Step 2
Narrow and define your research topic:

a. Review the questions that you need to address in your assignment.

Example: When I write my paper about John Muir, it will follow the outline provided by the English and Social Studies teachers. I'll need to answer the questions they ask about. Here's the outline they provide:

"All research papers on a person should follow the following outline.
I. Introduction
II. Explain the effect of the person's childhood on his/her path in life.
III. Describe and explain the family/educational/religious or other backgrounds that affected the individual's actions and/or beliefs.
IV. Describe significant acts of the individual.
V. Analyze the effect of the individual on the growth of our nation and/or our American identity at the time of the person's life and/or today.
VI. Concluding paragraph."

b. Get ready for step 3: Read a short book or article about your individual so you can begin to see how the life of your individual fits into westward expansion.

Example: I read a great book about John Muir that was easy to finish and helped me to generate the questions and key words I'd need for Step 3. Short books I found at the town library were:

1. Graves, Charles P. John Muir. New York: Crowell, 1973. 1-33.
2. Lasky, Kathryn.John Muir: America's First Environmentalist. Cambridge: Candlewick P, 2006. 1-41
   .

The six steps outlined in this website are based in part on the Big6 developed by Michael Eisenberg and Robert Berkowitz. Click here to visit Step 2 their Discovery website.