IDEAS

= IDEAS =

==This is the heart of the paper--what the writer has to say. It should be a topic that is important to the writer and should be small enough to handle in the paper. It should express the ideas clearly so every reader can understand and it should provide the reader with interesting insights. A solid, well-defined theme holds the paper together, giving a meaningful, focused, and detailed exploration of the topic.==

//citation: http://senior.billings.k12.mt.us/6traits/content/index.htm//

= IDEAS ACTIVITIES =

With a partner or individually, choose one of the topics to create a 5 step video. Post on both your wikis. --how to write an essay --how to find direct object --how to use 6 traits of writing --how to do DOL --how to show and not tell in your writing --how to be prepared for class --how to organize your time --how to organize your locker --how to write a vocabulary poem --how to use VOICE in your writing --how to use good WORD CHOICE in writing --how to show global citizenship --how to communicate effectively --how to think creatively --how to utilize information and technology effectively
 * The 5 Step Video**

The Phone Call Memo Call your friend giving lots of information to the other person who takes down a memo. Assess it for ideas. Is it clear? Easy to follow? Identify three things you could do to improve it.


 * Newspaper Articles**

Break into groups, and give each a newspaper or section of a newspaper. Identify one passage strong in ideas and one passage weak in ideas. Ask each group to use their passages to teach a lesson on idea development. They might ask the class to rate the passages, to compare details or language - or to identify 3 strengths or 3 weaknesses for the passages.

Interviews What makes a good interview question? Surely not //Where were you born? Where do you live now?// Boring! What about//, What’s your favorite film? What would you like to be doing in 5 years? What do you fear most? What’s your first vivid memory? Did you ever have to eat something you weren’t sure you could eat?// Brainstorm a list of 6-10 good interview questions. Avoid YES/NO questions. Then ask students to interview each other in pairs - give each person 4-5 minutes to ask questions. Then ask each to imagine he/she is doing a biography and to write an interesting lead based on the interview information. Read as many aloud as you have time for.

Observation Begin with any object - or person or live animal. Whatever! Gather everyone around to observe and make notes. (Detailed artwork works well for this activity, too.) Brainstorm as many details as you can till the whole class is //exhausted// thinking up ideas. Rest assured - you have still missed something! What was it? Remember - good writers notice what others miss.

Shoes Ask each student to bring in one shoe - old, new, worn, from another time - whatever. Make a display. After 2-3 days of observing, ask each student to write one of the following:


 * An advertisement for the shoe (as it would have appeared when the shoe was new)
 * A poem about the shoe or its owner
 * A brief description of the shoe’s owner
 * A short story in which the shoe played and important part


 * Imagine . . .**

Ask your students to imagine that they quit school today. What will they be doing 10 years from now? Twenty? Do a 10-15-minute quick write and read some of the results. Warning to student writers: Do NOT make your predictions too obvious (e.g., //I should have stayed in school because I am unemployed now)//. Creativity is the name of the game here.

Who Gets the Job?

**Part 1:** Ask students to look through the want-ad section of the paper and then to write an advertisement for a job opening. They can be inventive, so long as it’s (conceivably!) a real job. Have them meet in groups to share their ads and offer one another suggestions on wording or the need for additional information that might not be clear. Rewrite the ads and post them - each with three tags numbered 1, 2, and 3.

**Part 2:** Each student must read through the want-ads, then take one tag from each of three of the want ads - their choice, though it will be first come, first served! Each will then write three short letters of application-one for each of the advertised positions they’ve selected. The letters should be signed with pseudonyms and turned into the want-ad writers anonymously (they can be pinned to a bulletin board on envelopes). Each want-ad writer should receive three letters. Each should read the letters carefully - and choose the one that will get the job. Ask several students - or more if time permits-to read their want - ads and their letter of choice - and to explain why that person would be chosen to receive the job. How important are the factors of


 * Clarity
 * Voice
 * Conventions
 * Detail

//citation: http://tusdstats.tusd.k12.az.us/planning/resources/getting_to_know_the_six_traits/Ideas_and_Content_TbyT.htm//

= IDEAS RUBRIC =

=5= A. This paper is clear and focused. It holds the reader's attention. Relevant anecdotes and details enrich the central theme. B. Relevant, telling, quality details give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable. C. Reasonably accurate details are present to support the main ideas. D. The writer seems to be writing from knowledge or experience; the ideas are fresh and original. E. The reader’s questions are anticipated and answered. F. Insight—an understanding of life and a knack for picking out what is significant—is an indicator of high level performance, though not required. The writer is beginning to define the topic, even though development is still basic or general.

=3= A. The topic is fairly broad; however, you can see where the writer is headed. B. Support is attempted, but doesn't go far enough yet in fleshing out the key issues or story line. C. Ideas are reasonably clear, though they may not be detailed, personalized, accurate, or expanded enough to show indepth understanding or a strong sense of purpose. D. The writer seems to be drawing on knowledge or experience, but has difficulty going from general observations to specifics. E. The reader is left with questions. More information is needed to "fill in the blanks." F. The writer generally stays on the topic but does not develop a clear theme. The writer has not yet focused the topic past the obvious. As yet, the paper has no clear sense of purpose or central theme. To extract meaning from the text, the reader must make inferences based on sketchy or missing details. The writing reflects more than one of these problems:

=1= A. The writer is still in search of a topic, brainstorming, or has not yet decided what the main idea of the piece will be. B. Information is limited or unclear or the length is not adequate for development. C. The idea is a simple restatement of the topic or an answer to the question with little or no attention to detail. D. The writer has not begun to define the topic in a meaningful, personal way. E. Everything seems as important as everything else; the reader has a hard time sifting out what is important. F. The text may be repetitious,