One of the few things that hasn’t changed in Language Arts curriculums is the use of writing prompts. “Tell a story about going to an amusement park.” “Write a story about finding something.” “Write about an animal of your choice.” Every student can come up with something at least adequate if given the above writing prompts, right? Nope.
Why? Because mastering reading and writing is akin to learning a foreign language. It engages different parts of the brain from speaking and listening. And there are lots of rules that have to be learned–punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc.– that, frankly, don’t make a lot of sense.
Therefore, the best way to develop writing skill is not by throwing students into the deep end of the creative pool, but by copying good writing, which naturally exposes them to the rules of writing and develops fine motor control so that their handwriting becomes more legible.
This is the method used in Waldorf schools where students copy the teacher’s writing into a personal main lesson book. Eventually, they absorb enough of the unique sound and look of the written word to transition into being independent writers.
Reading is also key, of course. Children who read, and are read to, regularly become good writers much more easily.
As with any foreign language, with enough exposure and practice, students will begin to think in “written word.” Once that happens, their writing will soar. No prompts needed.