One idea frequently used for topic-based learning is asking the students in the class to draw the topic. For example, if the topic is a fish, the students are asked to draw a fish they have seen in pond, caught while fishing, seen in a movie or read in a book.
Another method used in topic-based learning is a general discussion with the students, allowing those who have knowledge to share it and those who may not have as much understanding to learn more about it. Questions such as "Where does it live?" "What does it eat?" and "How does it go from one place to another?" are discussed to further everyone's knowledge of the subject.
Following a class discussion on the subject, students are asked to find ways to express what they have learned. A few ideas for a project are to draw a future version of the topic or make a diagram. In creating a futuristic version of the subject, students are asked to include the conditions that the subject of discussion may be facing in the future.
For computer-savvy students, starting or joining in a discussion on a forum or blog on the subject can be part of the topic-based approach to learning. This type of contact with others can further increase the students' own knowledge and possibly spark interest in other students who participate.
The detailed characteristics that give the subject its unique abilities can keep a students' attention. For instance, penguins are birds with the inability to fly, yet the fact that they swim so well in the water can be attention-getting. In addition, meaning behind the sayings are associated with a topic can also be fun facts to learn, such as "free as a bird."
Involving students in current issues and events that involve the topic in the classroom can maintain students' interest. For example, if there are limited numbers of an animal species, the students can write letters to local or national officials to discover what they can do to help. The students may try to involve themselves in the local community if possible.
In cases where the students are younger, using fun games illustrating the topic can be helpful. For example, if the subject is pond animals, students can pretend to be the various inhabitants; frogs, bugs, snakes and birds. The students that are frogs begin jumping around like frogs. The students that are bugs and birds would also pretend to fly around, and the students playing the role of the snakes begin slithering around the classroom. This gets the students involved not only mentally on the topic but physically as well.