Developing a Topic

“Jane, I finished my article for Sofahealth. Will you read it and let me know what you think?” “‘Exercise is beneficial for you. Everyone should exercise more!’ Ummm, it doesn’t say anything.” "Sure, it does." In order for Ernie to write an effective article, he will need to learn about developing a topic. When writing a piece on a specific topic, you need to develop, or further explain, your main idea. First, we develop our thoughts by adding evidence to support our topic sentence. Evidence can be given through facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or examples. Then, we elaborate on our topic. We can elaborate by explaining our understanding of the evidence and making personal connections to the information. We link the evidence and our elaboration with transition words. Finally, we wrap up the main idea about the topic with a concluding sentence. Let’s use Ernie’s article as an example of how to develop a topic. We will use this graphic organiser to map out our thoughts. Ernie’s topic sentence is, ‘Exercise is beneficial for you.' We will develop this idea by paraphrasing a fact we read about the benefits of exercise, like this. According to experts, exercise improves your brain health, enhances your mood and strengthens your bones and muscles. Another type of evidence could be a direct quote from an expert that supports the topic, like this. ‘Well known paediatrician, Dr. Sam Stone says, "Studies show that children who exercise regularly have better self-esteem and do well in school."’ Now we need to elaborate on this information. We will show our understanding of these facts by putting them in our own words and making a personal connection. We can say, ‘in other words, exercise is key to making your mind and body stronger. For example, when I come back into class after playing football at break, I am more focused on my schoolwork and I feel good.’ Notice we connected our ideas about the topic by using the transitions, 'in other words' and 'for example'. Finally, we wrap up the main idea about the topic with a concluding sentence. Ernie's paragraph concluded with a call to action for the reader. He said, 'Everyone should exercise more'! Now, we can take our developed ideas and write them into a paragraph like this. ‘Exercise is beneficial for you. According to experts, exercise improves your brain health, enhances your mood and strengthens your bones and muscles. Well-known paediatrician, Dr. Sam Stone says, "Studies show that children who exercise regularly have better self-esteem and do well in school." In other words, exercise is the key to making your mind and body stronger! For example, when I come back into class after playing football at break, I am more focused on my work and I feel good. Everyone should exercise more!’ There is not one correct way of developing a topic. In fact, you should show variety with the different types of evidence you give to support your topic's main idea as well as the way you elaborate on the information. While Ernie submits the article for next month's issue, let's review. Remember, when writing a piece on a specific topic, you need to develop or further explain your main idea. First, we develop our thoughts by adding evidence to support our topic sentence. Then, we elaborate on our topic by explaining our understanding of the evidence and making personal connections to the information. Finally, we wrap up the main idea about the topic with a concluding sentence. "I feel better already!"