Introduction: Connecting Your Learning
Focus is important in any career field, but it is particularly important in information technology (IT). The more focused and specific your topic, the more information you can provide.
Consider how a computer organizes information using files, folders, and documents. In writing, you organize information in much the same way using sentences, paragraphs, and essays. Ultimately, a focused topic allows you to effectively manage information.
| Readings, Resources, and Assignments | |
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| Required Readings | Read the following before starting the lesson: |
| Multimedia Resources | |
| Required Assignments |
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Focusing Your Learning
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to narrow a topic for a specific purpose.
Presentation
Narrowing a Topic
An effective writer should avoid choosing a broad topic. Narrowing a topic can seem challenging. The goal of narrowing a topic is to provide a focus to your essay.
Often you will find it necessary to begin with a broad topic, but from there, you must narrow your focus.
Consider the topic of technology.
Can you imagine writing a five-paragraph essay on the broad topic of technology?
- What would you include about personal computers, smartphones, tablets, or supercomputers?
- Would you write about technology in an educational setting, for personal usage, or for business applications?
- What would be your purpose? Are you writing to inform, persuade, or entertain?
Take a look at the following example of narrowing a topic for the assignment The History of Social Networking.
Example
Assigned Topic
The History of Social Networking
Personal Interest Direction
Facebook
First Narrowing of Topic
The evolution of Facebook as a communication tool
Steps to Narrowing a Topic
- The Three W Questions -- Ask the questions, who, what and why. You must first begin by thinking about your audience, purpose, and message. Who is your audience? What is the message? Why are you writing? The answers to these questions will largely determine your focus.
- Preliminary Research -- Pick a topic and Google it, surf the Web, or visit your library to do some preliminary research.
- Choose a Perspective -- Are you writing as a student, a parent, an expert, or a citizen of the world? Your perspective will change your message.
- Think Small -- Reduce big topics to essay size chunks. Take a look at the following example:
Topic Example
Big Topic: Communications (This is much too broad.)
Think Small: Using cell phones effectively in a high school classroom
Practice
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Make sure that you read Choosing a Topic. |
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Watch the Choosing and Narrowing Research Topics-YouTube to learn more about the importance of narrowing your topic for an essay. |
Now that you have watched the video on narrowing topics it is your turn to practice.
Complete the following practice activities. Check your answers to see how well you did.
Practice Activity 1: Identifying a Good Topic Sentence
Imagine that you have been asked to write a paragraph about plagiarism.
Which of these sentences would be an appropriate topic sentence? Which is too broad? Which is too narrow?
______ Plagiarism is a huge problem for community colleges.
______ Ralph bought a research paper on the Internet.
______ Advances in technology are making it easier to detect plagiarism.
Practice Activity 2: Identifying a Good Topic Sentence
Which of these would be an appropriate topic sentence? Which is too broad? Which is too narrow?
______ Cutting and pasting and then changing some words is one type of plagiarism.
______ Easy access to information on the Internet makes it difficult for students to know what actions are considered plagiarism.
______ Plagiarism is cheating.
For additional practice, complete the following activity:
Writing Topic Sentences
Now that you have learned about topic sentences and identified whether a topic is too broad or too narrow, give it a try. Take out a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil and write a new topic sentence about plagiarism.
Summarizing Your Learning
Whether it's a blog, an email, a set of instructions, or an essay, focused writing is critical. If you are focused, you are effective as a writer. If you are effective, you are understood, and that, ultimately, is every writer's goal.
Assessing Your Learning
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Now it is time to show what you have learned. Complete the assignment below. |
- Prewriting: Narrowing your Focus