Module 3 - Composition Basics: Prewriting

Welcome

Welcome to Module 3 of this course. 

Introduction

One of the hardest parts of writing an essay is selecting a topic and starting the writing process. Brainstorming is a term that often gets thrown around, but what is it and how do you do it? There are actually many ways to brainstorm a topic and essay ideas. Once you brainstorm your essay topic and ideas, you can cluster these ideas into a cohesive set of topics that will help you build your essay outline. Another good strategy for helping you start your essay is freewriting, and there are a couple of strategies to do this as well as brainstorming. Once you have your ideas and some material, you can start constructing an outline that will help you map out the rest of your essay and guide you in completing your writing projects.  In this module, you will explore the different types of brainstorming, understand the purpose of freewriting, develop an outline, and learn how to cluster ideas to get your essay off the ground! 

 Course Navigation

 To navigate through this module, use the "next" and "previous" buttons located at the bottom of the page. 

Score a 100% on the CYK Quizzes. You may take these quizzes as many times as needed to score 100%. Turn in any mastery assignment, discussion post and/or module quiz before moving to the next module. The content in the following module will remain locked until all assignments are turned in for this module. 

Getting Started

1. Review the module introduction and outcomes to help you gain an understanding of the main topics and expectations.
2. Work through each lesson in this module and complete the Check Your Knowledge activity.  
3. Complete the Module Quiz on this page once all lessons are finished in full.

Module 3 Objectives

After completing this Module, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate successful prewriting processes for developing essay topics and ideas.
• Use clustering as a tool to develop essay topics.
• Utilize freewriting as a tool for developing an essay topic.
• Create an effective outline for an academic essay.