OT: Term Paper Topics 8th Grade

[njsweetP]

I know this is waaay off topic but this board where I spend my time.
My DD is in 8th grade and she has to come up with a thesis for a term paper..
we are at a loss...it can be on any topic (science, history, literature, art, etc). Any ideas?

 

[ldo]

well, a thesis that would interest an 8th grader--thing SH nmentioned to me last night:

how online research has changed use of libraries?

Will the Kindle be the end to paperbooks--and is that good (go green) or bad--reading the old fashioned way has been around for 1000s or years.

Newspapers aer all hurting b/c of 1) the economy--less advertsing and 2) only 28% of those under 40 read print papers--several city papers have gone out of business, and some have decided to start charging for online services--will this be the end to print newspapers--if you google, there was just an article in either Washington Post or Wall street Journal this or last week about readership declines and the breakdown by age groups.

Is getting an online summary of news the same as reading an in-depth story--or is it better to reach more people with more tidbits of news.

 

[dis-happy]

Has she thought about things that she already has an interest in? My dd did several papers in high school having to do with horses and riding, which were her passion. If she could turn it into a topic for a paper, she did it! Some of them involved research (one was a persuasive speech regarding helmets); others were more general. HTH

 

[momejay]

How coupon trains are causing postal workers headaches...just kidding!

My teen's suggestion is a paper on why teens should be allowed to have cell phones in class. I think they should be outlawed in school.

 

[disneymeces]

I know this is waaay off topic but this board where I spend my time.
My DD is in 8th grade and she has to come up with a thesis for a term paper..
we are at a loss...it can be on any topic (science, history, literature, art, etc). Any ideas?

This might sound crazy...but my daughter did her Jr. high term paper on John Dillinger and how he help create and shape the FBI. She did a great job, 105 A+ got 5 extra points for having a unique idea, not pulled from the news of the times. And I have no idea where she came up with it, I didn't know she even knew who he was...LOL!

 

[ceecee]

She should write down things of interest and choose one. If she is interested in the topic it will be much better. I can think of tons of ideas but they would not be anything MY 8th grader would like!

 

[mrsklamc]

'we' are at a loss? Unless your 8th grader has some kind of learning disability you need to cut her loose to come up with her own topic.

Take her to the library. Let her wander around and find books that interest her. The more books there are, the easier it will be. Or, you could just have her sit and brainstorm 10 things that interest her. Part of what she should be learning is how to come up with a topic on her own; that's why one wasn't assigned.

 

[njsweetP]

'we' are at a loss? Unless your 8th grader has some kind of learning disability you need to cut her loose to come up with her own topic.

Take her to the library. Let her wander around and find books that interest her. The more books there are, the easier it will be. Or, you could just have her sit and brainstorm 10 things that interest her. Part of what she should be learning is how to come up with a topic on her own; that's why one wasn't assigned.

You think? I said "we" because she was with me when I was typing the request. I'm not asking for a specific topic, just some ideas to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

 

[valeriemouse]

My sister just did a thesis on why it was necessary for the U.S. to drop the atomic bomb on Japan to end WWII. As a social studies teacher, I know that's right in line with the Social Studies curriculum in 8th grade. Well, in New York at least.

 

[midwestdee]

It is very important that you not only have an interest in your topic, but can find enough information to fulfill the requirements for the paper. I would suggest come up with a couple of topics, look to see how much information is out there, THEN decide on your topic. Usually, you only have a brief window of time to have your topic approved (standard practice at our middle school). Please take seriously the guidance you receive on plagarism. Good luck with the project. In my experience, the biggest reason kids drop out of college is they aren't comfortable writing papers.

 

[mrsklamc]

You think? I said "we" because she was with me when I was typing the request. I'm not asking for a specific topic, just some ideas to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

I get that; what I'm saying is, she's old enough that she needs to be able to get her OWN ball rolling, without mom or the DIS.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I said "we" because she was with me when I was typing the request. I'm not asking for a specific topic, just some ideas to get the ball rolling, so to speak. No need to preach to me.

actually my parents helped me with several history paper topics- they suggested some very interesting things I had never heard of and were usually not covered in history class. In high school I did report comparing the Boston Massacre to the Kent State shootings, I also did a term paper on Chappaquiddick (my teacher was not a fan of the Kennedys, my grade was an A+++, LOL)

 

[locolala]

At that age I did one on vivisection, and one on making child abuse laws stronger.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Just make sure she picks something up that she can actually get resources for. I.e. it isn't just an opinion paper.

Anything in particular that interests her that she has an opinion on that she can "prove" via her research?

I wont' share my 8th grade topic--it was so weak, but I was afraid about the "proof" part, that I actually did very well on the paper. But the topic itself was L-A-M-E.

(I also see no harm in you facilitating your dd's needs--so long as you don't say "Write your topic on this" and then write it for her. )


Subject areas to consider....

Travel: any places she'd like to go or see and any issues they might have for tourism, environment, govt, politics

Food: Obesity epidemic, eating disorders, healthy life style, why junk food ain't all that bad

History: Anything that piqued her interest in her class this year OR a favorite era of history that she'd like to learn more about--needs to know enough about it to produce thesis though.

Science: Same as history--kind of like a science project--without the project--again, have to produce thesis...not just a report on fireflies

Pre-teen issues: cell phones that some mentioned--some of the topics discussed on the dis recently (being picked last in PE, is it harmful or not to announce grades publicly, should cell phone usage really be restricted at school)

Hobbies: Anything she might do that is of great interest to her that she can research/explore some portion of it.


The goal of a research paper is:

1. Being able to research and back up your thesis
2. Being able to produce a coherent, well thought out, well-written paper that supports the argument utilzing the format required.
3. Learning something new or different about yuor topic that you may not have realized.

In 8th grade, they turned us lose in the library for one English class and we were to explore and find our subject--and then I think we had to complete our thesis for our homework.

 

[Sagginit]

lisa loves pooh summed up a lot of the advice i was going to give.
is there a list of things to avoid? teachers tire of things that are always controversial, peace in the mideast, abortion, gun control etc. i would steer clear of things that are constantly being debated...as long as you have enough research you can argue anything. keep in mind if you pick literature not only will she have to read the research but the novels too....im not encouraging the easy way out im saying you need to think about all aspects of the topic. on the other hand i once based a paper on a few of my favorite novels that had a common theme. finding research is key, if you have no articles to back up your p.o.v. its a nightmare, i learned that the hard way.
happy brainstorming!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

How about states rights and the 10th amendment?

Its a current topic that many 8th graders wouldn't think to use. There is a long history of the "give and take" between states and the Federal government, plus a lot of current information from several states wanting to take back sovereignty due to "unfunded" mandates. This spills into many policy debates including healthcare and immigration.

 

[Cindy B]

First make sure there are no "banned" topics.

I know my son did his 8th grade project on extreme sports..how dangerous can it be? What risks do athletes take? How do extreme sports (skydiving on a surfboard for example) change other similar sports?

Topics I have seen include:

Gun control
Abortion - my 7th garde daughter just did a paper on this. A local abortion clinic expanded and many protests were in our paper/local news.

Cell phone use
Search and seizure in high schools
Use of passive alcohol screeners in high schools
Metal detector use in high school
Elimination of programs in school
Uniforms in school
Gender based education

 

[disneymarie]

In college I did one on cyberbulling, but it could apply to her age also,
The research especially peer reviewed documents from Canada are plentiful and the teacher would find it interesting choice for her.

I use to ask my parents to brain storm with me, often it was not their topic I choose, but got me on the thought process when the field was too large to start...
Good luck.