first grade research paper topics

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Getting First Graders Started With Research

Teaching academically honest research skills helps first graders learn how to collect, organize, and interpret information.

Earlier in my career, I was told two facts that I thought to be false: First graders can’t do research, because they aren’t old enough; and if facts are needed for a nonfiction text, the students can just make them up. Teachers I knew went along with this misinformation, as it seemed to make teaching and learning easier. I always felt differently, and now—having returned to teaching first grade 14 years after beginning my career with that age group—I wanted to prove that first graders can and should learn how to research. 

A lot has changed over the years. Not only has the science of reading given teachers a much better understanding of how to teach reading skills , but we now exist in a culture abundant in information and misinformation. It’s imperative that we teach academically honest research skills to students as early as possible. 

Use a Familiar Resource, and Pair it with a Planned Unit

How soon do you start research in first grade? Certainly not at the start of the year with the summer lapse in skills and knowledge and when new students aren’t yet able to read. By December of this school year, skills had either been recovered or established sufficiently that I thought we could launch into research. This also purposely coincided with a unit of writing on nonfiction—the perfect pairing.

The research needed an age-related focus to make it manageable, so I chose animals. I thought about taking an even safer route and have one whole class topic that we researched together, so that students could compare notes and skills. I referred back to my days working in inquiry-based curriculums (like the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program) and had students choose which animal to study. Our school librarian recommended that we use Epic because the service has an abundance of excellent nonfiction animal texts of different levels.

Teach the Basics for Organized Research 

I began with a conversation about academic honesty and why we don’t just copy information from books. We can’t say this is our knowledge if we do this; it belongs to the author. Instead, we read and learn. Then, we state what we learned in our own words. Once this concept is understood, I model how to do this by creating a basic step-by-step flowchart taught to me by my wife—a longtime first-grade and kindergarten teacher and firm believer in research skills.

• Read one sentence at a time.
• Turn the book over or the iPad around.
• Think about what you have learned. Can you remember the fact? Is the fact useful? Is it even a fact?
• If the answer is no, reread the sentence or move onto the next one.
• If the answer is yes, write the fact in your own words. Don’t worry about spelling. There are new, complex vocabulary words, so use your sounding-out/stretching-out strategies just like you would any other word. Write a whole sentence on a sticky note.
• Place the sticky note in your graphic organizer. Think about which section it goes in. If you aren’t sure, place it in the “other facts” section.

The key to collecting notes is the challenging skill of categorizing them. I created a graphic organizer that reflected the length and sections of the exemplar nonfiction text from our assessment materials for the writing unit. This meant it had five pages: an introduction, “what” the animal looks like, “where” the animal lives, “how” the animal behaved, and a last page for “other facts” that could become a general conclusion.

Our district’s literacy expert advised me not to hand out my premade graphic organizer too soon in this process because writing notes and categorizing are two different skills. This was my intention, but I forgot the good advice and handed out the organizer right away. This meant dedicating time for examining and organizing notes in each combined writing and reading lesson. A lot of one-on-one feedback was needed for some students, while others flourished and could do this work independently. The result was that the research had a built-in extension for those students who were already confident readers.

Focus on What Students Need to Practice 

Research is an essential academic skill but one that needs to be tackled gradually. I insisted that my students use whole sentences rather than words or phrases because they’re at the stage of understanding what a complete sentence is and need regular practice. In this work, there’s no mention of citation language and vetting sources; in the past, I’ve introduced those concepts to students in fourth grade and used them regularly with my fifth-grade students. Finding texts that span the reading skill range of a first-grade class is a big enough task. 

For some of the key shared scientific vocabulary around science concepts, such as animal groups (mammals, etc.) or eating habits (carnivore, etc.), I created class word lists, having first sounded out the words with the class and then asked students to attempt spelling them in their writing.

The Power of Research Can Facilitate Student Growth 

I was delighted with the results of the research project. In one and a half weeks, every student had a graphic organizer with relevant notes, and many students had numerous notes. With my fourth- and fifth-grade students, I noticed that one of the biggest difficulties for them was taking notes and writing them in a way that showed a logical sequence. Therefore, we concluded our research by numbering the notes in each section to create a sequential order. 

This activity took three lessons and also worked for my first graders. These organized notes created an internal structure that made the next step in the writing process, creating a first draft of their nonfiction teaching books, so much easier. 

The overall result was that first graders were able to truly grasp the power of research and gathering accurate facts. I proved that young children can do this, especially when they work with topics that already fascinate them. Their love of learning motivated them to read higher-level and more sophisticated texts than they or I would normally pick, further proving how interest motivates readers to embrace complexity.

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101 research paper topics.

• Why do we sleep ?
• How do GPS systems work?
• Who was the first person to reach the North Pole ?
• Did anybody ever escape Alcatraz ?
• What was life like for a gladiator ?
• What are the effects of prolonged steroid use on the human body?
• What happened during the Salem witch trials ?
• Are there any effective means of repelling insects ?
• How did trains and railroads change life in America?
• What may have occurred during the Roswell  UFO incident of 1947?
• How is bulletproof clothing made?
• What Olympic events were practiced in ancient Greece?
• What are the major theories explaining the disappearance of the dinosaurs ?
• How was the skateboard invented and how has it changed over the years?
• How did the long bow contribute to English military dominance?
• What caused the stock market crash of 2008?
• How did Cleopatra come to power in Egypt what did she do during her reign?
• How has airport security intensified since September 11 th , 2001?
• What is life like inside of a beehive ?
• Where did hip hop originate and who were its founders?
• What makes the platypus a unique and interesting mammal?
• How does tobacco use affect the human body?
• How do computer viruses spread and in what ways do they affect computers?
• What is daily life like for a Buddhist monk ?
• What are the origins of the conflict in Darfur ?
• How did gunpowder change warfare?
• In what ways do Wal-Mart stores affect local economies?
• How were cats and dogs domesticated and for what purposes?
• What do historians know about ninjas ?
• How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading?
• What were the circumstances surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden ?
• What was the women’s suffrage movement and how did it change America?
• What efforts are being taken to protect endangered wildlife ?
• How much does the war on drugs cost Americans each year?
• How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?
• Are humans still evolving ?
• What technologies are available to home owners to help them conserve energy ?
• How have oil spills affected the planet and what steps are being taken to prevent them?
• What was the Magna Carta and how did it change England?
• What is the curse of the pharaohs?
• Why was Socrates executed?
• What nonlethal weapons are used by police to subdue rioters?
• How does the prison population in America compare to other nations?
• How did ancient sailors navigate the globe?
• Can gamblers ever acquire a statistical advantage over the house in casino games?
• What is alchemy and how has it been attempted?
• How are black holes formed?
• How was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln plotted and executed?
• Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks?
• How do submarines work?
• Do lie detector tests accurately determine truthful statements?
• How did Cold War tension affect the US and the world?
• What happened to the lost settlers at Roanoke ?
• How does a hybrid car save energy?
• What ingredients can be found inside of a hotdog ?
• How did Julius Caesar affect Rome?
• What are some common sleep disorders and how are they treated?
• How did the Freedom Riders change society?
• How is internet censorship used in China and around the world?
• What was the code of the Bushido and how did it affect samurai warriors ?
• What are the risks of artificial tanning or prolonged exposure to the sun?
• What programs are available to help war veterans get back into society?
• What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?
• How have the film and music industries dealt with piracy ?
• How did Joan of Arc change history?
• What responsibilities do secret service agents have?
• How does a shark hunt?
• What dangers and hardships did Lewis and Clark face when exploring the Midwest?
• Has the Patriot Act prevented or stopped terrorist acts in America?
• Do states that allow citizens to carry guns have higher or lower crime rates?
• How are the Great Depression and the Great Recession similar and different?
• What are the dangers of scuba diving and underwater exploration?
• How does the human brain store and retrieve memories ?
• What was the Manhattan Project and what impact did it have on the world?
• How does stealth technology shield aircraft from radar?
• What causes tornadoes ?
• Why did Martin Luther protest against the Catholic Church?
• How does a search engine work?
• What are the current capabilities and future goals of genetic engineers ?
• How did the Roman Empire fall?
• What obstacles faced scientists in breaking the sound barrier ?
• How did the black plague affect Europe?
• What happened to Amelia Earhart ?
• What are the dangers and hazards of using nuclear power ?
• How did Genghis Khan conquer Persia?
• What architectural marvels were found in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire ?
• From where does spam email come and can we stop it?
• How does night vision work?
• How did journalists influence US war efforts in Vietnam ?
• What are the benefits and hazards of medical marijuana ?
• What causes desert mirages and how do they affect wanderers?
• What was the cultural significance of the first moon landing ?
• What are sinkholes and how are they formed?
• Have any psychics ever solved crimes or prevented them from occurring?
• Who is Vlad the Impaler and what is his connection to Count Dracula ?
• What are the risks of climate change and global warming ?
• What treatments are available to people infected with HIV and are they effective?
• Who was a greater inventor, Leonardo di Vinci or Thomas Edison ?
• How are the Chinese and American economies similar and different?
• Why was communism unsuccessful in so many countries?
• In what ways do video games affect children and teenagers?

923 Comments

I like using this website when I assist kids with learning as a lot of these topics are quickly covered in the school systems. Thankyou

Mackenah Nicole Molina

Wow! I always have trouble deiciding what to do a research project on but this list has totally solved that. Now my only problem is choosing what idea on this list I should do first!

Most of these my teacher rejected because apparently ‘these aren’t grade level topics, and I doubt they interest you”

I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like you will have a potentially valuable character-building experience in the short-term.

Edwin Augusto Galindo Cuba

THIS SITE IS AWESOME, THERE ARE LOTS OF TOPICS TO LEARN AND MASTER OUR SKILLS!

research kid

I need one about animals, please. I have been challenged to a animal research project, Due Friday. I have no clue what to research! somebody help, thanks for reading!

You can do one on bats

For international studies you can do Defense and Security.

This was very helpful.

Research on Ben Franklin? I think THAT will get a real charge out of everyone (hehehehegetit)

Mandy Maher

“Is it possible to colonize Mars?”

maddy burney

these are silly topics

thx for making this real.

more gaming questions!!!!!!

Is it still considered stealing if you don’t get caught?

Yes, yes it is still considered stealing.

I need topics on memes

Mary Nnamani

Please I need project topics on Language Literature

Marcella Vallarino

I would appreciate a list of survey questions for middle school grades 6-8

I need a research topics about public sector management

I NEED FIVE EXAMPLES EACH ON QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH (EDUCATION, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, ECONOMY AND ENGINEERING)

publish research that are interesting please……

hey can you do one on the burmiueda triangle

Anybody know video games effect kids,and,teens. There Fun!!

they’re

I need a topic about woman history if any of u can find 1 please that would be great!

You could research about the history of the astronauts, and of human past (WWI, WWII, etc.)

so about women? Manitoba Women Win the Right to Vote in Municipal Elections, The First Women, January 23, 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor in the United States, Rosa Parks Civil Rights Equal Pay. I have way more. so if you need more just ask.

communism is good

what are you a communist?!?!

Did FDR know about the upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor on 07 DEC 1941.

do you know how babies are born

Christine Singu

kindly assist with a research topic in the field of accounting or auditing

need more about US army

Please can yiu give me a topic in education

I think one should be how can music/Video games can affect the life for people

or How Do Video Games Affect Teenagers?

zimbabwe leader

I think a good topic is supporting the confederate flag!

Need a research topic within the context of students union government and dues payments

do more weird ones plz

joyce alcantara

Hi pls po can you give me a topic relate for humanities pls thank u.

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Researching with 1st Grade-Teaching Good Research Steps

Mar 19, 2015  •   2 Comments

     Teaching good research habits to younger grades is a very important part of being a librarian.  In the past, I have introduced the research steps using a lesson that connected the Big 6 steps to following a recipe for making an apple pie.  You can read about this “Recipe for Research” lesson on my blog here.       Typically, after I do this lesson, we would investigate Non-Fiction books, Text Features, and databases, and then they would do their research later in their classrooms with their teachers.      This year, I wanted to be more involved in helping them learn how to do the actual research part, so I decided to do a mini-research project with my first graders as part of their library lessons.   Step #1      I started off by asking them what they wanted to learn more about.  Most of them answered with some sort of animal, so we decided that our first research project together would be about animals.        This was actually perfect, as w e had just finished reading the book Those Darn Squirrels  by Adam Rubin. (By the way, if you haven’t read this, it’s a FANTASTIC book.  The kids LOVE raising their fists and shouting “Those Darn Squirrels!” whenever Old Man Fookwire yells at the crazy squirrels in his backyard.  Plus, they were super excited to find out that there are 2 more books in the series!)

      I told them that I was going to research Squirrels since we had just read about them, and then  I introduced them to PebbleGo .   This is an absolutely FANTASTIC database by Capstone Digital!  It is ideal for younger grades, and makes it super easy for them to find information. Each topic is divided into 6 main tabs: body, habitat, food, life cycle, fun facts, and related articles.  Each tab allows the student to either read or listen to the information, and most topics have a video they can watch as well.  It is slightly expensive, but well worth the money!  (If you are interested in checking it out, you can get a free 2 week trial by filling out a short form found here .)  I gave them some time to explore the database so they would be familiar with it for our next lesson, and I told them to think about what animal they would like to research.

Step #2      On their next visit, we quickly reviewed the “Recipe for Research” steps again, and  brainstormed a list of “egg” questions to research about their animal.  T hey came up with things like: what does my animal eat, how fast can it run, who is it afraid of, how does it move, where is it’s home, etc.   I created a Research Brochure (aka: note-taking tool) and had them chose 4 questions to write inside each egg.  

  Once their questions were written down, I asked “What do you think the lines underneath each egg are for?”  They correctly guessed it was for their answers to the questions.  I had them look at the lines, and we discussed how they weren’t very long and they would have to make sure they only wrote down the important words.      I pulled up information on Squirrels on PebbleGo, and we read that “Tree Squirrels have bushy tails that are as long as their body.” I had them help me find the “important facts” and I told them the general rule was they could write up to 3 words from a sentence.  (I am trying to start them early on learning how to paraphrase and write notes, and not just copy everything that they see.)  It was fun writing down their ideas, and then they would check to see if they had more than 3 words. After several tries, they came up with “long, bushy tails”. We practiced a few more times together, and then they  spent the rest of their library time on PebbleGo trying to find the answers for their animal. Before they left, I collected their research brochures to keep them safe for next time. S tep #3       The next week in the library, I showed them another database that I love to use with the younger grades,  Facts 4 Me .  It’s super cheap (only $50.00 for an entire year subscription!) You can take a quick tour of the site to learn more here .  It’s developed by former teachers, and the layout is also very friendly.   Each topic starts with a “Quick Facts” section that gives basic information.  On animals, it gives a variety of info such as: type, habitat, diet, weight, height, etc.  Along the left side are photographs, and under the Quick Facts section are short paragraphs giving more information.    

     At  the bottom, it even gives the exact citation to include on your Works Cited page, so I took this opportunity to begin teaching  them how to do a simple Works Cited page.  For the younger grades, I created just a simple ABC form (A=Author or website, B=Book Title or topic title, C=Copyright date).  I told them anytime they used facts from a source, they had to fill out a slip for their Works Cited page.  I had a stack and we just stapled the slip to their brochure so it all stayed together.  I gave them the rest of this library period to finish finding answers to their questions.

Step 4      Now that they had their answers, I showed them how to take their notes and create detailed, complete sentences on notebook paper.  We also talked about how to write a simple paragraphs (one paragraph for each “egg” question that they had answers for.)  When they were done, I had them work in pairs and peer-edit.  They helped each other with spelling, capitals, punctuation, and made sure that all their egg questions were answered.   Step 5 I gave them a variety of formats to choose from for their final presentation:   1) They could write a basic report using the 2-page format. 

2) They could make their own animal book using the brochure format including a Table of Contents and Author page.

3) Those that wanted to create a true Non-Fiction animal book could create one with a Table of Contents, Index, and Works Cited page.

Step #6      For their finale, each student presented their animal reports to the group.  I believe it’s important for students to get practice talking in front of their peers. Next time, I think it would be fun to Skype with another library and let students from each class share.  Technology options:        There are so many different apps that you can use to present their final information as well.  I love Tellagami and Sock Puppets, and both of these are easy to use.  Since we completed these activities toward the end of the year, our normal schedules were interrupted due to state testing, book fair, and end of the year changes.  Exploring those apps were a great way to keep the kids excited about their research project and provided motivation for them to finish.  If you are interested in doing this research activity with your students, you can find it here on my website or at  TpT store .  I’d love to hear how you do research with your students! Sandy

2 Responses to “Researching with 1st Grade-Teaching Good Research Steps”

Clear and easy to follow, yet thorough and precise. Thank you!

You’re welcome Mona! I hope they help! 🙂 Sandy

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113 Great Research Paper Topics

General Education

One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

Are you also learning about dynamic equilibrium in your science class? We break this sometimes tricky concept down so it's easy to understand in our complete guide to dynamic equilibrium .

Thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner? Nurse practitioners have one of the fastest growing careers in the country, and we have all the information you need to know about what to expect from nurse practitioner school .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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The Brown Bag Teacher

Teach the Children. Love the Children. Change the World.

January 12, 2020

Organizing Research in 1st & 2nd Grade

Independent research in 1st and 2nd Grade is not something that just magically happens. Organizing writing is not something that just happens automatically. Both of these skills have to be explicitly modeled and scaffolded for students. The great news? When given the opportunity, students rise. The Common Core Standards ask our 1st and 2nd grade students to “Participate in shared research and writing projects”, as well as, “…gather information from provided sources to answer a question.” Our students are very capable of participating in real-world research with the appropriate scaffolds, supports, and explicit instruction. But how do we get there?

Where Do We Get Our Research in 1st & 2nd Grade?

Initially, research in 1st and 2nd Grade begins with books ( Pebble Go and National Graphic Kids are some of our favorites). I’ll also print articles and books from Reading AZ and Read Works if they are available. (If you have RAZ Kids, then you can just assign the Reading AZ texts to specific students and they can access them online. #savethetrees). Starting with print resources help me better manage the research and allows us to learn basic research skills before integrating technology.

Then, we slowly branch to ebooks using EPIC . I’m able to create topic specific collections for students and share them directly to their EPIC accounts. From there, we model using videos from YouTube ( SciShow Kids ). Now, the SciShow Kids videos are on Epic , so it’s even safer!! (Note – These are 6 and 7 year olds. In my classroom, they will not have the privilege or responsibility to freely roam the internet or YouTube.)

Finally we branch into online databases (all KY schools have free access to Kentucky Virtual Library) and teacher-chosen websites. I link specific websites students are allowed to visit from Google Classroom. As we explore these online resources, we have frequent conversations about internet safety and internet expectations. When online, our choices should always help us become better readers, writers, and humans.

Scaffolding research collection in this way allows me the opportunity to model expectations for each resource and how to use it, as well as, ensure students are safe.

Why Organize Research in 1st & 2nd Grade?

Organizing and structuring writing is not a skill that is innate within students. Students have to be explicitly taught executive functioning skills – such as organization. Additionally, when we research I don’t want students just copying down an entire book or webpage. The world’s most random collection of information will not be helpful in sharing our learning down the road. Researching in 1st and 2nd Grade means we invest the time to learn, read, model, practice, and tweak together.

When teaching students to gather and organize information, there are DOZENS of structures for doing it. As a teacher, I typically pick 3-4 different ways that are developmentally appropriate for my 1st and 2nd graders, as well as, lend themselves to the types of research we will be doing.

Planning of Instruction

Reading and writing are forever connected and they should be. We can leverage each one to ensure that students see both subjects in context, as well as, part of their daily lives. Additionally, as I am preparing for our research unit , we will leverage whatever we are learning in science and/or social studies. This ensures students have the background to do specific research about a topic, rather than “All About Monkeys”.

As new strategies for organizing research are explored we do not abandon all the others. Rather, the strategies we learn are ones that can easily be combined. Sketch noting is the best example of this. It can be a part of a concept map, questions and answers, and/or creating subtopics.

As I introduce ways to organize writing , I will typically do it as a part of our reading or science mini-lessons. The strategy is modeled in the context of content and then, we practice again together during writing. Next, students typically work in partners to try the strategy out and ultimately, they work independently. Some students will need more teacher support in independently researching and that’s okay.

Sketch Noting

Sketch noting is typically the first way students to collect research. It is the most kid-friendly and non-threatening. As a class, we read a text from our science or social studies learning and then, consider the big ideas. (At this point, we haven’t talked about developing a research question, so our information gathering is broad.) We talk about the ideas and what symbols or pictures represent them. Then, we discuss importance of including captions that contain important vocabulary, people, ideas, and numbers. Sketch notes don’t need to be in complete sentences, so it’s fine to write single words, bullets, or fragments.

Teaching students to create subtopics is a great way to start narrowing the research field. From all-the-random-facts to these-facts-fit-the-subtopics-I-have-chosen, students are to start differentiating between important information and “fun extras”.

The use of subheadings is easily modeled using the table of contents in informational texts. We spend time looking at these texts, noticing what subtopics the author chose to write about, and what types of information he/she included (and didn’t include).

As students choose subtopics, we put each subtopic as a heading on a different page in their writing notebook. Then, research collected for each subtopic is placed on the page specific to the learning. This can be done using bullets or sticky notes. Although expensive, I prefer the sticky-note route. It allows the details to be easily manipulated/moved around and seem less daunting for students who are reluctant writers.

Concept Mapping

Additionally, concept mapping is very similar to creating subtopics. Ultimately, this strategy becomes a little nebulous. Often times I will introduce it before subtopics sometimes after. There is no hard and fast rule. If taught after subtopics, we will create concept maps with ALL the information and then, create subtopics into which to sort the information. If teaching after subtopics, we natural embed subtopics into our mind maps.

The student sample belows shows a general collection of information with some sketch noting. That’s okay! It is a signal to me, as the teacher, we may need more support in structuring our thinking or we may not be focused on a specific research question.

Question & Answer

Hands-down the question/answer strategy is THE most effective for helping students explore specific research questions and avoiding the “All About” book filled with lots of random facts.

To begin this strategy, we read an informational text aloud and identify a sentence or idea in the text that we want to learn more about. We write this sentence or details from the text on a sticky note and stick it at the top of a page in our writing journal. From there, we make a bulleted list of questions from that detail. What do we want to know more about? What would our reader want to know more about?

Now, as we read/listen/write, these become our research questions. This strategy is gold because it means students are driving the inquiry, we are looking at something specific, and the questions will determine which sources we need. Therefore, using multiple information sources become authentic.

We Have the Information…Now What?

Now that we have completed research on several different topics, questions, and/or questions, we are ready to publish and share our learning. The science or social studies unit our learning aligned with determine how the information is shared. Sometimes we use Google Slides, paragraphs , letters, and sometimes we’ll share our ideas in a speech.

Research in 1st and 2nd Grade is a tough task. There will be missteps – not so great mini-lessons, skipping of steps, moving too fast, hard-to-find-research topics – and that’s okay. All of these things help us, as teachers, and students grow. Research in the real-world is not perfect, and it shouldn’t be in our classrooms either.

So, my challenge to you – offer students real opportunities to learn and research without over scaffolding. Be brave in teaching students’ strategies that allow choice, flexibility, and curiosity to reign. You’ve got this, friends.

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April 22, 2024 at 4:51 am

Thank you for providing a useful framework for using sketch notes as an information gathering tool, especially in the early stages of research before developing specific research questions. If you are also feeling free, you can try some online games like a small world cup .

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CommonLit 360 How to Teach a CommonLit 360 Research Unit

Olivia Franklin

Engage students with interesting research topics, teach them skills to become adept independent researchers, and help them craft their end-of-unit research papers.

CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. Our standards-aligned units are highly engaging and develop core reading and writing skills.

Want to engage students in independent research? Looking to hook students with interesting research questions and informational texts? CommonLit has your back.

CommonLit’s 360 curriculum provides research units for grades 6-10 that will help students complete independent research and craft evidence-based research papers.

Get students excited about their research with Essential Questions designed around timely topics

Each research unit has an Essential Question that students analyze and discuss throughout the unit. The topics for each research unit are designed to be interesting, timely, and relevant to students’ lives.

Students will learn about the status of the world’s oceans, discuss if social media is beneficial or risky, argue if contact sports are worth the risk, research how branding influences purchasing behavior, and learn about the human costs of clothing.

Here are the research units and their Essential Questions:

Get students excited about the research topic with introductory slide decks

Each unit comes with introductory slide decks that preview what students will be learning about over the course of the unit. The slide decks spark classroom discussion, hooking students from the very first lesson.

In Our Changing Oceans (6th grade), students discuss what it would be like to be an oceanographer, preview the texts they will be reading about issues facing our oceans, and hear about the key skills they will be learning throughout the unit.

Informational texts anchor each research unit

CommonLit’s research units are centered around informational texts that provide students with key background information and research to eventually support their end-of-unit essay.

Four core texts make up the Essential Reading Lessons for 6th grade. These texts teach students about the need to protect Antarctica and how plastic debris, sea level rise, and overfishing are affecting the world’s oceans. These texts teach students important facts they will need to cite in their end-of-unit research papers.

Supplemental texts allow students to dig deeply into independent research

Each unit comes with a large selection of supplemental texts to provide students with more facts and information to use in their research paper.

In middle school, students use the provided supplemental texts to further inform their research. In high school, students learn about finding reliable sources and can use both provided supplemental texts on CommonLit and texts from additional sources in their research.

For example, in Our Changing Oceans, 6th graders choose to research one of three topics related to ocean changes.

In high school, students are taught about the beginning of the research process, including developing a research question, finding reliable sources, and reading and taking notes. Students in 9th and 10th grade can use the supplemental texts as well as texts found in books or on other online learning platforms.

Students learn about the research process and how to craft research papers throughout the unit

Each unit includes lessons about conducting research so students can be prepared for the end-of-unit research paper. Scaffolded supports help students move through the research process. In lower grades, certain steps in the process, like developing a research question and finding reliable sources, are provided for students.

Students learn about writing research papers during writing lessons. In 8th Grade, students learn how to discuss and outline research papers. Then, they learn how to write a counterclaim, format a Works Cited page, and use in-text citations properly. Each of these research-paper focused writing lessons will prepare students to answer the end-of-unit essay.

Students also explore how to conduct independent research in research-specific lessons. In 8th Grade, teachers explain that they have provided the first two steps of the research process for students: developing a research question and finding reliable sources.

In the lesson, students are taught how to use a graphic organizer to take notes on each text they read in preparation for their research paper. Students also engage in an Introduction to Independent Research lesson, where they learn about steps of the research process and begin reading and taking notes on supplemental texts. Later, students engage in a discussion lesson that will help them synthesize all the information they have learned throughout the unit by discussing the research question with classmates.

Related Media Explorations provide even more background information for students

Related Media Explorations are a unique cornerstone of our ELA curriculum. These interactive tasks bring our research units to life and provide background information for students to use in their research.

In 8th Grade,  students learn about the way football culture has changed over the past few decades as scientists learn more about the long-term effects of repeated concussions. Students watch three videos that explain the culture of football in the past and present, and analyze statistics about concussions before discussing the question: “Who is most responsible for shaping mindsets about tackling in football: players, coaches, parents, or fans?”

Discussion lessons help students synthesize information in preparation for their research paper

Discussion lessons in each research unit provide students with the opportunity to practice citing evidence from sources, explain their evidence to classmates, and practice synthesizing information. These conversations give students the chance to gain new perspectives, receive feedback on their ideas, and boost their confidence before delving into the research paper.

In 8th Grade, students synthesize their ideas about the research question through a class discussion. After the discussion, students have an opportunity to outline their research paper using both their discussion notes and the note-taking graphic organizer they have used throughout the unit.

Participate in an optional final project that fosters creative thinking and collaboration

Each research unit comes with an optional end-of-unit project to further engage students through project based learning. These optional projects help foster student creativity and collaboration. Students can work with a partner or group to complete the task.

In 8th grade, students must make a brochure providing prospective parents and student athletes with factual information about the benefits and risks about contact sports so families can make an informed decision about participating. Students must work with a peer with an opposing view on the topic so the brochure is factual and unbiased. This task encourages teamwork and collaboration between peers with differing views.

Vocabulary and grammar lessons build student comprehension and writing skills

Each 360 unit comes with vocabulary and grammar lessons. Vocabulary activities help students internalize high-impact academic vocabulary words they will see in the texts they are reading. Grammar activities help students improve their writing skills, teaching students valuable skills to construct carefully crafted, grammatically correct paragraphs.

Want to learn more about research units and CommonLit 360? Register for a free, 30-minute webinar today!

Interested in learning about our affordable support packages? For just $6,500 per school, School Essentials PRO Plus provides teachers with three  benchmark assessments, two unit skill assessments per 360 unit, personalized professional development, school-wide data reports, LMS integrations, and more.

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45 Fabulous 1st Grade Science Projects That Little Learners Will Love

Hands-on science is a surefire way to connect with every kid.

First graders will cheer when you announce that they’ll get to do a real, hands-on science experiment! These 1st grade science projects are easy for kids to do, with concepts that will help build their science knowledge for the future.

To make it even easier to find the best science projects for 1st graders, we’ve given each a rating based on difficulty and the materials you’ll need:

Difficulty:

• Easy: Low or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much anytime
• Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
• Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time and/or effort
• Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
• Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
• Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete

Animal and Nature Science Projects for 1st Grade

Weather science experiments for 1st grade.

• More 1st Grade Science Experiments and Projects

Learn about animals, plants, and the Earth in general with these fun science activities for first graders.

Sort animals by features

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Basic

Use a printable or pull out the toy animals and have kids sort them into categories. It’s an early introduction to classification systems.

Learn more: Animal Sort at Fairy Poppins

Build the layers of Earth with Play-Doh

Another creative use for Play-Doh! Teach your students about the different layers of Earth and then have them create the layers using different colors of Play-Doh.

Learn more: Layers of the Earth at Evans Elementary School

Turn a plastic bag into a greenhouse

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium

Turn your 1st grade science class into gardeners! Use a damp paper towel in a plastic bag to allow them to see a seed sprouting and growing roots.

Learn more: Greenhouse Bag at Lessons for Little Ones

See how shadows change throughout the day

Start in the morning: Have kids stand in one spot on the playground while a partner traces their shadow with sidewalk chalk . Ask them what they think will happen when they stand in the same spot during the afternoon, then head back outside after lunch to find out.

Learn more: Shadow Experiment at The First Grade Roundup

Discover how plants drink water

Capillary action is the name of the game, and your 1st grade science kiddos will be amazed at the results. Place celery stalks in cups of colored water, and watch as the leaves change color!

Learn more: Capillary Action at Lessons for Little Ones

Build a bird feeder

Set young engineers loose with wood craft sticks , glue, and string to create a bird feeder. Then research the best seeds to fill them with, and hang them outside your classroom window to draw in some feathered friends.

Learn more: DIY Bird Feeder at Mombrite

Observe the birds at your feeder

Once your feeder is in place, teach kids to identify common birds and keep track of their visits. Report their findings to one of Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Citizen Science projects to let kids be part of real-life research. ( Find more bird-watching activities for kids here. )

Experiment with apples and oxidation

Apples turn brown when they’re cut open due to oxidation. Is there any way to prevent that from happening? This experiment aims to find out. ( Explore more apple activities here. )

Learn more: Apples Experiment at Camping Teacher

Use colorful beads to learn about camouflage

Animal camouflage is an important way for prey to protect itself from predators. To learn how effective it can be, place matching colored beads on top of a photo of wildflowers and see how long it takes students to find them all.

Learn more: Camouflage Activity at The First Grader Roundup

Expose a sponge fish to pollution

It’s never too early to start learning about how important it is to protect the Earth. Use sponge “fish” to see how polluted water affects the wildlife living in it.

Learn more: Pollution Experiment at The Owl Teacher

Dig in the dirt with claws

Animal adaptations allow creatures to live in just about every environment on Earth. Learn how claws help some animals survive and thrive by gluing plastic spoons to a glove.

Learn more: Claw Glove at The First Grade Roundup

Observe plant transpiration

Many plants take in more water than they need. What happens to the rest? Wrap a plastic bag around a living tree branch to see transpiration in action.

Learn more:  Leaf Transpiration at Teach Beside Me

Try these science activities to explore wind, rain, and more with your firsties.

Create a weather vane

A weather vane is one of the oldest scientific tools—they help people know which way the wind is blowing. Learn how to make your own with this cool weather experiment.

Learn more: Weathervane Experiment at Rookie Parenting

Grow a rainbow

Kids learn the colors of the rainbow along with chromatography as they watch marker streaks climb up and meet across a wet paper towel. The word might be a big one for little kids to learn, but they’ll love to see it in action!

Learn more: Grow a Rainbow at The Best Ideas for Kids

Make it rain

You need rain to make a rainbow. Simulate a rain cloud in a jar with shaving cream and food coloring, and see how the coloring saturates the “cloud” until it simply must fall.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Clouds at Fun Learning for Kids

Create frost in a can

This is an especially fun experiment during those chilly winter months. First, fill the can with ice and halfway with water. Then have the kids sprinkle salt in the can and cover the top. Finally, shake it and wait about three minutes for the frost to begin to appear.

Learn more: Frost in a Can at Kindergarten Worksheets and Games

Create an avalanche

Learn about the destructive power of an avalanche in a safe way with this experiment. All you need is flour, cornmeal, pebbles, and a plastic tray.

Learn more: Avalanche Experiment at A Dab of Glue Will Do

More 1st Grade Science Projects and Experiments

Looking for more? Try these experiments on a range of subjects to teach first graders all about science.

Give gummy bears a bath

Drop gummy bears into different liquid solutions to see how they change (or don’t) over time. Kids will learn about osmosis, as well as how scientists must be good observers.

Learn more: Gummy Bear Experiment at First Grade Buddies + Co

Play a DIY flute

These homemade flutes are fun to play, but they also help young kids learn about sound. Let them experiment with straw lengths to see what tones they can make.

Learn more: DIY Pan Flute at Buggy and Buddy

Play with Play-Doh to learn why we have bones

Ask kids to build a person from Play-Doh and see if it will stand on its own. Then show them how adding drinking straws gives it structure and strength, and explain that bones do the same for us! ( Get more clever ways to use Play-Doh in the classroom here. )

Learn more: Play-Doh Bones at Keeping My Kiddo Busy

Find out which objects magnets attract

Equip students with magnets and send them out to explore and discover which objects the magnet will stick to and which won’t. Record their findings on the free printable worksheet at the link.

Learn more: Magnet Science Experiments at Fairy Poppins

Grow a crystal garden

First grade science students might not grasp the concept of supersaturated solutions, but they’ll still love a good crystal project! Grab some magnifying glasses and let them examine the crystals up close (try not to touch, as they’re very fragile) to see the cool geometric structures.

Learn more: Crystal Garden at Babble Dabble Do

Build a jelly bean structure

If you’re doing this STEM project in the spring, jelly beans make the perfect base. If you can’t get a hold of jelly beans, try substituting tiny marshmallows in their place. Make sure to have some extras on hand since little hands are likely to snack as they build.

Learn more: Jellybean STEM Challenge at The STEM Laboratory

Experiment with marshmallow Peeps

Peeps used to just be an Easter treat, but these days you can find them in different shapes throughout much of the year. Use them to practice making predictions and recording observations with this sweet experiment.

Learn more: Easter Peeps Science Experiment at Gift of Curiosity

Spark excitement with static electricity

No doubt your 1st grade science students have already encountered static electricity by rubbing a balloon on their hair. This experiment takes things a step further, letting kids explore which objects an electrically charged balloon can pick up and which it can’t.

Learn more: Static Electricity Balloons at Kids Activities Blog

Melt crayons to explore solids and liquids

Dig out some old crayons and use them for this easy experiment that demonstrates the difference between liquids and solids. When you’re done, you’ll have a cool piece of art to display. ( Discover more uses for broken crayons here. )

Learn more: Melting Crayons at First Grade Circle

Talk through a paper cup phone

This classic experiment will help your 1st grade science class understand that sound travels in waves, through the air, and across other objects. Watching their faces light up when they hear whispers in their cups will make your day!

Learn more: Paper Cup Phone at There’s Just One Mommy

Blow a bubble snake

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

You’ll need to plan this experiment for a day with nice weather since it is best suited to outdoors. You will need an empty water bottle, a washcloth, a rubber band, a small bowl or plate, food coloring, scissors or box cutters, distilled water, dish soap, and Karo syrup or glycerin. There’s a lot of prep, but the end result is definitely worth it!

Learn more: Bubble Snakes at Hand 2 Mind

Learn why we have night and day

The Earth’s daily rotation gives us days and nights. This simple demo helps kids understand that. They draw a day scene and a night scene on a paper plate, then cover it with half of another plate that can be moved. This is an art project and 1st grade science experiment all rolled into one.

Learn more: Night and Day Play at Universe Awareness

Float food coloring on milk

Learn about surface tension by dropping food coloring onto different types of milk (whole, skim, cream, etc.). Then use dish soap to break down the fats and surface tension, and watch the colors dance!

Learn more: Surface Tension Milk at STEAMsational

Drop water onto a penny

Continue your exploration of surface tension by adding water drop-by-drop to a penny. The surface tension will allow you to add far more water than you might think.

Will it sink or swim?

Ask students to predict whether a variety of items will sink or float in water. Then test each object to check their hypotheses.

Blow up a balloon using yeast

This is similar to the classic lemon juice and baking soda experiment many kids do at some point. But this one is better for younger kids since you don’t have to worry about them splashing the juice in their eyes. Kids will be just as astonished at the results as the yeast eats the sugar and produces carbon dioxide gas!

Learn more: Yeast Balloon Experiment at The STEM Laboratory

Push on air

Teach your students about air compression and air pressure using a barrel, plunger, syringe, and flexible tube. Kids will definitely get a kick out of air wrestling and popping off their plungers using air pressure.

Learn more: Air Pressure Experiment at First Grade Adventurers

Test your reaction time

Do your students have lightning-quick reflexes? Find out with this easy experiment. One student holds a ruler vertically, while another places their hand just beneath and waits. When the first student drops the ruler, the second catches it as quickly as possible, seeing how many inches passed through their fingers first.

Learn more: Reaction Time Experiment at Science Sparks

Assemble a DIY lava lamp

Your firsties are too young to remember the lava lamp craze, but this science project will give them a taste of it as they learn about liquid density.

Learn more: Salt Volcano Lava Lamp at What Do We Do All Day?

Learn the scientific method with candy

See the scientific method in action as kids hypothesize what will happen to various types of candy in the hot sun. Observe, record, and analyze your results to see if their predictions were correct.

Learn more: Candy Scientific Method Activity at Playdough to Plato

Look into mirrors to discover symmetry

By now, 1st grade science students may have noticed that mirrors reflect objects backward. Ask them to write the alphabet in capital letters, then hold it up to the mirror. Which letters are the same when they’re reflected? Use those findings to talk about symmetry.

Learn more: Mirror Symmetry at Buggy and Buddy

Create a super-simple circuit

This is the perfect way to introduce the concept of electricity to young students since the materials and steps are minimal. You will need a D battery, tinfoil, electrical tape, and a light bulb from a flashlight.

Learn more: Super-Simple Circuit at What Do We Do All Day?

“Bend” a pencil using light refraction

Tell your students you’re going to bend a pencil without touching it. Drop it into a glass of water and have them look at it from the side. Light refraction makes it appear to be in two pieces!

Learn more: Bending Pencil Experiment at STEAMsational

Roll marbles to explore momentum

Momentum is “mass in motion,” but what does that really mean? Find out by rolling marbles of different sizes down rulers placed at various slopes.

Learn more: Momentum Experiments at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

Dunk eggs to understand dental health

Grown-ups are always telling kids sugary drinks are bad for their teeth, so try this experiment to put your money where your mouth is! Eggshells are a good substitute for teeth since they’re both made of calcium. Leave eggs in different kinds of beverages to see which ones do the most damage to the shells.

Learn more: Dental Health Eggs at First Grade Funtastic

Melt ice cubes to make new colors

Color mixing is one of those incredibly cool activities that kids will want to try again and again. Make ice cubes using primary colors, then let them melt together to see what new colors you can create.

Learn more: Color Mixing at Gift of Curiosity

Fly a paper airplane

Kid absolutely love creating and flying paper airplanes, so this experiment is sure to be a hit. Have your students create different-style planes and then experiment with thrust and lift to see which fly the farthest, highest, etc.

Weigh items with a homemade balance scale

Make a simple balance scale with a coat hanger, yarn, and some plastic cups. Have students gather items from around the classroom, make predictions about which will be heavier, then test their hypothesis.

Learn more: DIY Balance Scale at WikiHow

If you love 1st grade science, be sure to check out these 25 First Grade STEM Challenges .

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Research Paper Guide

Research Paper Topics

Last updated on: Nov 20, 2023

Good Research Paper Topics & Ideas for Students

By: Nathan D.

22 min read

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: May 28, 2019

Research paper writing is an essential part of education. It is necessary because it helps the students to develop a critical view of different issues of life and society. In addition to that, research writing enables students to develop their argumentative and persuasive skills.

The foremost step of the  research paper writing  process is selecting the topic. Teachers do not provide research topics to students and give them the freedom to go with something that interests them.

The purpose is that teachers want to assess the student’s ability from their writing. This can be done without forcing a difficult topic for research on them. While selecting the topics, students must ensure not to opt for a topic they can easily find information on. But with something for which you can craft an interesting and debatable thesis statement.

Selecting a perfect topic seems like a problem to almost all students. Every other topic seems interesting at first glance. However, that same topic becomes too difficult when the students research the details and existing information about it.

Don’t worry. We have compiled a great list of research topics that you can use for your help.

So get ready to explore some interesting examples of research topics for your paper.

On this Page

Research Paper Topics for Different Education Levels

We have categorized topics for different education levels to cater to the needs of all students. So let’s have a look at our research topics for students…

Middle School Research Paper Topics

• How can we protect our environment?
• How is instant messaging affecting literacy?
• Effective ways of achieving your academic goals.
• A movie that influenced its generation.
• Always choose a good idea or topic to write about.
• Standardized tests aren’t a useful measure to judge a student’s capabilities.
• Pros and cons of going completely vegan.
• What is the impact of diversity on a society’s development and progress?
• What is the role of music in soothing someone?
• How to choose an easy research paper topic?
• Significance of learning different languages.
• Importance of physical activities.
• Bullying and its effects on mental health.
• How do learning techniques influence learning behavior?
• Pros and cons of distant learning.

High School Research Paper Topics

Looking for interesting research topics for high school students? Here you go, select one of these best topics and ace your grades...

• Should school students choose a controversial topic?
• Should prayer be a part of high school?
• Do kids focus better in same-sex schools?
• Should the government control what is served in school cafeterias?
• Does anyone ever use math formulas in real life?
• Should high schools make their students undergo leadership training?
• The high school curriculum should include subjects related to real life. Discuss.
• Examine the jail system of China.
• Discuss Plato’s philosophy regarding maths and how did he contribute to it?
• What are the psychological effects of the Holocaust on the survivors?
• Writing a research paper and improving your skills.
• Media coverage of the Vietnam War Vs. War on Terror.
• Significance of Industrial Revolution.
• Significance of being Nuclear Power in the world.
• How can poverty be eradicated in underdeveloped countries?

College Research Paper Topics

This list provide some engaging research topic for college students. So, if you’re stuck on deciding your research topic, then have a look at the topics below: 

• 4-year college degree vs. 2-year degree.
• Distance learning and its usefulness.
• How should students plan for college tuition?
• How does substance abuse affect the performance of college students?
• Can an average person become a politician, and how?
• IELTS Vs. TOEFL.
• Children should choose those subjects that interest them. Agreed?
• Colleges should have education consultants to help students.
• College dropouts are more likely to become billionaires. Do you agree?
• The College curriculum should include specific classes for boys and girls.
• Physical punishments and their impact on children.
• Importance of getting a degree in professional life.
• How to be successful in life?
• Emerging graduate programs.
• The flawed education system of the United States.

Don’t give up reading here because this list has plenty more interesting and easy research topic ideas. So continue reading to explore them all now…. 

Discover Captivating Topics in a Click!

Research Paper Topics for 2023

Are you looking for the latest research topic ideas for different fields? The following list created by the professional writers of 5StarEssays.com  will be helpful.

History Research Paper Topics

• How did the Civil War impact the history of the United States of America?
• What were the prominent features of the Roman Empire?
• Explain the havoc caused by World War II.
• How did the depression era contribute to the change in the ideology of the general population?
• Was Martin Luther King really a reformist?
• Is racial discrimination still a part of American society?
• Compare and contrast between the Neolithic period and the stone age.
• Discuss the French Revolution in detail.
• What is Hippie culture? Trace and explain its origins and influences.
• What is the significance of the Battle of Hastings in the history of England?
• History and origin of Feminism.
• Political events that fueled up WWII.
• The use of propaganda by Hitler.
• The similarities and differences in the literature of the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Causes and effects of the War on Terror.

You can also get more  history research topics  here for your academic assignment.

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Art Research Paper Topics

• Differentiate between the achievements of the Northern Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance.
• Is the media portrayal of minorities realistic?
• How did Rap music become a part of American society?
• How did the music brought by the slave community become dominant in modern American society?
• How is racism being highlighted by the media?
• What is the history of ice sculpting? Explain with reference to popular ice sculptures.
• Discuss the symbolism in Da Vinci’s paintings.
• Discuss the origin of Salsa and other types of dances.
• What is the significance of the ancient stone drawings?
• How do different movements impact the culture and art of that era?
• Significance of Hitler’s artwork.
• William Blake’s contribution to literature.
• Depiction of beauty in Shakespeare’s plays.
• Romance and the portrayal of a relationship in the novels of the 19th century.
• Different techniques are used in painting landscapes.

Criminal Justice Research Paper Topics

• Should the government allow any relaxation in Capital punishment?
• Why should the minimum legal drinking age be kept at eighteen years?
• Does drug legalization contribute to the increased crime rate?
• Should the constitutional amendment regarding gun control be amended again?
• Does police brutality contribute to the onset of hate crimes?
• Should abortion be counted as a crime? Defend your answer with solid arguments and proof.
• What are the main reasons behind human trafficking? How can it be controlled?
• How does child abuse lead to the making of criminals?
• What role do sociology and psychology play in criminal justice?
• How can social institutions contribute towards minimizing the crime rate?
• Causes and effects of mercy killing.
• Significance of death penalties.
• Reasons why bullying should be considered a crime.
• Should minors be treated as adult criminals for murders?
• Different techniques to interrogate crimes.

Business Research Paper Topics

• How has cyber-security emerged as a new business endeavor?
• Is e-business more profitable than traditional business?
• Do you think small business retailers compromise on business ethics?
• Pros and cons of online retail.
• Role of government organizations in white-collar crimes.
• Should the minimum wage rate be increased?
• What are the main causes behind the rise of entrepreneurial culture?
• Owning a business is the only way to total financial security. Agreed?
• Describe the different types of business models and ways to implement them successfully.
• Propose some profitable small business ideas.
• Should successful businessmen be helping new people in the market?
• The relation of demand in supply in the market.
• How do the political instabilities of the country influence businesses?
• Trending business ideas.
• How do different marketing techniques boost business?

Ethics Research Paper Topics

• Should gun control laws be revised?
• Pros and cons of Euthanasia
• Should recreational marijuana be legalized?
• Animal testing is against animal rights. Discuss.
• Do violent video games promote aggressiveness among children?
• How to minimize bullying in school?
• What are the reasons for a rise in plastic surgery trends in teenagers?
• Ethical implications in case someone sees their friend cheating on the exam.
• What are the consequences of merging religion with politics
• How to minimize ethnic hostility in college and university?
• Ways to minimize gun-related deaths in America.
• Causes and effects of the increase in the divorce rate.
• Significance of affirmative actions in the workplace.
• Should mercy killing be legal?
• Influence of stem cell research on medicine.

Health Research Paper Topics

• What are the health complications caused by abortion?
• Does drug abuse contribute to mental health issues?
• Is there any cure for Alzheimer's disease?
• Is obesity the main reason behind the onset of other chronic illnesses?
• Should teenagers be allowed to buy medication without a prescription?
• Discuss the negative effects of cosmetic surgery.
• What are the health disasters of crash diets?
• Anorexia in College Girls: Reasons and Ways to Minimize It
• Are health supplements necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
• What vitamins are necessary for a healthy lifestyle and living?
• Causes and effects of obesity.
• How to treat PTSD?
• Similarities and differences between a panic attack and an anxiety attack.
• Natural way to treat bipolar disorder.
• How can sleep disorders lead to other mental problems?

Government Policy Research Paper Topics

• Should the government reform the policy regarding Juvenile Punishment?
• How is US airport security contributing to counterterrorism measures?
• Should the United States of America reform its Immigration policies?
• Is legalizing recreational marijuana providing any benefit to government organizations?
• Can prison reforms contribute to the low crime rate in the United States of America?
• What factors play a role in forming government policies?
• What are some of the new developments in the government policies of the US?
• What are the policy reforms that took place in Obama’s presidential era?
• What are the pros and cons of Obama’s Healthcare Act?
• How is Donald Trump working on the healthcare of the US?
• Barack Obama’s domestic policy.
• Effectiveness of country’s protection against terrorism policies.
• Comparison of Patriot Act One and Two.
• How do the needs of individuals contradict the needs of the state?
• The illegal immigration policy of the United States.

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Environment Research Paper Topics

• How is human activity contributing to acid rain?
• Is deforestation contributing to global warming?
• Can hybrid vehicles ensure the control of pollution in the atmosphere?
• How can global warming be controlled?
• What are the main sources of marine pollution?
• How is the Greenhouse effect contributing to global warming?
• Discuss the role of Fauna and Flora in impacting the rainfall.
• Global warming is the key reason behind the increased rate of water disasters. Discuss.
• How to recycle waste to minimize global warming?
• Using degradable plastic helps minimize the hazards of plastic. Agreed?
• Climate change and global warming policy.
• Impact of oil spills on the environment.
• Causes and effects of water pollution.
• Effects of deforestation on climate.
• Significance of wildlife protection.

US History Research Paper Topics

• What was the cause of the great depression?
• American colonial era.
• Importance of Voting Act Rights for the blacks.
• Discuss the cause of the Civil war.
• Martin Luther King.
• Women’s suffrage movement.
• What are the main eras in US history?
• Discuss the effects of motivational speeches in influencing the US masses.
• Discuss Abraham Lincoln as a US President and the reasons behind his assassination.
• Describe the Battle of Chancellorsville and its impact.
• A critical analysis of “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.
• Cold War and its effects on the United States.
• US journalism during the Vietnam War.
• The American history of relationship with North Korea.
• The history of terrorist attacks in the United States.

Sociological Research Paper Topics

• How does divorce affect children?
• Interracial marriage.
• Gender inequality in a professional environment.
• Cause and effect of bullying.
• Does social media make individuals feel alone?
• Discuss the pros and cons of the nuclear family system.
• Are women molested more than men? Argue with solid facts.
• What effects do homosexuals have on modern society?
• What is feminism, and how is it affecting the modern family and society?
• What are the reasons behind the rising rate of divorce?
• Driverless cars and the evolution of transportation.
• The significance and impact of the women’s rights movement.
• Significance of religion in society.
• Traditional music Vs. modern music.
• Life in rural Vs. Urban areas.

Get more  sociology research topics  and choose the one that you find interesting.

Sports Research Paper Topics

Selecting topics on sports can help you explore different aspects of sports and provide an interesting read. Here are some topics that you can consider for your paper…

• Importance of physical exercise in school.
• Mind Vs. Body. What is more important for sports?
• Is cheerleading a sport?
• Should trans women play against men or women?
• Do sports influence an individual’s emotional well-being?
• Football vs. hockey, which sport do you prefer and why?
• What are the reasons behind the steroid culture in professional wrestlers?
• Should athletes consume steroids and other medicine to improve their performance?
• How do sports help us in sharpening our minds and doing better in our studies?
• Sports should be essential for every student. Discuss the reasons.
• The use of animals in sports.
• Doping in sports.
• Team sports and its effects on society.
• Cricket Vs. Hockey.
• Extreme sports of the world.

English Linguistics Research Paper Topics

Here is a list of some interesting research paper topics for English literature and linguistics students… 

• Discuss the theme of narcissism in the character of Dorian Gray.
• Discuss the elements of the literature in different eras.
• Discuss the theme of Carpe Diem in different poems.
• Describe why the poets and writers use similes and symbols in their works.
• Evaluate symbolism in two novels or plays.
• Compare Shakespeare and Marlowe as contemporaries.
• How has Kafka hinted at his strained relationship with his father in his works?
• It is said that literature is the true mirror of any era. How true is it?
• How does literature teach and inform about the different aspects of society?
• Discuss Milton and Blake as mystics.
• The usage of literary devices in famous pieces of literature.
• The depiction of beauty standards in the artwork of the 18th century.
• The portrayal of women in the literature of the 20th century.
• Romance in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
• Literature during the first World War Vs. the second.

Education Research Paper Topics

• Homeschooling is better than traditional schooling. Discuss.
• Physical education must be made mandatory in schools.
• Setting up a virtual education system will help increase the literacy rate.
• College dropouts are more likely to end up nowhere. Justify the claim.
• Education opportunities for girls are less than those for boys. Discuss the claim.
• Education among girls should be promoted.
• Government should give free education up to the university level. Discuss.
• How can we revolutionize education?
• What is the role of AI in developing the educational sector?
• Education should be made paperless. Discuss its pros and cons.
• How has Covid-19 influenced education?
• Education system of the underdeveloped countries.
• How to eradicate poverty through education?
• Right to education.
• Women's right to education in third world countries.

Don’t stop reading, explore some more topics….

World History Research Paper Topics

• State and discuss the reasons behind the Rwandan genocide.
• Discuss Cleopatra as the most influential Egyptian queen.
• Discuss the rise and fall of Hitler.
• Who was Nero? What caused his downfall and demise?
• What was the significance of Arenas in the Roman Empire?
• Discuss Holocaust as one of the greatest tragedies in history.
• What is the role of women in the Industrial Revolution?
• How did Pompeii destroy? Discuss the causes of the destruction.
• What are the Stonehenges?
• Discuss some of the prehistoric fossils.
• The history of using nuclear weapons.
• Origin and formation of the world bank.
• The Cold War and its effects on the world.
• War on Terror and its effects on the world.
• How did the 9/11 incident change the politics of the world?

Social Media Research Paper Topics

Social Media is a trending topic for writing a great paper. It can help you  assess the impact that social media has on society and how its usage influences people’s lives. Here are some great topics to consider for your research paper:

• Is blogging becoming a legit profession?
• Does social media affect our relationships?
• Has social media brought people closer or distanced and disrupted them and their relationships?
• Should everyone in the world have the same access to social media?
• Should social media sites be banned in schools?
• How does social media impact our daily life?
• Is social media an end-to-end solution for small businesses?
• How do companies use different social platforms to find and hire talent?
• Social media is a necessity of life. How true is this statement?
• Social media is the new future of technology. Discuss.
• Is social media the source of spreading fake news?
• The use of social media for promoting businesses.
• How can social media accounts help judge people more accurately?
• How has social media affected the physical connections between people?
• The portrayal of minorities on different media platforms.

Computer Science Research Paper Topics

• Robotics and artificial intelligence
• The importance of open source software
• Robotic manipulation modeling
• Biomedical informatics and computational biology
• Artificial intelligence in computer vision
• What is the future of quantum computing?
• The role of antivirus/firewall solutions
• What are the major emerging technologies in computer science?
• Knowledge Processing
• Network anomaly detection in Cloud and IoT.
• Discuss how convex optimization is used in signal processing
• The internet of things and its impact on human life
• Do digital tools make us more or less productive at work?
• Natural language processing real-life applications
• Environments and programming languages

Zoology Research Paper Topics

• Man-eating animals
• Biodiversity of estuarine and fluvial fish
• Understanding animal behavior among predators.
• Dopamine modulation of honey bees
• An Asian elephant imitates human speech
• Human impact on red panda populations
• How do vaccines strengthen the immune response?
• Dogs, their talents and abilities
• Cooperative behavior in ant colonies
• Why do sharks get a bad reputation?
• The social movement of animal rights
• Animal habitats conservation
• Ethical treatment of animals
• Characteristics of Florida alligators
• What makes Shark attacks?

These are some interesting research paper topics in zoology, now let’s move to the next section that highlight more vast ideas.

Psychology Research Paper Topics

• How does child abuse impact the adulthood of an individual?
• Should Depression be treated as a mental health issue?
• Are Dreams related to reality?
• What is the condition that gives rise to Learning disabilities?
• Does Schizophrenia give rise to other mental health issues?
• Child abuse can give rise to various psychological problems.
• Psychological problems are directly related to the environment. Discuss.
• Psychopaths are the products of society's injustice.
• Psychological Problems and Superstition: Why do people still believe in it?
• Childhood counseling is the best way to ward off any mental illnesses.
• Freud’s contribution to the field of psychology.
• Chaucer’s insight into human behavior.
• Gender psychology.
• Traditional Vs. Modern conceptions of mental illness.
• How do self-image and culture relate to each other?

Here are some additional  psychology research topics  for your paper if you want more ideas.

Good Research Paper Topics

Below are some interesting yet impactful research paper topic ideas that make your topic selection process easy.

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

• Should handguns be banned?
• Should parents monitor their child’s social media?
• Should prisoners have the right to vote?
• Has social media decreased our creativity?
• Money can’t buy happiness. True or false?
• 90% of the reasons behind divorce are from women. Discuss.
• Women and men are not given equal rights.
• Humans can live without food. Explain the breatharian trend.
• Consuming meat is a selfish act. Do you agree?
• A vegan diet is more healthy than a meat-based diet. How far is the statement true?
• Analysis of the most controversial ad campaigns.
• Is homosexuality a choice?
• Creationism Vs. Evolution
• Should children be spanked by their parents?
• Pros of animal testing.

Persuasive Research Paper Topics

• Hunting should be tagged as immoral and should be banned.
• Animals should not be used in checking beauty and medical products.
• What is microchipping? Are microchipping pets an ethical and legal act?
• Euthanizing Pet Dogs: Pet dogs should be sent to sleep if they develop any biting tendencies. Discuss.
• Moving from the countryside to the city is essential for -personal growth and development. Discuss.
• Dogs are better pets than cats. Is it true?
• Habits are inbuilt and cannot be learned over time. Agreed?
• AI is essential for a better educational system. Discuss.
• Newspapers are more propaganda now, Agreed?
• Women should be allowed to work from home after having a baby. Discuss.
• Privatization of social security.
• Human torture in the name of interrogation should be banned.
• Euthanasia should be outlawed.
• Affirmative action is essential to ensure gender and racial equality
• The minimum labor wage should be increased.

Best Research paper Topics

• Difference between a man’s and a woman’s heart?
• Do some religions oppress women?
• Ozone Layer in coming years.
• Future Of endangered species in America.
• Can we deal with plastic pollution wisely?
• Social media is essential in our daily lives. Discuss the pros and cons.
• Cow's milk is healthier than packaged milk. How true is this statement?
• Strict mothers have well-mannered kids.
• Body Sprays are hazardous to the environment.
• Kids should be allowed to play in the mud. Prove your point.
• Significance of recycling.
• Importance of career counseling of the students.
• Effectiveness of color therapy.
• Different cultures of the world.
• Significance of following the writing conventions.

Interesting Research Paper Topics

• Is our future in the hands of AI?
• Will Self Determination Theory ever be implied on robots?
• Is the Socratic method helpful for people with cognitive disabilities?
• When is the nearest supernova expected?
• Can the world come together to fight racism?
• Discuss the trend of surrogate mothers and the pros and cons of having them
• Homosexual couples should not be allowed to adopt children. Agreed?
• What are the key reasons behind people not wanting to get married now?
• Kids should be left untamed and given a chance to discover their own ways.
• Minimalist living is a leap towards a more satisfied and clutter-free life.
• Treating mental illnesses through emotional support of animals.
• Why is platypus a unique mammal?
• History and origination of hip hop.
• The routine of a Buddhist monk.
• Reasons for the domestication of cats and dogs.

Controversial Research Paper Topics

• Surrogate mothers and societal worldview
• Is obesity the new norm?
• Animal rights
• Children should not be allowed to use mobile phones.
• Is the death penalty efficient?
• Are Montessori schools a threat to public education?
• Is water fluoridation necessary?
• A life without store-bought toys: the benefits.
• What are the benefits and hazards of medical marijuana?
• Equality is part of lawmaking, but does it work in practice?
• The distorted body image on social media.
• Homeschooling
• Native American sovereignty issues.
• The perks of fee-for-service medicine.
• Aging is actually super cool.

Tips for Choosing a Good Research Paper Topic

The following tips will help you find a good research topic for your next paper assignment.

Explore Your Interest

Students have the freedom to choose the topics of their interest. So, the foremost step is to narrow down the field you are interested in. There are several research topics in subjects like:

• Government policy
• Culture and arts
• Criminology
• Psychology, etc.

Choose the one that interests you and is relevant to your field of study.

Once you have chosen the research question, find the perfect topic for your paper. For a start, shortlist some topics related to famous subjects and works.

For example, you can write about Harry Potter, for the subject of literature studies. And explore how the series added value to literary studies.

Most of the time, the instructors demand that the students pick the topic according to their subject. If such guidelines are shared, the business students should not choose history topics.

Moreover, before submitting research paper, it is necessary to check that it adheres to provided guidelines. 

If you are still unsure about your interest, you can select some good research paper topics from the above mentioned ideas.

Here is also a helpful video for you on how to select your research paper topic;

The above-presented topics are great if you are in writer’s block. If you are doubtful about your ability to craft a research paper, get help from the expert essay writers of  5StarEssays.com .

Our team of experienced writers can help you with any “ write me an essay ” request.

We are here 24/7 to talk to you and help you with your papers. Simply ask our writing service to ‘ write my essay ’ and get all your academic assignments written in no time.

You can also use our AI powered paper writer for assistance in writing parts fo your research paper or getting accurate citations. 

Education, Research

Nathan completed his Ph.D. in journalism and has been writing articles for well-respected publications for many years now. His work is carefully researched and insightful, showing a true passion for the written word. Nathan's clients appreciate his expertise, deep understanding of the process, and ability to communicate difficult concepts clearly.

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Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

If you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Free Webinar : Topic Ideation 101
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic within education, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

68 Comments

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Special education

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Research title related to school of students

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Research title related to students

My field is research measurement and evaluation. Need dissertation topics in the field

Assalam o Alaikum I’m a student Bs educational Resarch and evaluation I’m confused to choose My thesis title please help me in choose the thesis title

Good idea I’m going to teach my colleagues

You can find our list of nursing-related research topic ideas here: https://gradcoach.com/research-topics-nursing/

Write on action research topic, using guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

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parental involvement and students academic performance

Science education topics?

plz tell me if you got some good topics, im here for finding research topic for masters degree

How about School management and supervision pls.?

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Every topic proposed above on primary education is a starting point for me. I appreciate immensely the team that has sat down to make a detail of these selected topics just for beginners like us. Be blessed.

Kindly help me with the research questions on the topic” Effects of workplace conflict on the employees’ job performance”. The effects can be applicable in every institution,enterprise or organisation.

Greetings, I am a student majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Administration. I’m considering any recommended research topic in the field of Sociology.

I’m a student pursuing Mphil in Basic education and I’m considering any recommended research proposal topic in my field of study

Research Defense for students in senior high

Kindly help me with a research topic in educational psychology. Ph.D level. Thank you.

Project-based learning is a teaching/learning type,if well applied in a classroom setting will yield serious positive impact. What can a teacher do to implement this in a disadvantaged zone like “North West Region of Cameroon ( hinterland) where war has brought about prolonged and untold sufferings on the indegins?

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration PhD level

I am also looking for such type of title

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Am an undergraduate student carrying out a research on the impact of nutritional healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools

Can i request your suggestion topic for my Thesis about Teachers as an OFW. thanx you

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education,PhD level

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education

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Am offering degree in education senior high School Accounting. I want a topic for my project work

l would like to request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

I would to inquire on research topics on Educational psychology, Masters degree

I am PhD student, I am searching my Research topic, It should be innovative,my area of interest is online education,use of technology in education

request suggestion on topic in masters in medical education .

Look at British Library as they keep a copy of all PhDs in the UK Core.ac.uk to access Open University and 6 other university e-archives, pdf downloads mostly available, all free.

May I also ask for a topic based on mathematics education for college teaching, please?

Please I am a masters student of the department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education Please I am in need of proposed project topics to help with my final year thesis

Am a PhD student in Educational Foundations would like a sociological topic. Thank

please i need a proposed thesis project regardging computer science

Greetings and Regards I am a doctoral student in the field of philosophy of education. I am looking for a new topic for my thesis. Because of my work in the elementary school, I am looking for a topic that is from the field of elementary education and is related to the philosophy of education.

Masters student in the field of curriculum, any ideas of a research topic on low achiever students

In the field of curriculum any ideas of a research topic on deconalization in contextualization of digital teaching and learning through in higher education

Amazing guidelines

I am a graduate with two masters. 1) Master of arts in religious studies and 2) Master in education in foundations of education. I intend to do a Ph.D. on my second master’s, however, I need to bring both masters together through my Ph.D. research. can I do something like, ” The contribution of Philosophy of education for a quality religion education in Kenya”? kindly, assist and be free to suggest a similar topic that will bring together the two masters. thanks in advance

Hi, I am an Early childhood trainer as well as a researcher, I need more support on this topic: The impact of early childhood education on later academic success.

I’m a student in upper level secondary school and I need your support in this research topics: “Impact of incorporating project -based learning in teaching English language skills in secondary schools”.

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Your style is unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this site.

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• Research Skills

50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills

Please note, I am no longer blogging and this post hasn’t updated since April 2020.

For a number of years, Seth Godin has been talking about the need to “ connect the dots” rather than “collect the dots” . That is, rather than memorising information, students must be able to learn how to solve new problems, see patterns, and combine multiple perspectives.

Solid research skills underpin this. Having the fluency to find and use information successfully is an essential skill for life and work.

Today’s students have more information at their fingertips than ever before and this means the role of the teacher as a guide is more important than ever.

You might be wondering how you can fit teaching research skills into a busy curriculum? There aren’t enough hours in the day! The good news is, there are so many mini-lessons you can do to build students’ skills over time.

This post outlines 50 ideas for activities that could be done in just a few minutes (or stretched out to a longer lesson if you have the time!).

Learn More About The Research Process

I have a popular post called Teach Students How To Research Online In 5 Steps. It outlines a five-step approach to break down the research process into manageable chunks.

This post shares ideas for mini-lessons that could be carried out in the classroom throughout the year to help build students’ skills in the five areas of: clarify, search, delve, evaluate , and cite . It also includes ideas for learning about staying organised throughout the research process.

Notes about the 50 research activities:

• These ideas can be adapted for different age groups from middle primary/elementary to senior high school.
• Many of these ideas can be repeated throughout the year.
• Depending on the age of your students, you can decide whether the activity will be more teacher or student led. Some activities suggest coming up with a list of words, questions, or phrases. Teachers of younger students could generate these themselves.
• Depending on how much time you have, many of the activities can be either quickly modelled by the teacher, or extended to an hour-long lesson.
• Some of the activities could fit into more than one category.
• Looking for simple articles for younger students for some of the activities? Try DOGO News or Time for Kids . Newsela is also a great resource but you do need to sign up for free account.
• Why not try a few activities in a staff meeting? Everyone can always brush up on their own research skills!

• Choose a topic (e.g. koalas, basketball, Mount Everest) . Write as many questions as you can think of relating to that topic.
• Make a mindmap of a topic you’re currently learning about. This could be either on paper or using an online tool like Bubbl.us .
• Read a short book or article. Make a list of 5 words from the text that you don’t totally understand. Look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary (online or paper).
• Look at a printed or digital copy of a short article with the title removed. Come up with as many different titles as possible that would fit the article.
• Come up with a list of 5 different questions you could type into Google (e.g. Which country in Asia has the largest population?) Circle the keywords in each question.
• Write down 10 words to describe a person, place, or topic. Come up with synonyms for these words using a tool like  Thesaurus.com .
• Write pairs of synonyms on post-it notes (this could be done by the teacher or students). Each student in the class has one post-it note and walks around the classroom to find the person with the synonym to their word.

• Explore how to search Google using your voice (i.e. click/tap on the microphone in the Google search box or on your phone/tablet keyboard) . List the pros and cons of using voice and text to search.
• Open two different search engines in your browser such as Google and Bing. Type in a query and compare the results. Do all search engines work exactly the same?
• Have students work in pairs to try out a different search engine (there are 11 listed here ). Report back to the class on the pros and cons.
• Think of something you’re curious about, (e.g. What endangered animals live in the Amazon Rainforest?). Open Google in two tabs. In one search, type in one or two keywords ( e.g. Amazon Rainforest) . In the other search type in multiple relevant keywords (e.g. endangered animals Amazon rainforest).  Compare the results. Discuss the importance of being specific.
• Similar to above, try two different searches where one phrase is in quotation marks and the other is not. For example, Origin of “raining cats and dogs” and Origin of raining cats and dogs . Discuss the difference that using quotation marks makes (It tells Google to search for the precise keywords in order.)
• Try writing a question in Google with a few minor spelling mistakes. What happens? What happens if you add or leave out punctuation ?
• Try the AGoogleADay.com daily search challenges from Google. The questions help older students learn about choosing keywords, deconstructing questions, and altering keywords.
• Explore how Google uses autocomplete to suggest searches quickly. Try it out by typing in various queries (e.g. How to draw… or What is the tallest…). Discuss how these suggestions come about, how to use them, and whether they’re usually helpful.
• Watch this video  from Code.org to learn more about how search works .
• Take a look at  20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know  by Eric Curts to learn about “ instant searches ”. Try one to try out. Perhaps each student could be assigned one to try and share with the class.
• Experiment with typing some questions into Google that have a clear answer (e.g. “What is a parallelogram?” or “What is the highest mountain in the world?” or “What is the population of Australia?”). Look at the different ways the answers are displayed instantly within the search results — dictionary definitions, image cards, graphs etc.

• Watch the video How Does Google Know Everything About Me?  by Scientific American. Discuss the PageRank algorithm and how Google uses your data to customise search results.
• Brainstorm a list of popular domains   (e.g. .com, .com.au, or your country’s domain) . Discuss if any domains might be more reliable than others and why (e.g. .gov or .edu) .
• Discuss (or research) ways to open Google search results in a new tab to save your original search results  (i.e. right-click > open link in new tab or press control/command and click the link).
• Try out a few Google searches (perhaps start with things like “car service” “cat food” or “fresh flowers”). A re there advertisements within the results? Discuss where these appear and how to spot them.
• Look at ways to filter search results by using the tabs at the top of the page in Google (i.e. news, images, shopping, maps, videos etc.). Do the same filters appear for all Google searches? Try out a few different searches and see.
• Type a question into Google and look for the “People also ask” and “Searches related to…” sections. Discuss how these could be useful. When should you use them or ignore them so you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent? Is the information in the drop-down section under “People also ask” always the best?
• Often, more current search results are more useful. Click on “tools” under the Google search box and then “any time” and your time frame of choice such as “Past month” or “Past year”.
• Have students annotate their own “anatomy of a search result” example like the one I made below. Explore the different ways search results display; some have more details like sitelinks and some do not.

• Find two articles on a news topic from different publications. Or find a news article and an opinion piece on the same topic. Make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences.
• Choose a graph, map, or chart from The New York Times’ What’s Going On In This Graph series . Have a whole class or small group discussion about the data.
• Look at images stripped of their captions on What’s Going On In This Picture? by The New York Times. Discuss the images in pairs or small groups. What can you tell?
• Explore a website together as a class or in pairs — perhaps a news website. Identify all the advertisements .
• Have a look at a fake website either as a whole class or in pairs/small groups. See if students can spot that these sites are not real. Discuss the fact that you can’t believe everything that’s online. Get started with these four examples of fake websites from Eric Curts.
• Give students a copy of my website evaluation flowchart to analyse and then discuss as a class. Read more about the flowchart in this post.
• As a class, look at a prompt from Mike Caulfield’s Four Moves . Either together or in small groups, have students fact check the prompts on the site. This resource explains more about the fact checking process. Note: some of these prompts are not suitable for younger students.
• Practice skim reading — give students one minute to read a short article. Ask them to discuss what stood out to them. Headings? Bold words? Quotes? Then give students ten minutes to read the same article and discuss deep reading.

All students can benefit from learning about plagiarism, copyright, how to write information in their own words, and how to acknowledge the source. However, the formality of this process will depend on your students’ age and your curriculum guidelines.

• Watch the video Citation for Beginners for an introduction to citation. Discuss the key points to remember.
• Look up the definition of plagiarism using a variety of sources (dictionary, video, Wikipedia etc.). Create a definition as a class.
• Find an interesting video on YouTube (perhaps a “life hack” video) and write a brief summary in your own words.
• Have students pair up and tell each other about their weekend. Then have the listener try to verbalise or write their friend’s recount in their own words. Discuss how accurate this was.
• Read the class a copy of a well known fairy tale. Have them write a short summary in their own words. Compare the versions that different students come up with.
• Try out MyBib — a handy free online tool without ads that helps you create citations quickly and easily.
• Give primary/elementary students a copy of Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Citation that matches their grade level (the guide covers grades 1 to 6). Choose one form of citation and create some examples as a class (e.g. a website or a book).
• Make a list of things that are okay and not okay to do when researching, e.g. copy text from a website, use any image from Google images, paraphrase in your own words and cite your source, add a short quote and cite the source. 
• Have students read a short article and then come up with a summary that would be considered plagiarism and one that would not be considered plagiarism. These could be shared with the class and the students asked to decide which one shows an example of plagiarism .
• Older students could investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising . They could create a Venn diagram that compares the two.
• Write a list of statements on the board that might be true or false ( e.g. The 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. The rhinoceros is the largest land animal in the world. The current marathon world record is 2 hours, 7 minutes). Have students research these statements and decide whether they’re true or false by sharing their citations.

Staying Organised

• Make a list of different ways you can take notes while researching — Google Docs, Google Keep, pen and paper etc. Discuss the pros and cons of each method.
• Learn the keyboard shortcuts to help manage tabs (e.g. open new tab, reopen closed tab, go to next tab etc.). Perhaps students could all try out the shortcuts and share their favourite one with the class.
• Find a collection of resources on a topic and add them to a Wakelet .
• Listen to a short podcast or watch a brief video on a certain topic and sketchnote ideas. Sylvia Duckworth has some great tips about live sketchnoting
• Learn how to use split screen to have one window open with your research, and another open with your notes (e.g. a Google spreadsheet, Google Doc, Microsoft Word or OneNote etc.) .

All teachers know it’s important to teach students to research well. Investing time in this process will also pay off throughout the year and the years to come. Students will be able to focus on analysing and synthesizing information, rather than the mechanics of the research process.

By trying out as many of these mini-lessons as possible throughout the year, you’ll be really helping your students to thrive in all areas of school, work, and life.

Also remember to model your own searches explicitly during class time. Talk out loud as you look things up and ask students for input. Learning together is the way to go!

You Might Also Enjoy Reading:

How To Evaluate Websites: A Guide For Teachers And Students

Five Tips for Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information

Typing Tips: The How and Why of Teaching Students Keyboarding Skills

8 Ways Teachers And Schools Can Communicate With Parents

10 Replies to “50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills”

Loving these ideas, thank you

This list is amazing. Thank you so much!

So glad it’s helpful, Alex! 🙂

Hi I am a student who really needed some help on how to reasearch thanks for the help.

So glad it helped! 🙂

seriously seriously grateful for your post. 🙂

So glad it’s helpful! Makes my day 🙂

How do you get the 50 mini lessons. I got the free one but am interested in the full version.

Hi Tracey, The link to the PDF with the 50 mini lessons is in the post. Here it is . Check out this post if you need more advice on teaching students how to research online. Hope that helps! Kathleen

Best wishes to you as you face your health battler. Hoping you’ve come out stronger and healthier from it. Your website is so helpful.

Comments are closed.

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As a high school or college student, you are aware that you will spend a substantial amount of your time writing not one but many research papers. If you have already done it, you know how overwhelming and exhausting this process can be.  Nevertheless, before writing, an equally daunting and slightly more difficult part is selecting research paper topics. Although sometimes teachers will provide you with titles or prompts for your works, most times, you will have to come up with interesting research topics to write about. If you encounter difficulties choosing a title for your paper, know that you are not alone because almost all students find it hard. We are here to provide you with various research topic ideas that can make your selection process more manageable. Before delving into our list of titles, we will first explain what research topics are, their characteristics, and how to choose them. Are you swamped with assignments and deadlines? Let us take the pressure off with our ' write my paper ' service! Our team of experienced writers is ready to deliver top-quality, custom-written papers.

What Are Research Paper Topics?

Research paper topics are titles for academic writings that describe an independent investigation of subjects or issues. They mainly focus on analyzing and presenting a critical view. In other words, these papers seek to draw on what other scholars have said and written about an issue and present the author’s unique perspective. Research topics can either be phrased as questions or hypotheses. Since you can conduct an investigation on any sector, selecting an interesting title can sometimes be stressful. However, if you choose topics for research papers, ensure they are well thought out and written because they can serve as a springboard for future studies.

Characteristics of Good Research Topics

Always select good research topics if you aim to achieve high grades in your essays. Refrain from being misled to think that this is a trivial task. It requires careful consideration and evaluation to come up with an exciting title. When it comes to the question “what is a good research topic,” the following are characteristics that you should look out for: 

• Interesting You ought to choose a topic that is exciting to you and your readers.
• Manageable Your title should neither be too broad or narrow to be sufficiently covered.
• Has practical or theoretical significance The selected topic adds new understanding to the area of study.
• Researchable It should also be easily investigated with an abundance of scholarly material.
• Unique The title you pick needs to be different from others so as to stand out.
• Precise It exactly answers all the research questions.

How to Choose a Research Paper Topic?

The first step to developing an exciting paper is choosing a good research topic. As we have said above, selecting topics to research is not the easiest of tasks, especially if you do not know where to start. However, you should not be afraid because we have you covered. Below we will give you steps to consider when picking your research paper topic:

• First, you should explore the area you are interested in, i.e., ideas that are exciting to you.
• Second, make a research question by analyzing what your paper will focus on and what might intrigue your readers.
• Third, brainstorm research topic ideas by evaluating appropriate titles and eliminating irrelevant ones.
• Fourth, narrow down your topic to one that is meaningful to you and your readers.
• Lastly, ensure that you adhere to all paper guidelines presented by your teacher.

List of Research Paper Topics

Now that you know what research topics are, their characteristics, and how to pick them, we can delve into the selection process. Do you need help brainstorming for research paper ideas? Look no further because we have created research topic lists to get you going. We know that a catalog of titles can trigger your creative juices, making it easy to begin writing your essay. Below are top 10 research topics for your paper: 

• How has the internet impacted freedom of speech?
• Negative impacts of pop culture trends on youths.
• How is the American economy affected by climate change?
• Can AI be classified as a threat to humans?
• Practical ways that can be used to make nuclear power safe.
• What are the economic impacts of GMO foods in America?
• Free education: its advantages and disadvantages.
• Efficient ways used in disposing of waste material.
• How effective is music therapy in managing depression among senior citizens?
• What causes obesity, and how can it be prevented?

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Interesting Topics to Research

Reading your essays should always be a fun experience. To achieve that, you will need to find interesting things to research. This article is the perfect place to start because the following are interesting research paper topics: 

• Impacts of the Ottoman Empire and the Barbarian slave trade on medicine.
• Rise and fall of ancient Greek cities.
• In what ways does the sense of smell affect taste?
• How does room color affect students’ learning outcomes?
• Should autism be classified as a natural variation of the norm or a disease?
• How depression negatively impacts immunity among senior citizens.
• What causes violent tendencies among children, and how may they be prevented?
• Drug and alcohol abuse: cause and effect on high school students.
• Impacts of commercials and advertisements on purchasing habits.
• How computer dependence impacts humans.
• Advantages that nanotechnology has on modern science.
• How to address adolescents’ psychological needs.
• Effective social media strategies that companies can use to boost sales.
• Critical roles played by women during World War I.
• Effects of prolonged steroid usage on human bodies.

Easy Research Paper Topics

Easy research topics are simple to investigate and write. Sometimes complicated titles can be exhausting and challenging, especially when you are running out of time. If you are looking to make things straightforward, below are easy topics to research:  

• Advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms.
• Reasons why school athletes should be paid.
• Steps that are employed to ensure children are protected from harmful internet content.
• What causes obesity among teenagers in the United States?
• Ways that people can be encouraged to recycle their waste.
• Benefits of 3D printers to society.
• Causes and negative impacts of tornadoes.
• Similarities and differences between Mac and PC.
• Dangers associated with hitchhiking.
• Should lie detectors be considered 100% accurate?
• Should education be less expensive?
• How does a smartphone GPS work?
• What are the disadvantages associated with using plastic bottles?
• Benefits of getting enough sleep every day.
• Impacts that Bill Gates made in the field of communication.

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Good Research Paper Topics

There is a broad scope of titles to choose from, which is why finding good topics for a research paper is challenging. To make your task easier, below we have narrowed down good topics to research: 

• Reasons why students should be encouraged to be bilingual.
• Negative impacts brought by oil spills on water bodies and marine animals.
• Tobacco smoking: why should it be completely banned in America?
• Reasons why countries should ban risky sports.
• Importance of more people embracing reading culture.
• Should historical films be based only on facts?
• Is democracy losing its relevance in the modern world?
• Impacts that China’s one-child policy has on the population.
• Key reasons and impacts brought by the UK leaving the EU.
• Impacts of Affordable Care Act on healthcare in America.
• History and relationship between the US and North Korea .
• Efficient methods that can be used to lower gun-related deaths in America.
• Key events that led to the Roman Empire falling.
• Positive impacts associated with ecotourism.
• Do smartphones increase or decrease work productivity?

Best Research Paper Topics

Achieving the highest possible grade in your essay may require finding the best research topics. Sometimes this may not be easy because there are so many titles to choose from. However, do not be scared because below we have the best topics to research: 

• How does Islam play a role in oppressing women?
• Does college education fully prepare students for their careers?
• Structural differences between a man's and a woman’s heart.
• How gender roles have evolved in modern marriages.
• Benefits associated with home health nursing service.
• Causes and effects of cybercrimes.
• How does terrorism affect business success?
• Measures that can be employed to aid ex-convicts in getting employment.
• Should schools allow licensed students to carry their guns?
• Feminist movement and its impacts in America.
• Reasons why women should be allowed to participate in extreme sports.
• Effective ways parents can use to monitor their children’s online activities.
• Who should be blamed for homelessness in America?
• Should smartphone usage in classrooms be legalized?
• Causes of societal stereotypes.

Funny Research Paper Topics

Using humor in your essay is an excellent way to get your readers hooked. For you to achieve that, you will need funny research topics. It may not be easy to find hilarious titles, but we have come up with some fun things to research:

• Origin and development of Halloween celebration.
• Crows vs. parrots: which one is smarter?
• Ways in which a person can survive with minimum wage.
• Why is it better for people to spend more time on their phones than to hang out with each other?
• Negative impacts of the government lowering drinking age.
• Reasons why handwriting has lost its importance in school.
• Efficient ways that can be used in handling a drunk roommate.
• Cats vs. dogs: which one makes the better pet?
• Should parents pay their children to attend school?
• Reasons why teachers should be compelled to wear school uniforms.
• Why have humans been considered the most dangerous creatures on earth?
• Origin and development of April fool’s day.
• Reasons why people who want to keep fit eat the most.
• Most effective ways to deal with trouble during family reunions.
• Reasons why being ignorant can bring more happiness.

Couldn't find a fitting paper idea? Give our Research Paper Topic Generator a try.  

Cool Topics to Research

Sometimes you may need cool research topics to make your readers enjoy the experience. If this is what you are looking for, below are cool things to research: 

• Measures that can be employed to prevent corporate abuse.
• Causes and impacts of high rates of divorce cases in Britain.
• Origin and development of skateboards.
• Ways in which gunpowder changed warfare.
• Reasons why Socrates was executed.
• Factors that promote black hole formation.
• Ways in which sharks hunt their prey.
• Sinkholes: what are they, and how are they created?
• Efficient ways used in creating positive employee relationships.
• Should students in America take a one-year gap between high school and college?
• Differences and similarities between Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare.
• Nuclear energy and its impacts on economy.
• Effective ways used by film and music industries in dealing with piracy.
• Night vision: what is it, and how does it work?
• Theories that explain how dinosaurs disappeared.

Popular Research Topics

Are you looking for titles that are attractive to the majority of readers? Then it would be best if you looked at a popular research topic. To get you going, you can select a popular topic for a research paper from below: 

• How instant messaging has affected literacy.
• Negative impacts of digital learning in schools.
• Causes and preventive measures for identity theft.
• Cyberbullying: what is it and how can it be prevented?
• Factors employed in preventing cases of sexual harassment at the workplace.
• Are white-collar jobs losing their significance in the modern world?
• Negative impacts of social networks on people’s mental health.
• Effective ways to bridge gender inequalities at work.
• Homeschooling: its advantages and disadvantages.
• Differences between climate change and global warming.
• How to overcome corruption cases in governance.
• Reasons why police should always use body cameras.
• Has social media changed human behavior?
• Negative impacts of political scandals in America.
• How did the Syrian Crisis start?

Controversial Research Paper Topics

Sometimes research ideas need to be contentious to grab your readers’ attention. If this is what you are looking for, go through the following controversial topics for a research paper: 

• Should nurses be held accountable for their patients’ behavior?
• Reasons why students should be permitted to go to school with their smartphones.
• Should the presidential term limit be extended?
• Why most domestic violence cases are related to alcohol consumption.
• Why reducing minimum wage in America will be good for the economy.
• Is there gender inequality in the field of medicine?
• Should children be allowed to take care of their younger siblings?
• Religion should be a compulsory subject in American schools.
• Reasons why children should not be allowed to join social media sites.
• Why should luxury parties be forbidden among college students?
• Pros and cons of teaching women martial arts.
• Should hospitals be allowed to treat patients with gunshot wounds without involving the police?
• What are the benefits of tobacco advertisement?
• Ethical aspects associated with legalizing marijuana.
• Reasons why school uniforms should be abolished.

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

Some essays are meant to be persuasive with the readers to convince them to agree with your thesis statement. Thus, presenting a conclusive argument in your work will require a critical evaluation of different sources to present concrete evidence. Are you wondering how you can get good argument topics to do a research paper on? Do not worry because the following are argumentative ideas for a research paper: 

• Reasons why medical professionals should be allowed to market pharmaceuticals to patients.
• Is the level of depression among kids rising?
• What are the health consequences associated with fasting?
• Effective measures that are taken to make car seats safe for children.
• Reasons why social media platforms should be banned from collecting users’ data.
• Should unpaid internships be made illegal?
• Should governments regulate what their citizens eat?
• Should gun ownership by private citizens be illegal?
• US immigration policies : have they been effective?
• Exam cheating: should students who are found engaging in the vice be punished?
• Do academic performances suffer when students engage in sports?
• Four-day work week: should companies embrace it?
• Why athletes who use steroids should be banned from engaging in sports.
• Reasons for the legalization of death penalty.
• How effective are curfews placed upon teenagers?
• Should it be illegal to smoke cigarettes in public?
• Advantages of allowing kids to play violent video games.
• Reasons why helmet usage in American football makes the sport dangerous.
• Are workers more productive when working from home?
• Reasons why climate change is the cause of increasing natural disasters.

>> Read more: Argumentative Essays Topics

Research Topic Ideas for Students

As students, you will have to write different research essays before graduating. Coming up with research ideas can take time and effort. However, instead of feeling scared, you should embrace this task because we will provide clues on how to make your selection.  But in case you have any more doubts, we have created several research topics for students from different levels, including middle school, high school, and college. Go through the following lists to make your choice:

Research Paper Topics for Middle School

Students can begin writing essays as early as middle school. If you are in this category and looking for research paper ideas for middle school, you are lucky because we have you covered. The following are topics to research for middle school: 

• Impacts of online learning on students.
• Why conducting drug tests on animals is ethically bad.
• Effective ways that may enhance an individual's self-esteem.
• Sex education and its importance.
• How the internet has changed people’s lives.
• Reasons why dinosaurs became extinct.
• What is spam email, and what measures can be used to prevent it?
• Tobacco usage and its negative impacts on a person’s body.
• Differences between homework and class assignments.
• Key reasons why the human body needs sleep.
• Desert mirage: what is it, and how does it affect people?
• Appropriate punishment for students who engage in bullying.
• Effective ways used in recognizing harmful internet content.
• Cryptocurrency : what is it, and why is it popular?
• Efficient ways used in conserving energy at home.

High School Research Paper Topics

If you are seeking research paper ideas for high school, then you are in the right place. After careful deliberation, we have come up with the following research topics for high school students:

• Black holes: their definition and origin.
• Practical ways that can be employed in protecting species that are endangered.
• Ways in which public school systems care for students’ mental health.
• Reasons why there are many similarities between English and French words.
• Gender roles and how they affect human development.
• Photosynthesis enhancement and how it improves crop yield.
• What are the roles of black holes?
• Origin and resolutions of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• Characteristics associated with effective leadership.
• What is Obama Care, and how does it benefit Americans?
• Russian Revolution: its social causes and impacts.
• Ways in which stress affects the body.
• Air pollution and its effects on people’s health.
• Benefits that can be attributed to Plato’s mathematics philosophy.
• Ways in which climate change can be reversed.

College Research Paper Topics

By the time you reach college, you will have written several essays. However, this does not mean that choosing research topics for college papers will be easy. If you have any problem, go through the following research topics for college students:  

• Pros and cons of cave drawing as a method of communication.
• Causes and impacts of the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
• Black Death: its devastating impacts in Europe.
• Significant scientific achievements during the Age of Discovery.
• How literary works were used as propaganda tools in Germany during World War II.
• Martin Scorsese: his works and contributions to the film industry.
• Challenges faced by the Black Lives Matter movement in fighting racism.
• Effective measures that can be employed in stopping the Crisis in Syria.
• Negative impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the global economy.
• Space exploration and its effect on America’s economy.
• Pros and cons associated with genetic engineering.
• Steps taken in ensuring proper care for the elderly in Britain.
• Measure taken in managing depression among adults in America.
• Causes and impacts of drug and substance abuse among college students.
• Impacts of online streaming platforms on the evolution of music.

Research Paper Ideas in Different Study Fields

Different study fields present an opportunity for you to select an unlimited number of things to research on. This means that you are spoilt for choice. However, as you have discovered in your studies, this is easier said than done.  Sometimes all you need is research project ideas to inspire your selection. The following section aims to present titles for students studying different courses, starting from humanities and social sciences topics and ending with more technical ideas. All you have to do is select one that is specific to your study area.

Research Paper Topics on History

History is an area of study that contains an infinite number of issues to investigate. In fact, students find it to be one of their favorite subjects to research on. If you need some inspiration on history topics for a research paper, look at the following list: 

• Impacts of Sumerian culture and traditions on modern societies.
• Efficient ways used by Julius Caesar to inspire loyalty among his soldiers.
• Causes and impacts of the Salem Witch trials.
• American Civil War and its consequences.
• The Thirty Year War: its causes and impacts.
• Steps taken to end apartheid in South Africa.
• Economic consequences of the Cold War on Russia.
• Tactics used by Napoleon to rise to power during the French Revolution.
• Major causes and impacts of the Great Depression on Americans.
• Roles played by women during World War II.

Literature Research Paper Topics

Just like history, literature is also a favorite area of investigation for students. There are many aspects of literary works on which you can base your questions for research papers. You have to decide what you want to focus on and start your investigation. To get you going, below we have provided literature research paper topic ideas:

• Difference between antiheroes and villains in modern literature.
• Courage and heroism as depicted in Harry Potter .
• Character traits of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth .
• How modernism is portrayed in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn .
• Major themes in early American literature.
• Characterization of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost .
• How did Shakespeare depict love in Romeo and Juliet ?
• How did Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer describe medieval England?
• Friendship values between Sancho Pansa and Don Quixote as depicted in Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote .
• Impacts of Teresa of Avila’s work on modern literature.

Psychology Research Paper Topics

Are you seeking psychology topics for research projects? Search no more because the following topics for a research paper will go a long way in inspiring your investigation: 

• Causes of mental health issues among teenagers in America.
• How an adult life is shaped by childhood traumas experienced.
• Negative impacts of social media addictions on marriages.
• Correlation between mental health and eating disorders.
• How does color affect an individual’s mood?
• Effective methods used to achieve conformity in a group.
• How do personality traits affect the musical taste of an individual?
• How a child's psychological development is affected after facing loss at a young age.
• Efficient ways employed in enhancing the use of reinforcement in a learning environment.
• How self-efficacy affects long-term memory.

Religion Research Paper Topics

Religion has been in existence since the dawn of humans. As a result, it provides you with various topics for research papers drawn from different societies. If you are looking for religious topics for a research project, go through the following to select one that interests you: 

• Origin and development of Islam as a religion.
• Roles that can be played by religion in protecting the environment.
• Ritual similarities between Christianity and Islam.
• Why is sacrificing considered essential in most religions?
• Relationships that exist between morality and religion.
• Importance of prayer and meditation in Buddhism.
• Practices and beliefs related to Zoroastrianism.
• Social and moral roots of religious extremism.
• Hinduism: its origin, development, and impacts on modern Indian culture.
• How religious leaders used fear to maintain control over congregations.

Political Research Paper Topics

Like religion, politics has also been part and parcel of human existence. There is an unlimited number of research paper topics ideas to choose from. Nonetheless, below we have narrowed down the most popular research topics to write about politics: 

• Differences in foreign policies between America and UK.
• History and structure of the Chinese Communist Party.
• Controversial issues that have plagued Amnesty International.
• Causes and effects of the Syrian Conflict.
• Effective methods used by the government to enhance community development.
• Efficient ways used in eliminating corruption in America.
• Political power plays that led to the split of the Soviet Union .
• Pros and cons of Reagan's political agenda.
• Causes of constant rebellion in the Central African Republic.
• Negotiation methods that can be used to stop Ukraine's invasion by Russia.

>> More ideas: Political Research Paper Topics

Research Paper Topics on Business

The world of business is constantly evolving. As a result, you can find many great topics for research papers on this matter. Below is a list of commerce topics to do research papers on:  

• Efficient ways to increase jobs and reduce unemployment in America.
• Negative impacts of business participating in unethical behavior.
• Advantages that companies can get from branding their products.
• Challenges businesses get from using remote employees.
• Benefits of franchising in the long run.
• Positive and negative impacts of startups on local economies.
• Differences in international copyright laws between America and Britain.
• Similarities and differences between offline and internet advertising.
• Causes and impacts of consumer behavior change on a business marketing strategies.
• Advantages of company rituals and corporate cultures.

>> Read more: Research Topics About Business

Research Paper Topics on Education

The transformation of the education sector has been rapid, especially in recent years. As a result, you can choose any topic for research papers to write on in this area. If you are seeking inspiration on such kind of project topics ideas, look at the list below: 

• Similarities and differences between personalized approach and group studying.
• Advantages and disadvantages of having single-gender classes.
• Reasons why special education teachers deserve additional payment.
• Why are boarding schools popular in England?
• Dangers of students engaging in drug abuse while in school.
• Practical ways that can be employed in preventing violence in school.
• Benefits associated with after-class activities in America.
• Reasons why schools should provide advanced mental help for college students.
• Pros and cons of students going to community colleges.
• Roles played by video games in enhancing learning.

>> Read more: Special Education Research Topics

Environmental Topics for Research Paper

Scholars and experts have recently become more concerned with protecting the environment. This means that writing such research papers topics ideas has become popular. Some of the topics to write research paper on environment include: 

• Tectonic movements and their global effects on the ecosystems.
• Causes and impacts of air pollution on health.
• Ozone layer depletion and the dangers associated with it.
• Green energy definition and effective ways to achieve it.
• Role played by the government in enhancing recycling efforts in America.
• Efficient ways that can be employed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Causes and prevention of ocean acidification.
• Effective measures that can be taken to protect endangered species.
• Consequences of farming on the environment.
• Causes and impacts of desertification in Kuwait.

>> Read more: Topics About Environmental Science

Health Research Paper Topics

Although there has been rapid development in the health sector, there are still various areas that have remained unexploited. This presents an opportunity for well-being research paper topics to be written. If this is what you are aiming for, below we have topics for a research paper that you can pick from: 

• Speech disorder and its effect on child development.
• Reasons why people are still afraid to get COVID-19 vaccines.
• Health impacts of legalizing marijuana in America.
• Causes and impacts of post-traumatic disorders in Britain.
• Adverse effects associated with blood transfusion.
• Ways in which nurses can manage work-related stress.
• Types of depressions and their management plans.
• Advantages and disadvantages of dealing with autistic patients.
• Relationship between endometriosis and genetics.
• Negative impacts of high heels on a woman’s health.

>> View more: Mental Health Research Topics

Medical Research Paper Topics

Medicine is an area of study that is highly investigated. However, there are still several medical research essay topics that still need to be explored. If you wish to bridge this gap, you can start with the following research paper topic ideas:

• Challenges facing humanitarian medical missions in developing countries.
• Pros and cons of medical research on animals.
• Advantages and disadvantages obtained by hospitals using electronic health record systems.
• How is chemotherapy beneficial to hospitals?
• Effective treatment paths for Alzheimer’s disease.
• Drugs and vaccine development in treating Ebola.
• Advantages of having a computational oncology department.
• What are the differences between pandemics and epidemics?
• Negative impacts of over-the-counter prescription drugs.
• Key reasons for insulin resistance in the body.

>> Read more: Medical Research Topics

Sociology Research Paper Topics

Sociology deals with studying the development, structure, and functioning of society and the people in it. You can choose to write any topic for a term paper on issues affecting communities. Below are examples of sociology topics to research :

• What are some effective methods that can be used to resolve conflicts in college?
• Challenges associated with raising a child in an unconventional family.
• What are the negative impacts of racial stereotypes on self-esteem and work productivity?
• Dangers associated with religious cults.
• Effective ways that can ensure gender equality in the workplace.
• Impacts of social network addictions on high school students.
• How are interpersonal skills affected by teamwork in the workplace?
• Gender roles in the family.
• Evolution of marriage over the last 50 years.
• Causes and effects of bullying in school .

Social Media Topics for a Research Paper

Despite the enormous strides made by social media in changing how people interact with each other, its potential remains unlimited. There are still several research paper topics you can write on this issue. Choose one of the following topic ideas for research paper to start your journey: 

• Growth of social media and its influence in American politics.
• Efficient methods used by parents to protect their children from online dangers.
• Relationship between social media and cybercrime.
• Adverse effects of social media on investigative journalism.
• Effective methods that people can use to earn through Facebook.
• How effective are children's protection laws from the web’s harmful effects?
• Reasons why people post pictures online.
• Advantages and disadvantages brought by instant messaging and communication.
• How have reality shows impacted privacy laws in America?
• Effectiveness of using social media as a tool for political campaigns.

>> Read more: Research Topics About Social Media

Criminal Justice Research Paper Topics

If you are looking for great research paper topics, criminal and justice system is one of the areas you can look at. The following are examples of topics for research papers that you may find in this section: 

• What are the benefits of private prisons?
• Similarities and differences between war and civil crimes.
• Effective ways that can be used to prevent crime in schools and universities.
• What are the responsibilities of incarcerated parents to society?
• Impacts of immigration on rising rates of crime in America.
• Advantages accrued to cyber criminology correction methods.
• Pros and cons of forensic research identification methods.
• Cyberstalking legislation: their history and development.
• Reasons for human rights violations in Afghanistan.
• Efficient methods of drug trafficking tracking methods.

>> View more: Criminal Justice Research Topics

Science Research Paper Ideas

Science has always been a fascinating area for many students. You will love research project topics we have created for you. Be free to choose any of the following science topics ideas for a research paper:

• How can molecular biology research help scientists understand cancer and other illnesses?
• Positive and negative impacts of space exploration.
• Best ways to capture and use carbon dioxide.
• Challenges involved in developing environmentally friendly plastics.
• Best ways to use bioluminescence GFP from jellyfish in medicine.
• How does rain contribute to the rising amount of chemicals in seawater?
• Biomacromolecules: their definition and importance.
• How “killer” mosquitoes are used in fighting malaria.
• Science behind the hibernation of animals.
• Best ways to use microelectronics in treating people with chronic diseases .

Research Paper Topics on Technology

You will find yourself spoilt for choice if you are looking for topics to write a research paper on technology. There are many of them, but below we have selected for you the most popular research writing topics: 

• Adverse effects of living in a technological world.
• Disadvantages of genetically engineering children.
• How societies can use video gaming to help solve their problems.
• What are the advantages of genetically modified food in solving world hunger?
• History and development of self-driving cars.
• Best ways to incorporate technology in education.
• Impacts of drone warfare on military strategies.
• How internet usage is affecting young people’s attention span.
• Pros and cons of using genetic sequencing to determine future health risks.
• Pros and cons of virtual reality.

>> Read more: Technology Research Topics

Extra Research Paper Topic Ideas

From the above title examples, it is clear that you can never wholly exhaust investigative topics. However, if you did not find any research questions or ideas that piqued your interest, we still have some examples left for you to look at. There is a catalog of great research topics below if you would like to explore other areas, such as art, music, and sports. Please go through them and select one that excites you.

Research Project Ideas on Art

Art plays a vital role in enhancing the aesthetics of society. Many artistic pieces can inspire topics to research about. If this is your area of interest, the following research project ideas can instigate your writing: 

• Differences in arts between Northern and Italian Renaissances.
• How does impressionist art use elements of time and light?
• Influence of modern European art on American artists.
• How art has been used to spread propaganda messages in France.
• Impacts of the expressionism art movement in Western Europe.
• Incas Empire and its influence on modern art.
• Role played by religion and culture in Aztec art.
• Francisco de Goya : his biography and impacts on modern art.
• Life and career of Ludwig van Beethoven.
• Differences and similarities between baroque and rococo.

Music Research Paper Topics

People have been creating and listening to songs since the dawn of humanity. Music is one of the most popular research paper topics for scholars. When you are stuck and considering things to write a research paper on, look for various titles like the ones below: 

• Does listening to music affects the brain?
• History of rap music and the changes it has gone through over the years.
• Music genres that appeared during the Renaissance period.
• What impacts do socio-economic classes have on the choice and taste of music?
• How has America influenced music?
• How can music be incorporated into education to enhance concentration?
• How can music be applied in learning a foreign language?
• Pop music: its history and development.
• Differences between modern and classical music.
• How does music affect how people dress?

Sports Research Paper Topics

The availability of various sporting activities presents an opportunity for different topics for a research paper. As an enthusiast, you can never exhaust research paper topics that deal with different games. You can check out the following examples for inspiration:

• How are basketball players’ performances affected by signing multi-million contracts?
• Necessary measures taken by athletes in preparation for a marathon.
• Reasons why Lionel Messi is regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time.
• Positive and negative influences of crowds on games.
• History of baseball and how it has changed over the years.
• Ways of preventing severe injuries in rugby.
• Benefits of competitive sports on children's health and school performances.
• Gender inequalities in boxing.
• Economic impacts of the Olympic Games on the host nation.
• Advantages of player unions in protecting their rights.

Bottom Line on Research Paper Topics

You may think completing an essay is hard but wait until you select what to write a research paper on; then, you will discover this is the most challenging part. Having a title makes it easier for you to develop the paragraphs. By now, you are conversant with what research paper topics and ideas are, their characteristics, and how to select them. You have also gone through 350+ research topics that will be of inspiration for you to create your own. Having these examples gives you an advantage that others may not be afforded. Use them at your own convenience.  Your next step is composing your own study. Check our step-by-step guide on how to write a research paper to nail your project. Good luck with writing!

Order your work from our college paper writing services and don’t waste any minute on time-consuming research! Our experts will provide a fine-tuned paper just in time!

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Because differences are our greatest strength

Video: How first graders learn to research and organize ideas

By The Understood Team

First graders are just learning how to write about a topic. They need to research the topic, develop their ideas, and take notes. But they go about it differently than older students. Watch this video from founding partner GreatSchools to find out what strategies kids this age typically use.

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How to Write a Research Paper in High School

What’s covered:, how to pick a compelling research paper topic, how to format your research paper, tips for writing a research paper, do research paper grades impact your college chances.

A research paper can refer to a broad range of expanded essays used to explain your interpretation of a topic. This task is highly likely to be a common assignment in high school , so it’s always better to get a grasp on this sooner than later. Getting comfortable writing research papers does not have to be difficult, and can actually be pretty interesting when you’re genuinely intrigued by what you’re researching. 

Regardless of what kind of research paper you are writing, getting started with a topic is the first step, and sometimes the hardest step. Here are some tips to get you started with your paper and get the writing to begin! 

Pick A Topic You’re Genuinely Interested In

Nothing comes across as half-baked as much as a topic that is evidently uninteresting, not to the reader, but the writer. You can only get so far with a topic that you yourself are not genuinely happy writing, and this lack of enthusiasm cannot easily be created artificially. Instead, read about things that excite you, such as some specific concepts about the structure of atoms in chemistry. Take what’s interesting to you and dive further with a research paper. 

If you need some ideas, check out our post on 52 interesting research paper topics .

The Topic Must Be A Focal Point

Your topic can almost be considered as the skeletal structure of the research paper. But in order to better understand this we need to understand what makes a good topic. Here’s an example of a good topic:

How does the amount of pectin in a vegetable affect its taste and other qualities?

This topic is pretty specific in explaining the goals of the research paper. If I had instead written something more vague such as Factors that affect taste in vegetables , the scope of the research immediately increased to a more herculean task simply because there is more to write about, some of which is overtly unnecessary. This is avoided by specifications in the topic that help guide the writer into a focused path.

By creating this specific topic, we can route back to it during the writing process to check if we’re addressing it often, and if we are then our writing is going fine! Otherwise, we’d have to reevaluate the progression of our paper and what to change. A good topic serves as a blueprint for writing the actual essay because everything you need to find out is in the topic itself, it’s almost like a sort of plan/instruction. 

Formatting a research paper is important to not only create a “cleaner” more readable end product, but it also helps streamline the writing process by making it easier to navigate. The following guidelines on formatting are considered a standard for research papers, and can be altered as per the requirements of your specific assignments, just check with your teacher/grader!

Start by using a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial, in 12 or 11 sized font. Also, add one inch margins for the pages, along with some double spacing between lines. These specifications alone get you started on a more professional and cleaner looking research paper.

Paper Citations 

If you’re creating a research paper for some sort of publication, or submission, you must use citations to refer to the sources you’ve used for the research of your topic. The APA citation style, something you might be familiar with, is the most popular citation style and it works as follows:

Author Last Name, First Initial, Publication Year, Book/Movie/Source title, Publisher/Organization

This can be applied to any source of media/news such as a book, a video, or even a magazine! Just make sure to use citation as much as possible when using external data and sources for your research, as it could otherwise land you in trouble with unwanted plagiarism. 

Structuring The Paper

Structuring your paper is also important, but not complex either. Start by creating an introductory paragraph that’s short and concise, and tells the reader what they’re going to be reading about. Then move onto more contextual information and actual presentation of research. In the case of a paper like this, you could start with stating your hypothesis in regard to what you’re researching, or even state your topic again with more clarification!

As the paper continues you should be bouncing between views that support and go against your claim/hypothesis to maintain a neutral tone. Eventually you will reach a conclusion on whether or not your hypothesis was valid, and from here you can begin to close the paper out with citations and reflections on the research process.

Talk To Your Teacher

Before the process of searching for a good topic, start by talking to your teachers first! You should form close relations with them so they can help guide you with better inspiration and ideas.

Along the process of writing, you’re going to find yourself needing help when you hit walls. Specifically there will be points at which the scope of your research could seem too shallow to create sizable writing off of it, therefore a third person point of view could be useful to help think of workarounds in such situations. 

You might be writing a research paper as a part of a submission in your applications to colleges, which is a great way to showcase your skills! Therefore, to really have a good chance to showcase yourself as a quality student, aim for a topic that doesn’t sell yourself short. It would be easier to tackle a topic that is not as intense to research, but the end results would be less worthwhile and could come across as lazy. Focus on something genuinely interesting and challenging so admissions offices know you are a determined and hard-working student!

Don’t Worry About Conclusions

The issue many students have with writing research papers, is that they aren’t satisfied with arriving at conclusions that do not support their original hypothesis. It’s important to remember that not arriving at a specific conclusion that your hypothesis was planning on, is totally fine! The whole point of a research paper is not to be correct, but it’s to showcase the trial and error behind learning and understanding something new. 

If your findings clash against your initial hypothesis, all that means is you’ve arrived at a new conclusion that can help form a new hypothesis or claim, with sound reasoning! Getting rid of this mindset that forces you to warp around your hypothesis and claims can actually improve your research writing by a lot!

Colleges won’t ever see the grades for individual assignments, but they do care a bit more about the grades you achieve in your courses. Research papers may play towards your overall course grade based on the kind of class you’re in. Therefore to keep those grades up, you should try your absolute best on your essays and make sure they get high-quality reviews to check them too!

Luckily, CollegeVine’s peer review for essays does exactly that! This great feature allows you to get your essay checked by other users, and hence make a higher-quality essay that boosts your chances of admission into a university. 

Want more info on your chances for college admissions? Check out CollegeVine’s admissions calculator, an intuitive tool that takes numerous factors into account as inputs before generating your unique chance of admission into an institute of your selection!

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Research Paper Topics for High School Students

Table of contents

• 1.1 Consider the Scope and Time Commitment
• 1.2 Align the Topic with Your Interests
• 1.3 Use Resources and Guides
• 2.1 Education Research Topics
• 2.2 Research Topics about World History
• 2.3 Healthcare Research Topics
• 2.4 Finance Research Topics
• 2.5 Mental Health Topics
• 2.6 Science Research Topics
• 2.7 Music research topics
• 2.8 Environmental
• 2.9 Entrepreneurship
• 3 Conclusion

Research papers are common assignments in high school systems worldwide. They serve as a method for students to convey what they have learned from in-depth analysis on a specific subject. But why are they so prevalent in high schools?

The reason is that writing a well-structured and organized research paper teaches students essential academic skills such as making critical connections, expressing understanding, summarizing complex data, and effectively communicating their findings.

The process begins with selecting from various potential research paper topics. Students must identify a topic that not only interests them but also has sufficient scope to explore in depth. Selecting a good research paper topic is key to connecting with your audience — usually, your teachers and classmates. However, choosing the best topic can be tough. This is often because there are so many options available or it’s unclear what makes a topic both doable and interesting.

To help students with this important first step in the research paper process, we’ve created this guide. It provides strategies for picking the right topics and features a diverse list of more than 50 research ideas. These suggestions aim to improve academic performance by covering a variety of subjects, giving students a strong start for their research projects.

How to Choose High School Research Paper Topics

Choosing the right research paper topic is key, especially with so many suitable options for high school. The process might seem overwhelming, but learning how to narrow down your options can make it easier to handle.

Consider the Scope and Time Commitment

The first thing to consider is the amount of time you have to complete your paper. Topics that are too broad can be exhausting and may make it difficult to finish the paper on time. It’s best to choose topics that are not too broad yet detailed enough to explore within your deadline. Well-defined topics help you stay focused and organized, making your research and writing processes more efficient.

Align the Topic with Your Interests

Motivation plays a key role in the success of your research. Select a research paper topic that aligns with your personal interests and that you find interesting. This will keep you engaged and energized throughout the writing process.

If you’re struggling or the deadline is near and your paper isn’t ready, remember there are resources to help, like buying a research paper to meet your academic needs. But ideally, with the right topic and careful planning, you should be able to finish your assignment on your own.

Use Resources and Guides

To aid in your topic selection, refer to guides and lists that offer a variety of research ideas. These resources aim to inspire and give you a good start for your research paper. They cover a wide range of topics and are designed to meet various academic needs. By picking a topic from these lists, you can boost your performance and kickstart your research project smoothly, leading to a good research paper.

Most Interesting & Easy Research Topics for High School students

We’ve sorted the all research paper ideas into categories to make your academic exploration easier. Your personal interest is crucial when choosing a topic, so we suggest exploring the category that interests you the most. If you’re short on time, remember that here at PapersOWL, we are ready to provide a custom research paper tailored to your needs.

Education Research Topics

If you are interested in education, you should consider choosing an education research topic for high school students. Below you can find ten topics you can use as inspiration.

• Should High Schools Impose Mandatory Vaccination on Students?
• The Benefits of Charter Schools for the Public Education System
• Homeschooling vs. Traditional Schooling: Which One Better Sets Students for Success?
• Should Public Education Continue to Promote Diversity? Why?
• The Most Beneficial Funding Programs for Students
• The Effects of the Rising Price of College Tuitions on High School Students
• Discuss the Most Noteworthy Advantages and Disadvantages of Standardized Testing
• What Are the Alternatives to Standardized Testing?
• Does a Gap Year Between High School and College Set Students for Success?
• Identify and Discuss the Major Benefits of Group Projects for High Schoolers
• The Role of Technology in Modern Education
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Educational Systems Worldwide
• Addressing the Achievement Gap in Education
• The Impact of AI on Personalized Learning
• Online Learning: Pros and Cons in Modern Education
• The Role of E-Learning Platforms in Modern Education
• Strategies to Integrate AI into Classroom
• The Ethical Implications of Using AI in Student Surveillance

Research Topics about World History

• The Origin Of The Israel-Palestine Conflict And Possible Resolutions
• The History Of The USA Occupation Of Iraq
• Choose A Famous Assassinated World Leader And Discuss What Led To The Assassination
• Discuss A Historical Invention And How It Changed The Lives Of People Worldwide
• Has The World’s Leading Countries’ Response To Climate Change Improved Or Declined Over The Last Decade?
• How The President Of Belarus Manages To Stay In Power For Over 25 Years
• Which Event In World History Had The Most Impact On Your Country?
• The Influence of Ancient Civilizations on Modern Society
• The Role of the Silk Road in Connecting Cultures
• The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on World History
• Colonialism and Its Long-Term Effects on Colonized Nations
• The Cold War: Causes, Major Events, and Lasting Impacts
• The Role of Women in Shaping World History
• The Role of Women in World War I and II
• Decolonization Movements Post-World War II
• The Effect of Technological Advancements on Warfare Throughout History
• Three Kingdoms Period in Chinese History
• Albigensian Crusade and Its Impact on Medieval Europe
• Italian Front in World War I
• History and Influence of the Mongolian Empire
• Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms
• Great Game: Anglo-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia
• Cultural and Historical Significance of the Abbasid Caliphate

Healthcare Research Topics

• The Benefits and Risks of Telemedicine
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Healthcare Systems
• Mental Health Awareness in High Schools
• The Role of Vaccination in Public Health
• Obesity and Its Impact on Health in Adolescents
• The Future of Personalized Medicine
• The Ethics of Genetic Engineering in Healthcare
• How AI is Revolutionizing Healthcare Diagnostics
• Access to Healthcare in Rural vs. Urban Areas
• The Importance of Preventive Healthcare
• Healthcare Disparities Among Different Socioeconomic Groups
• The Effects of Climate Change on Public Health
• The Role of Technology in Managing Chronic Diseases
• Nutrition and Its Impact on Adolescent Health
• The Influence of Pharmaceutical Companies on Healthcare Policies
• The Pros and Cons of Universal Healthcare Systems
• Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Causes and Solutions
• The Role of Mental Health Services in Schools
• The Impact of Social Media on Teen Health Behaviors
• The Advancements in Cancer Treatments

Finance Research Topics

• How Cryptocurrency is Changing the Financial Landscape
• Impact of Globalization on Financial Markets
• Ethical Investing: Benefits and Challenges
• Microfinance and Its Role in Economies Development
• Influence of Interest Rates on Economic Growth
• The Financial Implications of Student Loan Debt
• Sustainable Finance and Its Growing Importance
• The Role of Central Banks in Stabilizing Economies
• How AI is Transforming Financial Services
• Online Banking: Security and Convenience
• The Effects of Economic Recessions on Small Businesses
• The Evolution of Stock Markets Over the Last Century
• The Financial Impact of Natural Disasters
• Personal Finance Education: Should It Be Mandatory in Schools?
• The Future of Digital Payments
• Challenges of Implementing Universal Basic Income
• Impact of Tax Policies on Economic Inequality
• Role of Hedge Funds in Financial Markets
• The Rise of Robo-Advisors in Personal Finance Management

Mental Health Topics

Here are some relevant and significant mental health research topics for high school research papers. These topics are here to inspire and guide you in your research:

• Discuss The Main Ways Stress Affects The Body
• Can Daily Exercises Benefit Mental Health? How?
• Should More Counselors Work In High Schools? Why?
• Discuss The Major Factors That Contribute To Poor Mental And Physical Well-Being
• In What Ways Has The Worldwide Pandemic Affected People’s Mental Health?
• Explore The Relationship Between Social Media And Mental Health Disorders
• How The Public School System Cares For The Mental Health Of Students
• What Is The Most Effective Psychotherapy For High Schoolers?
• Impact of Bullying on Mental Health
• Role of Nutrition in Mental Health
• Cultural Differences in Mental Health Perceptions and Treatment
• Mindfulness Practices Effectiveness in Schools
• Family Dynamics Influence on Adolescent Mental Health

Science Research Topics

Science is one of those fields where there is always something new you can research. If you need a science research topic for high school students, feel free to use any of the following.

• How Can Civilization Save Coral Reefs?
• What Are Black Holes, And What Is Their Role?
• Explain Sugar Chemistry That Enables Us To Make Candies
• What Are The Biggest Successes Of The Epa In The Last Decade?
• Is There A Way To Reverse Climate Change? How?
• What Solutions Does Science Offer To Resolve The Drinking Water Crisis In The Future?
• Ways to Save Coral Reefs
• Black Holes and Their Role
• Sugar Chemistry in Candy Making
• Biggest Successes of the EPA in the Last Decade
• Reversing Climate Change
• Scientific Solutions for the Drinking Water Crisis
• The Role of CRISPR in Genetic Engineering
• Impacts of Space Exploration on Earth Science
• Developments in Renewable Energy Technologies
• The Effects of Microplastics on Marine Life
• Nanotechnology in Medicine
• Quantum Computing and Its Potential Uses
• Studying the Human Genome Project
• Advancements in Vaccine Development

Music research topics

Many teenagers find inspiration in music, so why not choose some music high school research paper topics.

• In What Way Music Education Benefits High School Students?
• How Famous Musicians Impact Pop Music
• Classification Of Music Instruments: Discuss The Sachs-Hornbostel System
• Did Sound Effect Technology Change The Music Industry? How?
• How Did Online Streaming Platforms Help Music Evolve?
• How Does Music Software Emulate Sounds Of Different Instruments?

Environmental

Our environment has been a hot topic for quite some time now. There is a lot of research to back up your claims and make logical assumptions. Here are some environmental high school research topics you can choose from.

• What Is The Impact Of Offshore Drilling On The Environment?
• Do We Need Climate Change Legislation? Why?
• Are Ecotourism And Tropical Fishing Viable Ways To Save And Recuperate Endangered Areas And Animals?
• The Impact Of Disposable Products On The Environment
• Discuss The Benefits Of Green Buildings To Our Environment
• Find And Discuss A Large-Scale Recent Project That Helped Restore Balance In An Area

Entrepreneurship

Many students struggle with having to find good entrepreneurship research paper ideas for high school. This is why we’ve developed a list of topics to inspire your research.

• What Is Entrepreneurship?
• Are People Born With An Entrepreneurial Spirit, Or Can You Learn It?
• Discuss The Major Entrepreneurship Theories
• Does Entrepreneurship Affect The Growth Of The Economy?
• Which Character Traits Are Commonly Found In Successful Entrepreneurs?
• The Pros And Cons Of Having A Traditional Job And Being An Entrepreneur
• Discuss Entrepreneurship As One Of The Solutions To Unemployment
• What Is Crowdfunding, And How It’s Related To Entrepreneurship
• The Most Common Challenges Entrepreneurs Face
• How Social Media Made A Lot Of Successful Entrepreneurs

Hopefully, you’ll find these high school research paper topics inspirational. The categories are there to help you choose easily. Here at PapersOwl, we know how hard it is to complete all assignments in time and ace all your grades. If you are struggling with writing, feel free to contact us about our writing services, and we’ll help you come on top of your research paper assignment no matter how complex it is.

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35 Science Projects For 1st Graders

Curious kids turn into junior scientists with these fun and simple  science projects for 1st graders. Science doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated! Here’s our list of the best first grade science activities that are totally doable and use simple supplies for home or in the classroom.

What Do First Graders Do In Science?

At this stage, the emphasis is on cultivating curiosity, honing observation skills, and fostering a love for discovery. The first grade science curriculum typically covers a diverse range of topics, encouraging students to engage in hands-on activities that make learning both immersive and enjoyable.

First Grade Science Topics Include:

• Living and Non-Living Things: Students learn to differentiate between living organisms (plants and animals) and non-living things (objects and materials). They explore the characteristics and behaviors that define living things.
• Plants : First graders discover the life cycle of plants, from seed germination to growth and reproduction. They learn about the role of sunlight, water, and nutrients in plant development.
• Animals: Students explore various animal species, their habitats, and basic characteristics. They learn about different types of animals, their body parts, and how they adapt to their environments.
• Weather and Seasons : Children are introduced to basic weather patterns and the four seasons. They learn about the different types of weather conditions and how they change throughout the year.
• Basic Earth Science : First graders might learn about the Earth’s landforms (mountains, valleys, etc.) and bodies of water (rivers, lakes, oceans). They also explore concepts like day and night and the rotation of the Earth.
• Matter and Materials : Students are introduced to different types of materials (solid, liquid, gas) and their basic properties. They learn to describe and compare materials based on attributes like color, texture, and size.
• Energy and Forces : Young learners are introduced to the concept of energy and different forms of energy like light and sound. They might explore simple machines and basic forces like pushing and pulling.
• Light and Shadows : First graders might learn about sources of light, how light travels, and how shadows are formed. They observe and experiment with light to understand its properties.

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35 Awesome Science Projects for First Graders

Color Mixing

Use watercolors to learn how mixing primary colors creates different colors.

Sink or Float Experiment

Grab some everyday objects and a container of water to explore the concept of density and why some objects sink while others float.

Egg In Salt Water

Will an egg float or sink in salt water? Ask lots of questions and get kids thinking with this salt water density experiment.

Seed Germination

Use a seed jar to observe how plants grow from seeds and what they need to survive.

Shadow Puppets

Make these fun printable shadow puppets to explore how light interacts with objects and creates shadows.

Edible Moon Phases

Use oreo cookies to create the phases of the moon to explore how the moon changes as it moves around the earth.

Make Rainbows

Use a simple glass prism, and other ways to see how light is made up of different colors and can be separated into a rainbow.

Dissolving Candy

Add some hard candy to different liquids to explore how substances dissolve in some liquids but not others.

What Absorbs Water

Explore what materials absorb water and what materials do not absorb water. Use items you already have on hand for this easy science project.

Grow Borax Crystals

Learn about how crystals are formed and can take different shapes. You can grow crystals from borax , salt and sugar .

Make a Volcano Eruption

Kids will love this erupting chemical reaction with just two simple ingredients, baking soda and vinegar. Also try one of these fun variations with LEGO , a water bottle , apple and even a pumpkin .

Inflating Balloon

Observe gas production during a chemical reaction with this fun balloon science experiment. You can also set it up with soda and salt to observe a physical reaction.

What’s Magnetic and What’s Not

Explore how magnets attract and repel each other.

Solid, Liquid, Gas Experiment

Observe how water can change from a solid to liquid and back.

Rain Cloud In A Jar

Where does rain come from? How do clouds make rain? Explore weather science with this rain cloud in a jar activity. Also, try this shaving cream rain cloud model.

Balloon Rocket

What can you do with a balloon and a straw? Build a balloon rocket, of course and explore Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Make a Windmill

Explore the concept of harnessing wind as a energy source with a simple to make windmill or wind turbine.

Bubble Science

Bubbles are just fun to play with! Learn how bubbles form and why they’re round with these bubble activities. It’s all to do with surface tension.

Is it a liquid or is it a solid? Fun hands-on science and play with our easy 2 ingredient oobleck recipe.

Grow Flowers

Watching flowers grow is an amazing science lesson for kids. Check out our list of the best seeds for kids to pick up and plant, and grow quickly.

Coffee Filter Flowers

Coffee filter flowers are a colorful STEAM activity for kids to explore solubility. Color a coffee filter with markers and spray with water for a fun effect.

This magic milk experiment is fun for kids to watch and makes for great hands-on learning. The perfect science activity as you already have all the items for it in your kitchen.

Oil and Water

Find out why oil and water don’t mix with this simple to set up science project. It is all due to differences in density.

Lemon Battery

Grab some lemons and a few other supplies, and find out how you can make lemons into lemon electricity!

Salt Painting

Combine science and art to learn about absorption with this easy salt painting activity.

Add a chemical reaction to an oil and water experiment to create a homemade lava lamp.

Rainbow in a Jar

Create liquids with different densities that you can make a colorful layered liquid tower with.

Make Air Foils

Explore the effect air resistance has on a falling object with these to make paper air foils.

Paper Airplane Launcher

Learn how design affects the flight of paper airplanes with a paper plane launcher.

Water Xylophone

Use different amounts of water in glass jars to learn about how vibrations create sound waves.

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Turn It Into A Science Fair Project

Science projects are an excellent tool for older kiddos to show what they know about science! Plus, they can be used in all sorts of environments including classrooms, homeschool, and groups.

OUR TOP TIP: Pick a project that your child has expressed interest in. Engaging your child in this process will be much easier when they are the driving force behind it !

Kids can take everything they have learned about using the scientific method , stating a hypothesis, choosing variables , making observations and analyzing and presenting data.

Want to turn one of these experiments into an awesome science fair project? Check out these helpful resources.

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Free Printable Science Journal Worksheets

Create a science notebook with these easy-to-use science worksheets to accompany any experiment. Grab your free science process journal pack !

Using The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is tested with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity.

Sounds heavy… What in the world does that mean?!? It means you don’t need to try and solve the world’s biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As children develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation.

LEARN MORE HERE: Using The Scientific Method with Kids

Note: The use of the best Science and Engineering Practices is also relevant to the topic of using the scientific method. Read more here and see if it fits your science planning needs.

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Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students. Then you can feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

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We’ve put together a few separate resources for different age groups, but remember that many experiments will cross over and can be re-tried at several different age levels. Younger kiddos can enjoy the simplicity and hands-on fun. At the same time, you can talk back and forth about what is happening.

• Science for Toddlers
• Science for Preschoolers
• Science for Kindergarten
• Elementary Science by Season
• Science for 1st Grade
• Science for 2nd Grade
• Science for 3rd Grade
• Science for 4th Grade
• Science for 5th Grade
• Science for 6th Grade
• Science for Middle School

Printable Science Projects Pack

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

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~ projects to try now ~.

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100 Fun Writing Prompts for 1st Grade: Journal Prompts

• Narrative Writing Prompts
• Informative Essay Writing Prompts
• Research Writing Prompts
• Funny Writing Prompts
• Self-writing Prompts
• Fiction Writing Prompts
• Animal Writing Prompts
• Journal Writing Prompts For 1st Graders
• Descriptive Writing Prompts

Writing prompts are important tools that parents can use when they want to improve their child’s inherent abilities. The right 1st grade writing prompts can help your kids improve their writing, reading, comprehension, and visual processing abilities.

By having prompts of different themes, styles, and objectives, you can diversify the way that your child approaches writing. You can also enhance their divergent thinking abilities with the right writing prompts. Let’s start with our list of the 100 best writing prompts for 1 st graders.

Math & ELA | PreK To Grade 5

Kids see fun ., you see real learning outcomes ..

Watch your kids fall in love with math & reading through our scientifically designed curriculum.

Here are more educational resources for your first grader so that they never stop practicing!

10 Narrative Writing Prompts

Narratives can be powerful teaching tools to help kids understand the importance of sequencing in writing. They can practice the core skills of narration, including storytelling, plot design, and conclusion. The best narrative-driven 1st grade journal prompts can help kids refine their writing capabilities. You can use these 1st grade narrative writing prompts to help your young ones develop their storytelling. 

1. What if you had a magical wand? What would you do with it?  

2. What are your favorite after-school activities?

3. Describe a time when you felt lost. What did you do? How did you feel?

4. What superpower would you love to have the most?

5. What are your favorite things about being in the 1 st grade?

6. Describe a difficult time in your life when you had to face some form of adversity.

7. What is your best memory from a vacation that you took with your family?

8. If you could meet one cartoon character in real life, who would it be?

9. Describe your favorite animal. What are its characteristics?

10. What is your favorite holiday? Why do you love that time of the year? 

10 Informative Essay Writing Prompts

Informative prompts help kids understand the value of being accurate, precise, and descriptive. You can have them talk about events, historical figures, and facts in greater detail with the right informative prompts.

1. Write an informative essay about animated movies for kids .  

2. Pick any stationery item from school. Write about the importance of using that tool.

3. Talk about why it is important to consume healthy foods. Why are vegetables good for us?

4. Talk about how you would teach a special skill to someone you’ve never met.

5. Talk about your favorite hobbies. Why do you enjoy participating in them?

6. Think about what you want to be when you grow up. Talk about your plan on how you’re going to achieve it.

7. Explain in detail why reading is important for all 1 st grade kids.

8. Talk about a time when you failed at something. How did you get back up and succeed?

9. What do you like the most about your best friend? Why is your friendship so special?

10. Select a food item that you love eating, and talk about why it is your favorite.

10 Research Writing Prompts

Research writing is an innovative way of instilling the right work ethic in kids at an early age. You can have your kids practice reviewing, researching, and fact-checking when they prepare their writing prompts. The best 1st grade writing prompts are research-driven ones that require extensive analysis and reviewing. 

1. Talk about the origin of alligators.

2. What is the lifecycle of a butterfly? Write about all major stages.  

3. What is germination? Write about the process of germination.

4. Why does the earth have oceans?

5. Why does an elephant have large tuskers?

6. Write down five facts about your favorite teacher.

7. Research your family history. What are some interesting facts that you could find?

8. Find ten facts about your city and what makes the city special.

9. What is a biome? Why do we have biomes?

10. What does an ant eat? Describe its journey.  

10 Funny Writing Prompts

Funny 1st grade writing prompts can be hilarious to work on, giving younger kids a chance to develop their humor. You can have them imagine funny scenarios and come up with jokes that are in the form of long paragraphs. You can talk to them about the idea of a premise, a funny line, and a storytelling joke for kids .

1. Imagine a world where every house is a gingerbread house. What would your living room look like?

2. Write a funny story about going to space and meeting an alien.

3. Write an adventure short story about saving your friend from ghosts.

4. Write a funny story about futuristic methods of transportation.

5. Imagine that you’re permanently stuck on a ship. What would your life be like?

6. Write a story about what would happen if you woke up in a dog’s body.

7. Write a story about diving into the deepest ocean in the world.

8. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

9. What would you do if you had a tiger as a pet?

10. You have just invented a translation machine to talk to animals. What would you say first? 

10 Self-writing Prompts

Poems for kids can be an excellent form of self-expression. You can introduce poetic 1st grade writing prompts and have your little ones practice their creative thinking skills. Poems can also empower kids to sound letters and words, which helps in cementing phonics and other concepts.

1. Write a poem about your favorite animals. 

2. Talk about your day, but in the form of a poem. Make it rhyme to AABB.    

3. Create a poem about the spring season.   

4. Write a Haiku about the sky.

5. Create a Limerick about how much you love dancing.

6. Write a poem about the tiniest things in the universe.

7. Can you write a poem about words that don’t rhyme? Try it!

8. Write a poem about the letters of the alphabet.

9. Write a short poem about how much you love your family.

10. Write a poem about counting fruit, vegetables, or marbles. 

10 Fiction Writing Prompts

Fiction-based 1st grade writing prompts are also amazing writing tools that can help your child access new areas of their creative thinking. You can help them uncover their true writing potential and improve their problem-solving skills with the right fiction-themed 1st grade writing prompts.

1. You’re suddenly thrust into a game of Island survival and are tasked with saving the people. What would you do?

2. On your next fishing trip, you spot a deep-sea monster. Describe it in detail.

3. You suddenly have wings and are able to fly freely through the sky. Where do you go first?

4. You just slipped on a banana peel and made a mess. How do you clean it up?

5. You left for school and realized that all the streets are made of candy. What happens next?

6. You met Santa’s reindeer in the spring. What kind of questions would you ask it?

7. There are dinosaurs everywhere, and they’re taking control of the city. What happens next?

8. You’re a time traveler and you decided to visit ancient Egypt. What do you see?

9. Start a fairy tale and complete it with the prompt – “There was once a fire-breathing dragon protecting middle earth.”

10. You’re asked to write a completely new language. What would it sound like? 

10 Animal Writing Prompts

Animal-themed 1st grade writing prompts can bring a sense of joy back into practicing writing. Your kids can explore the depths of their imagination with prompts about different habitats and species. With the right animal-based 1st grade writing prompts, you can also improve their visual processing capabilities. 

1. What is your favorite animal in the whole wide world? Why?

2. Describe your last visit to a petting zoo.

3. If you met a talking cat, what would it say?

4. Which dog breed do you love the most?

5. I love dogs because they are _.

6. What magical animal would you like to meet and why? (Unicorn, dragon, etc.)

7. If you could pick up three animal traits, what would they be?

8. Think of a completely new imaginary animal. What would it look like?

9. Who’s the scariest animal in the jungle?

10. What kind of animal makes the best pet? Why? 

10 Prompts to Help Your Kids Understand and Appreciate Emotions

Some of the most impactful 1st grade journal prompts focus on writing about emotions. While opinion writing prompts 1st grade questions are great, you can really get into the mental framework of a child with emotion-driven prompts. 

1. When was the last time you were brave?

2. How do you feel when you goof up? Do you feel angry or sad?

3. What I love about myself is _.   

4. What makes me happy is when I am _.

5. How do you comfort a friend who is feeling scared?

6. Recall the last time you burst out laughing. How did you feel?

7. Sometimes I feel sad about _.

8. If I could change one thing in the world, it would be _.

9. Sometimes I am hard on myself about _.

10. Something I wish I were better at is _.  

10 Journal Writing Prompts For 1st Graders

The best first grade journal prompts are the ones that involve introspection, critical thinking, and active recalling. You can improve their writing and comprehension skills with some fun writing prompts for 1st grade students.

1. How are you feeling today? Talk about what emotions you felt.

2. What are five things that you are grateful for?

3. What is the one thing that surprised you today?

4. I love my mom because she’s _.

5. My idea of a fun vacation is.

6. If I lived on a mountain, my daily routine would be.

7. This spring season, I plan on doing _.

8. I love my sibling because _.

9. Write about your last vacation.

10. My favorite day of the year is.  

10 Descriptive Writing Prompts

When it comes to writing topics for 1st graders, descriptive ones are some of the most fun for little kids. The top writing ideas for 1st grade students can involve describing events, objects, narratives, and storylines, giving them more control on their vision for their answers. You can use these creative writing prompts 1st grade level questions at any time during the year. 

1. Describe a dream walk through a garden.

2. Describe a typical school day in detail.

3. What type of music makes you happy? Describe why you love your favorite artist.

4. Describe the most interesting birthday you’ve had.

5. What’s your favorite hobby? Describe it in detail.

6. How would you describe a smartphone to someone from 1920?

7. What’s your favorite dessert? Why do you love it so much?

8. Which is your favorite memory in the whole wide world?

9. Talk about someone you look up to in detail.

10. Is there a comic book hero you love? Describe their qualities and what makes them special. 

Quick Tips on Helping Your 1st Grader Improve Their Writing Skills

Now that we’ve explored the best writing prompts for 1 st graders, you can help them become better at the craft with the right strategies. You can use the best 1st grade journal prompts and encourage your kids to write with clarity and purpose.

You should also use different types of writing prompts for 1st grade kids. This will help you keep things interesting for your little ones while making them feel joyful when writing. In fact, the best 1st grade journal topics are the ones that are within your kids’ realm of interest.

Additionally, you can continue to reward them for writing extensively. By giving them toys, books, and colorful stationery, you can subtly encourage them to continue improving their writing and comprehension at the 1 st grade level. 

Start With The Best Prompts That Appeal to Your Kids

You can start by mixing around writing prompts for your kids with different styles. You can also prepare your own prompts by referencing the examples mentioned above. The best way to get your kids excited about writing is to give them prompts that make them think outside the box.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your kids writing engaging narratives with these amazing writing prompts!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do i select the right writing prompts for my 1st grader.

You should start with topics that they enjoy talking about organically.

How do I improve participation and excitement for writing prompts?

You can have them write about their favorite cartoons, movies, and books during the initial stages of writing prompts.

What are some ways to improve my child’s writing?

You can use prompts, worksheets, and tracing sheets, to help your kids improve their writing.

What are some writing activities for 1st graders?

You can have them write letters, poems, stories, and other narrative-driven pieces.

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