Introduction to Prewriting

1. Introduction to Prewriting

2. What is Prewriting? • Prewriting is the first stage of the writing process, followed by drafting and reviewing. • It is the time when students brainstorm their thoughts and ideas about a topic to prepare for drafting.

3. Key Elements of Prewriting • Students create a plan—an outline or "road map"—for their writing. • The plan focuses on: • -Content area • -Purpose • -Intended audience • -Goals • -Genre

4. How Does Prewriting Help Students? • Helps them feel less overwhelmed by the writing task. • Reduces their anxiety. • Gives them a focus. • Provides a starting point for drafting. • Builds confidence.

5. Discussion Questions 1 • What are the benefits of prewriting for struggling writers and students with language and learning disabilities? • How do you describe prewriting to your students?

6. How Can I Support Students Before, During, and After Prewriting?

7. Using Evidence-Based Writing Process Practices • Provide students with direct instruction • Help students write for a variety of purposes • Engage students in ongoing assessment

8. Differentiated Instruction • Plan instruction that considers students' readiness, learning needs, and interests. • Use a range of technology tools to: • engage learners at varying levels • engage learners in multiple ways. • offer students options for demonstrating understanding and mastery

9. Teacher-Dependent Ways to Differentiate • By Content • Different levels of reading or resource materials, reading buddies, small group instruction, curriculum compacting, multi-level computer programs and Web Quests, audio materials, etc. • By Product • Activity choice boards, tiered activities, multi-level learning center tasks, similar readiness groups, choice in group work, varied journal prompts, mixed readiness groups with targeted roles for students, etc. • By Process • Tiered products, students choose mode of presentation to demonstrate learning, independent study, varied rubrics, mentorships, interest-based investigations

10. Student-Dependent Ways to Differentiate • By Readiness • Options in content, topic, or theme, options in the tools needed for production, options in methods for engagement • By Profile • Consideration of gender, culture, learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses • By Interests • Identification of background knowledge/gaps in learning, vary amount of direct instruction, and practice, pace of instruction, complexity of activities, and exploration of a topic

11. Discussion Questions 2 • What do your students include in their online or offline writing portfolio? • If your students were writing reports vs. narratives, how would you vary your methods? • Depending on the purpose of writing, in what ways do you vary your strategies for direct instruction?

12. Integrate Online and Offline Tools into the Prewriting Process • Manipulatives • Interactive whiteboard • Web-based applets • Math drawing tools • Calculators • 3D design software • Graphing and charting software

13. Encourage Use of Valuable Word Processing Features • Highlighting • Underlining • Comments • Track changes • Graphics • Text-to-speech • Color coding • Font size

14. Before Prewriting: Possible Strategies • Provide students with direct instruction • Introduce tools that help students generate ideas, such as story maps, outlines, and graphic organizers. • Help students write for a variety of purposes • Help students understand the role of audience based on the purpose of writing. • Engage students in ongoing assessment • Provide guiding questions to help students shape their prewriting plans.

15. During Prewriting: Possible Strategies • Provide students with direct instruction • Generate lists of relevant vocabulary words for reference, such as action words or descriptive adjectives or adverbs. • Help students write for a variety of purposes • Use genre-specific questions to help guide students' thinking about how to organize their prewriting plan. • Engage students in ongoing assessment • Hold brief conferences to analyze and solve any problems related to the prewriting plan.

16. After Prewriting: Possible Strategies • Provide students with direct instruction • Teach students how to review and revise their prewriting plans. • Help students write for a variety of purposes • Depending on the purpose of writing, help students develop their ability to ask for focused feedback. • Engage students in ongoing assessment • Have students begin their writing portfolios.

17. Discussion Questions 3 • Which technology tools are most helpful for struggling writers during the prewriting stage? • How do you vary your genre-specific questions to prompt brainstorming? • In what ways can rubrics or checklists help struggling writers revise their plans?

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