These Washington D.C. writing prompts will help students think more deeply and creatively about their travel experience. Encourage your students to journal their expectations before the trip departs, to write down their observations as it happens, and to process all that they experienced after they return home.
Washington D.C. Writing Prompts: Before the Trip
- What do you think Washington D.C. will look like? Sound like? Feel like?
- If you could be on the set of one movie or show filmed in Washington D.C., which show would it be and why?
- What are you looking forward to most about your trip to Washington D.C.?
- What do you hope to get out of your Washington D.C. experience?
Washington D.C. Writing Prompts: During the Trip
- What did you notice first about the city? Why is that?
- How do you feel when you are in the city? Excited? Overwhelmed? Alive? Nervous?
- What adjectives would you use to describe the city? Why do you think the city has this effect?
- What ordinary moments are part of a day for someone living/working in Washington D.C.? How are they the same or different from someone living in your hometown?
- If you could change the design of one memorial or monument, which would you change? How would you redesign it? Why?
Washington D.C. Writing Prompts: After the Trip
- What memorable experiences did you have in Washington D.C?
- How has your experience in Washington D.C. changed your perspective on the world?
- Could you picture yourself living in Washington D.C.? Why or why not?
- What career would you pursue if you lived in Washington D.C.?
- What advice would you give to someone visiting Washington D.C. for the first time?
- If you had a column in the Washington Post, what would you write about?
- What are the best ways to learn about history?