Firestarters are quick challenges that we present writers at the start of make writing workshop session. They remove print barriers just long enough to engage writers in the day’s teaching point and allow them to make their thinking visible. Firestarters produce tangible evidence of a writer’s knowledge.

They’re built with these constraints in mind:

• Prompts that are aligned to the day’s learning target
• Materials that require writers to repurpose, tinker, test, mix, and remix loose parts in unexpected ways
• Time limits that create a sense of urgency and fierce focus
• Levels of collaboration that are purposeful, allowing teachers to learn more about how writers create independently, in pairs or triads, or in small groups.

This slide deck includes 37 slides and a plethora of prompts aligned to each of the basic forms of writing defined by the Common Core Learning Standards.