Grade by Grade
D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Every Purpose

Finding and Growing Ideas

D1.2 D1.5 A3.1About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can find ideas for writing from my own life and from things I learn in other subjects.
  • I can use a heart map, a list or a web to come up with ideas.
  • I can grow an idea by asking who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
  • I can tell which idea strategy helped me most.

Words to know

brainstorm
To write or say lots of ideas quickly, without stopping to judge them.
heart map
A heart drawing filled with the people, places and things that matter to you. It is a place to find writing ideas.
web
A planning picture with the topic in the middle and ideas on lines around it.
lived experience
Something that really happened in your own life.
strategy
A way of doing something that helps you.

"I don't know what to write about!"

Every writer feels stuck sometimes. Good writers have strategies, or tricks, to find ideas. Today you will learn five of them.

Remember: your own life is full of stories. Things you did, people you love, places you go and things you wonder about are all writing ideas.

StrategyHow it works
❤️ Heart mapDraw a big heart. Fill it with people, pets, places, activities and memories that matter to you.
📝 Brainstorm listSet a timer for 2 minutes and list every idea you can. No idea is silly!
🕸️ WebWrite a topic in the middle. Draw lines out and add ideas about it.
❓ Question wordsAsk who, what, where, when, why and how to grow a small idea into a bigger one.
🔬 Other subjectsUse what you learned in science, social studies, math or gym. Example: what you learned about how animals change in winter.
Five strategies for finding and growing ideas
Worked example

Let's make a heart map

Jonah needs ideas for a personal narrative. He draws a big heart on paper.

  1. He thinks of people: Mom, my little sister Ruby, Grandpa Joe. He draws them in the heart.
  2. He thinks of places: the cottage, the hockey arena, the library.
  3. He thinks of things he loves to do and remembers: catching frogs, building a quinzhee (snow shelter), the day Ruby was born.
  4. Now he has lots of ideas! He picks the one he has the most to say about: building a quinzhee with Grandpa Joe.

Jonah's topic: building a quinzhee with Grandpa Joe. He found it on his heart map.

PeopleMommy sister RubyGrandpa JoePlacesthe cottagethe hockey arenathe libraryThings I love and remembercatching frogsthe day Ruby was bornbuilding a quinzhee
Jonah's heart map. He circles the idea he has the most to say about: building a quinzhee with Grandpa Joe.
Building a quinzheeWho? Grandpa JoeWhere? backyardHow? pile, pack, digFeeling? so proud
Jonah's web. His topic is in the middle and his ideas grow out from it.
Worked example

Let's grow an idea with question words

Jonah's idea is small: "I built a quinzhee." Let's grow it by asking questions.

  1. Who was with you? Grandpa Joe.
  2. When did it happen? During the winter break, after a big snowstorm.
  3. Where? In our backyard.
  4. How did you build it? We piled up snow, packed it down, waited, then dug out the inside.
  5. Why was it special? Grandpa said he built them when he was a kid. We drank hot chocolate inside.

Now Jonah has enough ideas for a whole story, not just one sentence!

Ideas from other subjects

What you learn in other subjects can become great writing too:

  • Science: you learned how animals get ready for winter. You could write an information report about a bear or a squirrel.
  • Social studies: you learned about traditions in your family and community. You could write about a holiday or celebration your family enjoys.
  • Math: you made a graph of your class's favourite fruits. You could write a persuasive text: Apples are the best fruit!
  • Health and gym: you could write a how-to about a game or a healthy snack.

Which strategy worked for you?

Good writers notice what helps them. After you find an idea, say:

"The strategy that helped me most was ... because ..."

Example: "The heart map helped me most because it reminded me of my grandpa."

Different strategies work for different people and different topics. That is okay!

Just for fun

Why did the writer sleep with a notebook under her pillow?

To catch the ideas in her dreams!

Hands-on activity

Make your own heart map

You need: a big piece of paper, crayons or markers.

  1. Draw a big heart that fills the page.
  2. Inside, draw and label at least 8 things that matter to you: people, pets, places, favourite activities, special memories, things you wonder about.
  3. Circle one idea you could tell a story about.
  4. Tell a grown-up about it. The grown-up asks you who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
  5. Finish this sentence out loud: "The strategy that helped me most was ..."

Keep your heart map in a folder. You can use it all year!

Your turn

1

Name two strategies for finding writing ideas.

2

What goes in the middle of a web?

3

Nora's idea is "I went apple picking." Write two questions that could help her grow the idea.

4

What is a lived experience?

5

In science you learned about butterflies. Name a kind of text you could write about them.

6

When you brainstorm, should you stop and cross out ideas that seem silly?

7

Finish the sentence: "The strategy that helped me most was ... because ..."

More practice: warm-up

1

What do you draw to make a heart map?

2

What does brainstorm mean?

3

Name the six question words.

4

True or false: Your own life can give you writing ideas.

5

Is my dog Biscuit a possible writing idea?

More practice: on your own

1

Ethan's web has skating in the middle. Write two ideas he could add on the lines around it.

2

Which question word helps you tell the place where something happened?

3

Pick the idea that has the most to write about: (a) I have a pencil. (b) The day we found a turtle at the lake.

4

In social studies you learned about jobs in your community. Give one writing idea.

5

Aisha tried a list and a web. The web helped more. Why might that be?

Challenge

1

Grow this small idea into three detail sentences using question words: "We had a snow day."

2

Why might a heart map be a good strategy for a personal narrative but not the best for an information report about whales?

3

Make a mini brainstorm list of 5 topics you could write a how-to about.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What goes in the middle of a web?

2.

Which is a heart map for?

3.

Which question helps you grow the idea "We went camping"?

4.

When you brainstorm, you should ...

5.

You learned about seeds in science. Which is a good writing idea from that?

6.

Which sentence tells which strategy helped and why?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D1.2, D1.5): Grade 2 writers generate and develop ideas using simple strategies, drawing on their own lived experiences and learning from other subjects, and they can name the strategy that helped them.

How to help at home:

  • Keep the heart map and a running "ideas list" on the fridge. When something memorable happens, add it.
  • Talk before writing. Children who have told their story aloud write more and better.
  • Ask open questions ("What happened next? How did you feel?") rather than giving them the ideas.
  • After writing, ask: "What helped you think of that?" This builds the reflection the curriculum asks for.

Common difficulties:

  • Choosing huge topics ("my summer"). Help narrow to one moment ("the day I caught my first fish").
  • Judging ideas too early. Praise quantity during brainstorming.
  • Copying a friend's idea. Gently steer back to the heart map: their own life is the best source.