St. Patrick's Day Writing Prompts, Story Starters, and Writing Activities

For Middle School Students

Middle school students may have outgrown the desire to color Leprechauns and rainbows on St. Patrick's Day, but they enjoy celebrating the holiday in their own way. It is a wonderful opportunity to activate the imagination with writing prompts and writing activities designed with the Middle School Student in mind.

Grades 6-8 (Middle School) Writing Activities

Better Than Gold: The traditional writing prompt "If I had a pot of gold I would ____" may be a fun activity, but it usually results in an underdeveloped list of the things students would buy for themselves. Your Middle School students have probably written to this writing prompt on several occasions. Try this twist on an old theme, instead.

Lead the class in a discussion about things that are more important or valuable than money and the things you can buy with money. Encourage students to be creative in their responses. Model the process by sharing things that you value. Perhaps a pot of multicolored threads would allow you to create a beautiful quilt or a pot of exotic seeds would furnish you with the beginnings of an exciting and varied flower garden.

Challenge your students to write about finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and what special things it contained that are valuable to them. Make sure students understand that they should develop the piece of writing by telling how they would use these items in their life to make their life more enjoyable.

Sharing the stories aloud provides insight into the values and interests of middle school students. Because of the personal nature this assignment may take, it is wise to ask for volunteers before sharing any of the writing pieces aloud.

Perspective: Middle School students are developing the ability to view the world from the perspective of another person. Challenge them to write about a typical day from the perspective of a Leprechaun who is being hunted by a human being who wants his pot of gold. Encourage students to incorporate sensory details that create images and to express the emotions of the Leprechaun.