First week at RMWP

My first week at the RMWP was a blast. I have already learned so much about myself and about writing. At first I was a bit overwhelmed, but now I am starting to find my way.

Crunch time Chapter 1-Selecting a Topic

While reading this chapter it reminded me of when Rick Shelton came to do an in-service workshop for the teachers at school. He advised that at the beginning of the year have students create an "EXPERT LIST." This list should include all of the experiences that on which students have personal knowledge. I like the suggestions in chapter 1 because they take these experiences and make students dig deeper and rank these experiences into a level. I am not sure about some of their level 3 ideas as I would see some of them being level 4. I am excited about implementing this idea at the beginning of the year for my students in the Fall.
What do you guys think about the ideas presented in chapter 1? Do you do anything like this already in your classroom? If so, how are your ideas similar? How are the different? I skimmed the book and could not find the web address for the resources, any luck?