In ABC brainstorming, the teacher introduces the title and asks the students to think about any phrase or word related to the topic and match it to each letter of the alphabet. This process activates the background knowledge about any topic and increases the level of understanding during the reading process. Recalling background information about the topic prepares the students in making connections to the new knowledge they get from reading the entire text.
During brainstorming, each student individually writes down everything they know about the topic following the alphabetical outline. Afterward they work in small groups and compare ideas and include any additional information from their colleagues. During reading, students add ideas to this comprehensive list formulated with insight from the group.
Brainstorming helps in activating prior knowledge that students know about the topic. For example, students reading about the Civil War in a history class might be asked to brainstorm and recall information they had learned about the World Wars. This helps the learner in identifying what the text is all about, as well as activating the learner's interest in the topic before reading, which might increase their level of understanding.
Brainstorming strategies helps in generation of semantic maps where the teacher writes and organizes the ideas generated by the students under headings. This creates a diagram representing the information elicited by the students, but the ideas are more organized with a clear relationship between the thoughts listed and the various subheadings. Students include the new information that they gather as they read on these semantic maps, increasing the understanding of the text .