Developing Topics

You have learned about different world religions in your social studies class. You must choose one religion to research and create a handout about it for your final product. Which subtopic should be included in the final product?

• church population
• belief systems
• leadership
• geography

Most report topics are too broad and must be narrowed. Which topic is the narrowest?

• Asia
• Japan
• Haiku

You are about to write a report about the Mayans for social studies. You need to have a list of four questions before you start writing the report. From the five questions below, choose one question that would be LEAST HELPFUL for your report.

• Who were the Mayans?
• Why are the Mayans studied in school?
• How did the Mayans grow their food?
• Where did the Mayans live?

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.1

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

You must write a three-page report for class. Which of the following would be the best choice?

• Animals
• Science
• African Elephants

Read the original topic and the revised topic. Decide if the revised topic is BROADER (less specific) or NARROWER (more specific) than the original topic. 
Initial Topic: Describe what is needed to grow healthy plants.
Revised Topic: Describe the soil composition that works best to grow tomato plants.

• Broader
• Narrower

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

You are assigned a research project on animals. You need to narrow the topic. Which group below begins with the broadest topic and then moves to the narrowest topic at the end?

• Mammals, wild cats, animals, lions
• Animals, mammals, wild cats, lions
• Lions, wild cats, animals, mammals
• Animals, mammals, lions, wild cats

Read the first topic and the revised topic below. Is the revised topic BROADER (less specific) or NARROWER (more specific) than the first topic?
First Topic: Many civilizations around the world built pyramids.
Revised topic: More than 100 pyramids were built in Egypt.

• Broader
• Narrower

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

You are doing a report about astronauts working in space. Which question below is LEAST important to answer for this report?

• How do astronauts breathe when working in space?
• What do astronauts eat in space?
• What happens if astronauts get sick while working in space?
• How do astronauts put out fires working in space?

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.1.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

Which question would be most helpful in finding relevant information if you were doing research about United States westward expansion?

• Who was the President during westward expansion?
• What was the Oregon Trail?
• Where is Mexico?
• When was the United States founded?

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.1

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

You have chosen music as your topic for a research project. This topic is too broad and needs to be narrowed. Which would make a more manageable topic for your research?

• The Beatles
• The history of jazz
• Music through the age
• Modern day musical instruments