Prewriting Strategies
Which of these would be the best topic sentence for a paper about smoking cigarettes?
A. Smoking cigarettes is bad for you.
B. The health hazards caused by smoking cigarettes are well-known in today's society.
C. I think cigarettes should be illegal.
D. Smoking cigarettes is bad for your health and so is drinking alcohol.
B. The health hazards caused by smoking cigarettes are well-known in today's society.
Such as
In particular
For example
Unreliable: blog posts, random articles
Get your thinking down on paper
Helps outline ideas for what to write about
Which of these would be the best topic sentence for a paper about space exploration?
A. The space race is still going on and we are racing to Mars this time.
B. Space exploration is really cool.
C. First, lots of space shuttles have blown up and killed people
D. There are many reasons why people oppose the annual investment of billions of dollars in space exploration.
D. There are many reasons why people oppose the annual investment of billions of dollars in space exploration.
With your groups, organize the sentences in this paragraph and underline the topic sentence.
1. Next, add antifreeze to your windshield washer fluid; otherwise, the fluid will freeze and possibly break the container.
2. First, put on snow tires if you plan to drive on snowy, icy roads very often.
3. Driving in winter, especially on snowy, icy roads, can be less troublesome if you take a few simple precautions.
4. Finally, it is also a good idea to carry tire chains, a can of spray to unfreeze door locks, and a windshield scraper in your car when driving in winter weather.
5. Second, check the amount of antifreeze in your radiator and add more if necessary.
3, 2, 5, 1, 4
Carly is interviewing a local expert on horticulture about the plants they grow in their green house. What type of question will be useful for her to learn more about plant species?
What specific species grow well in this area?
What processes do you use to grow different kinds of plants?
What are the benefits of one plant species over another?
You've been asked to research a social issue in your community and write a paper about your findings.
Which prewriting strategy would you use?Take 30 seconds with your group to write good topic sentence to begin this paragraph.
In European universities, students are not required to attend classes. In fact, professors in Germany generally do not know the names of the students enrolled in their courses. In the United States, however, students are required to attend all classes and may get in trouble if they do not. Furthermore, in the European system, there is usually just one comprehensive test at the end of the students' entire four or five years of study. In the American system, on the other hand, there are usually numerous quizzes and homework assignments in addition to a final examination at the end of the semester.
Ex. University systems and structures can vary considerably from country to country.
What is the purpose of using clear transitional phrases in our writing?
Communicates what is coming next
Which prewriting strategy would you use?
Take 30 seconds with your group to write good topic sentence to begin this paragraph.
For example, the Eskimos, living in a treeless region of snow and ice, sometimes build temporary homes out of thick blocks of ice. People who live in deserts, on the other hand, use the most available material, mud or clay, which provides good insulation from the heat. In areas of the world where forests are plentiful, people usually construct their homes out of wood. Where there is a plentiful supply of bamboo and palm, people use those to build their home.
Ex. House construction in various parts of the world depends mainly on the availability of building materials.
With your groups, organize the sentences in this paragraph and underline the topic sentence.
1. A breakthrough in one of these areas will hopefully provide a means of relieving both the overstretched oil market and the environment.
2. Researchers in the automobile industry are experimenting with different types of engines and fuels as alternatives to the conventional gasoline engines.
3. One new type of engine, which burns diesel oil instead of gasoline, has been avaliable for several years.
4. Finally, several automobile manufactureres are experimenting with methanol, which is a mixture of gasoline and methyl alcohol, as an automobile fuel.
5. A further type is the gas turbine engine, which can use fuels made from gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene and other petroleum distillates.
The increasing depletion of oil reserves, along with environmental concerns, have prompted some radical developments in car design over the past few years
2. cite the author and title in parentheses after the information is presented
Which prewriting strategy would you use?
Take 30 seconds with your group to write good topic sentence to begin this paragraph.
Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put on kimonos, which is a Japanese word. Americans who live in a warm climate may take an afternoon siesta on an outdoors patio without even realizing that these are Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the fragrance of jasmine flowers, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even relax on a chaise longue, while sipping a drink made with vodka, words of French and Russian origin, respectively.
Ex. Although the majority of Americans may not be aware of it, many features of their culture and their language are in fact imports from other cultures.
With your groups, organize the sentences in this paragraph and underline the topic sentence.
1. Later on, people began to write on pieces of leather, which were rolled into scrolls.
2. In the earliest times, people carved or painted messages on rocks.
3. In the Middle Ages, heavy paper called parchment was used for writing and books were laboriously copied by hand.
4. With the invention of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century, the modern printing industry was born.
5. Some form of written communication has been used throughout the centuries.
5, 2, 1, 3, 4
Which of the following is a properly formatted MLA citations?
1. Morem, Susan. 101 Tips for Graduates. New York: Ferguson, 2005. Infobase Publishing eBooks. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. http://www.infobasepublishing.com
2.Susan Morem. 101 Tips for Graduates. New York: Ferguson, 2005. Infobase Publishing eBooks. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. http://www.infobasepublishing.com
3. Morem, Susan. 101 Tips for Graduates. New York: Ferguson, 2005. http://www.infobasepublishing.com
4. Susan Morem. 101 Tips for Graduates. Infobase Publishing eBooks. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. http://www.infobasepublishing.com
1. Morem, Susan. 101 Tips for Graduates. New York: Ferguson, 2005. Infobase Publishing eBooks. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. http://www.infobasepublishing.com