The dreaded blank sheet of paper is passed out and now to have the kids write. Write about the upcoming holidays, the perfect present, a New Year’s resolution. You realized these ideas have seen better days so you look for writing prompts. You turn to the web to find sites that offer new prompts. Many are great, but all you are thinking about are those visual students. They can be great writers, but the act of writing is so hard for them. Rushton Hurley watched this happen and created a fabulous idea to combat this challenge.

1. Find to images (creative commons has many free pictures online)
2. Display the two opposite pictures for a group of students (For example, one pictures is in a busy city during lunch and the other is in a serene park.)
3. Partner up and share a story about how the two pictures are connected.

In speaking with some teachers, we came up with a plan to take this even further.

1. Give small groups of students a camera device (digital camera, tablet, smart phone) and have them take pictures around their campus.
2. Display the two opposite activity pictures for the students.
3. Partner up and share story about how the two pictures are connected.
4. Record the story using vocaroo, voice thread, or a computer with a microphone.
5. Play back the story and create a web while listening to the story.
6. Write/type the story in your favorite document software

Now the student who stared at the blank sheet of paper has created a fabulous story because the writing prompt was textual, but visual.