The "Expert List"

"But I don't know what to write about!" Ever hear that line from your students? The "Expert List" is an idea from Rick Shelton designed to make that problem go away. It works like this:

1. Have the students head their paper "Expert List"
2. Give them several minutes in which they will jot down every area in which they are an "expert." Their list can include things they do well, things they know a lot about, things they like, places they have been, people they know, etc. The list is unlimited.
3. Once you call "time," the students should have a fairly lengthy list.
4. The students put that list in a safe place in their binders.
5. The next time they need to write about something and are stuck for a topic, they pull out the "Expert List." There is a whole list of great topics! It sounds so simple, it just might work!