Cayman Islands Writing Exemplar

Stage 1 – Pre-writing  (“Think”)

Great writing begins with planning! This is the time to figure out what to write about. Pre-writing is a stage in the 

writing process that cannot be overlooked. The pre-writing stage involves brainstorming, considering purpose and 

goals, and using graphic organisers to connect ideas and begin to form a coherent and appropriate structure for the 

text. Finding appropriate and informative resources and gaining information through the research process is another 

component of the pre-writing stage for applicable text-types. Brainstorming ideas to decide a topic on which to write 

may occur with the whole class, in small groups, or individually. Graphic organisers, specific to the text-type studied, 

encourage students to organise their texts effectively and appropriately for a variety of text-types. Research clearly 

indicates that brain activity is enhanced when we use and teach our students to represent information in a visual 

ways (Kohler, 2009). They are especially beneficial for those students who have difficulty organising their thoughts 

and who need a concrete representation to structure abstract ideas. They also appeal to many different learning 

styles (Kohler, 2009). All components of the pre-writing stage must be modeled and taught through explicit instruction 

before students are expected to use the skill independently.