Using SCAMPER to Spark Creativity in Gifted Writers

Apr 16

I recently discovered a creative thinking framework that instantly clicked for me as an ELA teacher—and it might become one of my favorite tools for working with gifted students. It’s called SCAMPER, and while it’s often used in business and design thinking, it has incredible potential in the classroom, especially for writing.

What is SCAMPER?

SCAMPER is a framework that helps learners think creatively and critically about existing ideas by applying seven prompts:

Substitute
Combine
Adapt
Modify (Magnify or Minify)
Put to another use
Eliminate
Reverse or Rearrange

Each of these prompts nudges students to explore “what if” possibilities. What if the villain became the hero? What if the setting moved from the forest to space? What if the ending came first?

As an ELA teacher, this kind of thinking came to me right away—stories are full of flexible parts, and students are naturally curious about changing them. What surprised me was how structured the SCAMPER process felt. It offers students just enough scaffolding to stay focused, while still giving them creative freedom to explore and take risks.

Why It Works for Gifted Students

Gifted learners often thrive when given the opportunity to think outside the box. But without a clear structure, creative assignments can sometimes feel too open-ended. SCAMPER gives them a framework to explore ideas deeply and intentionally.

In the lesson I designed, students start with a familiar fairy tale and use the SCAMPER method to rewrite it. They might eliminate a character, reverse the sequence of events, or substitute the setting entirely. What results is a brand-new story, shaped by the student’s imagination but grounded in narrative structure and purpose.

This kind of assignment does more than boost creativity—it encourages analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students think critically about how their changes impact character motivation, plot progression, or theme. It’s fun, but it’s also academically rich and deeply engaging.