Prewriting:
Making a Plan for Writing
(Session 2)
Created by Christy Clausen
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Graphics and layout by Michelle Sekulich, Curriculum and Assessment
Prewriting (Session 2):
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Conversation/Talk
Quick-Write
List or Brainstorm
Graphic Organizer
Quality Literature
Artifacts/Concrete Objects
Draw
Research or Inquiry Experience
Drama
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Prewriting Techniques
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Conversation/Talk
Quick-Write
List or Brainstorm
Graphic Organizer
Quality Literature
Draw
Artifacts/Concrete Objects
Research or Inquiry Experience
Drama
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Quality Literature
¾Read books and discuss
ideas, themes, characters,
or information.
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Quality Literature
¾Have students keep
an eye/ear open for
similarities to their
own personal lives.
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Quality Literature
¾Add ideas to a Writer’s
Notebook or Journal and
title it “Books that Spark
Ideas.” Be sure to revisit
notebooks and ideas
from the literature.
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Quality Literature
Activity:
¾ Listen to a poem or short story.
¾ Discuss similarities or
connections to own lives.
¾ Write ideas or language on the
“Books that Spark Ideas” chart.
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Prewriting Techniques
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Conversation/Talk
Quick-Write
List or Brainstorm
Graphic Organizer
Quality Literature
Artifacts/Concrete Objects
Draw
Research or Inquiry Experience
Drama
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Artifacts/Concrete Objects
Activity:
¾ Take a photo from your
wallet or any artifact that
means something to you.
¾ Write about it for 3-5
minutes.
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Artifacts/Concrete Objects
Additional Activity:
1. Have students bring a photo to class.
2. Have students tell a partner the story “behind
the picture.”
3. Select students to share with whole group.
Students tell what the picture shows and what
story is hidden behind the picture.
4. Send students off to write.
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Prewriting Techniques
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Conversation/Talk
Quick-Write
List or Brainstorm
Graphic Organizer
Quality Literature
Artifacts/Concrete Objects
Draw
Research or Inquiry Experience
Drama
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Drawing
“Writers may want to draw the characters or
settings they have in mind for a story. Some
may want to use the storyboard technique
(sketching each scene of the story they envision).”
-Freeman, 1999
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Draw
Activity:
¾ Think of a place you spend a
lot of time (school, house, church,
yard, park, beach…).
¾ Sketch that place with a
colored pencil.
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Draw & List
Activity:
¾ Grab a different colored pencil.
¾ Jot down a list of experiences
you’ve had there. Write your ideas
directly onto the scene you
sketched.
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Draw, List, Talk
Activity:
¾ Choose one idea from
your list and talk about it.
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Draw, List, Talk, Write
Activity:
¾ Turn your paper over and
begin writing. If you need a
boost in starting, begin by
writing “One day…”
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Other Techniques…
Research or
Inquiry Experience
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Research/Inquiry
Students investigate a topic through research
projects or as a hands-on experience.
Afterward, students talk about the experience
(or findings from research) and write about it.
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Other Techniques…
Drama/
Role Play
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Drama/Role Play
Allow emergent and early writers the
opportunity to role-play or dramatize
events. This concrete activity helps
“cement” ideas and elaborate on ideas
before writing.
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In Conclusion…
• Discuss the techniques with
your grade level team or
partner.
• Examine the GLEs for your
grade level (EALR 1; pg. 14-15)
• Select another technique to
intentionally incorporate into
your writing program.
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Bibliography:
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The Art of Teaching Writing (Calkins, Lucy)
The No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing (Davis & Hill)
Scaffolding Young Writers (Dorn & Saffos)
Craft Lessons (Fletcher, Ralph)
Teaching the Youngest Writer (Freeman, Marcia)
Teaching the Developing Writer (Freeman, Marcia)
A Fresh Look at Writing (Graves, Donald)
K-10 Grade level Expectations: A New Level of Specificity (OSPI)
100 Quick-Writes (Reif, Linda)
Nonfiction in Focus (Robb, Laura)
Writing Essentials (Routman, Regie)
Creating Writers (Spandel, Vicki)
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