Take the topic you pitched on your discussion board post this week, and complete a focused free write on this topic for at least 15 minutes.

You might consider these questions:

Why does this topic intrigue you?
What do you already know about it?
What do you hope to learn by researching it?
Are other people also interested in this topic? Who are they? Politicians? Parents? People of a certain demographic (like age, race, gender, ethnicity)? People who live in a certain part of the country or type of environment (the South, rural areas, or cities, etc.)?
What questions come to your mind when you think about this topic? List them.


Please do not write about your stance on the topic. Your first essay will be written to inform your readers about the topic; your second essay will persuade us about your topic, so save revealing your own position for now!

Let this quote guide you this week as you activate your curiosity in order to uncover a problem-based topic that will sustain you throughout the quarter!

“It seems to me, then, that the way to help people become better writers is not to tell them that they must first learn the rules of grammar, that they must develop a four-part outline, that they must consult the experts and collect all the useful information. These things may have their place. But none of them is as crucial as having a good, interesting question.” – Rodney Kilcup, historian