This document provides 9 techniques for brainstorming ideas for an essay: 1) Freewriting, 2) Making a cube, 3) Clustering, 4) Listing/bulleting, 5) Venn diagram, 6) Tree diagram, 7) Acting like a journalist, 8) T-diagram, and 9) Spoke diagram. It also outlines 4 rules for effective brainstorming: do not criticize ideas, aim for quantity over quality, build on others' ideas, and allow any idea regardless of how unusual. The goal of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas and questions about the topic as possible before writing the essay.
2. Brainstorming
What is it?
Why do we need it?
A gatheringgathering of ideas from your brain onto paper.
The varietyvariety of ideas and the use of your imaginationimagination
assist you in producing a lot of material with which to
work.
It’s the best way to collect your thoughts.
It’s helpful for organization.
It ensures only quality ideas are used in the essay.
3. Brainstorming Technique
Number One
Freewriting
What is it?
Think about the topic. Then write, write, write. Whatever
comes into your brain – even if it doesn’t have to do
with the topic. Example:
"This paper is supposed to be on the politics of tobacco production
but even though I went to all the lectures and read the book I can't
think of what to say and I've felt this way for four minutes now and I
have 11 minutes left and I wonder if I'll keep thinking nothing during
every minute but I'm not sure if it matters that I am babbling and I
don't know what else to say about this topic and it is rainy today
and I never noticed the number of cracks in that wall before and
those cracks remind me of the walls in my grandfather's study and
he smoked and he farmed and I wonder why he didn't farm
tobacco..."
5. Number One
Freewriting
When is it helpful?
When you have NO ideas about a topic
When you have TOO MANY ideas about a topic
Maybe I could say
this or maybe I
could say that…
hmmm
???
???
Brainstorming Technique
6. Number Two
Making a Cube
What is it?
Imagine a cube. It has six sides. On each side, you have
a different task regarding the topic.
Brainstorming Technique
7. Brainstorming Technique
Number Two
Making a Cube
Describe
Side One: Describe the topic.
Side Two: Compare the topic.
Side Three: Associate the topic.
Side Four: Analyze the topic.
Side Five: Apply the topic.
Side Six: Argue for or against the topic.
CompareAssociateAnalyzeApplyArgue
9. Brainstorming Technique
Number Three
Clustering
Draw a bubble.
And write the topic above it.
Brainstorm!
Now look for words that connect with each
other. Circle the words and connect them
with lines.
Global Warming
rainforests disappearing
extinction emissions
dangerous
dying animals toxic world wide
Cars/SUVs factories
landscape changes no icebergs
expensive to fix? hurricanes
Reversible?
10. Brainstorming Technique
Number Four
Listing or Bulleting
What is it?
Create a list of terms/ideas/concepts about the topic.
Create multiple lists depending on the purpose.
Global Warming
Toxic fumes
SUVs/Cars
Extinction
Belief/Disbelief
Kyoto Agreement
Belief/Disbelief
Scientists disagree
Average American
China/USA
Normal occurrence
or abnormal event?
11. Brainstorming Technique
Number Five
Venn Diagram
What is it?
Draw two circles that connect, like this:
List two topics above the circles.
Brainstorm about the topics – what do they have in
common and what is unique about each one.
Cities
Eiffel
Tower
Capital
Became
Paris in 400
A.D.
francophone
County seat
Anglophone
Founded in
1839
12. Brainstorming
TechniqueNumber Five
Venn Diagram
When is it used?
When you are writing a comparison or contrast essay.
Cities
Eiffel Tower
Capital
Became Paris in
400 A.D.
francophone
County seat
anglophone
Founded in 1839
14. Number Six
Tree Diagram
When do you use it?
This type of diagram is helpful in classification essays.
Media
Print Visual
Audio
Newspaper magazine booklet
television webpage movie
cd mp3 cassette
Brainstorming Technique
15. Brainstorming Technique
Number Seven
Act like a Journalist
What is it?
Using the question words in English to explore the topic.
Who?
What?
When?Where?
Why?
How?
16. Brainstorming Technique
Number Seven
Act like a Journalist
When is it useful?
Use this technique when you want to write a narrative.
Who?
When?
What?
Where?
Why?
How?
17. Brainstorming Technique
Number Eight
T-Diagram
What is it?
Using a T shape, list a category that you want to
compare or contrast about a specific topic or topics.
Do this for a variety of categories.
Paris, France and Paris Texas
location
Europe
Northern France
North America
Northern Texas
18. Brainstorming Technique
Number Eight
T-Diagram
When is it useful?
This technique helps when you are writing a contrast or
comparison essay.
Paris, France and Paris Texas
location
Europe
Northern France
North America
Northern Texas
19. Brainstorming Technique
Number Nine
Spoke Diagram
What is it?
Write the topic in a circle. Then think of about causes
and effects. Write these around the circle like spokes
on a wheel.
Global Warming
too many people
cars/suvs not recycling
chopping down trees
Crazy weather
loss of polar ice caps
dying animals
20. Brainstorming Technique
Number Nine
Spoke Diagram
When is it useful?
Use this technique when you want to explore cause and
effect.
too many people
cars/suvs not recycling
chopping down trees
Global Warming
Crazy weather
loss of polar ice caps
dying animals
21. Before you start writing…
Imagine building a house without thinking about what
you want it to look like or what kinds of materials you’ll
need for construction. You may be able to “visualize” a
functional structure, but without tools, a list of materials and
a blueprint, your “house” could end up a disaster.
Writing an essay without thinking ahead about the
information and ideas you want to use is a lot like building
a house without tools or a blueprint. You may “imagine”
you can write something meaningful, but your finished
essay could end up being unorganized and disappointing.
Brainstorming before you start writing will help you
generate ideas that you can use in your essay.
22. Before you start writing…
Brainstorming is a form of prewriting, which is the
earliest stage of the writing process. Brainstorming can be
useful to you as a writer because it helps you to generate
ideas and questions about a topic. You can use these
ideas and questions to develop information and content for
your essay. You can also use these ideas to plan the way
information is organized in your essay.
23. 1: Think about the
essay topic.
When you get an essay
assignment, it’s important
to recognize right away
whether you already know
anything about the topic, so
think about the topic before
you start writing about it.
Read a book about it.
26. 3: Get ready to brainstorm!
Brainstorming is easy: All you have to do is
think of ideas and information about a topic
and write them down. As you brainstorm,
you want to answer these two important
questions:
• What do I already know about this topic?
• What do I need to know about this topic?
27. 4: Write down
what you know.
Brainstorming, Phase 1:
Write down on the
Brainstorming Study
Aid all of the things you
already know about the
essay topic. Include
every idea that pops
into your head. Even
an idea that seems far-
fetched may be useful.
Don’t reject or ignore
anything!
28. 5: Write down what
you need to know.
Brainstorming, Phase 2: Ask
yourself, “What do I need
to know in order to make
my ideas easier to
understand and make my
essay convincing?” This
usually means providing
facts, data, statistics and
quotes from other
sources. Write down
everything you think you’ll
need to know to write a
powerful essay.
29. 6: Look for
relationships and
connections
between your ideas.
Read all of the ideas
you have written down.
Group together into
clusters the ideas that
are related or
connected. The ideas in
each cluster have the
potential to become the
content in a single
paragraph in your
essay.
30. 7: Identify the focus
or theme of each
cluster.
Look at each cluster of
ideas on your
Brainstorming Zone sheet.
You should be able to
identify a focus or theme
for each cluster. At the
bottom of page 1 of your
Brainstorming Study Aid,
write a simple declarative
sentence to describe the
theme of each cluster.
31. 8: Look for relationship patterns between
the sentences you have written.
Each sentence you have written has the potential to be
a topic sentence -- the main idea in a single paragraph in
your essay. Your essay will be easier to understand if your
paragraphs are organized in a logical order, such as
• from most important to least important
• from first to last
• from longest ago to most recent
• from greatest to least
• from left to right, or
• alphabetical order
Identify the relationship pattern between the sentences
you have written.
32. 9: Number your topic sentences 1, 2, 3
and 4 to show how you think they
should be ordered in your essay.
You have now completed the Brainstorming
process -- the first stage in the writing process -- and
are ready to move on to the next stage. Because you
have brainstormed about the topic, you should have
• a lot of great ideas to work with to develop content for
your essay,
• a few questions that you need to research for more
information, and
• a preliminary plan for organizing your essay content.
34. Rules for Brainstorming
• No criticism allowed
• Work for quantity
• Welcome piling-on
• Allow free-for-all
35. No Criticism Allowed
• People automatically tend
to evaluate each
suggested idea - their own,
as well as others.
• Avoid criticism.
• Allow all members to
contribute.
36. Go for Quantity
People must experience “brain-drain” before
the innovative, creative ideas can surface.
Therefore, the more ideas, the more likely
they are to be quality ideas.
38. Allow Free-for-All
Outrageous, humorous, and seemingly
unimportant ideas should be recorded.
It is common for the most off-the-wall idea to
be one wherein lies the solution for the
problem.
The sky is the limit.
Notes de l'éditeur
Remind students that all ideas are important ideas. ALL students must be able to contribute.
Reiterate the importance of avoiding criticism. Often times if this happens, not everyone in the group will share their ideas aloud.