Introduction: Connecting Your Learning

Prewriting, the first step in the writing process, is really just a way to plan or brainstorm ideas for anything. As an IT student, prewriting will help you get something right the first time. Not only is this a good strategy for writing, it is a good strategy for the workplace and a good strategy for life.

Readings, Resources, and Assignments
Required Readings	Read the following before starting the lesson: Introduction to Prewriting
Multimedia Resources (optional)	The Writing Process: Prewriting Strategies-YouTube PowerPoint: Writer's Block
Required Assignments	Prewriting Strategies Worksheet

Focusing Your Learning

Key Terms

Writing Process

Clustering

Questioning

Brainstorming

Freewriting

Presentation

Prewriting: The First Stage in the Writing Process

Professional athletes warm up before each game. Pitchers throw practice pitches, swimmers swim laps, and runners stretch. Why do they warm up? They warm up because cold muscles increase the likelihood of pain and injury. Just as an athlete warms up in order to avoid problems, so too must a writer.

There is no one best method for prewriting. You must find the strategy that works for you.

Prewriting Strategies

Brainstorming

Think of this process as a storm, a brainstorm. Begin with a topic and write down as many ideas as possible. Good ideas, bad ones, it doesn't matter. The idea is to get them down.

Clustering

Sometimes called mind mapping, clustering allows writers to explore relationships and fit ideas together. Begin with a subject written in the middle of your page. Use lines to connect and explore relationships between ideas.

Freewriting

This is probably the most unpredictable of the prewriting strategies, but if used correctly, it can be very effective for exploring your topic. The idea is to just let your ideas flow. Don't worry about style, spelling, grammar, or punctuation. In fact, don't worry at all. There is no judgment or format. Write down whatever comes to mind. It is critical to keep writing, even if you think you are saying nothing. Set a time limit, and just be free to write down your thoughts and ideas.

Questioning

The questioning strategy might possibly be the easiest prewriting strategy as it helps the writer generate a lot of information in a quick and efficient manner. You become the journalist and ask who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Practice

Make sure that you read Introduction to Prewriting.

Review the Overcoming Writer's Block presentation.

Watch The Writing Process: Prewriting Strategies-YouTube.

These resources will prepare you to complete the practice activities below.

Activity 1: Practicing Prewriting

You will need to get out a piece of paper and pen or pencil to complete the activity below.

Activity 2 Prewriting Strategies

You have learned several prewriting strategies. In the last exercise, you practiced the questioning method. Now choose another strategy (brainstorming, clustering, or freewriting) to generate ideas about the same topic.

Should parents use a GPS tracking device to monitor their teenage drivers? Is this ethical?

Summarizing Your Learning

No one likes to work harder than they have to, which is why many students avoid the concept of prewriting. The reality is that prewriting saves a writer time and frustration in the long run. So stretch a little, swim a few laps, throw a few pitches, and see the difference prewriting can make in accomplishing a writing task.

Assessing Your Learning

Now it is time to show what you have learned. Complete the assignment below.

1. Prewriting Strategies Worksheet.

Submit the Prewriting: Prewriting Strategies Worksheet.

Additional Attributions