1. IDEAS WHAT IS AN IDEA? WHERE DO YOU GET THEM?

2. AN IDEA IS THE FUN PART, THE PART THAT MAKES ME LOVE TO WRITE! WE GET IDEAS FROM: 1. WHAT WE CARE ABOUT. 2. KNOW ABOUT OR WANT TO KNOW ABOUT 3. OUR EMOTIONS/FEELINGS 4. INTERESTS

3. AN IDEA IS NOT A TOPIC! A TOPIC IS A GENERAL SUBJECT LIKE: dogs, soccer, birthdays, ice-skating, jungle animals, the ocean, stars, babysitters, computers, backyard games, amusement parks, the Rocky Mountains, or food.

4. IDEAS HAVE A FOCUS! BEFORE SITTING DOWN TO WRITE, THE WRITER KNOWS WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS TO SAY TO AN AUDIENCE. IDEAS PROVIDE A PURPOSE! IDEAS CAN CHANGE DURING WRITING. YOU CAN START WITH A PLAN AND SOMETHING NEW CAN POP INTO YOUR HEAD!

5. FINDING IDEAS IN EVERYDAY LIFE!

6. IDEAS FROM HOME THE EMOTIONAL EVENTS THAT HAPPEN IN OUR OWN FAMILIES: the birth of a brother, loss of a pet, helping a sister get ready for college, camping at the beach, visiting a grandparent in the hospital or senior center, or missing the championship baseball game.

7. BRAINSTORM WRITING IDEAS FOR FUTURE WRITING 1. What’s your favorite place in your home? 2. Do you have a pet? Where did you get it? How did you decide on a name? 3. How does your family wake up? 4. What’s you favorite holiday celebration? 5. What kinds of animals live in your yard? 6. What are the busiest times in your house? 7. What kind of things does your mother and father do to help you? 8. Have you ever been afraid in you home? 9. Where’s you favorite hiding place at home? 10. What does your sister-brother do that makes you giggle?

8. CONTINUED…….. 11. What does you sister-brother do that irritates you? 12. What are your bedtime rituals? What do you do before going to bed? WHAT OTHER IDEAS CAN YOU ADD TO YOUR JOURNAL?

9. WHAT WE CAN USE TO FIND IDEAS! EMOTIONS SAD EXCITEDSCARED EMBARRASSED HAPPY PROUD

10. A WRITING IDEA IS MUCH MORE SPECIFIC! It could be an explanation of advantages/disadvantages of a giraffe’s long neck. How six weeks of soccer camp paid off with a surprising play in the first game of the season. How dolphins communicate. What I like about my best friend. How I got my dog.

11. WRITING IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND US Take you writing journal outside. Sit alone in a spot. Close your eyes for 5 minutes. Mrs. Wolsing will time you. While your eyes are closed. RELAX, LISTEN, SMELL, FEEL When time is up. Write every word that comes to your mind after sitting for 5 minutes. Think about the sounds, smells…..list every word that you can think of. We will go back to the room and use these observations to come up with a possible writing idea.

12. IDEAS FROM BOOKS! 1. READING AND LISTENING TO OTHER BOOKS CAN SPARK YOUR IMAGINATION AND IDEAS SEEM TO MYSTERIOUSLY FLOOD OUR MINDS. HINT:Keep a notebook close when you are reading to write down any ideas that come to your mind when reading.

13. IDEAS FROM ACTIVITIES! WRITE ABOUT THINGS YOU DO! 1. school stories 2. accounts of basketball camp or dance class 3. about what you have “seen”, “heard”, “experienced” 4. dogs you have lived with 5. gardening and growing flowers 6. soccer

14. Continued….Personal Interests 7. Collections: rocks, stamps, baseball cards, dolls, fossils, arrowheads, books. 8. Do you play a musical instrument? Take lessons, go to recitals, how do you feel on those days. 9. Do you belong to a club? Boy or girl scouts, afterschool group, how often do you meet? 10. What is your favorite movie? 11. Do you draw or make cartoons?

15. IDEAS FROM IMAGINATION! WE ENJOY WRITING ADVETURES, MYSTERIES, AND FANTASIES. OUT OF THIS WORLD 1. DO YOU EVER PRETEND THAT YOU CAN FLY? 2. IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE, WHERE WOULD IT BE? 3. DO YOU EVER HAVE A DREAM THAT YOU REMEMBER? 4. IF YOU COULD BE ANY ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 5. WHEN YOU DAYDREAM, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT?

16. IDEAS FROM THE REAL WORLD Some people like to write information books. They write about things they know like horses, ballet, volcanoes, or the sun. They get their information from: 1. videos, T.V. shows, encyclopedias, online articles, information books, interview people, do research themselves, and write about what they already know.

17. BRAINSTORM IDEAS INTO YOUR JOURNAL 1. Have you ever studied one particular animal? What do you know about it? 2. Do you like space? Do you read about it? Do you watch TV shows about it? 3. Are you an expert on something? What do you know a lot about? 4. Do you like to study different countries? Mountains? Rivers? Lakes? 5. Do you know a lot about plants? Flowers? The woods?

18. IDEAS FROM OBSERVATION SOMETIMES YOU SEE OR HEAR SOMETHING AND THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMETHING YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT. ****THE LITTLE CURIOSITIES THAT WE NOTICE AROUND US….EX; THE WAY THE MOON IS VISIBLE IN THE DAYTIME SKY, THE FLIGHT OF THE HUMMINGBIRDS AS THEY FEED IN THE GARDEN……

19. MANY COMMON, EVERYDAY OCCURRENCES TAKE ON NEW MEANING WHEN WE TAKE THE TIME TO SIT STILL AND WATCH!

20. BRAINSTORM IDEAS FOR YOUR JOURNAL 1. Have you ever witnessed an animal being born? 2. Have you ever taken the time to rest beneath a tree and watch the different animals that visit? 3. Have you ever studied a toad or a mouse up close? What did you notice? 4. Is there a tree outside your bedroom window that changes with the seasons? Can you describe what happens to the leaves? 5. Have you ever gone on a nighttime hike through the woods? What sounds did you hear?

21. Continued…… 6. Have you ever held a newborn baby in your arms? Can you remember what you noticed? 7. Have you ever taken a canoe ride down a quiet river? What did you see, hear, or smell?

22. A THOUGHT TO REMEMBER……. BEFORE SITTING DOWN TO WRITE, THE WRITER KNOWS WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS TO SAY TO AN AUDIENCE. IDEAS PROVIDE THE PURPOSE!