Think, Then Write (Volume 7): Planning and Organising Research for Long-Form Essays, Assignments and Reports

Description

In this no-prep resource – Volume 7 of our popular Think, then Write structured writing program, we’ll look at some simple frameworks to help plan, execute and organise research in preparation for writing longer assignments.

Complex projects like essays, assignments, longer reports and articles, require significant research. Some writers are very organised and like to know exactly what they are going to write before they start. Others work more intuitively. But all writers benefit from a plan – even if it’s just an informal outline or rough guide.

As we learned in Think then Write Volume 5, good writers tend to look at topics and issues from multiple perspectives, recognising that different people think differently about many things in the world that matter. Sometimes, our personal views on a topic are so strong that we find it hard to look at it from different angles – especially when we are writing about controversial topics.

Frameworks that force us to consider topics from different perspectives are useful. In this resource, we highlight two key frameworks:

• the PERSIA Framework, which we learned from Harold Ramis, the famous American actor, director and writer; and
• William E. Blundell’s six aspects of stories to consider when planning a feature article, as set out in his wonderful book, “The Art and Craft of Feature Writing”.

With worked examples using both the frameworks, this 52-page resource is specially for high school students when they are planning their essays, assignments, longer reports and articles.

Looking for additional structured writing resources?

This fully-scripted program builds on previous volumes of Think, Then Write.

If you haven’t done so already, please check out other volumes in the Think, Then Write Program:

• Think, Then Write Foundations: writing simple and compound sentences
• Think, Then Write Volume 1: writing compound and complex sentences that require verbal reasoning
• Think, Then Write Volume 2: writing paragraphs
• Think, Then Write Volume 3: writing transitions and short reports expressing a personal opinion
• Think, Then Write Volume 4: writing narratives 
• Think, Then Write Volume 5: writing short reports and essays arguing a case or seeking to persuade
• Think, Then Write Volume 6: tackling short answer questions that appear in school tests and exams