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Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas

Bubble Gum Informative Writing
  1. Prewriting:
    1. Watch the How Bubble Gum is Made video and record facts that seem important to you.
    2. Print out and read all of the statements on the Bubble Gum Data Sheet.
    3. Group the statements into several categories. *Teachers/Parents, see Hints at the bottom of this page.
    4. Choose one of the categories that seems to have the most information and would be interesting to write about.
    5. Gather additional information about your chosen topic. This may include conducting a survey or researching further using an encyclopedia or nonfiction book about your topic. If you have time, you might even contact a bubble gum manufacturer or look up a bubble gum company on the web. (See English Index for good research websites.)
  2. Drafting:
    1. Highlight the statements that fit your category.
    2. Number them in an order that makes sense and has each idea flow into the next.
    3. On you own paper, write an introductory sentence that tells your topic (category). Remember to indent!
    4. Following your numbering system, write each statement in your own words (See Plagiarism), and if it is a statistic, be sure to tell what source it came from. For example: According to World Book Encyclopedia, the base used in bubble gum is more elastic than the base used in chewing gum.
    5. Write a conclusion sentence. Conclusion sentences might include any of the following: your reason for writing about this topic, a statement that tells the reader how they can use this information in their daily life, or a reason that this information is important to know.
  3. Revising:
    1. Check your paragraph to be sure the sentences all fit with the topic sentence.
    2. Does the first sentence "grab" the reader's attention and make them want to find out more? (Hint: Never start with a statement such as "My name is... and I'm going to tell you about....." or "This is a paragraph about ...") Try using a startling fact, an emotional statement, or a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is a question that gets the reader thinking, and makes them interested in your topic. For example: Do you know how many pounds of food an elephant eats in one day?
    3. Does this paragraph include details that you know from research or your own experience? If not, add some!
    4. DID YOU USE YOUR OWN WORDS? (See Plagiarism)
    5. Have you used interesting words and a variety of sentences? If not, change what you have written so that the reader will be "hooked".
  4. Editing:
    1. Check your paragraph's conventions. Look for correct capitalization, spelling, and punctuation.
    2. Have you indented the first line of the paragraph?
  5. Final Copy:
    1. Choose a way to visually present your paragraph. Options might include writing it on notebook paper or typing it. You could then cut out the paragraph and paste it onto a large bubble gum machine or bubble made from construction paper or drawn on a large piece of white paper. You could also create a bubble gum wrapper collage or frame around the border of your final copy paper.
    2. Be sure that you copy your paragraph carefully and neatly, so that it is easy to read and enjoy!
*Hints: history of bubble gum, making bubble gum, strange facts about bubble gum
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