There are so many ways for young writers to come up with ideas to write about it’s hard to choose a favorite. I personally enjoy the heart map that Ralph Fletcher et al describe. It is a particularly good instrument to use when searching for a powerful topic to write about such as in the genre of poetry. The rule is simple. The more important a thing, person or idea is to the writer, the closer to the middle of the heart it is placed. Here is an example:
I used this form with my class for their recent speeches. It worked really well! It is ...