First Year Seminar: Choosing a Topic

This activity was developed with generic resources that may not pertain to your students' discipline areas or assignments. All of the worksheets and handouts are in editable formats (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) and you are welcome to customize the content to meet your needs.

If you have questions about choosing subject-specific resources, or have an idea but aren't sure how to change the activity to suit, ask a friendly librarian!

This lesson provides a series of prompts and exercises to get students brainstorming research topics that interest them, a brief introduction to some initial sources they can use to gather enough details to create their research question (thesis). The students, working alone or in groups, complete worksheets (at right) that encourage them to explore library databases and narrow their topics. They then can share their topics with the class if time allows.

Time Required

• Option 1: 50 minutes
  • 15 minutes to walk through the process with a sample topic
    
  • 35 minutes to develop topic ideas in-class (might not have time to develop all four research questions)
• Option 2: 50 minutes
  • Homework assignment to develop research questions (complete worksheet)
  • 15 minutes for groups to discuss how their topics with one another and brainstorm their questions with one another.
    
  • 20 minutes to demonstrate the topic-finding process and reference databases using a demo computer and projector
  • 15 minutes for groups to pick one of their research topics and refine their question using the tools shown.
    

Required Equipment

• One computer for each student. (only necessary for Option 1)
• One computer for each group (if Option 2)
  
• One demonstration computer (connected to a projection system).
• Enough worksheets so each student gets a copy.

Research Tools Used

• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• CQ Researcher
• Points of View Reference Center
  

Worksheet

• Using the worksheets provided, students will brainstorm 3-4 plausible topics for a research paper and narrow them, using library reference sources, to a research question or thesis they could possibly use for a future assignment.
• The worksheet is very generic. Feel free to switch some of the databases in your Talking Points to those that are directly related to the discipline area the students are studying.

Session Details

• Introduction
  • Indicate what students will be doing and why you are asking them to do it (they can repeat this process anytime they need to find a topic for a paper).
  • If Option 2 (students have already completed the worksheet) break students into groups of no more than 4 students and ask them to share their topic ideas with one another.
• Demonstration
  
  • Select a sample topic.
    • Ask the class to call out one of their topics (if Option 2), or to name a current event or a topic that interests them. If Option 1, appoint a "volunteer" to write down everyone's suggestions, since they will need them later.
      
    • Have a few topics in mind in case the group struggles with choosing one.
  • Introduce 1 or more of the reference tools in your Talking Points (Gale, CQ Researcher, or Points of View).
    • Show the sample topic in a search performed on the database and skim the results list.
      
    • Discuss the results with the class and write down potential terms to narrow the search. If you have time, toggle back and forth with the worksheet and edit it "live" to show how students can use terms from their results list to fill out the W's on their worksheet.
      
  • Ask students to work with the narrowing terms you've identified to call out some possible research questions. Write down one (or more!) of the suggested research questions and emphasize that there is not just one "good" question for any topic.
    
  • Remind students they can get additional help at the library.
    
• In-Class Brainstorm
  
  • Make sure each student has a worksheet, if Option 1.
    
  • As the students get started with their worksheets, "float" around the room and volunteer help if anyone gets stuck.
    
  • If Option 2, encourage the groups to pick one of their topics that is still "fuzzy" or broad and use one of the reference tools together to see if they can come up with narrowing terms.
  • If time allows, have the students share their research questions with the class.
    

Instructor Talking Points

• See the Choosing a Topic Talking Points document at right.