If you’re like many educators always on the lookout for fresh writing prompts and lesson starters, the Sugestões de Escrita (translated means "Writing Suggestions") page on cadescrita.org is a great find (even if you don’t speak Portuguese.)
What It Is
At its core, Sugestões de Escrita serves as a collection of creative writing suggestions and guided prompts designed to spark student thinking and writing. It blends introspective questions with open-ended topics that can easily be adapted across languages and classroom contexts.
Rather than offering a list of random prompts, the content is structured around conceptual themes such as journey and resilience, narrative exploration (e.g., "O Túnel Secreto" or "The Secret Tunnel"), and environmental storytelling (e.g., "A Nossa Amiga Baleia Azul em Extinção" or "Our Friend the Blue Whale: An Endangered Species"). Each section presents a core idea and then frames student questions or tasks that guide deeper thinking and text production.
Why It’s Valuable for Teachers
Even if you’re teaching in English or another language, there’s a lot to hack here:
Universal themes: Journey, nature, decision-making; topics students everywhere can relate to and write about.
Adaptable prompts: The Portuguese structure (main idea → reflective question → writing task) can be translated into English while preserving pedagogical value.
Critical thinking built in: Students aren’t just asked to write; they’re prompted to reason, reflect, and justify their ideas through layered questions.
Classroom Hacks
Here are a few ways to bring this into your teaching toolkit:
Prompt Translation & Expansion
Translate a section to English and use it as a scaffold for independent or group writing. For older students you might turn a prompt into a mini-essay or debate starter.
Theme-Driven Literacy Centers
Assign small groups a theme (e.g., “Freedom” or “Resilience”), have them brainstorm vocabulary and then write short narratives using those ideas.
Cross-Curricular Bridges
The environmental prompt about the blue whale can tie into science units on biodiversity or marine ecosystems, making writing purposeful and connected.
Overall Take
While Sugestões de Escrita isn’t a polished worksheet bank, it’s rich with thoughtful prompts and conceptual writing starters that can be re-used, translated, and adapted in any classroom. It’s a great example of how multilingual content can still fuel powerful teaching ideas, and a good reminder that inspiration often transcends language barriers.
