prewriting strategies to help you get started!. what is prewriting? first step of the writing...
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Prewriting
Strategies to help you get started!
What is Prewriting?
• First step of the writing process• Helps get ideas onto paper so you
can organize them• A chance to explore ALL your ideas
on a topic, even if you don’t use them all
Why should I prewrite?
• How do you get somewhere you’ve never been before if you don’t have any directions? You’ll get lost!Prewriting is your map!
Types of Prewriting Strategies
• Brainstorming• Listing• Freewriting• Clustering• Mapping• Drawing
Brainstorming
• A way to capture all your ideas, idea fragments, and thoughts on a piece of paper
• Often looks like a list• Get as many ideas down on your
paper as you can
Brainstorming Example
Winter Break• Snowball fights• Sleeping in!• no homework• Visiting friends• Presents?• Relaxing!• Seeing family
• A week and a half off school
• New Year’s Eve• Shoveling snow?• Sledding• Go to the mall• FUN!
Listing
• Looks a lot like Brainstorming• Write as many ideas as you can,
even if you think you might not use them
• Look at your list for similarities or opposites or ideas you like
• Write a new list, adding details this time
Example of Listing
Breakfast (List 1)• Eggs and toast• Bacon• Orange juice• Oatmeal• Cereal• Most imp. meal of
the day
Details (List 2)• Crispy bacon, not
limp, that’s gross• Imp. b/c gets your
brain going• Imp. b/c helps burn
calories all day• Imp. b/c helps you
wake up• Best cereal is Rice
Chex! Not too sweet
Freewriting
• Often looks like a paragraph• Write everything that comes into your
head about your topic, even if it doesn’t seem to make sense
• Write for a set amount of time (5-10 minutes)
• Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or punctuation
Example of Freewriting
I have to write about the common cold. I hate having a cold! Your nose runs, you get a fever and a cough, you ache all over. Sometimes you throw up. That’s the worst part, throwing up. It tastes bad and feels worse! No one wants to be around you because they don’t want to get sick. It’s lonely and not fun.
Clustering
• Like a Web• Start with your topic in a circle in
the middle of your paper• Draw lines to other circles with sub
topics and ideas on your main idea• Group like information together to
keep yourself organized
Example of Clustering
Friends
Classes
Lunch!Extracurricular
Activities
Homework
School
Too much
Helps to study
Don’t likeIt
Don’talways
do it
Different teams New friends
Lots of notes
Tests and projects
Homework
Cool Teachers7-3!
Mordica
Cole
grades
Hard work
Friends Snack barLOUD!
Too short
Hard to getthrough the
line
Can’t finishthe food
SportsPractice
Priority AFTER
schoolwork
Need todo it
My choice
Fun
Goodexercise
Mapping
• A lot like a Cluster or Web• Way to organize ideas by
importance or order• Shows Main topic, sub topics, and
support
Example of Mapping
No School Uniforms
Too ExpensiveNo individuality
for studentsUgly
Not allowed to
show Creativity
Have to have 2 wardrobes –
School and non-school
Clothing pricesare up
These are out of style
Not attractive on
some bodieswould make
studentsfeel ugly
Have to be like
everyoneelse insteadof like ME
Drawing
• A visual image• Can show spatial relationships• Visual description of a place like a
floor plan
Example of Drawing
Recap…
• Don’t worry about spelling or grammar or punctuation while prewriting, just get your ideas down!
• Write as much as you can think of initially. Choose what you use AFTER your prewrite.
• ALWAYS PREWRITE!!!