Lists

Denise Nemec

Composition Teacher, Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, Arkansas

Directions:

I ask the students to get out any previous writings that share their experiences and interests. I explain that they will use those writings as a base for the upcoming writing activity. I then share my own list of what I know/don’t know:

I then give them about 10–15 minutes to come up with their own statements.

Samples from Student Lists:

Reflection:

This quick write activity is a variation of Sam Totten’s “What I Know,” published in the first edition of Spark the Brain, Ignite the Pen. I teach freshman composition in a community college, and since my classes do not meet every day, it is often necessary to milk the most out of the few precious minutes we have. This writing activity helps my students appreciate how what we know may be the place to start in understanding what we do not know.