Before you write or speak you must know what you are going to say about your topic. You will need to give it direction, to limit it, or to modify it in one way or another. Here are six steps to help you refine or limit your topic. 1. Read everything on the page very carefully.
2. Begin to look for connections, for pairs or groups of ideas that fit together.
3. Discard any items which do not seem to fit.
4. On a separate sheet of paper, begin putting together related pairs or groups.
5. Look for one focus, one idea or one approach which seems to stand out over the others.
6. Take an aspect of the topic which you can cover in two minutes (about 500 words).
After completing the six above steps, articulate a precise topic that you will address.

Example: The Migratory Flights of Canadian Geese

Which is best evidence that mary is beginning to change

Write an explanation for how to perform some kind of physical activity, such as riding a bike or playing a sport. the explanation should be geared toward someone who has never performed the activity. be sure to explain the steps in the process clearly, organize your ideas appropriately, use text features

Read the excerpt from the poem "growing up italian" by maria mazziotti gillan and answer the question that follows. when i was a little girl, i thought everyone was italian, and that was good. we visted our aunts and uncles, and they visted us. the italian language smooth and sweet in my mouth. in kindergarten, english words fell on me, thick and sharp as hail. i grew silent, the italian word balanced on the edge of my tongue and the english word, lost during the first moment of every question. source: gillan, maria mazziotti. "growing up italian." poetrymagazine. com. poetry magazine, n. d. web. 30 mar. 2011. what is the tone of this poem? what does the tone reveal about the speaker of the poem and the conflict she faces? based on this excerpt, what can you predict about the theme of the poem?