Brainstorming. An important step in the writing process that can be forgotten. Teaching children from a young age how to brainstorm during the pre-writing process is an important skill that will help them become better writers, but better critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Brainstorming can be done in many different ways to reach all students. The first step is to teach students HOW to brainstorm through modeling and by getting kiddos excited to write. I always use the phrase, "Let's get our BRAIN JUICES flowing!" This is telling students why we are brainstorming--to get our ideas ready to write down.
A great way to start the brainstorming process is to use a community circle where each student takes a turn speaking. I give students a prompt (whatever it is we are writing about,) and each child takes a turn to respond. This is a great form of brainstorming that allows young writers to find their ideas.
Another way to brainstorm is to manipulate objects or ideas. I have students sequence different events in order to help their brainstorming process. After this step, children feel more ready to begin their writing.
One of my favorite ways for students to brainstorm is to use different graphic organizers. These help students organize their thoughts so they feel more ready to write. Sequencing, webs, tree maps, and circle maps are all great ways for student to think about their writing.
Once students are familiar with the process, their writing becomes smoother. Writing intimidates young children because they "don't know what to write about." but when students brainstorm, they know exactly what to write.
I hope you use brainstorming and pre-writing in your classroom to help young writers. I would love to hear how you teach brainstorming in the comments below!
Happy Brainstorming!!
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