Argumentative Research Paper: Potential Topics

1. Writing and Standardized Tests

There is an onslaught of standardized testing assaulting both time to teach and content taught in the modern classroom. Where does writing fit into the testing scenario? Should teachers focus primarily on the teaching of skills essential for writing tests, including college entrance subtests? Is there room for creative writing? Are the skills needed for test writing applicable to professional and academic writing as well? And given the context of endless testing, large class sizes, and accountability standards, how does a teacher teach lifelong writing skills?

2. Engaging the Reluctant Writer

Students enter high school with a wide range of abilities and interest (or lack thereof) in writing, and yet writing is an essential component of almost every course they take. How can a teacher empower reluctant writers to be engaged in the learning process rather than merely squeaking through with poorly written, poorly conceptualized papers? How can one make writing come alive for a student who struggles to write a simple sentence?

3. Grammar Skills – Integration or Isolation?

Should Grammar be taught as a stand-alone skill, or should it be taught informally through the writing process? Should it be a primarily emphasis of the teaching of English, or have current word processing programs and internet searches made it an increasingly archaic remnant of days gone by?