To
try this technique on your classroom, begin by asking students to read through
their notes and circle facts and ideas that seem interesting and important.
Then encourage them to use one of these thought prompts or simply have
them make a list of the information they circled.

After
sharing excerpts from several of the mentor essays included Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, ask
students to think about the information using their head (their brain) and in
their heart (their feelings). Then invite them to spend a few minutes free
writing and sketching. This gives young writers time and space to digest the
information, view it through their own lens, and make their own meaning.

Finally,
encourage students to create an infographic that includes what they really want
other people to know about their topic and why that aspect of the topic is
important to them. The infographic could also show the order in which they plan
to present the information, but it doesn’t have to.

When students take the
time to represent key parts of their research as infographics during the
prewriting process, they’ll find their own special way of conveying the
information. Instead of being tempted to plagiarize, they’ll create prose
that’s 100 percent their own.