Brainstorming Samples
for Writing Pieces
Biography pp. 2
Children's or Fiction Story pp. 3
Critique pp. 4-5
Essay p. 6
Poem p. 6
Soundtrack of My Soul pp. 8
Memoir/Always Never p. 9
Nomination p. 10
Someone Special p. 11
Image from all-free-download.com
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Name __________________________
Biography Brainstorm
Person You're Writing About _____________________________________
Circle One: Yes
No
Have you researched this person before?
(If yes, you need to CHANGE the person you're researching)
Circle One: I like dislike
this person because _______________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Step One: Print off up to 4 pages of materials on your person by pasting the material into WORD. Be sure you
know what website the material comes from by including the website. This should take no more than 10
minutes on the first day of workshop.
Step Two: Read a section of printed material. FLIP OVER YOUR MATERIAL and write your keyword facts
information on this pre-write sheet. No sentences here.
Step Three: Write your paper into paragraphs of 4-8 sentences or in a children’s story Power Point format for
your rough draft and following the remaining steps of writer workshop.
Step Four: After you receive a typing pass, be sure that you complete your works cited first at the top of your
paper using easybib.com.
When you research your person, a good rule is that if you see the same information in three places, it's true. Use
Internet and print sources including articles, books, and biographies.
Basic information about what makes this
person a true hero.
Include these two facts:
-Born and died dates (in one sentence)
-Family information
Paragraph 1
Achievements or Good Things To help
the world
Paragraph 2
Awards, Metals and Dedication
Your person received
Paragraph 3
Most Difficult Struggles
Your person experienced
-Or
Another Unique Something (that you
can write a paragraph on)
Paragraph 4
Explain the reasons why you feel this
person is a true hero.
Paragraph 5
Materials (Books, Articles, Websites) Used for Your Research- Type this on your paper.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Name ________________________
Give the final project to a young person of your choice
Children's Story Brainstorm
USE PAST TENSE for your writing
First Major, Well-Developed Problem or Event
Opposite of Racial or
Gender Stereotype
CoverTitle and 3 Pictures
1.
Second Major, Well-Developed Problem or Event
2.
3.
Third Major, Well-Developed Problem or Event
Example of opposites would be a boy liking pink, a
girl changing a tire, and a dad making supper.
-ROUGH DRAFT OVER-
Pre-Write
You must include
3 major, different
events and 3
opposites of
gender or racial
stereotypes.
Rough Draft (On the back)
Directions: You need to complete 18-24 pages with 1-2 sentences per page
and one different, related picture per page. each row is considered a
paragraph. You still need the same adjective, verbs, and sentence
improvements.
Typing: Use PowerPoint with a new slide for each page. Keep this file all
year! Use only VERY light backgrounds, not solid colors!
Final Printing Directions: Print 1 copies- 9 slides to a page.
Print the Early Learning Center's copy with one slide per page, so we can
have it bound for your child.
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Name ________________________
Critique Brainstorm
Part I: Choose one of the following to critique or judge and complete the following information.
This will be typed at the top of your critique, so make sure that everything is CORRECT!
Song, Poem, Play, or Short Story
Artist or Author
"Title." (in quotations) (period)
Recording Year (Rec. Year) (Period)
Album or Book
Publisher (Comma)
City Published (Period)
Joel, Billy. "She's Always a Woman to Me." Rec. 1977. The Stranger. Sony Records, New York.
Novel or Series
Book Title (underlined), (comma)
by Author; (semi-colon)
Publisher: City closest to you (colon),
Copywrite year
Among the Barrons, by Margaret Peterson Haddix; Aladdin Paperbacks: New York, 2003.
Movie or TV Show
Program (Period)
Director (Dir. ______ Period)
Actors (Perf. ____, _____, _____ Period)
Network or Studio (Comma)
Year (Period)
Shrek. Dir. Andrew Adamson. Perf. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel.
Dreamworks, 2001.
Actor or Artist (director, writer, musician, painter, etc.)
Full Name (Comma)
Occupation (Period)
Famous works (Year in Parenthesis) (Underlined) (_______,
_______, ______ Period)
Mel Gibson, actor and director. Braveheart (1985), Man without a Face (1993), Passion of Christ (2004), Lethal
Weapon (1987).
Business You Like
Full Name (Comma)
Full Address (Comma after street address, city, zip)
Full Phone Number (Parenthesis around area code)
Type of Business
Hours of Operation
Sammy's Pizza, 1780 Arcade Ave., Cumberland, Wisconsin 54829, (715) 822 - 4533. Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria,
Opened for Lunch Buffet Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Opened Evenings Tuesday-Saturday 5:00 - 10:00 p.m.
-Over4
Critique Brainstorm p. 2
Part II: Follow this paragraphing
structure for your critique.
Paragraph Topic
INTRO
Hook your reader with a
thoughtful introduction describing
what it is you're critiquing in a
general sense. (Never give away
the ending of a book, movie, etc.)
Paragraph #1
What's something that makes your
topic AMAZING, TERRIBLE, or
UNIQUE?
Paragraph #2
What's another something that
makes your topic AMAZING,
TERRIBLE, or UNIQUE?
Paragraph #3
Specific quotes, performances, or
experiences that HOOKED you,
AND How does this relate to
YOU personally? Include 1-2
ways.
Don't Give Away the Book's Ending or Critical
Information that Would WRECK IT for a Reader!
What key points
are you going to include?
(Couple of words for each box below)
CONCLUSION Why is this a MUST or MUST
AVOID for students your age?
K. Kopp 2007
5
Essay Brainstorm
/40
Name _____________________
Submit to Creative Communication or another contest
Paper's exact question:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Thesis Statement: _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Conclusion Ideas
Thesis Statement: _________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Introduction and
Conclusion Options:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
True Event
Believable Event
Interesting Dialogue
Interesting Quote
General to Specific
Definition
Shocking Statement
Thought Provoking
Question
Directions: Write all details in the shortest way possible in the table below. One or two words in
each box if possible.
Body Paragraph #1 Topic
Sentence:
Body Paragraph #2 Topic
Sentence:
Body Paragraph #3 Topic
Sentence:
Supporting Detail 1
Supporting Detail 1
Supporting Detail 1
Supporting Detail 2
Supporting Detail 2
Supporting Detail 2
Supporting Detail 3
Supporting Detail 3
Supporting Detail 3
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Poem Brainstorm
20 lines
20 complete sentences
New TYPE of Poem Each Time
(Cannot diamantes twice in a year)
/40
Name _____________________
Send to Wisconsin Fellowship of Poet’s or another contest
Directions: Before you start your poem, you need to answer these questions.
1.
What's your entire poem going to be about? ____________________________
2.
How many lines will you have in each stanza? _______
3.
How many stanzas will you have? ______
4.
What pattern will be common in EVERY stanza? __________If Rhyming which lines? ____
5.
Which of these are you going to include? __See, Hear, Taste, Smell, Touch
Stanza #1
Topic
Stanza #6
Topic
Stanza #2
Topic
Entire Paper's
Big Topic
Stanza #5
Topic
Stanza #3
Topic
Stanza #4
Topic
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Name ______________________
Share with someone who knows you well
Soundtrack of My Soul Brainstorm
Songs, Hobbies, Italian Charms, Movies, Possessions…
When you think of your life, what songs or types of songs remind you of your experiences- past, present, and future?
These are not necessarily the songs that you love, but the songs that describe best what you love. What songs
describe best you from the inside out? What songs shout to your soul?
Your Songs Might Include All or Some of These:
Passions, Hobbies, Free-time
Desires, Hopes, Dreams
Emotions, Hurts, Loves
Friends, Family, Foes
Difficulties, Successes, Attempts
Lessons, Mantras, Beliefs
QuickT ime™ and a
T IFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
1.Write one paragraph of 4-8 sentences describing your soul, passions, dreams, emotions, difficulties, successes,
beliefs etc. Include why these things mean so much to you.
2. Circle one category that will be in your paper:
Songs, Hobbies, Italian Charms, Movies, Possessions, or list other:
3. Make an item list of 10-15 items in one category (Like song title and artist)
School appropriate in language and content please.
4. Write 2 complete sentences for each item you included detailing why it was included. Write amazing
sentences!
5. Design a cover and Burn This to a CD- Optional (After the rest is typed and done)
My Soul Paragraph
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
K. Kopp Modified from Katie Sykora 2007 Image taken from www.microsoft.com
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Name _______________________
Share with someone who loves the people you were with
Memoir Brainstorm
Emotions During This Event
I felt
When
Everyone has a true story to tell whether happy or
sad, funny or tragic. Non-fiction (100% true) writing
is the hardest because it is personal. When you share
with others and include the true emotion behind your
words, it will affect them as it has affected you.
When you’re done, this will be showcased on Mrs.
Kopp’s website forever. You can either post this as a
story or a podcast.
Part I Directions: Choose one event.
________________________________________
Part II Directions: Complete emotions and details
charts.
Non-Fiction Writing- Avoid These
Hyperboles
Exaggerations
Lies
Down-plays
Sensationalizations
List one true events YOU
experienced. You can only retell an
accurate, completely true account
of something that you saw and
lived yourself. Others'
interpretation of the events may be
different, and that's just fine; tell
your story as truth to you.
Details You Want to Include
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Name ______________________________
Person needs to be someone you personally know- Share it with them
Nomination Pre-write
Each paragraph needs to be 4-8 sentences in length. This is your pre-write to generate your big
ideas for each paragraph.
Person you know _______________________________
They’re a remarkable ____________________________
Intro
Best day with this person and how you
know them.
Body #1
First reason they’re amazing
Body #2
Second reason they’re amazing
Body #3
Third reason they’re amazing
Conclusion
Your relationship with this person today.
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Name _________________________
Share it with that person or someone who loved this person too
Someone Special Pre-write
I don’t Ever Want to Forget
Directions: You are going to choose one person to write about whom you’ve met that you don’t
want to EVER forget. It might be someone you’ve spent your whole life with or someone you
only spent a day with. It has to be someone who has changed you somehow, someone you’ll
never forget. You may choose your own paragraph topics or use these.
Don’t include a thesis.
Choose 5 paragraph topics from below. Each paragraph must be ONE topic.
How did you meet?
What was your favorite day with him or her?
What was your least favorite day with him or her?
What are his or her unique characteristics
When do you see this person?
How has this person changed or affected you?
What is your relationship today?
What do you hope for in the future?
Another topic that relates to your person can be used instead. Check with teacher if
you’re not sure or need additional ideas.
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