Make journals a daily or weekly part of the classroom experience. Each week, give students daily or weekly journal prompts and encourage them to think creatively about their answers. Some possible questions include, "What would you do if you woke up and saw a dinosaur in your backyard," or "If you could sit down to lunch with a someone famous, who would it be and why?" Creative journal writing prompts that encourage students to invent stories or describe family members and pets are also effective.
Have students create a "jumble story." Ask students to pick three numbers between one and 10. Each number corresponds to a specific character, setting and situation that you've selected. Students match their chosen numbers to find out what elements they need to use in their stories. For example, a student may need to write about an alien at a shopping mall late at night or a new mom at a city park during a concert.
Turn a creative writing exercise into a history lesson by having students write about a historical figure. It can either be a historical figure you've assigned to them or a person of their choosing. Students write from the perspective of the historical figure and examine questions such as the accomplishments they are most proud of, their most regrettable moment and their favorite childhood memory.