Generating, Expanding, Exploring and Focusing Ideas

The journalist's questions (5 Ws and H).

Example: Many teens have part-time jobs. So what? They learn to manage time and money. So what? Those skills prepare them for post-secondary study and full-time work, but too many hours can hurt their schoolwork. Each link should go one step deeper.

water → the Great Lakes → pollution in the Great Lakes → plastic pollution in Lake Ontario.

Any two: parents or guardians, teachers, bus drivers, employers of parents, child-care workers, coaches, school board trustees.

Judging too early stops the flow. Some of the best ideas come after the obvious ones, and a strange idea may lead to a good one. You choose and cut later.

It is your current best answer, and it can change as you research and draft.

Generate, expand, explore, focus.

In the centre.

False. Broad topics lead to shallow, list-like writing. Focused topics allow depth.

Any one: a library book, a news site, a documentary, a podcast, photos, a museum website, an encyclopedia.

Your counter-argument (the other side you respond to).

Example: music → music in schools → music programs in Ontario high schools → How does playing in a school band affect students' sense of belonging? Each rung must be narrower than the one before.

Example: Example: helping at a food bank on Saturdays. Explanation: it builds responsibility and shows teens real needs in their community. Evidence: Ontario students must complete 40 hours of community involvement to graduate, so many discover causes they keep supporting. (The 40-hour requirement is a real Ontario diploma requirement.)

It is too broad (which platform? bad for whom? how?) and too vague (bad says nothing specific). Improved: Endless-scroll feeds make it harder for teens to stop using apps at night, which cuts into the sleep they need.

Believe: it gives dogs space to exercise and neighbours a place to meet. Doubt: it may cause noise for nearby homes or take space from a playground. The doubt shows a real counter-argument to address.

Speaking is faster and less pressured than writing, so ideas flow. Listeners' questions show you what is unclear or what needs more explanation. This is one way oral skills support writing.

Example: Generate: school cafeterias, food waste, family recipes, food banks, grocery prices, farming. Expand: Food waste: so what? Edible food ends up in landfills. So what? Some stores now donate unsold food. Explore: a grocery manager might worry about liability; a food bank volunteer sees the benefit. Focus: How can grocery stores in our town reduce the food they throw away? Working thesis: Partnerships between grocery stores and local food banks can keep good food out of landfills, if they solve the problems of storage and pickup.

Expanding goes deeper into one idea: uniforms reduce morning decisions → less stress → more time for breakfast. Exploring looks from different angles: how would a student who expresses identity through clothing feel? What about families' costs? Expanding adds depth; exploring adds breadth and perspective.

Narrow by place: How did wildfire smoke affect air quality in Ontario cities? By group of people: How do wildfire evacuations affect remote First Nations communities, and how do these communities lead their own responses? By solution: How do controlled burns reduce the risk of large wildfires? Any three specific narrowings with answerable questions are correct.