- Choose one of the broad topics from the list below.
- The Electoral College in the US
- Learning to Speak another Language
- Going to an Online University
- Immigration
- Art and Artists
- Owning a Home
- The Director’s Role in Filmmaking
- Repairing a Car Engine
- The Environment
- Music
- Refine your chosen topic to something manageable; it is impossible, for example, to write all there is to know about music.
- Too broad: Many musicians have had a great influence on history.
- Refined: Beethoven’s accomplishments as a musician, his loss of hearing, and his continued influence on today’s music make him one of the finest composers of all time.
- Write a thesis statement that includes the refined topic + argument/assertion + 3-point map.
Example below.
Topic: Music
Refined Topic: Music is the best form of art.
Thesis Statement: Music is the best form of art because it is universal, easily created by anyone, and requires no external tool to create.
Topic Sentence with transition words:
- (Body Paragraph 1) First, music is universal and able to be found in any culture around the world
- (Body Paragraph 2) Furthermore, most people are able to sing, although there are different levels of being able to sing.
- (Body Paragraph 3) Finally, no external tools are required to make music which makes it more accessible than other types of art.
