Each student needs a jar – ask them to bring a jam jar, baby food jar, or any other glass jar from home. Print a super label (in colour if possible) for the outside that will say Extreme Writing Jar. It might be good to provide a round label for the top that they can decorate themselves to cover any signs from the company making the jar – and to have their name so that they can get their jar back each time. Provide a list of 30 prompts and ask them to cut them up, fold them in half, and place them inside.
I have prepared the list for you, which you can download by clicking this link. But, you are welcome to create your own.
Also, decorate a banker’s box with Dollar Store Wrapping paper, and glue an 8.5 X 11 page printed with Extreme Writing Jars on the side. Store the jars in there when not in use.
How do they use the jars? The rules are that students take a prompt out, tape it in their Extreme Writing book and write on the topic – it’s required. They can’t put it back. If they run out of ideas before they finish the number of required words they can pull out another prompt. (They will all have different prompts of course, but that can be fun when they share.)
