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Make an expert list: A prewriting strategy

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Are you a homeschooling parent teaching your child to write?  Maybe you’re a classroom teacher launching a writing workshop.  Or maybe, like me, you want to supplement your child’s school education.  No matter who you are, this lesson is for you — I’m sharing a prewriting strategy for kids: make an expert list!

Simple-Writing-Lesson---make-an-expert-list---the-measured-mom

Teaching writing can be daunting, can’t it?  The idea of handing our kids a blank notebook and expecting them to accomplish something may feel like we’re taking a pretty big chance.  How will they know what to write about?  How will we know what to teach them? How will we even know what to say?

I think this is the reason some people set the blank notebook aside and pull out a series of sentence starters and other writing prompts.  But while writing prompts can be useful, they should be only a small piece of writing instruction.

When I think of writing prompts, I think of being inside a box.  You can only stretch so far.  Here’s a great quote from Ruth Culham in 6+1 Traits of Writing: Primary Grades (p.48):

“Some teachers give students a topic and a sentence starter, such as “Pets” and “My favorite pet is a (an) ____ because _____,” with the hope that the writer’s ability to come up with and flesh out topics independently will grow over time.

It won’t.  

Let’s be clear right from the start: if you want children to learn to write, you need to give them pencils and let them write.  

When we don’t give students the opportunity to make their own writing decisions — to think for themselves — we limit their ability to become independent.”

Well, that all sounds great, but let’s get to real life here.  Expecting kids to come up with their own topics day after day feels a bit much.  What are we to do when we hear the familiar complaint:

“I can’t think of anything to write about!”

We teach them.  We equip them with a strategy that allows them to be independent thinkers.

Simple Writing Lesson #1: Make an expert list.

A pre-writing strategy

(Note: I used this lesson with my six-year-old daughter who just finished kindergarten.  The lesson can easily be adapted for students in any grade.)

When to use it:

When you want to help your student find her own topics for writing.

How to teach it: 

1) Prepare your materials.  Your child should have a pencil and her writing notebook. You’ll also need two copies of blank lined paper, or this printable:

Do your writers keep saying "I don't know what to write about" ? Try this prewriting strategy to give them loads of ideas for today and many days to come!

2) Talk about what good writers do when they need writing ideas.

“Sometimes, good writers aren’t sure what to write about.  It helps them to make a list of topics.  One thing that can help writers is to think of things they are expert at. Do you know what that means?  Today I’m going to make an expert list. It will be a list of things, people, or places that I know a lot about.  Hmmm….”

Do your writers keep saying "I don't know what to write about" ? Try this prewriting strategy to give them loads of ideas for today and many days to come!

3)  Model your thought process as you write your own expert list.  Here’s what it sounded like as I wrote mine:

“Let me think about things that I know a lot about… I know a lot about blogging.  I know a lot about each of my kids. I know about you and each of your brothers.   I know a lot about Daddy.”

(Here she suggested: “You know about yourself.”)

“Yes, that’s a great idea! I’m definitely an expert on myself.   Let’s see… I used to be a teacher. I know a lot about that.   Lately I’ve been doing a lot of canning, so I guess I’m an expert at canning.   And I know I do a lot of cleaning.   I like to bake bread… and I’m also an expert on things I love, like chocolate!  I do a lot of grocery shopping – that’s another thing.   What about places?  What places am I an expert at?  Well, I grew up in Virginia, so I’ll write that.”

(My daughter said, “You exercise a lot.”)

“Sure, I’m an expert at exercising.  What else do I know about?  I know a lot about our house. I’ll write that.”

(“You bake stuff – like cookies and things.”)

“I’ll write baking stuff.”

Do your writers keep saying "I don't know what to write about" ? Try this prewriting strategy to give them loads of ideas for today and many days to come!

4) Guide your student as she writes her own expert list. Here’s what it sounded like at our house:

“Now it’s your turn to write an expert list.”

“Well, I can’t do that, because I don’t know what to write.”

“Let’s think about things you’re an expert at – things you know a lot about.”

“I’m an expert at swimming.” (She just finished beginner swimming lessons. :))  “I like to work in the garden, so I know about gardening…. I don’t know what else.”

“On my list I wrote about people that I know very well. Can you think of people that you know a lot about?”

“Grandma and Grandpa… And I know about school!”

“What’s something that you really love to do? You’re an expert at things you love.”

“Reading! And I know about God.”

“Those are great ideas! They’ll give you lots to write about.  Can you think of people that live right in this house?”

“Mom and Dad.  M—-, me,  I—-, J—-. “

“What about places you’ve been?  Did we go anywhere this summer that you know a lot about?”

“We went to West Virginia.”

Do your writers keep saying "I don't know what to write about" ? Try this prewriting strategy to give them loads of ideas for today and many days to come!

5) Wrap up the lesson.

While we could have worked together to write a much longer expert list, my daughter was squirming. I knew that continuing would only frustrate her – and that we can add more to this list any time in the future.

“You have got some great things on your expert list. We’re going to tape it to the back of your writing notebook so you can always see it for new ideas. And if you add new ideas on another page, we can just tape the top so that it flips up!”

Do your writers keep saying "I don't know what to write about" ? Try this prewriting strategy to give them loads of ideas for today and many days to come!

This is the first of a 12-part series. Be sure to join This Reading Mama and me for the rest of our Simple Writing Lessons for Primary Grades!

simple writing lessons for primary grades - themeasuredmom & thisreadingmama

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Tips for teaching writing virtually in K-3What do K-2 writers need to learn?What can you try when young children just aren’t interested in writing?

Reader Interactions

54 Comments

  5. Mom

    Anna, this sounds so simple and just enough for one lesson. May God give you many more simple lessons for the rest of the series….and if Miss E writes about this grandma, you better share it! Love, Mom

    Reply to this comment

  10. MissMom

    Excellent! Normally, I have to create my own writing lesson for my 7 year old. I am happy that this series frees me up from that this time because the writing philosophy is “on-point!”

    Reply to this comment

  12. Milagros MORALES GARCÍA

    I’m a Primary english teacher from Peru I’d like to learn about how to teach writing my kids (from 6 and 7 years old. Thanks for shareing your experince with us

    Reply to this comment

  16. Maria

    Hi Anna!
    I´m a EFL teacher and it´s really hard for my primary students to write just a couple of sentences. I´ll follow your advice step by step even they are older than your daughter.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply to this comment

  18. Angelia Potts

    I don’t think my 2nd grade student’s know much about writing. I don’t know where to start. I think I need to start with brain storming, (expert list) and the five stages of writing ( making your sloppy copy). Help!!!!

    Reply to this comment

  21. Nanette

    I great pre-curser for this lesson (if you’re doing a classroom size) is a stop light activity. Get a 3 pieces of construction paper (different colors). Assign one – “I’m an Expert” one – “I can kind of do” and the third – “I need help”. You call out activities i.e. tying shoes, writing your name, swimming, walking a dog, etc and the kids line up in the line that goes with how they are with that activity. Make sure you have some activities that each child will get a chance to be the in the expert line and also in the need help line. After about 5 minutes, then get them to sit and write their expert lists. It helps get their brains thinking about all the things they can do and the movement part also helps.

    Reply to this comment

  22. Anna Joslin

    Hi Anna.
    I am a first grade teacher in Southern California. Your ideas and advice are right on the mark and reflect the “best practices” in writing instruction being implemented in schools around the country. Thank you for sharing them and igniting a love of writing.
    Anna J.

    Reply to this comment

  23. Robin

    I am a Mom of a struggling 1st grade reader/writer. I can’t explain how important your guidance, freebies, and this blog has become to help my daughter work towards the 1st grade (and catch up on Kindergarten) milestones.
    Thank you!

    Reply to this comment

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