1. Write down any thoughts you have about the prompt or question. You don’t need to answer
the question yet. Write whatever comes to mind first.
2. Use your notes to decide on your thesis statement—or central idea—for your essay.
Your central idea is a thoughtful and interesting point that you want readers to
understand about your topic. Sum up this idea in one sentence.
3. List as many supporting ideas as you can that support your central idea.
Expository Essay: Generating a Thesis and Topic Sentences
4. Put a star ( or *) next to your three strongest supporting ideas. These will be your
topic sentences.
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