Reading and Writing Skills

Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

LESSON 2.1
Organizing Information through a Brainstorming List
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Objectives 2

DepEd Competencies 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 3
Steps on How to Organize Information through a Brainstorming List 4

Key Points 7

Check Your Understanding 8

Let’s Step Up! 10

Photo Credits 11

Bibliography 11
 Reading and Writing Skills

Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

Lesson 2.1
Organizing Information through a
Brainstorming List

Fig. 1. Someone who wants to start writing should generate and organize ideas first.

Introduction
Brainstorming is an informal way of generating topics to write about, as well as formulating
the points you can make about your topic. It can be done at any point in the writing process.
The crucial point about brainstorming is that there should be no pressure to be brilliant. You
should open your mind to whatever that pops into it.

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 Reading and Writing Skills

Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

This lesson will provide you with some strategies on how to smarten up your brainstorming
lists.

Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Differentiate between techniques in selecting and organizing
information.
● Create your own brainstorming list.

DepEd Competencies
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Differentiate between techniques in selecting and organizing information
(EN11/12RWS-IIIa-2).
● Create your own brainstorming list (EN11/12RWS-IIIa-2.1).

Warm-Up

Group Brainstorming

Materials
● Chart Paper
● Marker

Procedure
1. Form groups of eight students.
2. Each group shall receive a chart paper and a marker.

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

3. Select a leader and a secretary for each group.

4. Each member of the group will think of an answer or answers about the following
topic.
Topic: How can we make our English class more interesting?
5. For every time a member states his or her suggestion, the secretary writes it down.
Afterward, the team shall decide whether it is a good or a bad idea. The secretary
may circle the good ideas and cross out the bad ideas.
6. The leader shall narrow down the answers and share them with the class.

Guide Questions
1. How did the process help you in generating ideas?
2. How did the process of elimination help you narrow down to the best answers?
3. What do you call the process that your group did?

Learn about It
Brainstorming helps you generate topics and narrow them down to a few important ideas.
It improves your creative thinking skills and deepens your understanding of a possible topic.
On a brainstorming list, simply write down all the words or ideas that come to your mind
about a topic. With this list, you can generate ideas quickly and recall specific information
about a topic.

Vocabulary
topic
the idea one will write about
(noun)

thesis
statement the standpoint of the writer in an essay
(noun)

generate to produce or formulate something

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

(verb)

to choose more important or more related ideas from

narrow down
those generated, considering the topic of what one will
(verb)
write about

freewrite
to write something continuously without thinking
(verb)

Essential Question
How does the brainstorming process facilitate a compelling essay?

Steps on How to Organize Information through a Brainstorming

List
1. Think of a general topic.
2. Brainstorm ideas based on the topic and make a list.
3. Take a look at the list and see which ideas are related. Use lines, arrows, asterisks, or
whatever works for you to illustrate those connections.

Table 1. Examples of generated ideas about the topic Social Media

Possible Topic 1: Social Media

comments online * network

posts shared connections
news items curating
pro and anti * humblebrag *
power of social media * narcissism *
tool for information and misinformation *

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

Table 2. Examples of generated ideas about the topic Cyberbullying

Possible Topic 2: Cyberbullying

foul language violence

name calling * shaming *
censorship * power *
opinions depression
arguments ego and insecurity *
threats

4. Cross out topics that might not generate or add enough information for writing.

Table 3. Examples of crossed out ideas from those generated about the topic Social Media

Possible Topic 1: Social Media

comments online * network

posts shared connections
news items curating
pro and anti * humblebrag *
power of social media * narcissism *
tool for information and misinformation *

Table 4. Examples of crossed out ideas from those generated about the topic Cyberbullying

Possible Topic 2: Cyberbullying

foul language violence

name calling * shaming *
censorship * power *
opinions depression
arguments ego and insecurity *
threats

5. Choose two of the remaining topics in your list and freewrite about each chosen

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 Reading and Writing Skills

Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

topic for five minutes. Freewriting means using a topic as a triggering subject and
writing whatever comes to mind, whether you associate it with the topic or not.

You can also make a brainstorming list based on a thesis statement, the main idea,
argument, or purpose of the writing. List any word, phrase, or statement that you
can think of that is related to the topic. Do not restrict yourself to the sequence of
ideas.

Below are some samples of brainstorming lists.

Topic: Should parents choose the course or career for their children, or should
their children make the choice themselves?
Thesis Statement: Children, not their parents, should choose their course or
career.
✓ They know themselves best.
✓ They know their strengths and weaknesses.
✓ They will be more willing to learn if they are doing what they want to
do.
✓ They are more likely to succeed if they pursue their dream.
✓ They will look forward to their daily classes or work.
✓ Gain more confidence
✓ Personal happiness

Topic: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly
satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work
is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
Thesis statement: Love whatever job you choose to do.
✓ Know your strengths and weaknesses.

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

✓ Pursue a dream.
✓ Do what you are good at.
✓ Choose a job where you can use your skills.
✓ Give your best shot.
✓ Respect your work.
✓ Practice, practice, practice.
✓ Always find new ways of loving your work.
✓ Love your work even if it is not your first choice.

These related ideas generated through brainstorming can serve as a guide for your writing.

Let’s Check In
Write down things that should be considered in doing a brainstorming list.

Key Points

● Brainstorming is an effective way of generating ideas about a topic.

● Brainstorming can also help a writer in narrowing down ideas to more specific and
important ones.

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

Check Your Understanding

Fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase to make the statements
brainstorming correct.

1. Brainstorming helps you _______________ ideas about a topic you want to write

about.

2. In brainstorming, after generating ideas, you can _______________ them to more

specific and important ones.

3. After thinking about a topic you want to write about, the next step is to brainstorm

ideas and create a _____________.

4. _______________ means using a topic as a triggering subject and writing whatever

comes to mind, whether you associate it with the topic or not.

5. A _______________ is the writer’s standpoint about the topic. It can also refer to the

main idea of your entire essay.

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

Brainstorm about the given topic by filling in the chart below.

Generate a brainstorming list about the given topic by filling in the table below.
Then, narrow down the ideas by crossing out those that are not important and not
specific.

Topic: Racism

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

Let’s Step Up!

Think of a general topic and create a brainstorming list based on it. At the end of this
task, you should be able to come up with a suitable thesis statement for writing.

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Grade 11 • Unit 2: Techniques in Selecting and Organizing Information

Photo Credits
Fig 1. Man Wearing Black and White Striped Shirt Looking at White Printer Papers on the Wall by
Startup Stock Photos is licensed under CC 0 via Pexels.

Bibliography
Bell, Vinetta. 2016. A Writing Process. Learn NC. Accessed September 10, 2018.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/writing-process/5809.

“Brainstorming and Listing Exercise Student Instructions.” Writing@CSU. 2016. Accessed

September 10, 2018.
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/gentopic/pop4d.cfm.

Oldham, Davis. 2016. Research Paper Sentence Outline. Accessed September 10, 2018.
https://app.shoreline.edu/doldham/102/HTML/Sentence Outline.html.

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