Brainstorming

The Key to Successful Essay Writing

Brainstorming

What is it?

Why do we need it?

A gatheringgathering of ideas from your brain onto paper.

The variety variety of ideas and the use of your imaginationimagination assist you in producing a lot of material with which to work.

It’s the best way to collect your thoughts.

It’s helpful for organization.

It ensures only quality ideas are used in the essay.

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber One

FreewritingWhat is it?

Think about the topic. Then write, write, write. Whatever comes into your brain – even if it doesn’t have to do with the topic. Example:

"This paper is supposed to be on the politics of tobacco production but even though I went to all the lectures and read the book I can't think of what to say and I've felt this way for four minutes now and I have 11 minutes left and I wonder if I'll keep thinking nothing during every minute but I'm not sure if it matters that I am babbling and I don't know what else to say about this topic and it is rainy today and I never noticed the number of cracks in that wall before and those cracks remind me of the walls in my grandfather's study and he smoked and he farmed and I wonder why he didn't farm tobacco..."

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber One

FreewritingOptions:

Write for a specific time period

Write for a specific amount of paper

Number One

FreewritingWhen is it helpful?

When you have NO ideas about a topic

When you have TOO MANY ideas about a topic

Maybe I could say this or maybe I

could say that… hmmm

??????

Brainstorming Technique

Number Two

Making a Cube

What is it?

Imagine a cube. It has six sides. On each side, you have a different task regarding the topic.

Brainstorming Technique

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Two

Making a Cube

Describe

Side One: Describe the topic.

Side Two: Compare the topic.

Side Three: Associate the topic.

Side Four: Analyze the topic.

Side Five: Apply the topic.

Side Six: Argue for or against the topic.

CompareAssociateAnalyzeApplyArgue

Brainstorming Technique Number Three

Clustering

What is it?

When you write down words or concepts associated with the topic – any ideas that come into your mind

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Three

Clustering

Draw a bubble.And write the topic above it.

Brainstorm!

Now look for words that connect with each other. Circle the words and connect them with lines.

Global Warming

rainforests disappearing

extinction emissions dangerous

dying animals toxic world wide

Cars/SUVs factories

landscape changes no icebergs

expensive to fix? hurricanes

Reversible?

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Four

Listing or BulletingWhat is it?

Create a list of terms/ideas/concepts about the topic. Create multiple lists depending on the purpose.

Global Warming

Toxic fumes

SUVs/Cars

Extinction

Belief/Disbelief

Kyoto Agreement

Belief/Disbelief

Scientists disagree

Average American

China/USA

Normal occurrence or abnormal event?

Brainstorming Technique Number Five

Venn DiagramWhat is it?

Draw two circles that connect, like this:

List two topics above the circles.

Brainstorm about the topics – what do they have in common and what is unique about each one.

Cities

Eiffel Tower

Capital

Became Paris in 400

A.D.

francophone

County seat

Anglophone

Founded in 1839

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Five

Venn DiagramWhen is it used?

When you are writing a comparison or contrast essay.

Cities

Eiffel Tower

Capital

Became Paris in 400 A.D.

francophone

County seat

anglophone

Founded in 1839

Brainstorming Technique Number Six

Tree DiagramWhat is it?

This diagram has a central idea to which you add branches that focus on details.

Number Six

Tree DiagramWhen do you use it?

This type of diagram is helpful in classification essays.

Media

Print VisualAudio

Newspaper magazine booklettelevision webpage movie

cd mp3 cassette

Brainstorming Technique

Brainstorming Technique Number Seven

Act like a JournalistWhat is it?

Using the question words in English to explore the topic.

Who?

What?

When? Where?

Why?

How?

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Seven

Act like a JournalistWhen is it useful?

Use this technique when you want to write a narrative.

Who?

When?

What?

Where?

Why?

How?

Brainstorming Technique Number Eight

T-DiagramWhat is it?

Using a T shape, list a category that you want to compare or contrast about a specific topic or topics. Do this for a variety of categories.

Paris, France and Paris Texaslocation

Europe

Northern France

North America

Northern Texas

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Eight

T-DiagramWhen is it useful?

This technique helps when you are writing a contrast or comparison essay.

Paris, France and Paris Texaslocation

Europe

Northern France

North America

Northern Texas

Brainstorming Technique Number Nine

Spoke DiagramWhat is it?

Write the topic in a circle. Then think of about causes and effects. Write these around the circle like spokes on a wheel.

Global Warming

too many people

cars/suvs not recycling chopping down trees

Crazy weather

loss of polar ice caps

dying animals

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Nine

Spoke DiagramWhen is it useful?

Use this technique when you want to explore cause and effect.

too many people

cars/suvs not recycling chopping down trees

Global Warming

Crazy weather

loss of polar ice caps

dying animals

Before you start writing… Imagine building a house without thinking about what

you want it to look like or what kinds of materials you’ll need for construction. You may be able to “visualize” a functional structure, but without tools, a list of materials and a blueprint, your “house” could end up a disaster.

Writing an essay without thinking ahead about the information and ideas you want to use is a lot like building a house without tools or a blueprint. You may “imagine” you can write something meaningful, but your finished essay could end up being unorganized and disappointing. Brainstorming before you start writing will help you generate ideas that you can use in your essay.

Before you start writing…

Brainstorming is a form of prewriting, which is the earliest stage of the writing process. Brainstorming can be useful to you as a writer because it helps you to generate ideas and questions about a topic. You can use these ideas and questions to develop information and content for your essay. You can also use these ideas to plan the way information is organized in your essay.

1: Think about the essay topic. When you get an essay assignment, it’s important to recognize right away whether you already know anything about the topic, so think about the topic before you start writing about it. Read a book about it.

2: Use Popplet.http://popplet.com/

Popplet

3: Get ready to brainstorm!

Brainstorming is easy: All you have to do is think of ideas and information about a topic and write them down. As you brainstorm, you want to answer these two important questions:

• What do I already know about this topic?

• What do I need to know about this topic?

4: Write down what you know.

Brainstorming, Phase 1: Write down on the Brainstorming Study Aid all of the things you already know about the essay topic. Include every idea that pops into your head. Even an idea that seems far-fetched may be useful. Don’t reject or ignore anything!

5: Write down what you need to

know. Brainstorming, Phase 2: Ask

yourself, “What do I need to know in order to make my ideas easier to understand and make my essay convincing?” This usually means providing facts, data, statistics and quotes from other sources. Write down everything you think you’ll need to know to write a powerful essay.

6: Look for relationships and

connections between your

ideas. Read all of the ideas

you have written down. Group together into clusters the ideas that are related or connected. The ideas in each cluster have the potential to become the content in a single paragraph in your essay.

7: Identify the focus or theme of

each cluster.

Look at each cluster of ideas on your Brainstorming Zone sheet. You should be able to identify a focus or theme for each cluster. At the bottom of page 1 of your Brainstorming Study Aid, write a simple declarative sentence to describe the theme of each cluster.

8: Look for relationship patterns between the sentences you have

written. Each sentence you have written has the potential to be

a topic sentence -- the main idea in a single paragraph in your essay. Your essay will be easier to understand if your paragraphs are organized in a logical order, such as

• from most important to least important

• from first to last

• from longest ago to most recent

• from greatest to least

• from left to right, or

• alphabetical order

Identify the relationship pattern between the sentences

you have written.

9: Number your topic sentences 1, 2, 3 and 4 to show how you think they should be ordered in your

essay. You have now completed the Brainstorming

process -- the first stage in the writing process -- and are ready to move on to the next stage. Because you have brainstormed about the topic, you should have

• a lot of great ideas to work with to develop content for your essay,

• a few questions that you need to research for more information, and

• a preliminary plan for organizing your essay content.

Rules for Brainstorming

Rules for Brainstorming

• No criticism allowed

• Work for quantity

• Welcome piling-on

• Allow free-for-all

No Criticism Allowed

• People automatically tend to evaluate each suggested idea - their own, as well as others.

• Avoid criticism.

• Allow all members to contribute.

Go for Quantity

People must experience “brain-drain” before the innovative, creative ideas can surface.

Therefore, the more ideas, the more likely they are to be quality ideas.

Welcome Piling-on

Piling-on occurs when one member’s idea produces a similar idea or an enhanced idea.

All ideas should be recorded.

Allow Free-for-All

Outrageous, humorous, and seemingly unimportant ideas should be recorded.

It is common for the most off-the-wall idea to be one wherein lies the solution for the problem.

The sky is the limit.