December​ 14, 2014 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​I've never used discussing as a prewriting strategy​ before, so​ I'm not sure if we did it right. Or not. But we both talked a lot. The assignment is to write a paragraph that will teach someone to do something. Something not very complicated because​ we're writing only a paragraph. Not a whole essay. My first idea was to tell how to make brownies. Lynette thought this would be a good topic. But as I​ talked, she realized that​ I'd never done it. ​ I'd only watched my brother. She said it might be better to teach something​ you've done yourself. I thought about this and decided she was right. So​ I'm going to write about how to change the oil in a car. ​ I've done that plenty of times. And​ it's not hard to explain. Lynette thought changing the oil was a better topic than​ brownies, anyhow. That she needs to learn how to change the oil in her​ car!

1) Sara wonders if​ there's a right way and a wrong way to use discussing as a prewriting technique.

A. ​Also, be sure to mention​ what's good about the​ person's ideas.
B. ​First, offer your comments in a spirit of helpfulness.
C. ​There's no wrong​ way, but there are two important guidelines.
D. ​There's no wrong way to use discussing for​ prewriting, but two important guidelines include offering your comments in a spirit of helpfulness and mentioning​ what's good about a​ person's ideas.

2) There are several fragments in​ Sara's journal notes. Should she​ rewrite?

A. ​No, Sara is writing informal notes to herself.
B. Yes, whenever you see a​ fragment, you should correct it.
C. ​Yes, only your best writing should go in your journal.
D. ​No, she has much too busy a schedule.

3) Which prewriting technique best describes​ planning?

A. After talking to​ Lynette, Sara wrote anything that came to mind for ten minutes to get more ideas about changing the oil in a car.
B. Sara talked to Lynette about making brownies and decided not to write about that.
C. Sara considered the topic of changing oil and those in her audience who would benefit from knowing how to do it.
D. Sara listed the steps it would take to change the oil in a car.

4) Even though Sara never made brownies​ herself, could she still write about​ it? What prewriting technique might best to help Sara write about a topic she knows little​ about?

A. Sara could list all the reasons brownies are better than vanilla cake.
B. She should not write about making brownies. She should write about a subject that she knows a lot about.
C. She could browse the Internet looking at recipes on how to make brownies to get ideas.
D. Sara could free write about why she likes brownies instead of cake.

5) To think further about writing an essay on how to change the​ oil, Sara asks herself who might want to know this information and why it is a good idea to learn how to change the oil in a car. What technique is Sara using to figure out what to​ write?

A. clustering
B. brainstorming
C. questioning
D. writing in a journal