Need research topic ideas help for my 11th grade English class?

This is my first year teaching mid-upper level English 11. I need research paper topic ideas. Any ideas?

Need research topic ideas help for my 11th grade English class?
My sophomore class writes research papers over social issues. Social issues include anything from teenage drinking to eating disorders. My seniors write their papers over unsolved murders or mysteries. Sorry, I don't have juniors.
Reply:Ask for a paper on "What do you think life will be like in 10 years?" That should provoke some thought.
Reply:I agree with the previous post about helping students choose a topic within your parameters. They will be much more committed if they get to choose something they care about, and you'll get much better results. Another way of giving them guidance and freedom is to choose a very large topic (like "war") and then letting them choose a smaller topic within that. They can write about anything from the weapons of ancient Rome, to the politics of the Iraq war, to women soldiers of the American Revolution- something for everyone!
Reply:Rather than writing a paper, how about having the students create a brochure on a topic. For example, at my school, the English class reads Romeo and Juliet, then creates a brochure on one of the issues within the book. They have to do their research first, then organize it.


Another thing we do is create a 2 page newsletter after reading a book. It includes articles about topics within the book plus a few extras for realism. The kids love creating it, and we hang them up for all to read.
Reply:knowledge about diet has led to increase in obesity in our society today
Reply:Here's what I do: I have my students generate a list of topic ideas. I set parameters before they begin, but they come up with topic ideas. From those ideas, we vote for the best idea(s) for the paper.





Example: I set the parameter that the research topic must be something that happened within the last forty years. They have over night to research and come in with three topic ideas. We make a list of all the topics (a student helper writes the topics on the board as I moderate the class). From that list, we narrow down the topics to a single topic per class. I have three hours of English 12; I have three different topics to grade (a different topic for each hour).





It's up to you, but I do NOT allow biographies. It's too hard to write an original research paper on a person.





Also, since this is an upper-level English 11 class that you're teaching, think about requiring them to use primary sources. It'll be good practice for the students as they head off to college.

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