Brainstorming & Outlining

Why Do I Need To?

Brainstorming and outlining is so important. Most students groan and complain when they are asked to complete it, and I get it... it feels like a lot of "extra work". It is important to understand that without a "map" for your writing you will probably be less organized and prepared. Brainstorming and outlining ensures that you have a thesis, reasons, and examples. This guarantees that you will get a 2 or higher.

Okay, Fine... How Do I Start?

Something you can do before you even take the test is gather things that you are an expert on. This is a really nice way to gather things that I could use for any essay. My old instructional coach (the person who teaches your teachers!) has this really cool technique. There is a button below that explains how to do it! Take a look and see what you think.

Once you have a few things that you are an expert on, you can consider your steps for brainstorming once you sit down in front of your test.

As soon as you sit down to take the test, turn to the essay prompt. This is what you will see.

Don't read the quote in the box. If you use anything from inside of this box, you will most likely lose points. The actual prompt is here...

Now that you know your prompt, you need to figure out what your two choices could be. ***A lot of students had a difficult time picking one side on the mock STAAR test. This step will help you pick only ONE side.***

The prompt asks if it is better to succeed individually or as part of a team. My first option is: "It is better to succeed as a team." The other option is: "It is better to succeed individually." Pick which side you like best. Start brainstorming ideas about this prompt - you could do a "brain dump" where you just write whatever comes to mind on a blank paper, you could do a mind map, or you could do any other strategy that works for you!

Once you have thought about the prompt, you are ready to make an outline. This is the outline that we use in class. Look at the GIF below to see how to draw the outline.

What Does This Outline Look Like in Essay Format?

In class we did an assignment where we reverse outlined an essay. The PDF below shows how that process works. I put the information from the PDF into an outline to show you what it would look like.