Prewriting is your first step in writing a process essay. You can start by brainstorming topic ideas. When you brainstorm, you don’t hold back or judge your ideas. You just write down whatever comes to mind as quickly as you can.

Prewriting to Focus Your Ideas

List topic ideas.

Think of specific things that interest you. Some examples might include a hobby, a sport, a career or profession, a skill, an art form, a place, or an idea or concept, such as authority. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can (at least 20), rapidly jotting them down without judging.

What Interests Me

Narrow your subject list.

Circle topics you already know something about. If a circled topic can be broken into categories, put a star by it. Rank the starred topics, writing a 1 next to the one that interests you most.

Prewriting to Select a Topic

You should be able to break down the subject of your essay into three or four parts or categories that can be explained in separate paragraphs. A subject that is too broad may include too many categories or categories that are difficult to explain. A subject that is too narrow will not have enough categories.

Too Broad: Mammals—This topic is too general because there are so many kinds of mammals and each kind is a complex subject of its own.

Too Narrow: German Shepherd Guide Dogs—There are probably not enough different types of German shepherd guide dogs.

Just Right: Service Dogs—Dogs that are specially trained to assist individuals with disabilities include guide dogs for blind people, hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs for people who use wheelchairs, and even seizure-alert dogs. An essay about service dogs would explain the different duties performed by three or four types of service dogs.

Evaluate topic ideas.

Use the chart below to evaluate your topic ideas. (The first column contains examples from the sample essay.) Write each topic in the top boxes and the categories or parts that fall under each topic below. Then select a topic that you could break down into three or four parts.

Sample Topic

Types of Material for Armor

Topic #1

Topic #2

Topic #3

metal and leather

chain mail

shaped steel

synthetic fabric

Prewriting to Gather Details

In your classification essay, you will use details to explain each part of your subject. Study the example details in the chart about bicycles. (Notice how the details make each part or category similar to and different from the others.)

Bikes

Road Bikes	Mountain Bikes	Hybrid/City Bikes
Narrow frames; built for speed; thin tires for smooth courses; light and fast; expensive	Fat, sturdy frames; thick, nubby tires; medium weight; toughest bike	Medium frames; inexpensive metal; regular tires with good grip; built for comfort and control; best for riding in the city

Gather details.

Write the topic of your essay and each part or category that you will explain. Then jot down important details about each category. Add columns if needed.

Prewriting to Form a Focus

A focus statement in the first paragraph should identify the topic and the categories you will discuss in your essay. The topic sentence of each middle paragraph should identify a particular part of the topic and make a statement about it. Read the examples below from the sample essay.

Focus statement:	Four materials used for armor through the years are metal-and-leather combinations, chain mail, shaped steel, and synthetic fabrics.
Topic sentence 1:	Ancient Greek soldiers around 1600 B.C.E. carried huge metal shields and wore body plates and shin guards made of metal and leather.
Topic sentence 2:	The first important innovation in armor happened around 1066, when soldiers began wearing chain mail.
Topic sentence 3:	By the 1400s, suits of armor made of shaped steel were standard for royal soldiers.
Topic sentence 4:	Modern armor is made of plastics and synthetic materials, including Kevlar.

Create a focus and topic sentences.

Write a focus statement and topic sentences for your essay.

Lesson Downloads (Word)

WritingClassificationEssays_ListTopicIdeas.docx (15.47 KB)

Lesson Plan Google Links

List Topic Ideas

Evaluate Topic Ideas

Gather Details

Write a Focus Statement and Topic Sentences

Templates

Template Name

List Topic Ideas

Template Content

Student:

Date:

List topic ideas.

Think of specific things that interest you. Some examples might include a hobby, a sport, a career or profession, a skill, an art form, a place, or an idea or concept, such as

authority. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can (at least 20), rapidly jotting them down without judging.

What Interests Me

Now, complete the following steps to narrow your list of possible subjects.

Circle topics you already know something about. (Otherwise, you’ll have to do a lot of research!)
Put stars next to three of those circled topics that can be broken down into categories.
Indicate your interest in the starred topics by ranking them. (Place a 1 next to the topic that interests you the most.)

Template Name

Evaluate Topic Ideas

Template Content

Student:

Date:

Evaluate topic ideas.

Use the chart below to evaluate your topic ideas. Write each topic in the top boxes and the categories or parts that fall under each topic below. Then select a topic that you could break down into three or four parts.

Topic 1

Topic 2

Topic 3

Template Name

Gather Details

Template Content

Student:

Date:

Gather details.

Write the topic of your essay and each part or category that you will explain. Then jot down important details about each category. Add columns if needed.

Topic:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Template Name

Write a Focus Statement and Topic Sentences

Template Content

Student:

Date:

Write a focus statement.

Write a focus statement and topic sentences for your essay. Add rows if needed.

Topic:

Focus Statement
Topic Sentence 1
Topic Sentence 2
Topic Sentence 3

Unit Container Label

Writing Classification Essays

Unit Container D7 ID

Writing Classification Essays

Lesson Weight