Post on 26-May-2015
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References
© 2001 by Ruth Luman
Getting Ideas Before You WriteGetting Ideas Before You Write
IntroductionIntroductionGetting Started
“Writer’s block” is a commonproblem to many students. This iswhen ideas for writing do not comevery easily. It is easy to get veryfrustrated when beginning to write.Brainstorming activities can helpyou get ideas for your essay andhelp you become less frustrated.
Brainstorming “Brainstorming” means thinking of as many
ideas as possible in a short amount of time.
Write down your ideas so that you don’t forget them.
Write down everything that comes to your mind; don’t worry about sorting out “good” and “bad” ideas.
Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.
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Three Activities
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1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word in the center of your paper.
2. Write down any sub-topics that are connected to that main topic. Draw arrows to the sub-topics from the main topic.
San Francisco
Chinatown
Fisherman’s Wharf
Golden Gate Bridge
Alcatraz Museums
Transportation
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3. If you have new ideas, connect those words to the appropriate sub-topic.
San Francisco
Chinatown
Fisherman’s Wharf
Alcatraz Museums
Transportation
Golden Gate Bridge
American Legion
Modern Art Museum
Asian Art Museum
Clam Chowder
Ships boats
Cable Car BusBART
Restaurants
Stores
Theaters
Old Military Prison
Civilian Prison
1934-1963
Famous Prisoners
Completed 1937
Scenic View
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ClusteringClusteringExample #1
Favorite Room
Quiet
Bedroom
Big ClosetComfortable Furniture
Windows
Sunny
View of Sky
View of Trees
Soft Bed
Rocking Chair
Yellow
Good-Sized
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My Mother
Liked Sports Very
Religious
A LeaderIntelligent
Hard Worker
Housewife
Waitress
Cleaned Houses
Read many books
Had many different interests
Went to church
Taught Sunday School
Gave to charity
After-School Club
Coordinator
President of PTA
Volleyball Soccer
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1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or words at the top of your paper.
Why I Want to Become a Nurse
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2. Write down any word or phrase that might relate to your main topic underneath. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Your goal is to write down as many ideas as quickly as possible.
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Why I Want to Become a Nurse
Like science
Like problem solving
Many jobs available in nursing
Good salary
Like working in a hospital
Want to help other people
Challenging job
Opportunities for promotion
Interested in study of diseases
Interested in study of human body
Flexible hours
Will always learn something new
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Language Learner
•Practice speaking with others
•Take classes
•Guess at the meanings of words
•Listen to radio or TV
•Observe others
•Set reasonable goals
•Don’t be afraid to experiment
•Study vocabulary in related topics
•Ask others to correct you
•Look for patterns in your errors
•Organize your study time
•Use special techniques to remember new words
•Ask for help when you don’t understand
•Review material regularly
•Use a dictionary
•Choose a good textbook
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Cambodia
•Major Cities: Battambang, Phnom Penh
•Angkor Wat
•Borders Vietnam, Laos, Thailand
•Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers
•Once a French colony
•Tuol Sleng Prison
•Agriculture: rice, rubber, fish, timber
•Cambodian writing: originally from India
•Artful dances
•Theravada Buddhism
•King Sihanouk
•Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge
•Weather: hot and rainy
•Minority Groups: Cham, Pear, Brao
•Land mines
•Education
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1.Sometimes you will want to organize your ideas for writing in a chart.
2.Charting works very well for comparison/ contrast writing or examining advantages and disadvantages.
3.You can use many different kinds of charts, depending on your topic and the kind of writing you are doing.
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Example Chart
Living withFamily
Living withRoommates
Advantages May not pay rentMealsDifferent ages
More independenceSocial interaction
Disadvantages Less independenceRules
RentCooking/ShoppingNoise
Charting -Using Venn Diagram A Venn diagram is a great tool for creating a comparison
between two or more objects, events, or people.
Simply draw two (or three) large circles and give each circle a title, reflecting each person or object you are comparing.
Inside the intersection of the two circles (overlapping area) write all the traits that the objects have in common.
In the areas outside the overlapping section you will write
all of the traits that are specific to that particular object or person.