Themes for Personal Writing Inspiration
Or
To Select From for Language Theme Work With Class
Children need help to select meaningful topics. This is an important role for the teacher.
A selection of suitable topics follows. This list was originally developed by Mr John Denny with his class in Auckland and published by Mr Elwyn Richardson You could easily make up your own list by talking with your students.
How to use this list.
- If students have trouble selecting a topic of their own the teachers can select a few of these to remind them of ideas.
- The teachers could select on e of the items and use as a class language theme to model the personal writing process.
Suggested process to use with class.
- Share a personal experience of your own with the class to model the process - and also to let the students see that you are 'human'.
- Draft it out on the whiteboard once again to model the writing process. Demonstrate how to draft, to change ideas as you are thinking, how you replace words, add ideas etc. This will let them realise they don't have to get it perfect right from the start. Your model will also emphasise the idea of powerful writing and the idea of quality.
- You might like to introduce the criteria of a powerful piece writing so they can self assess their own work e.g.
- A heading that capture attention
- A powerful or interesting first sentence
- Writing that 'paints a word picture'.
- Finally proof read to ensure every thing is correct.
- Before the students start get them to share the topic they have chosen with others in an oral situation. This is a chance to gather ideas before they write.
- Ask the students to write as if they a re back in the situation they have chosen. Get them to visualise or reflect on what was happening, what the saw, heard, felt, what was being said etc. You will have modelled this in your demonstration.
- Once students are underway the teacher can read out exciting phrases students are using. As well help the students focus on the memorable aspects and to expand on ideas they haven't given full justice to.
- Finally get students to publish their writing in a special personal journal or for the wall or a special publication to share with parents. Up until this point all writing is in draft form. Keep in mind some writing will be to personal to share - this must be respected.
- To encourage the idea of quality improvement get the students to reflect on aspect of the writing they have improved and what are they might like to focus on next time. Some classes process one piece of writing a week.
Teach layout, presentation and illustration skills if you really want quality results. These need to be modelled as much as the writing process itself.
Ideas to inspire writing.
- Riding a bicycle - first ride, bike accident.
- Climbing a cliff or tree. Getting stuck, easy up, hard down.
- Throwing something and the consequences.
- Taking a short cut and subsequent troubles.
- Playing a child's games when you have to. Having to play with children below your own age.
- Getting all set to do something, then thwarted.
- Encounter with an animal, a dog, a bull.
- Caught by the tide or trapped in another way.
- Classroom events - for example the birth of a monarch, or rats.
- Rain in all its facets.
- Playground incidents - fights, gangs, injustices, break-up of friendships.
- Bribery - to get out of trouble or to get something you want.
- Getting wet or muddy.
- Lost - in the city, in bush, feeling lost.
- A time of danger - a swimming accident, feeling of utter exhaustion.
- Pretending to be polite.
- Exploring and discovering.
- Having a quarrel with someone.
- How people say things with their eyes, or with gesture.
- When time goes so slowly (Mum meets a friend in the street or those visitors won't go home).
- Trying to fool Mum when you don't want to get up in the morning.
- Being nice to someone you don't like.
- Playing on the road.
- First cooking lesson. A cake that flopped!
- Scary things. Seeing something and thinking it was frightening.
- Describing something in the classroom - an insect in a jar, a fish in a tank.
- Cat and dog stories - other pets.
- Absent-mindedness - doing things without thinking.
- Playing tricks. Scaring people.
- Bedtime stories. Midnight feasts, hiding in the dark. Shapes at the door!
- Sickness - what happens at your place when you're sick. The doctor comes.
- Having a loose tooth (or observing someone's false ones).
- Having 'dares' with yourself.
- Waking up on Christmas day or a birthday.
- The time I...
- got up to mischief with the babysitter,
- wished I was (wasn't) an only child,
- acted 'cool' to impress someone,
- pretended I didn't need any friends,
- was afraid I'd get caught,
- didn't know whether or not to tell,
- couldn't participate through being a boy (girl),
- wished I wasn't the eldest (younger) child in the family,
- someone pretended to be my friend but wasn't,
- misbehaved to get attention,
- I had to pretend so I'd be accepted,
- how I'm different at school and out of school,
- I was very ill
- I broke something very valuable,
- I know that I was very rude.
- Someone said that he/she didn't like me.
- Something I didn't think I could do, but did.
- Something I bragged about and couldn't do.
- A time I had to prove myself.
- A time I called, 'chicken' and knew I was.
- A time I felt I couldn't do anything right.
- A time I wish I hadn't told a friend something.
- When I was supposed to act like a gentleman (lady) but didn't feel like it, or didn't although I tried.
- A time I acted tough to impress my friend(s).
- What people notice about me first.
- What sort of person I really am.
- A time I didn't want my picture taken.
- When I made a good/bad decision.
- A time when I made a decision too late (too soon).
- A decision that I made which hurt somebody/helped somebody.
- Answering the phone. Being surprised - missing the caller and wondering.
- A time I felt bad because I was different.
- A time I tried to be what I wasn't and felt uncomfortable.
- A time when I did something just because someone else told me to.
- Something no-one knows about me.
- A time I knew what to do or the answer but no-one would listen or ask me.
- A time a friend let me down, I let a friend down.
- A time I thought I might die.
- How I earned the money I needed.
- A time I said that I was sorry but didn't mean it.
- A time my friend and I fixed something together.
- A time I was sorry but didn't or couldn't say so.
- Things I do when I'm angry.
- A time I avoided getting into trouble.
- A time I spread a rumour.
- A time I acted without thinking first.
- When I was punished unfairly.
- A time when I should have kept my mouth shut.
- When I was really jealous
- Different meanings of a smile, or of a particular one.
- Doing a favour for someone.
- When I took a chance and lost it.
- Getting something I had to take a risk for.
- A time I trusted someone and it ended up badly.
- A time I stuck up for someone.
- A time I did something and was afraid to admit it.
- Getting up the nerve to meet someone new.
- Being a new person.
- Being made fun of, or being rejected.
- Getting an unwanted haircut.
- Waiting in line.
- Being clumsy.
- Not feeling dressed properly on an occasion.
- Sneaking in late.
- A day dream which was beautiful, frightening.
- In a bus: an old person, a hard case, a mother and child.
- In a car: travelling in rain, at night.
- Waiting in church for something to happen.
- Thinking what kind of person the preacher is.
- The stars: what you think of them, a starry night.
- Your fear of someone leaving you.
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