Step 3: Identify what you know about your report topic, and what more you need to know.
Select one subtopic from your cluster map as the topic of your informative report. (The subtopic
you choose should allow you to write 1-3 pages of information.) Once you have narrowed down
your topic in this way, answer these questions about the topic.
Your Report Topic:
What do you already know
about the topic?
What more would you like to
know about the topic?
What would most readers like
to know about the topic?
Step 4: Identify your informative report’s main ideas.
If you need to find out more information about your topic, do that before this next step.
(Research the topic online or using a library or by talking with someone who is an expert on the
topic.) When you have found the information you need, use the left column of this chart to list
questions that your report will answer. In the right column, write the answer to each question.
The answers are your report’s main ideas.