SPOKEN 1.2
Cold vs. Gold Ideas

Grades 1-3

Audience

Write for adults you don’t know. Talk to people you know, like your family. 

Adults are busy. We want a story they enjoy so we don’t waste their time.

Cold Ideas

Ideas are “Cold” if—

  • Adults probably know a lot about them OR
  • Adults probably are not interested in them.

Gold Ideas

Ideas are “Gold” if—

  • The audience probably does not know much about them
    AND
  • The audience probably is interested in them.

Task 1.2.1 – Individual or Small Group

Are the following Cold or Gold?

  1. a pool table
  2. a pool table in which you must shoot through water and fish
  3. a bed
  4. a bed in which you sleep upside down on the ceiling
  5. a donut that keeps growing
  6. a bald-headed man
  7. a pet snake
  8. a rabbit whose ears are microphones
  9. a walking chair
  10. an airplane
  11. a giraffe
  12. gum that makes you chew it
  13. a parrot
  14. eyebrows that move around your face
  15. a cat on a roof

Task 1.2.2 – Individual or Small Group

After your teacher examines your paper, name the Cold Variable and the Gold Variable for each “Gold” idea that you found.

For example:

a pen that wrote another book of The Game of Thrones. 

Cold: a pen (such as different pens you have used)
Gold: a pen that wrote another book of The Game of Thrones

a clock that turned time backwards.

Cold: clocks (such as a collection of clocks)
Gold: a clock that turned time backwards.

I Is Always Cold

The word “I” is Cold information, because the reader doesn’t know you and doesn’t care much about what you do.

For example, if I say, “I took the garbage out last night,” is that Cold or Gold?

It’s Cold. You didn’t know I did that, but you don’t care.

Descriptive Words Do Not Make a Cold into Gold

Adding descriptive words doesn’t usually make an Cold idea Gold.

  • A dragon → Cold
  • A fire-breathing dragon → Cold
  • A purple, fire-breathing dragon → Cold

You might say, “I’ve never heard of a purple, fire-breathing dragon.” But it’s still just a dragon.

On the other hand:
A dragon trying to give its treasure away → Gold

The Cold/Gold Formula

Here’s a simple formula to help you:

  • Cold + Cold= poor idea
  • Cold + Gold = good idea
  • Gold+ Cold = good idea

For example:

WHAT STATEMENT
LH VP RH
I had a problem with a dog
COLD COLD

COLD + COLD = POOR SUBJECT

WHAT STATEMENT
LH VP RH
I had a problem with a talking dog
COLD GOLD

COLD + GOLD= GOOD SUBJECT

WHAT STATEMENT
LH VP RH
A talking dog was a huge problem for me.
GOLD GOLD

GOLD+ COLD = GOOD SUBJECT

Task 1.2.3 – Individual or Small Group

Determine the formula for the following (C + C, C + G, or G+C):

  1. I had a problem with a mosquito the size of a house.

2. I had a problem with Godzilla.

3. I had a problem with an alien.

4. I had a problem with a mean old man.

5. Physics class turned out to be a huge problem for me.

6. I had a problem with a mummy from Egypt.

7. I had a problem with a flying pyramid.

8. I had a problem with a poison apple.

9. I had a problem with a pirate ship.

10. I had a problem with a window in my neighbor’s house.

11. I had a problem with an invisible fork.

12. I had a problem with a girl who could walk up buildings.

13. I had a problem with my teacher.

14. Mr. Burgess’s telescopic eye was an enormous problem for me.

15. I had a problem with an overweight bulldog.

16. I had a problem with a bull fly that could keyboard.

17. I had a problem with a straw that sucked up time.

18. My singing tennis shoes were a problem for me.