter break, my family
• My favorite toy to play with is
• If I found buried treasure I would
• My favorite thing to do at the beach is
• I woke up a mermaid and
• I love myself because
• I found an egg and out popped a
• My favorite toy came to life and
• My favorite yellow food is
• In the summer I like to
• I made a pie with
• What is your favorite season? Why?
• If you woke up in the Jurassic period, what would you do?
• I have a secret talent. It is
• When I smile at a stranger, they
• I love to play ____________________ because ___________________.
• My favorite dessert to bake is
• For exercise, I like to
• To be a good friend means to
• The weirdest thing I have eaten is
• There’s a friendly alien living in my attic that likes to
• When my friend is having a sad day, I
• My favorite kind of party is
• If I wore glasses that gave me super sight, I would see
• The tooth fairy left a note under my pillow that said
• When I’m older, I’m going to
• If I could have any animal for a pet, I would choose
• When I’m upset I like to __________________ to calm down.
• My favorite holiday is __________________ because _______________.
• The first time I rode a bus I
• Three things I want to accomplish this year are
• If I were a scarecrow, I would
• If I were the sun, I would light up
• My favorite thing to do for my parents is
• A great place to go on a field trip is
• When I learned to swim, I
• I get really scared when
• Describe one thing that makes you special.

First-Grade Writing Prompts

One year of easy-to-print weekly writing prompts for your first grader, covering expository, narrative, opinion, and descriptive writing.

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51 1st Grade Writing Prompts: Preferences, Imaginative Scenarios, Activities, And Hobbies

December 13, 2023 //  by  Sean Kivi

First grade is a super exciting time for your kiddies, which makes it the perfect time to develop their love of writing! Your students are becoming opinionated and want to share their ideas, and it’s your job to teach them how to do this confidently in their writing. These 51 silly and lighthearted writing prompts are perfect to get their imaginations going and make them excited to put pencil to paper! Have a look and see which ones will inspire even your most reluctant writers to get stuck in.

Preferences and Favorites

1. What do you want to see at Disneyland?

2. What kind of candy do you like to eat?

3. What is your favorite toy, and why?

4. Do you like to drink soda? Why or why not?

5. What is your favorite dessert?

6. What is your favorite animal?

7. What is your perfect pet?

8. How did the yuckiest food you ever ate taste?

9. Do you think skydiving is fun?

10. What do you like the most about school?

11. What is your favorite cafeteria food?

12. What is your favorite vegetable?

13. Do you prefer spiders or snakes as pets? Why?

14. Do you like the movie “Frozen”? Why, or why not?

15. How do you feel when you eat your favorite food?

16. If you can only eat one food for the rest of you, what do you pick?

17. What is your perfect breakfast?

Imaginative Scenarios

18. Would you like to be an animal for a day? If so, which one?

19. What would you do if you were president for a day?

20. What would you do if there were a dinosaur in your backyard?

21. Your dog eats your homework. What will you tell the teacher?

22. If you could talk to animals, what would you say?

23. Is a dragon a good pet?

24. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

25. Is a mermaid a good pet?

26. Is it better to be too big or too small?

27. What is your dream vacation, and why?

28. Would you eat a fly? Why or why not?

29. Which is better? Hands for feet, or feet for hands?

30. Do you think that aliens are real?

31. Do you want to fly to outer space in a rocket? Why?

32. What would you do if you saw a mammoth?

33. Your mom buys a pet hippo. How do you feel and why?

34. Is it better to run like a lion or fly like an eagle?

35. If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be and why?

36. Would it be better to have square-shaped eyes or triangle-shaped feet?

37. Would you want to breathe through your ears or smell through your mouth? Why?

38. Would you like to have two tongues? Why or why not?

39. What would you do if you woke up and you couldn’t talk?

40. What would you do if you woke up and couldn’t hear?

41. Do you think it’s better to live in the North Pole or the Sahara desert? Why?

Activities, Routines, and Hobbies

42. How do astronauts poop in space?

43. How do you brush your teeth?

44. What is a secret hobby that you have?

45. What do you like to do at the beach?

46. What is your favorite sport to play after school?

47. What kind of person is your best friend?

48. What is the happiest thing you remember and why?

49. Do you think your bedtime is at a good time? Why or why not?

50. What would happen at your perfect birthday party?

51. What do you do when you get ready for bed?

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Grade 1 Writing Prompts Worksheets

These sentences, letter writing, drawing and writing, and free form writing prompts worksheets will get your grade 1 level students engaged in writing .

Sentences writing prompts

Selecting from several topics, students are given sentences to complete .

Practice writing letters

These worksheets provide students with a template to practice writing letters to their teacher, family members, a friend and a more generic version. Members have access to further worksheets to write a letter to yourself in five years, a letter to your pet and writing a letter to a book character.

Draw and write prompt worksheets

In these worksheets, students are given a topic and are asked to write a story and then illustrate it .

Use your imagination to write

The final set of writing prompts has students use their imagination to write a free-form text .

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Free Creative Writing Prompts #69:  First Grade

These free  creative writing prompts  have been written for the eyes and over-sized pencils of first graders. With reading and writing and anything having to do with learning, starting early is best. It doesn't matter if a response to any of these prompts is simply one word or just a few words, getting students to try to write as soon as possible is extremely important. This prompts can also probably be used with ease with older students as well. They are simple and can lead to hilarious or extremely truthful responses. Enjoy!  Free Creative Writing Prompts: First Grade

1. You have just walked into a spooky house! What is in the spooky house? Are there any people in the house? What do they say to you?

2. What is something you love to do more than anything else in the world? Why do you like it so much?

3. What is your favorite television show? Talk about a funny scene in the show and what the characters say to each other.

4. You have found a magic wand! You can do anything with it. What do you do? Do you share the wand with anybody else?

5. Your mom and dad buy you a new big dog as a Christmas present! Talk about the dog. What does the dog do? What does he look like?

6. What do you want to be when you grow up and why? Who is the most famous person who has that job already? If you don't know, make him up!

7. Write about your teacher! What is your teacher's name, what does he or she look like, and what do you like about him or her?

8. What is your favorite food? Who makes it better your mom, dad, or a restaurant? Talk about the food and what makes it so good.

9. What do your mom and dad do for work? What do they do for fun?

10. What is your house like? What do you like the most about it? What is your favorite room in the house?  Writing from these free creative writing prompts may be an extreme challenge for some first graders. I, for one, think that a tough challenge is just what the doctor asked for. One of the first books that was ever read to me was The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Obviously, when my mom began reading that to me in the crib, I must have had a difficult time understanding a lick of it. But it was a challenging book and because of her reading I was able to start reading myself at a very early age. I think that challenges in writing should be exactly the same. Start early and have them write often. Happy learning and writing! Bonus Prompt  - You have had a magic spell cast on you and you are now 30 years old! What do you do now that you don't go to school anymore? Do you get a job? Do you get married? 

Related Articles to Free Creative Writing Prompts for First Grade Free Creative Writing Prompts from the Heart, Part 1 Free Creative Writing Prompts #2: Love Creative Writing Exercises #2: Relaxation

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Home » 1st Grade Teaching Resources » 23 1st Grade Writing Worksheets To Practice New Skills

23 1st Grade Writing Worksheets To Practice New Skills

Spelling, reading, and writing are three of the most important skills children will learn in their first few years of school—that’s why having access to an assortment of first grade writing worksheets will make your life easier as a parent or a teacher. By the time students reach first grade, many have started learning basic words and are able to write basic ideas out on paper. The writing worksheets below offer a variety of different activities for all skill levels and help students focus on essential writing skills and develop them. Worksheets are great support for learning through practice—the unique offerings and the classic activities alike will create a strong foundation to build on!

Table of Contents

What should a first grader be able to write.

• Best First Grade Writing Worksheets 

Should First Graders Be Able To Spell?

Check out these additional 1st grade resources.

First grade introduces the basics of spelling, grammar, and vocabulary to students. As they practice all of these skills, they’ll inevitably grow as writers. First grade teachers want to see kids who can write simple, complete sentences. They should ideally be using proper capitalization and end punctuation. 

Even if their spelling isn’t perfect, the ability to use their knowledge of letters and letter sounds to take an educated guess is really what teachers are looking for. First graders should also be adept at copying down words and sentences provided to them, and able to produce their own simple sentences from scratch.  

In partnership with Teach Simple , whose marketplace is full of educational materials created by actual teachers (plus 50% of all revenues go to them), I’ve gathered 23 totally-awesome grade 1 writing worksheets to help inspire your students and support their core language arts skills!

Best First Grade Writing Worksheets

• You Write The Story Soccer Picture Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

This writing worksheet offers students the chance to practice writing using a visual prompt. The use of visuals supports learning and aids students in idea generation. This 1st grade worksheet will help you teach brainstorming and the elements of a story. 

• Other Ways To Write Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

This worksheet may seem like it is just focused on writing, but it also engages essential critical thinking skills. Understanding that writing is a process that can happen on paper or on a computer will set your students up for success well beyond first grade!

• Search The Word By Worksheet By Splash Learn

Search the word by Worksheet is aimed at enhancing children’s literacy skills, particularly their familiarity with common sight words. Through an engaging, picture-based activity, it encourages learners to identify and understand the usage of a specific sight word in various contexts. The exercise is designed to improve reading fluency, speed, and comprehension, making it a valuable tool for early literacy development.

• Capitalization Errors Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

There are many elements of grammar that students need to learn throughout elementary school, but capitalization is truly fundamental. Catching errors is a fantastic practice to reinforce learning! This worksheet will certainly engage your reader and support their knowledge of grammar as they fix the errors in seven different sentences.

• Writing About Me Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

Cultivating a strong sense of self and identity is an important element of social-emotional learning for young children. This worksheet blends together writing, spelling, and those SEL elements to create an engaging and fun activity where students can write about someone they know very well!

• In My Own Words Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

Summarizing paragraphs and retelling narratives with a focus on key information are essential skills. They support not only reading and reading comprehension but also critical thinking as a whole. This worksheet asks students to retell four different quotes in their own words and offers particularly effective practice for your first grader! 

• Once Upon A Pancake For Younger Storytellers — Creative, Interactive Activity Book For Kids From A Story Book Day

This workbook is full of writing prompts and unfinished stories to spark kids’ creativity and enhance their writing by finishing up each one. This workbook is a fun way for children to develop their reading, writing, and storytelling abilities, using prompts about superheroes , friendships, magic, and more!

• “I” Handwriting Practice B By Have Fun Teaching

Handwriting is key to academic success and legibility is a key part of writing in the first grade . This simple worksheet let’s students practice uppercase and lowercase “I” handwriting while also constructing sentences starting with I or making silly sentences that only use “i” words.

• Journal Writing Prompts By Minds And Heart

Whether you need beginning of year writing activities, literacy centers, morning work, or early finisher work, these prompts will work for any time! With a checklist to self-edit for capitals, punctuation, and details, students will be reminded to utilize the components of strong writing that they are learning every day. 

• You Write The Story Artist Picture Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

This worksheet offers another delightful visual writing prompt—this time about some artists and a dinosaur. The benefits of the visual prompt paired with the writing practices will lead to fun and learning all at once!

• Draw A Story Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

Kids love to draw, and visuals are wonderful supports for reading and writing. This worksheet blends the two and guides your little author through the process of creating a story and illustration of their very own. 

• My Opinion The Big Orange Splot Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

Opinion writing includes elements of informational texts. This worksheet asks first graders to think critically about the prompt, practice writing, and focus on their opinion of the characters and plot of the story .

• The Big Orange Splot From Art with Mrs. F

• Capitalization And End Punctuation Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

A sentence has distinct features to indicate where it begins and where it ends. Early literacy skills focus on these text features to support students in their grammatical understandings. This practice worksheet is a wonderful resource for emerging readers and writers to practice capitalization and end punctuation on different types of sentences.

• Comprehensive Language Arts Skills Practice Test For Grade 1 By Twin Sisters Digital Media

Knowing where your students are is important to tracking progress. These worksheets are designed to be used as a practice test, focusing on core writing and reading skills. Ranging from punctuation and grammar to story structures and more, this is a great assessment tool to check in on your student’s learning. 

The worksheets in this bundle include topics like:

—Consonant Sounds

—Blends and Digraphs

—Compound Words

—Contractions

—Synonyms and Antonyms

—Adjectives

—Sequencing and Story Mapping

—Capitalization

—Punctuation and Grammar

• Writing Sentences Printable Workbook By Twin Sisters Digital Media

A simple but useful tool, this sentence writing practice looks at the writing basics younger students need to learn and focuses on each one!

• Writing Conventions And Applications Printable Workbook By Twin Sisters Digital Media

Make learning more fun with a variety of activities and games related to all things about writing conventions! This set features various types of practice with nouns, verbs, plurals,  subject-verb agreement, adjectives, statements vs. questions, capitalization, punctuation, complete sentences and beginning/middle/end-story structure. Packed in a set of unique worksheets, this practice is fun and effective.

• Describing Emotions Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

This worksheet is a double whammy! Not only are you getting engaging writing practice, but you will also be supporting students’ emotional learning. A simple but effective way to ask kids to write about their own feelings in descriptive words.

• Make Sentences With The Sentence Maker By Guinea Pig Education

A choose your own adventure of sorts, this worksheet allows students to piece together words and create sentences. A fun and tactile tool, this activity encourages students to be creative while offering a support scaffold and building a solid foundation for writing sentences on their own.

• Silly Stories Story Starters By Have Fun Teaching

Who doesn’t love a silly story? Inspire your students to flex their imagination with this worksheet full of story starters. They’ll have ideas to jump off from and will practice writing while being creative and thinking of stories that are outside of the box.

• Scholastic Success With Writing, Grade 1 By Worksheetbee

This comprehensive writing workbook from Scholastic focuses on several different parts of writing skills in 1st grade including identifying sentence parts, building sentences, sequencing, writing descriptive sentences, and identifying story parts.

• Star Wars Workbook: 1st Grade Writing Skills From Workman Publishing 

Get kids hooked on writing by providing them with writing activities about their favorite characters from Star Wars. This workbook is aligned with Language Arts Common Core Standards and combines editorial quality, fun presentation, and the rigorous educational standards that Workman applied to the Brain Quest Workbooks as well.

• Space Poetry Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

This charming worksheet is a perfect way to practice poetry and tie in science. The creative writing elements and cross-curricular connections make this a wonderful resource for your first grader to think about how to write a poem about space.

• Uppercase And Lowercase Letters Worksheet By Have Fun Teaching

Having two versions of each letter can be a weird concept to wrap your brain around as a child. This set of practice worksheets around the basics offers a quick and easy way to support students in understanding the difference. It also serves as handwriting practice making it a double whammy!

• Capital Letter Examples Worksheets By Have Fun Teaching

Let your students apply what they know with this worksheet. A little more capitalization practice can’t hurt, and with this sheet you can easily check their understanding of the concept before you move on from the topic.

The answer is yes and no. We want our first graders to be able to spell out CVC words they’ve memorized and can identify by sight. They should also have a handle on some decodable words—mostly those that can be broken down into their composite letter sounds. 

Complex, compound, and trickier letter combinations are not going to be words teachers expect first graders to spell correctly, but with practice they will come! Using these first grade writing worksheets will support your students in becoming proficient readers and writers in tandem with developing spelling skills they’ll need for second grade and the rest of elementary school.

About the Author Ali Pierce has been a proud public school teacher for nearly a decade. An English teacher by day, Ali works with educators throughout K-12 in a variety of coaching and support roles. A proud Wildcat, Ali earned both her BA in Creative Writing and M.Ed. in Teaching and Teacher Education from the University of Arizona. When not teaching, Ali can be found hanging out with her two young sons and sneaking in some reading for fun.

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21 awesome addition worksheets for grade 1.

Last Updated on September 10, 2023 by Teach Simple

Grade 1 Writing Activities

8 fun grade 1 writing activities.

We’ve compiled a list of seven exciting writing activities to inspire your little ones to get started on their writing journey.

1. Read, Read, Read!

Your first-grade child may have a book that they just love! Why not get them to read it one more time and then write a short paragraph explaining why they love it so much. Which character do they like the most and what would they want to ask them if they met in real life?

Reading is generally a wonderful way to improve writing levels in young children and is especially effective when done on a regular basis! On Night Zookeeper , we love to encourage children to write about what they are reading in an interactive journal called ‘Reading Light’.

2. Get Active, Get Outdoors

A great way to inspire your little ones whilst burning off some excess energy is to get outside with pencils and paper. Before heading out on your adventure, make a chart like the one below:

The great outdoors is the perfect place to get your children using all of their senses. Begin your adventure by asking your child to write down an object that catches their eye in the first column. Then challenge them to describe the sounds they can hear around this object, how it feels and how it smells. Once your chart is complete, find a quiet place to sit with your child and invite them to write a sentence about each object using some of the lovely descriptions that they added to their chart.

3. The Sentence Building Game

Spelling often holds children back from getting started on their writing journey at first-grade level. You can help alleviate this barrier by giving children words they can use to build sentences with.

The idea of this activity is that children use the words provided to make as many sentences as they possibly can. Points can be awarded for each complete sentence that starts with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark. Here’s an example of how you could set this up:

4. Get Crafty!

A wonderful way to make writing fun for your child is to combine the writing process with an arts and crafts project.

For example, challenge your children to paint a picture of an animal they love. This could be a pet or an animal they love to visit at the zoo. They could also use magazine clippings and other materials you have at hand to add a layer of collage to their picture. Finally, complete the activity by asking them to write three sentences about why they chose this animal in particular.

5. The Daily Journal

Keeping a journal is a great way to get your first-grade child writing in small chunks, on a regular basis, about a topic they know better than anyone!

Here’s a format you might like to use:

You could even ask your childr to be involved in the template creation process. Ask them which questions they would like to answer on a daily basis and incorporate these into the activity. This will give your child a sense of ownership and a deeper understanding of the activity.

6. The Greeting Card

Ask your child to make a card for a person in their family. This is a wonderful activity to get your children writing whilst also spreading love and joy in the process.

The card could be to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or holiday, or it could simply be a card to share their thoughts and feelings with their chosen family member. Children can be encouraged to write as much as they like about this special person, writing down all of their thoughts and feelings.

7. “When I am older, I want to be…”

Plan a special day for your child when they get to dress up as an adult they admire. This could be someone famous that they look up to, or it could simply be a profession that they admire, such as becoming a teacher, pilot or doctor. Set up activities to give your child the opportunity to explain verbally what they would like to be when they grow up and give them time to act as the person they have dressed up as. Towards the end of the day, present them with a template of questions for them to answer in writing. The below template may be helpful, or you can invent your own with your child.

8. Night Zookeeper

Night Zookeeper makes writing fantastically fun for children aged six to twelve!

Our writing program for kids features an array of writing activities, such as prompts, games, and interactive lessons, created to inspire children while keeping them focused and engaged.

Sign up today to get a 7-day FREE trial!

More writing activities & prompts

• Grade 1 Picture Writing Prompts
• Grade 1 Writing Prompts
• Elementary Writing Prompts
• Elementary Writing Activities

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• Elementary Language Arts
• Elementary Writing Curriculum
• Language Arts Resources

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Free Printable Creative Writing Worksheets for 1st Grade

Creative Writing: Discover a world of imagination with our free printable Reading & Writing worksheets for Grade 1 students. Enhance their skills and spark their creativity with these fun resources.

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Explore printable Creative Writing worksheets for 1st Grade

Creative Writing worksheets for Grade 1 are an excellent resource for teachers looking to engage their students in the world of fiction writing. These worksheets provide a variety of activities that help students develop their reading and writing skills while fostering a love for storytelling. By incorporating different elements of fiction writing, such as character development, setting, and plot, these worksheets allow young learners to explore their creativity and imagination. Additionally, these Grade 1 worksheets focus on improving students' grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, which are essential components of effective writing. Teachers can utilize these creative writing worksheets to supplement their lesson plans and provide a fun, interactive way for students to practice their reading and writing skills.

Quizizz is a fantastic platform that offers a wide range of educational resources, including Creative Writing worksheets for Grade 1, to help teachers enhance their students' learning experience. This platform not only provides engaging and interactive worksheets but also allows teachers to create quizzes and games that can be customized to suit the needs of their students. By incorporating Quizizz into their lesson plans, teachers can effectively track their students' progress in reading and writing, as well as other subjects. The platform's user-friendly interface and extensive library of resources make it an invaluable tool for educators looking to provide their Grade 1 students with a comprehensive and enjoyable learning experience. With Quizizz, teachers can ensure that their students develop a strong foundation in fiction writing and other essential skills needed for academic success.

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Lesson Plans for First Grade Writing

Fall 2024 Semester

Undergraduate courses.

Composition courses that offer many sections (ENGL 101, 201, 277 and 379) are not listed on this schedule unless they are tailored to specific thematic content or particularly appropriate for specific programs and majors.

• 100-200 level

ENGL 151.S01: Introduction to English Studies

Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Sharon Smith

ENGL 151 serves as an introduction to both the English major and the discipline of English studies. In this class, you will develop the thinking, reading, writing and research practices that define both the major and the discipline. Much of the semester will be devoted to honing your literary analysis skills, and we will study and discuss texts from several different genres—poetry, short fiction, the novel, drama and film—as well as some literary criticism. As we do so, we will explore the language of the discipline, and you will learn a variety of key literary terms and concepts. In addition, you will develop your skills as both a writer and researcher within the discipline of English.

ENGL 201.ST1 Composition II: The Mind/Body Connection

In this section of English 201, students will use research and writing to learn more about problems that are important to them and articulate ways to address those problems. The course will focus specifically on issues related to the mind, the body and the relationship between them. The topics we will discuss during the course will include the correlation between social media and body image; the efficacy of sex education programs; the degree to which beliefs about race and gender influence school dress codes; and the unique mental and physical challenges faced by college students today. In this course, you will be learning about different approaches to argumentation, analyzing the arguments of others and constructing your own arguments. At the same time, you will be honing your skills as a researcher and developing your abilities as a persuasive and effective writer.

ENGL 201.S10 Composition II: Environmental Writing   

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1-1:50 p.m.

Gwen Horsley

English 201 will help students develop the ability to think critically and analytically and to write effectively for other university courses and careers. This course will provide opportunities to develop analytical skills that will help students become critical readers and effective writers. Specifically, in this class, students will:

• Focus on the relationships between world environments, land, animals and humankind.
• Read various essays by environmental, conservational and regional authors.
• Produce student writings. 

Students will improve their writing skills by reading essays and applying techniques they witness in others’ work and those learned in class. This class is also a course in logical and creative thought. Students will write about humankind’s place in the world and our influence on the land and animals, places that hold special meaning to them or have influenced their lives and stories of their own families and their places and passions in the world. Students will practice writing in an informed and persuasive manner, in language that engages and enlivens readers by using vivid verbs and avoiding unnecessary passives, nominalizations and expletive constructions.

Students will prepare writing assignments based on readings and discussions of essays included in "Literature and the Environment " and other sources. They may use "The St. Martin’s Handbook," as well as other sources, to review grammar, punctuation, mechanics and usage as needed.

ENGL 201.13 Composition II: Writing the Environment

Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:45 a.m.

Paul Baggett

For generations, environmentalists have relied on the power of prose to change the minds and habits of their contemporaries. In the wake of fires, floods, storms and droughts, environmental writing has gained a new sense of urgency, with authors joining activists in their efforts to educate the public about the grim realities of climate change. But do they make a difference? Have reports of present and future disasters so saturated our airwaves that we no longer hear them? How do writers make us care about the planet amidst all the noise? In this course, students will examine the various rhetorical strategies employed by some of today’s leading environmental writers and filmmakers. And while analyzing their different arguments, students also will strengthen their own strategies of argumentation as they research and develop essays that explore a range of environmental concerns.

ENGL 201 Composition II: Food Writing

S17 Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

S18 Tuesday and Thursday 2-3:15 p.m.

Jodi Andrews

In this composition class, students will critically analyze essays about food, food systems and environments, food cultures, the intersections of personal choice, market forces and policy and the values underneath these forces. Students will learn to better read like writers, noting authors’ purpose, audience organizational moves, sentence-level punctuation and diction. We will read a variety of essays including research-intensive arguments and personal narratives which intersect with one of our most primal needs as humans: food consumption. Students will rhetorically analyze texts, conduct advanced research, reflect on the writing process and write essays utilizing intentional rhetorical strategies. Through doing this work, students will practice the writing moves valued in every discipline: argument, evidence, concision, engaging prose and the essential research skills for the 21st century.

ENGL 221.S01 British Literature I

Michael S. Nagy

English 221 is a survey of early British literature from its inception in the Old English period with works such as "Beowulf" and the “Battle of Maldon,” through the Middle Ages and the incomparable writings of Geoffrey Chaucer and the Gawain - poet, to the Renaissance and beyond. Students will explore the historical and cultural contexts in which all assigned reading materials were written, and they will bring that information to bear on class discussion. Likely themes that this class will cover include heroism, humor, honor, religion, heresy and moral relativity. Students will write one research paper in this class and sit for two formal exams: a midterm covering everything up to that point in the semester, and a comprehensive final. Probable texts include the following:

• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. Ed. Alfred David, M. H. Abrams, and Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Sixteenth Century and Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. George M. Logan, Stephen Greenblatt, Barbara K Lewalski, and M. H. Abrams. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. Ed. George M. Logan, Stephen Greenblatt, Barbara K Lewalski, and M. H. Abrams. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
• Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
• Any Standard College Dictionary.

ENGL 240.S01 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

Monday, Wednesday and Friday noon-12:50 p.m.

April Myrick

A survey of the history of literature written for children and adolescents, and a consideration of the various types of juvenile literature. Text selection will focus on the themes of imagination and breaking boundaries.

ENGL 240.ST1 Juvenile Literature Elementary-5th Grade

Randi Anderson

In English 240 students will develop the skills to interpret and evaluate various genres of literature for juvenile readers. This particular section will focus on various works of literature at approximately the K-5 grade level. We will read a large range of works that fall into this category, as well as information on the history, development and genre of juvenile literature.

Readings for this course include classical works such as "Hatchet," "Little Women", "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Brown Girl Dreaming," as well as newer works like "Storm in the Barn," "Anne Frank’s Diary: A Graphic Adaptation," "Lumberjanes," and a variety of picture books. These readings will be paired with chapters from "Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction " to help develop understanding of various genres, themes and concepts that are both related to juvenile literature and also present in our readings.

In addition to exposing students to various genres of writing (poetry, historical fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, picture books, graphic novels, etc.) this course will also allow students to engage in a discussion of larger themes present in these works such as censorship, race and gender. Students’ understanding of these works and concepts will be developed through readings, research, discussion posts, exams and writing assignments designed to get students to practice analyzing poetry, picture books, informational books and transitional/easy readers.

ENGL 241.S01: American Literature I

Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45 p.m.

This course provides a broad, historical survey of American literature from the early colonial period to the Civil War. Ranging across historical periods and literary genres—including early accounts of contact and discovery, narratives of captivity and slavery, poetry of revolution, essays on gender equality and stories of industrial exploitation—this class examines how subjects such as colonialism, nationhood, religion, slavery, westward expansion, race, gender and democracy continue to influence how Americans see themselves and their society.

Required Texts

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Package 1, Volumes A and B Beginnings to 1865, Ninth Edition. (ISBN 978-0-393-26454-8)

ENGL 283.S01 Introduction to Creative Writing

Steven Wingate

Students will explore the various forms of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction and poetry) not one at a time in a survey format—as if there were decisive walls of separation between then—but as intensely related genres that share much of their creative DNA. Through close reading and work on personal texts, students will address the decisions that writers in any genre must face on voice, rhetorical position, relationship to audience, etc. Students will produce and revise portfolios of original creative work developed from prompts and research. This course fulfills the same SGR #2 requirements ENGL 201; note that the course will involve a research project. Successful completion of ENGL 101 (including by test or dual credit) is a prerequisite.

ENGL 283.S02 Introduction to Creative Writing

Jodilyn Andrews

This course introduces students to the craft of writing, with readings and practice in at least two genres (including fiction, poetry and drama).

ENGL 283.ST1 Introduction to Creative Writing

Amber Jensen, M.A., M.F.A.

This course explores creative writing as a way of encountering the world, research as a component of the creative writing process, elements of craft and their rhetorical effect and drafting, workshop and revision as integral parts of writing polished literary creative work. Student writers will engage in the research practices that inform the writing of literature and in the composing strategies and writing process writers use to create literary texts. Through their reading and writing of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, students will learn about craft elements, find examples of those craft elements in published works and apply these elements in their own creative work, developed through weekly writing activities, small group and large group workshop and conferences with the instructor. Work will be submitted, along with a learning reflection and revision plan in each genre and will then be revised and submitted as a final portfolio at the end of the semester to demonstrate continued growth in the creation of polished literary writing.

• 300-400 level

ENGL 424.S01 Language Arts Methods grades 7-12  

Tuesday 6-8:50 p.m.

Danielle Harms

Techniques, materials and resources for teaching English language and literature to middle and secondary school students. Required of students in the English education option.

AIS/ENGL 447.S01: American Indian Literature of the Present 

Thursdays 3-6 p.m.

This course introduces students to contemporary works by authors from various Indigenous nations. Students examine these works to enhance their historical understanding of Indigenous peoples, discover the variety of literary forms used by those who identify as Indigenous writers, and consider the cultural and political significance of these varieties of expression. Topics and questions to be explored include:

• Genre: What makes Indigenous literature indigenous?
• Political and Cultural Sovereignty: Why have an emphasis on tribal specificity and calls for “literary separatism” emerged in recent decades, and what are some of the critical conversations surrounding such particularized perspectives?
• Gender and Sexuality: What are the intersecting concerns of Indigenous Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and how might these research fields inform one another?
• Trans-Indigeneity: What might we learn by comparing works across different Indigenous traditions, and what challenges do such comparisons present?
• Aesthetics: How do Indigenous writers understand the dynamics between tradition and creativity?
• Visual Forms: What questions or concerns do visual representations (television and film) by or about Indigenous peoples present?

Possible Texts

• Akiwenzie-Damm, Kateri and Josie Douglas (eds), Skins: Contemporary Indigenous Writing. IAD Press, 2000. (978-1864650327)
• Erdrich, Louise, The Sentence. Harper, 2021 (978-0062671127)
• Harjo, Joy, Poet Warrior: A Memoir. Norton, 2021 (978-0393248524)
• Harjo, Sterlin and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs (selected episodes)
• Talty, Morgan. Night of the Living Rez, 2022, Tin House (978-1953534187)
• Wall Kimmerer, Robin. Braiding Sweet Grass, Milkweed Editions (978-1571313560)
• Wilson, Diane. The Seed Keeper: A Novel. Milkweed Editions (978-1571311375)
• Critical essays by Alexie, Allen, Cohen, Cox, King, Kroeber, Ortiz, Piatote, Ross and Sexton, Smith, Taylor, Teuton, Treuer, Vizenor, and Womack.

ENGL 472.S01: Film Criticism

Tuesdays 2-4:50 p.m.

Jason McEntee

Do you have an appreciation for, and enjoy watching, movies? Do you want to study movies in a genre-oriented format (such as those we typically call the Western, the screwball comedy, the science fiction or the crime/gangster, to name a few)? Do you want to explore the different critical approaches for talking and writing about movies (such as auteur, feminist, genre or reception)?

In this class, you will examine movies through viewing and defining different genres while, at the same time, studying and utilizing different styles of film criticism. You will share your discoveries in both class discussions and short writings. The final project will be a formal written piece of film criticism based on our work throughout the semester. The course satisfies requirements and electives for all English majors and minors, including both the Film Studies and Professional Writing minors. (Note: Viewing of movies outside of class required and may require rental and/or streaming service fees.)

ENGL 476.ST1: Fiction

In this workshop-based creative writing course, students will develop original fiction based on strong attention to the fundamentals of literary storytelling: full-bodied characters, robust story lines, palpable environments and unique voices. We will pay particular attention to process awareness, to the integrity of the sentence, and to authors' commitments to their characters and the places in which their stories unfold. Some workshop experience is helpful, as student peer critique will be an important element of the class.

ENGL 479.01 Capstone: The Gothic

Wednesday 3-5:50 p.m.

With the publication of Horace Walpole’s "The Castle of Otranto " in 1764, the Gothic officially came into being. Dark tales of physical violence and psychological terror, the Gothic incorporates elements such as distressed heroes and heroines pursued by tyrannical villains; gloomy estates with dark corridors, secret passageways and mysterious chambers; haunting dreams, troubling prophecies and disturbing premonitions; abduction, imprisonment and murder; and a varied assortment of corpses, apparitions and “monsters.” In this course, we will trace the development of Gothic literature—and some film—from the eighteenth-century to the present time. As we do so, we will consider how the Gothic engages philosophical beliefs about the beautiful and sublime; shapes psychological understandings of human beings’ encounters with horror, terror, the fantastic and the uncanny; and intervenes in the social and historical contexts in which it was written. We’ll consider, for example, how the Gothic undermines ideals related to domesticity and marriage through representations of domestic abuse, toxicity and gaslighting. In addition, we’ll discuss Gothic texts that center the injustices of slavery and racism. As many Gothic texts suggest, the true horrors of human existence often have less to do with inexplicable supernatural phenomena than with the realities of the world in which we live. 

ENGL 485.S01: Undergraduate Writing Center Learning Assistants 

Flexible Scheduling

Nathan Serfling

Since their beginnings in the 1920s and 30s, writing centers have come to serve numerous functions: as hubs for writing across the curriculum initiatives, sites to develop and deliver workshops and resource centers for faculty as well as students, among other functions. But the primary function of writing centers has necessarily and rightfully remained the tutoring of student writers. This course will immerse you in that function in two parts. During the first four weeks, you will explore writing center praxis—that is, the dialogic interplay of theory and practice related to writing center work. This part of the course will orient you to writing center history, key theoretical tenets and practical aspects of writing center tutoring. Once we have developed and practiced this foundation, you will begin work in the writing center as a tutor, responsible for assisting a wide variety of student clients with numerous writing tasks. Through this work, you will learn to actively engage with student clients in the revision of a text, respond to different student needs and abilities, work with a variety of writing tasks and rhetorical situations, and develop a richer sense of writing as a complex and negotiated social process.

Graduate Courses

Engl 572.s01: film criticism, engl 576.st1 fiction.

In this workshop-based creative writing course, students will develop original fiction based on strong attention to the fundamentals of literary storytelling: full-bodied characters, robust story lines, palpable environments and unique voices. We will pay particular attention to process awareness, to the integrity of the sentence and to authors' commitments to their characters and the places in which their stories unfold. Some workshop experience is helpful, as student peer critique will be an important element of the class.

ENGL 605.S01 Seminar in Teaching Composition

Thursdays 1-3:50 p.m.

This course will provide you with a foundation in the pedagogies and theories (and their attendant histories) of writing instruction, a foundation that will prepare you to teach your own writing courses at SDSU and elsewhere. As you will discover through our course, though, writing instruction does not come with any prescribed set of “best” practices. Rather, writing pedagogies stem from and continue to evolve because of various and largely unsettled conversations about what constitutes effective writing and effective writing instruction. Part of becoming a practicing writing instructor, then, is studying these conversations to develop a sense of what “good writing” and “effective writing instruction” might mean for you in our particular program and how you might adapt that understanding to different programs and contexts.

As we read about, discuss and research writing instruction, we will address a variety of practical and theoretical topics. The practical focus will allow us to attend to topics relevant to your immediate classroom practices: designing a curriculum and various types of assignments, delivering the course content and assessing student work, among others. Our theoretical topics will begin to reveal the underpinnings of these various practical matters, including their historical, rhetorical, social and political contexts. In other words, we will investigate the praxis—the dialogic interaction of practice and theory—of writing pedagogy. As a result, this course aims to prepare you not only as a writing teacher but also as a nascent writing studies/writing pedagogy scholar.

At the end of this course, you should be able to engage effectively in the classroom practices described above and participate in academic conversations about writing pedagogy, both orally and in writing. Assessment of these outcomes will be based primarily on the various writing assignments you submit and to a smaller degree on your participation in class discussions and activities.

ENGL 726.S01: The New Woman, 1880–1900s 

Thursdays 3–5:50 p.m.

Katherine Malone

This course explores the rise of the New Woman at the end of the nineteenth century. The label New Woman referred to independent women who rebelled against social conventions. Often depicted riding bicycles, smoking cigarettes and wearing masculine clothing, these early feminists challenged gender roles and sought broader opportunities for women’s employment and self-determination. We will read provocative fiction and nonfiction by New Women writers and their critics, including authors such as Sarah Grand, Mona Caird, George Egerton, Amy Levy, Ella Hepworth Dixon, Grant Allen and George Gissing. We will analyze these exciting texts through a range of critical lenses and within the historical context of imperialism, scientific and technological innovation, the growth of the periodical press and discourse about race, class and gender. In addition to writing an argumentative seminar paper, students will complete short research assignments and lead discussion.

ENGL 792.ST1 Women in War: Female Authors and Characters in Contemporary War Lit

In this course, we will explore the voices of female authors and characters in contemporary literature of war. Drawing from various literary theories, our readings and discussion will explore the contributions of these voices to the evolving literature of war through archetypal and feminist criticism. We will read a variety of short works (both theoretical and creative) and complete works such as (selections subject to change): "Eyes Right" by Tracy Crow, "Plenty of Time When We Get Home" by Kayla Williams, "You Know When the Men are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon, "Still, Come Home" by Katie Schultz and "The Fine Art of Camouflage" by Lauren Johnson.