App review by Stacy Zeiger, Common Sense Education | Updated October 2013
Prompts
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Prompts

Creative tool gives students something to write about

Get it now
  • Download from App Store
Learning rating
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Community rating
Based on 2 reviews
Privacy rating
Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
5–12
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Communication & Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking
Price:  $2.99
Platforms:  iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
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Pros: Multiple sentence starters give writers plenty of creative topics, and suggestions help students get out of a writing rut.

Cons: Younger writers and reluctant writers may not understand all of the suggestions offered. Typing lengthy pieces using a smartphone or tablet keyboard can be frustrating.

Bottom Line: Prompts is a good tool to help get students writing, but reluctant writers may need additional encouragement.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

In order to become better writers, students have to write. Teachers can use this app to help students get in some creative writing practice. It works well as a bell-ringer or end-of-class activity, where teachers give students 5-10 minutes to write. Teachers may also find it useful as a way to get students to write outside of the classroom, having them choose a sentence starter and write a few paragraphs as homework or work on a new piece each week to add to their writing portfolios.

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Standards:

When it comes to creative writing, one of the most common excuses students give is "I don't know what to write about!" Prompts helps solve that problem by giving students something to write about. They can tap through the sentence starters until they find one they like and then start writing directly in the app. Sentence starters include:

  • The one thing I wouldn't want people to know about me is...
  • My superpower is...
  • On the night of the full moon, we...
  • It had been four years since I had seen her...

Students can use the story starter to write a true story or make one up. The goal of the app is to get them to write. When they get stuck, the app is there to help, offering suggestions such as:

  • Make it absurd
  • Who wasn't there?
  • How can you make it mysterious?
  • Make a quick outline.

Once they've finished their writing, students can share it through multiple methods or save it to add to it later.

 

Students who like writing will also like Prompts because it gives them an excuse to write more, and it can help them develop their creative writing skills. Younger writers may be confused by some of suggestions the app offers, such as "offer a lesser perspective," but older students who understand some of the narrative techniques will find themselves taking their writing to new, unpredictable levels. For students who don't like writing, the app provides a way in to writing by giving them something to write about, but it may not hold their attention beyond a few sentences.

Overall Rating
Engagement

Although the simplicity of the app appeals to those who simply want to focus on writing, it does not make writing seem more exciting for reluctant writers.

Pedagogy

The app empowers young writers to take their writing further and build their creative skills. The skills they can develop with this app are valuable ones they'll use throughout their schooling.

Support

Kids must figure out what tools are available, as the app only tells them where to tap to start an entry. The prompts within the app, however, are accessible to writers at a variety of age levels.

Common Sense reviewer
Stacy Zeiger Homeschooling parent
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Key Standards Supported

Writing

  • W.5.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.5.6

    With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

  • W.5.10

    Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

  • W.5.3

    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

  • W.6.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.

  • W.6.10

    Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and

  • W.6.3

    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

  • W.7.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.7.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

  • W.7.10

    Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

  • W.7.3

    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

  • W.8.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.8.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

  • W.8.10

    Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

  • W.8.3

    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

  • W.9-10.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.9-10.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

  • W.9-10.10

    Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

  • W.9-10.3

    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

  • W.11-12.4

    Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

  • W.11-12.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

  • W.11-12.10

    Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes

  • W.11-12.3

    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

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Community Rating

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Featured review by
Matthew C. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Oakland High School
Murfreesboro, United States
Prompts leads my students to connect their thoughts.
This program provides many of the same types of prompts that teachers would give students, but it effectively assists students by guiding them through steps without having to have the teacher by their sides at all times. Also, since the prompts come from a program and not from a teacher, some students are more willing to consider the advice! Nice to have some validation. :)
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