1. Strategies to help you get started!
Prewriting
Strategies
to help you
get started!

2. 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

3. 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!

4. Types of Prewriting Strategies
Brainstorming
Listing
Freewriting
Clustering
Mapping
Drawing

5. 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

6. 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!

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. Example of Clustering Different teams Don’t always do it New friends
Don’t like It
Mordica
Cool Teachers
7-3!
Cole
Too much
Lots of notes
Need to
do it
grades
Helps to study
Tests and projects
Hard work
Good
exercise
Homework
Sports Practice
Priority AFTER schoolwork
Hard to get through the line
Too short
My choice
Fun
Can’t finish the food
Friends
LOUD!
Snack bar

13. Mapping A lot like a Cluster or Web
Way to organize ideas by importance or order
Shows Main topic, sub topics, and support

14. Example of Mapping

15. Drawing A visual image Can show spatial relationships
Visual description of a place like a floor plan

16. Example of Drawing

17. 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!!!