Review: Narrowing a Topic Worksheet on Teachers Pay Teachers

The Narrowing a Topic worksheet is a free download available on Teachers Pay Teachers. The worksheet is a basic draft sheet for writers to use to take a general area of interest and hone it down to a developed topic statement.

The worksheet is a basic tool built on a fairly simple concept. Students name a topic, do some brainstorming, come up with questions, and then generate a topic statement that is then further analyzed to be sure it can support a well-rounded essay. It’s a single sheet with two sections. The first section has an example modeling how best to use the worksheet, and then there is a second, blank section for students to practice on their own.

There is truly something to be said for simple, basic tools like this. In my own life, writing and otherwise, I find it very help to have pre-made charts, graphs, and tables to give me some structure when I need/have/want to brainstorm something. And there’s something about this particular worksheet that brings to mind a passage I read in Mary Higgins Clark’s memoir, Kitchen Privileges, wherein she says that a lot of her novels start with a little question – “What if...?” or “Suppose...?” If she thinks the question is interesting enough, she writes the story to answer it. This guide will help intermediate and advanced writers come up with a good structure for their writing, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.

You can download your own copy of the Narrowing a Topic worksheet here.

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