Pre-Writing

Why do we need Pre-Writing?

• Pre-Writing is the second step of the writing process

• Once you have chosen your topic, it is important to do pre-writing activities

• It helps you to generate ideas for your paper

• Pre-writing allows us to stay organized once we begin writing

Types of Pre-Writing Strategies

• Idea Web

• Brainstorming

• Clustering

• Free Writing

• Outlining

• Journalist Questions

Idea Web

• a way of organizing your ideas- looks like a spider web- ideas branch from the center (topic)

Brainstorming

Why I love the Ocean

Cool water

Warm weather

On vacation

Relaxing

With friends and family

Sandy beaches

Clustering/ Free Writing• Clustering is a type of prewriting that allows you to

explore many ideas as soon as they occur to you.

• When free writing, you jot down every thought about your main idea.

• Like brainstorming, free writing and clustering allows you to begin without clear ideas.

• Go back afterward and sort out the ideas that you want to focus on in your writing.

Outlining

Journalist Questions

• Answer these questions about your topic, main idea, or prompt.

• Who?• What?• When?• Where?• Why?• How?

Today’s Assignment:

• Choose a pre-writing strategy that you prefer and pre-write for this prompt:“If you could take 3 friends on vacation with you

who would it be, and why?”

• Remember! I need to see a detailed pre-write, with several reasons for each friend, give EXAMPLES and DETAILS.

Writer’s Checklist:

• Is the topic addressed in my writing?

• Are my ideas expressed in complete sentences?

• Are my ideas arranged in a clear order for the reader to follow?

• Do my paragraphs have topic sentences when appropriate?

Checklist Continued:• Do I start each sentence with a capital letter

and capitalize other appropriate words?• Have I used correct punctuation at the end of

each sentence and within each sentence?• Is my spelling correct throughout my writing?• Will the reader be able to read my

handwriting?