Ideas is what a paper is made up of. It shows the child's awareness of details, ability to see what others miss, knowing what is most important or interesting and a good sense of the "main point" or "main storyline."
In class I have them be observers. I ask my students to observe their surroundings. See how much they notice. Then they record their observations. Sometimes I do it in a form of a nature hike or by observing our classroom pet. Then I have them sort their observations in groups. They are: most interesting, most important, most unusual and then which details they would like to read about.
I also have them draw out a list of details. Greeting cards and postcards are fun for them because they have unusual, colorful and interesting pictures. In older grades, teachers have students pair up and one student describes a picture and then the other has to try and recognize it from the description.
Organization:
A childs organization is so important when writing a paper. This shows a sense of sequence, the ability to organize and group, a sense of a beginning and a sense of an ending as well.
I read stories aloud to students and pause after the beginning to ask, "Why do you think the writer started this way. I also sometimes ask the children before the beginning, "Where do you think the writer will begin." This is great for older children because it really gets them thinking.
I also do a lot of prediction with my students. As we are reading I ask questions like, "What do you think will happen next? What will this writer talk about next? How do you think it might end?"
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