Trivia topics can engage students in several subjects of common interest. Find trivia topics by simply surfing the Internet, watching television game shows or reading a magazine's trivia section. Ideas can include world wonders such as the world's largest animals, the world's tallest animal or the longest jump. Other trivia can include music like, "Who wrote 'Over the Rainbow?'" or literature trivia like when "From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler largely took place in what museum?" Researching the trivia can lead to other related information like the history behind an author's writing idea or more information on the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Developing a perspective on a topic, and then communicating it with convincing point-of-view, is crucial to the art of writing persuasively. Topics that persuade are often those that students feel the most passionately about, such as "How much television it too much?" or "When are you too young to date?" Homework is always worth investing in persuasively, and topics like "Why homework isn't good for students" can often lead to opposite persuasion, helping students understand the real value of homework through research. Students might also write about current controversial topics, like recycling, war and politics.
Knowing how to follow systematic directions and how to write them out requires both research and expertise. Giving step-by-step directions while teaching others what you're most passionate about can often lead to expanded research topics as students realize just how much they might know about something. "How to Catch a Fish," "How to Train a Dog" or "How to Play Trivia" can all work within how-to topics students can research, organize and articulate in systematic format.
Students enjoy various hobbies, and interacting with peers can often pique curiosity about some of their favorite pastimes. "Funny things to do after school" and "Magic tricks at home" can open students to more intelligent research. For instance, home-based magic tricks can lead students to learn about physics involved with optical illusions and help them understand complex concepts by using fun topics. Simple Internet research can lead to answers as well as open students to expanded information on topics of high interest to them, and of immediate relevance to their own lives.