How to Write an Essay Prompt

The first step in a good essay is a good essay prompt. An essay is not just a chance for the teacher to evaluate what the student has learned so far--it is also a chance for the student to learn more by examining the subject matter at a deeper level. A well-written prompt can give students a chance to explore and come up with their own observations.

Things You'll Need

• Paper Pencil Chalk Chalkboard

Instructions

1. Decide what type of essay you want your students to write. Prompts can be written for imaginative, persuasive, expository or narrative essays.

2. Come up with a concrete beginning. You might say something like "examine the use of characterization in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." That gives the kids a definite topic.

3. Add some specifics to get the students going. For example, with a characterization question, you could say "pick one of the characters and examine how the author uses factors such as appearance, dialog and plot to develop him or her." This still leaves the question pretty open-ended, but gives the class some ideas of things to address.

4. Put in requirements. If you want direct quotes from the text, write that into the prompt. If you want the essay to be two pages long, add that in too.

Tips & Warnings

• For literary essays, consider starting the essay prompt with a quote from the text. This will encourage students to think more deeply about the book they are reacting to and the way it is written.