Tài liệu Write better essays in just 20 minutes a day part 5 pdf

P
eople learn and process information in many different ways. Some of us learn best by seeing, oth-
ers by hearing, and still others by doing. Some of us prefer a defined structure or framework, while
others think best when there are no constraints. For those who like structure, the 5 W’s (who, what,
where, when, why) offer an easy framework for generating ideas. For visual learners and thinkers, graphic organ-
ization tools like mapping work best.
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Asking Questions
Asking “who, what, where, when, and why” is a formula that journalists, detectives, and researchers use to get a com-
plete story. This technique is particularly useful when you’re choosing an essay topic and when focusing a topic once
you’ve made a selection. There are two sets of questions for taking stock, one suited for an impersonal or research-
type essay, and the other geared toward a personal essay. Unlike some of the other brainstorming techniques, you
should ask questions deliberately, with great thought given to each question. Do not rush or include every idea that
comes to mind. Even if you are being timed, take a moment to give the best answer you can for each question. The
better focused your answers, the more information you will have to use in your essay.
LESSON
Brainstorming
Techniques:
The 5 W’s
and Mapping
LESSON SUMMARY
This lesson describes two more techniques for generating ideas for
your essays: asking reporters’ questions and mapping.
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1. Who: Who is involved? At what level? Who is affected?
2. What: What is your topic? What is its significance? What is at stake? What are the issues?
3. Where: Where does your subject occur? Where is its source?
4. When: When does your topic occur? When did it begin/end? When must action be taken to deal
with it?
5. Why: Why is your subject of interest? Why did it develop as it did? Why should others be interested

in your topic?
If you are writing a research paper or other type of nonpersonal writing, and your topic is already selected
or assigned, concentrate on the standard W’s: who, what, where, when, and why. These questions will help you
quickly develop a great deal of information about your subject. Not every question will apply to every essay, and
the prompts that follow each W are meant to be taken as suggestions. Be flexible, and use the format as it best fits
your topic.
––BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUES: THE 5 W’S AND MAPPING–
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1. Where have you been (chronological history)?
2. What have you accomplished or achieved?
3. What do you do with your time when not in school?
4. What are you good at? Passionate about?
5. Who are/were your major influences?
Admissions essays and some exit essays are intended to be personal, so you must focus on yourself. Take time
answering personal questions such as the following. This process involves a different set of W’s, meant to elicit
key information about you and about the topic if it has been chosen.
Here’s how the 5 W’s might work for the following assignment:
Television is a very powerful medium. What do you think is the ideal place of television in our lives, and why? Explain.
How close is the reality to that ideal?
Who watches TV?
What kinds of shows are people watching?
What happens to kids who watch too much TV? (affects schoolwork, relationships with others?)
What about people who have no TVs? Are they more informed? Less informed?
What do people expect from TV? Relaxation? Information? Entertainment?
Where do people place TVs in their homes? Kids’ rooms? (effect on family relationships, socialization?)
Bedroom? (effect on sleeping/relaxation?) Kitchen? (effect on conversation during meals?)
What effect does TV have on our lives? Hurts us? Helps us?
What if we got rid of TV?
When was TV invented?
Why do people watch TV?

Notice the number of questions and the amount of possible essay material this student was able to gener-
ate. Some of the questions are more relevant to the assignment than others (“when was TV invented” probably
won’t be relevant, for example). But clearly, this student has many ideas to work with. In the next lesson, you’ll
learn how to use a brainstorming session like this to develop a thesis and organize your essay ideas.
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Practice 1
Use the 5 W’s technique to generate ideas for the following assignment.
School uniforms for public school students is among the most controversial proposals for education reform in Amer-
ica. Where do you stand on this issue? Defend your position.
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Mapping
Mapping is a graphic (visual) organizer that allows you to investigate the relationships between many diverse ideas.
It’s a simple process best used for exploring simple topics. To make a map, draw a circle and add spokes radiat-
ing from it. Put your central idea or subject in the middle, and add subtopics or related ideas around it in any order.
Or, draw a box with your subject written in it and continue adding boxes, connected to each other by arrows, show-
ing the development of your idea. As with other brainstorming techniques, don’t judge yourself during this process.
Write down any and every thought you have on your subject.
––BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUES: THE 5 W’S AND MAPPING–
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How I have
been influenced
by my English
teacher
personal
philosophy
reading
choices
strength
in dealing

with difficult
issues
discipline
learned
life lessons
from assigned
reading
not afraid
to assign
tough
material
push
yourself past
what you
think you are
capable of
use words
and action
to show others
who you
really are
makes us
ask and answer
the hard
questions
at least
30 minutes
of reading
a day
5 minutes

of writing
a day
found
positives
in battle
with cancer
Example of a Concept Map
This student came up with four main branches of ideas—discipline, reading choices, personal philosophy, and
strength in dealing with difficult issues. The map shows how one idea led to another and how ideas are related
to one another. That’s an advantage of this technique: You can see immediately where your ideas lie. Clearly,
this student has much to say about discipline as it related to his teacher’s influence on him.
For the next assignment, notice how the resulting map differs from the previous example.
Outlining is another important essay-planning tool, but it is not a brainstorming technique. Outlining is an orga-
nizational technique that helps in planning an essay after ideas have been generated through brainstorming.
You’ll learn more about outlining in Lesson 6.
A Note about Outlining
Discuss how sports influence popular culture.
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Practice 2
Use the mapping technique to brainstorm ideas for your answer to this college application essay assignment. Write
your answer on a separate sheet of paper or type it on your computer.
Write an essay that conveys to the reader a sense of who you are.
trends
Leading
sports figures
product
placement
commercial
endorsements
How sports influence

popular culture
television/
media
footwear/
fashion
fashion
industry
fans
––BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUES: THE 5 W’S AND MAPPING–
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