Narrative writing can be super exciting, especially when guided by a super fun prompt!
Prompts are powerful tools for inspiring students to their best writing. They allow you to guide and help young learners stay focused on a specific topic as they engage in the writing process. Furthermore, the sheer simplicity of writing prompts in middle school classrooms, compared to worksheets or handouts, makes them the perfect last-minute addition to any lesson plan.
In this article, we’re giving you a few narrative writing prompts for middle school that students will absolutely love! Before we begin, however, let’s take a quick look at the importance of narrative writing.
The importance of narrative writing
People ask–why do students need to learn narrative writing? For teachers, the answer is simple. Many standardized tests, such as the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP), require students to demonstrate their ability to analyze and write narratives.
Learning to write narratives helps learners understand narrative structure, which in return, improves their reading comprehension. Thus, a wholistic approach to narrative instruction, which includes both reading and writing, is an effective way to help students place higher on standardized assessments.
Aside from test-related motivations to study narratives, this particular style of writing gives students a creative outlet for expressing themselves. As a matter of fact, narrative writing is often called “creative writing.”
The purpose of a narrative is to tell audiences a story, and students are given countless opportunities to make creative choices when telling stories. Through writing, they learn to develop a unique voice and imbue their work with a distinct, personal touch.
“…students are given countless opportunities to make creative choices when telling stories.”
Example middle school narrative writing prompts
As promised, here are a the best–and only–narrative writing prompts for middle school students you’ll ever need!
- Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live as your favorite animal? What animal would you be? What would you do during a typical day? What challenges might you face? Write a narrative essay about what a day in the life as your favorite animal would be like. Use the questions in the prompt to guide your response.
- Imagine winning the lottery tomorrow. What would you do with the money? Would you spend it? If so, what would you buy? Would you save it? If so, why? Write a narrative essay describing what you would do after winning the lottery. Use the questions in the prompt to guide your response.
- Everyone has fears, and sometimes we have to face them. What is your worst fear? When did the fear begin? Why does it make you afraid? How could you overcome it? Write a narrative about overcoming your worst fear. Use the questions in the prompt to guide your response.
- At some point, we have all had an opportunity to be strong. What has been your strongest moment? Were you mentally or physically strong? Or both? What did it feel like? Write a narrative essay about a time when you were strong. Use the questions in the prompt to guide your response.
- Imagine you are elected president of the United States. What would you say to the American people during your inauguration speech? How would you run the country? What laws would you pass? What laws would you abolish? Write a narrative essay about what you would do as the president of the United States. Use the questions in the prompt to guide your response.
Rather use narrative writing handouts? Make sure to explore our Resource section for additional teaching tools.
Final words
These narrative writing prompts for middle school students are simple, fun, and effective. Try them out and witness the endless creative stories your students will come up with!
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