Prewriting Strategies for Effective Writing

Prewriting (Time to Think)

• Determine the purpose for writing and the intended audience
• Choose a topic, narrow it down, gather detailed ideas
• Develop the controlling idea or thesis of the piece of writing
• Ideas for prewriting include:
• Browsing magazines, newspapers, and websites
• Brainstorming with a group
• Interviewing knowledgeable persons
• Writing reflections about activities
• Jotting down whatever comes to mind about a topic

Drafting (Time to Write)

• Turning prewriting notes and sentences into paragraphs for the first draft
• Three important parts:
• Introduction: grabbing the reader's attention, including the thesis or controlling idea
• Body: developing the controlling idea, presenting details that elaborate and support it
• Conclusion: restating the thesis, summarizing the most important concepts
• Ideas for drafting include:
• Just starting to write and letting feelings and ideas lead the way
• Creating a planned draft with a topic outline or sentence outline

Revising (Time to Make it Better)

• Checking how the paper addresses purpose, audience, and genre
• Improving style, word choice, figurative language, sentence variety, and subtlety of meaning
• Checking for:
• Inclusion of main idea/thesis statement
• Mechanics
• Consistency of point of view
• Use of transitional words, phrases, and sentences
• Variety of sentence types
• Appropriateness of tone for audience and purpose

Editing (Time to Make it Correct)

• Checking the accuracy of facts
• Correcting errors in:
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Usage
• Mechanics (punctuation, capitalization)

Publishing (Time to Share the Finished Product)

• Producing a final copy of a piece of writing
• Presenting it to an audience
• Deciding on the best way to reach the intended audience and accomplish the intended purpose
• Ideas for publishing include:
• Presenting orally in class
• Posting on a bulletin board or blog
• Creating a multimedia presentation
• Publishing in a school paper, local newspaper, or literary magazine

Learn about the importance of prewriting in the writing process, including determining purpose, choosing a topic, gathering ideas, and developing a thesis. Explore various prewriting techniques such as brainstorming, interviewing, and reflecting on activities.