IDEAS IDEAS are the main message, the content of the piece, the theme, together with the details that enrich and develop the theme.

To Think about…  Where do you get IDEAS from?  What makes an IDEA good?

Scoring Continuum

5 - It’s clear, focused, jam-packed with details, and holds the reader’s attention.  My topic is small enough to handle.  Interesting tidbits give the reader important information.  Accurate details support the main idea(s).  You can tell I know a LOT about this topic.  I’ve thought of readers’ questions and answered them.  This paper might even show some insight!

3- It has intriguing moments, but the development is still basic or general.  My topic might be a little too big.  It could use more details.  Ideas are clearer in my head than on the paper.  My information seems pretty general rather than specific.  The reader might still have some questions.  I’ve stayed on topic, but don’t really have a message.

1- I’m just figuring out what I want to say.  I just don’t know enough about this topic yet.  It’s hard to picture anything.  I’m still thinking on paper - looking for an idea.

All The Places To Love By Patricia MacLachlan Paintings by Mike Wimmer

In my life so far: I had 2 rabbot’s but Flopy is died but Dimend is not died. Dimend is brown. Flopy is white and black. I let Dimend in the Houes. Dimend leve’s present’s every were. Then my dad has to clean it up. Next I have to clean my room and my brother’s have to Help. My mom toke me to Toy’s-R-us for my birthday. Me and my dad went to see the sunset. Whene im goning to see the mississippi whene im older. The im going to get a car befor I see the mississippi rever. The story’s We read in class is all 3 wayside school book’s. Thrid grade is terrable. We are reading SHILOH. I’m reading Elved’s don’t wear hard hat’s and micky magic book. I whent to my uncul’s for the night on march. I like juse, furte and Other thige’s like pizza. Plus im olny nine year’s old.

The Baseball I remember the day I got it well. It was an everyday type day until the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it. But my sister beat me to it, as usual. It was dad’s friend Tom. He got back form a New York yankes baseball fantasy camp a couple of weeks ago. I said hi to him and he asked me if I knew who Micky Mantel was. I said of corse I do. At that point I was a little confused. Then he haded me a baseball. It wasen’t the kind of baseball we use in little luege. It was nicer than that. Made of real leather. It even smelled like leather. Like the smell of a new leather jacket. And the seems wee hand stitched too. I turned it around in my hand then I saw it. I saw a Micky Mantel aughtograph. I coulden’t believe it. I had an aughtograph in ink of one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Wow. I teushered it ever since that everyday type day that changed at the ring of a doorbell.

If I had to choose something I would like to keep forever I would choose my dog Ruder. Ruder is a German Shepherd. His eyes are green and his tail is long. Ruder is a beautifil dog. Ruder is kind of a brown black gray color. Ruder is an excellent watchdog. Ruder plays with me when I’m bored, he’s fun. I like Ruder better than my stuffed animals, my dolls and all that kind of stuff. Ruder can be bad and make mistakes but he’s still the best dog in the world to me. Ruder is fun to play catch and stuff like that. Ruder likes to lay right by your bed at night, sometimes it makes me to go sleep just thinking he’s there. If I didn’t have Ruder I wouldn’t die or anything I’d just be lonely. I have friends but Ruder is better than all of them.

Rainy Day A rainy Day. I say it’s fun when you think of same: games to play. Like I play Hands Down and I play girl talk. Whith my sister. I play Hands Down whith my family it’s fun to play Hands Down. When it’s a raiy Day. A rainy Day. Do not have to be boring. It can be fun. you can play Games and if you can play hide in sink. That’s fun to play on rainy Days. Games like Hands Down and talk. Are games that you can play on a riany Day. Rainy days are so fun sametimes rainy are not fun when it’s a rainy Day. I play games. Games are not boring. Games are fun to play on a rainy Days.

Now You Write Think about a place you love!

Next Draw a picture of the place you love. –Use details in your picture!

Narrow your topic

Think about the senses! What do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I taste? What do I touch? What do I feel?

What makes an IDEA good when I write? Think about your writing!

Use questions to think about your writing Do I know a LOT about this topic? Is my topic small, like a seed? Do I have interesting details to share with my reader? Can your readers get a picture in their minds.