1. Choosing your research topic General topic subtopic Limited topic subtopic Limited topic

2. Choosing your own TOPIC  Make a list of as many topics as you can in one minute.  In our inside/outside circle you will be sharing some of your ideas.  Help your partner “tease out” their topic to a good researchable topic.  We will repeat this THREE times  Choose your TOPIC and pull it apart to a more limited topic. 1. Choose a topic which interests and challenges you. Your attitude towards the topic may well determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm you put into your research. 2. Focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from "Religion" to "World Religion" to "Buddhism". Obtain teacher approval for your topic before embarking on a full-scale research. If you are uncertain as to what is expected of you in completing the assignment or project, re-read your assignment sheet carefully or ASK your teacher. 3. Select a subject you can manage. Avoid subjects that are too technical, learned, or specialized. Avoid topics that have only a very narrow range of source materials.

3. Topic Ideas  Polygamy  Shakespeare  Overpopulation  Cloning  Princess Diana  Telekinesis  Munchausen-by- proxy  The Internet  Youtube  NASCAR driving  Religion  Serial Killers  Animal Rights  Wiretapping  Euthanasia  Adoption  AIDS  Google  Ku Klux Klan  Genocide  Steroids  Corporal Punishment  The Civil War  World War I  World War II  Anime  Marilyn Monroe  Judy Garland  Drug Trafficking  Book banning  Plagiarism  School Issues  Truancy  Guantanamo Bay  Death Penalty  Violence in the media  Welfare  Sports Violence  Juvenile Crime

4. Writing Research Questions

5. Thick vs. Thin questions  Use thick and not thin questions  Make sure your topic is researchable.  Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to spark my own thoughts and opinions?

6. Card sort activity Thin Questions  WHO... WHAT... WHERE... WHEN.... HOW MANY...  Yes and No Questions  Can be answered easily  Ask for one specific detail  Only one opinion is possible  Have obvious answers and don't take much thinking  Don't make you go back and look for answers  Too vague and too general Thick Questions  WHAT IF... HOW DID... WHY DID... WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF... Make us stop and think  Can not be answered with yes or no  Not always a right or wrong answer  Lead to different view opinions or view points  Makes people interpret why something happened or why something is

7. Where does chocolate come from? How is it made? Who first discovered chocolate? What’s in chocolate? How are different types of chocolate made?

8. 1 : CAN THE TOPIC BE RESEARCHED? Does MacDonald's or Burger King make a better burger?

9. MacDonald's vs. Burger King is not researchable as it is worded, since it has no concrete meaning. What does "better" mean? Better in terms of nutrition? Better tasting? Better value? Fewer calories? Better for making your kids happy? This question could become researchable only if you define its terms.

10. 2: CAN THE TOPIC BE RESEARCHED? Is there a link between hours of television viewing and violent behavior in children aged 8-14?

11. This question is researchable. You'd have to sift through a lot of information, both pro and con & valid and invalid, in order to choose the best information to answer the research question and support your own point of view, but the point is that there is at least enough information to sift through.

12. 3: CAN THE TOPIC BE RESEARCHED?. What is the best novel written in 2013?

13. 4: CAN THE TOPIC BE RESEARCHED? How has social media changed our society?