Identify your topic.

Ask yourself:     What is the problem I need to solve?
                    What is the question I want to answer?

How do you know what your problem is?
   Sometimes the teacher tells you.   But other times you have to decide for yourself.   Here's how. Sometimes it helps to draw pictures (called graphic organizers) of what you already know and what you're learning. Some graphic organizers are tables, webs or concept maps.  These tools can help you decide what your information problem is, or what question you want to investigate. This is called finding a focus for your project.

to see examples of webs, concept maps, and other graphic organizers you may want to use.

(Don't forget to use your back button to return here!)

    Even if your teacher assigns the topic, you may need to expand or narrow your topic, so always begin your quest by talking with your school librarian.
    Librarians are experts on research and could save you a lot of time and wrong turns on the information superhighway! Once you begin your research, you also need to talk to your teacher about how it's going. If you find so much information about your topic that it's impossible to figure out which direction to go, talk to your teacher about narrowing the focus of your search. If you can't find any information about your topic, talk to your teacher about expanding or changing topic. Many times, all you need is someone to point you in the right direction, so don't be shy!

 Four tips on topics:
  1. First:Pick something you are interested in! You will be working on this for a while, so make it something fun for you.
  2. Second: Look in the library for an easy (2nd-4th grade) book or encyclopedia

    3. article on your subject. This can give you some good ideas for a specific topic.
     Remember, if it is too big it will be overwhelming, and if it is too small you won't be able to find enough information.
  3. Third: When you decide on a specific topic write it out in a statement or question.
  4. Fourth: Make a list of words that mean the same thing as your topic. Ask yourself questions like- What other words describe this topic? What else is it called? Click here  to go to a thesaurus.
HOT TIP: Don't wait until the day before
your project is due to talk to your teacher and librarian!
Don't get lost in the dungeons of Castle Web.