Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Choosing a Topic
This Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab) provides information related to writing a research paper. This guide explains to choose an appropriate research paper topic.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: I've Been Assigned a Paper, Now What?
This tutorial focuses on selecting and narrowing a topic for a literary paper. It offers a flow chart of the writing process and two videos brainstorming topics using a web-style graphic organizer for each of two novels: "To Kill a...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: I Just Got Assigned a Paper, Now What?
This lesson focuses on what to do after being assigned a paper; it provides the basic steps to writing a paper: brainstorm topics, organize your thoughts (Venn diagrams, tree diagram examples), conduct preliminary research, create a...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Generating Ideas and Questions About a Research Topic
This lesson focuses on creating a research question including determining the purpose and audience, brainstorming a topic, researching the question for information, and refining and narrowing the question. W.9-10.7 Research....
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Boundless Communications: Finding and Selecting a Topic
This site provides five links to help students select a topic: The importance of choosing a good topic, your areas of expertise, your areas of interest, brainstorming, and scoping your topic.
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School: Creating Subtopic Headings
An excellent tip sheet on how to group information after brainstorming and prewriting.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Collaborative Prewriting and Drafting
A very useful lesson that incorporates the process of collaboration to elementary students. Students brainstorm and use prewriting strategies to write a group story.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: The Writing Process: Generate Ideas and Questions
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] Learn strategies to help you generate questions and ideas about a topic.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Research Questions
[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson explores the steps of the research process - selecting an appropriate research topic, and delving more into the topic.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Writing With Pizazz
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart helps the students with the first step in the Six Traits Writing Process-- gathering ideas. Students are encouraged to analyze writing samples and brainstorm possible personal writing...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Live Like an Animal
In this activity, students design an innovative human shelter that is inspired and informed by an animal structure. Each group is assigned an animal class, and they gather information about shelters used by the animals in that class....
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Creative Engineering Design
Students are introduced to the world of creative engineering product design. Through six activities, teams work through the steps of the engineering design process (or loop) by completing an actual design challenge presented in six...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Environment
Through 10 lessons and more than 20 hands-on activities, students are introduced to the concept of an environment and the many interactions within it. As they learn about natural and human-made environments, as well as renewable and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Intro to Engineering
Students are introduced to the basic principles behind engineering and the types of engineering while learning about a popular topic - the Olympics. The involvement of engineering in modern sports is amazing and pervasive. Students learn...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: All Caught Up: Bycatching and Design
Bycatch, the unintended capture of animals in commercial fishing gear, is one of the hottest topics in marine conservation today. About 25% of the entire global catch is bycatch. This surprisingly high level of bycatch is responsible for...
PBS
Pbs News Hour Extra: How Are Vaccines Produced?
Lesson plan has students brainstorming about various topics related to disease prevention and the use of vaccines.
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Science Fair Central: Getting Started
Students needing help getting started with a science fair project can find help choosing a project type, deciding a topic, gathering resources, and brainstorming. This site also includes a handy "Science Fair Shopping List" that contains...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A Word Game for Kids: The Idea Game for Kids
How can using your five senses help you tell a better story? Young writers brainstorm three sensory details about a personal topic before writing a story about it. If they need help with ideas, they can click the magic button for story...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Citizenship
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart introduces children to what a citizen is and the traits a good citizen displays. Students brainstorm ideas on the topic then check by watching a video. Students then help complete a...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: How to Write a Poem
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is a great start for teaching the process of writing a poem. It covers brainstorming about subject matter and finding a topic that means something to the author.