Columbia High School

Choosing a topic is very important. The right topic will allow you to move through the process more easily than a poorly chosen one. Of course, your teacher may have limited you to choosing from a list( "Students, you may choose ANY 18th century poet for your paper!"), but it helps if you can find a topic in which you are genuinely interested( such as those 17th century poets). You will typically do MUCH reading, and so it makes sense to enjoy as much as possible the reading material. There are, however, other factors in choosing a topic. Here are some questions to help you make the decision:

· Are there enough resources in our library available? It makes little sense to explore a topic for which there simply is not enough information. (It is possible, as the
librarians will explain, to utilize other libraries, but that is often time-consuming.)

· Does the topic meet the requirements of the teacher? Check the assignment carefully.

· Is the topic one which you can do in the time you are given for the paper?

· Is your topic too broad, too narrow, or too undefined? For example, 'the Civil War' is far too broad. The topic 'the 60's' is not just too broad; it is unclear as to direction.

Of course the length of the assignment will in part determine how appropriate a topic is, and even a narrow topic can often be very detailed, but here are examples of broad, narrow and appropriate topics:

General Topic Too Broad Too Narrow Appropriate

History World War II helmets Allied spies

English John Steinbeck the ending of animal imagery
The Pearl in Steinbeck's works

Science Water How charcoal Cleaning the Hudson
Purifies water

Music Beethoven The first move- Beethoven's life
ment of the 5th found in his works
Symphony

Countries Canada The Needle in Living conditions
Toronto for runaway American teenagers

Remember, a good topic will make the assignment easier. If you're not sure, ask a librarian or your teacher for help.