Collecting New Seed Ideas

Many children have completed their first "official" drafts of personal narrative writing. Yesterday, I taught children a new strategy for generating ideas for writing. When writers think of turning points in their lives, they often create very powerful stories. So I encouraged children to think of the firsts and lasts in their lives and list them in the back of their notebook. Then they can always refer to that list when they are thinking of something to write about.

Talk to your child about their firsts and lasts. Encourage them to write any new ideas in their writing notebook. Here's a list to get you started:

*The first time you did something that was hard for you (like riding a bike without training wheels).
*The first time you did something really important to you (like losing a tooth).
*The first time you did something you now do every day (like going to school or seeing your baby brother).
*The last time you did something important to you (like walking with your parent to school - instead of by yourself).
*The last time you saw someone important to you (like a friend who moved, or a loved one who passed).