LESSON 2.5
Determine the Old Idea
Grades 1-6
Pretend you were given this prompt:
If you could be any wild animal, what would you be? Why?
You—
- Brainstorm for quantity not quality
- Grade the brainstormed ideas
- Put the A ideas in order
You answer like this: If I could be any wild animal, …
Creating a What Statement
A What Statement tells what the subject is. It consists of two ideas joined by a verb. For example:
I love aye-aye.
Now let’s look at the What Statement you will create. You want to create this part of your first sentence: I would be a _________.
Task 2.5.1 – Individual, Tandem, Small Group, or Class
Fill in the right side box with the animal you have selected. That’s your New idea. Make sure it’s an animal that is likely to be New to adult strangers.
| What Statement | ||
|---|---|---|
| OLD Background | VP | NEW main subject |
| I + ? | would be | a (an) ? |
The Old Section
It’s time to design the Old Section. But how do you begin?
Research the New Idea
Can’t write about stuff you don’t know, right? So before you write, do some research.
Websites like Wikipedia are like giant libraries. Usually, that’s all you need for your essay.
Borrow an Idea from the New Section
To figure out what to write about in the Old Section, take part of the New Section information.
From the above, for example, you might borrow poisonous and Australia to create the main idea of the Old Section.
| What Statement | Why Statement | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLD Narrator | VP | New main subject | Because | Y |
| I + my microscope | would be | a didinium (the lion of protozoa) | because | ? |
-OR-
| What Statement | Why Statement | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLD Narrator | VP | New main subject | Because | Y |
| I + lions | would be | a didinium (the lion of protozoa) | because | ? |
Task 2.5.2 – Small Group
Name at least two possible Old ideas for each What Statement below. Base the Old idea on the New idea. (You might need to look up the last two.)
If I could be any animal…
- I would be a Mekong River porpoise.
- I would be a Mongolian pony.
- I would be one of Wyoming’s black-footed ferrets.
- I would be a wombat.
- I would be a fer-de-lance.
Task 2.5.3 – Small Group
As a small group, answer the following.
If you could be an animal, what would you be?
- Use the New idea you selected in Lesson 4.4.
- Borrow part of the New Idea.
- Determine the Old Idea,
- Fill in the boxes that have a question mark.
If I could be an animal,
| What Statement | ||
|---|---|---|
| OLD Narrator | VP | New main subject |
| I + ? | would be | a (an) ? |
Assessing the What Statement
Before you start writing, make sure your idea is worth discussing. Check your What Statement.
| Yes or No | If No, then do this: | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is the What Statement a sentence? | Yes | Rewrite |
| 2. Does it have two variables? | Yes | Rewrite |
| 3. Is at least one of them New? | Yes | Brainstorm again |