Homework is at the same time frustrating, as it is necessary. Not even the cruelest day job causes you to work for 8hrs per day, and then gives you assignments that must be done at home, on your own time. Are those 8 hours not enough trouble?
Regardless of the hassle, homework is important because only repetition and repeated application are good ways to develop a skill set.
But not all homework is created the same. Admittedly, some assignments are just meant to keep you busy, while others are excellent for practicing what you’ve learned in class. Judging by how many people are Googling easy essay topics and informative essay ideas, teachers are fond of assigning these papers to their students.
Why essays?
Essays are in many ways, the perfect homework assignment. Most teachers realize that almost everyone can find informational writing ideas and present a decent paper. However, essays leave room for the astute to shine; the whole “easy to start, hard to master” difficulty curve.
First, you have to make a list of good informative essay topics and narrow down the selection.
If you are wondering what an informative essay implies: the name is suggestive. It should be a paper written in an informative and argumentative manner. Even those who need help writing essays for college and buy their papers online, usually present assignments containing an intro, a few arguments/points, and a closing statement.
Most teachers will leave the assignment intentionally vague. This can be confusing for the student if he/she does not know what to write. If you look past this uneasy feeling, you will appreciate the freedom that such a task offers.
You are not restricted to an iron-clad structure in which every point must be mentioned and covered. If the subject is not specified, then you are the true subject. Your teacher is not interested in the topic itself, but in your ability to research, write, and present an argument.
You could talk about how to grow spinach or how to make a sandwich and it would still be valid. The way you craft your arguments is being evaluated.
Let’s look at a possible list of topics, depending on the academic level of the student.
Middle-school
One of the reasons why most middle-schoolers are bored out of their mind is that everyone underestimates them. They are smarter than they are given credit for. Also, due to the prevalence of videos, podcasts, and audiobooks, your average middle schooler has listened to thousands of hours of conversation.
There’s a reason why reading to your kids before bedtime is used as shorthand for good parenting. It helps the brain to form pathways when it comes to communication. Today’s modern generation is much more articulate than previous generations.
The challenge is to find informative topics to write for middle school, that can capture their attention and pique their interest.
- Basic logic. Even adults get this wrong. People think that logic is something you are born with, as a consequence of being smart. That is wrong.
Although you can use intuition to reach some logical conclusion, logic is a subject with rules, similar to math and biology.
- How social media can be used for good (although it often is not).
- How computers work
- How to learn more efficiently
- Good jobs that nobody heard about
- Why are there seasons?
- What were the first animals to be domesticated?
- Is Math useful in real life?
- Why working hard allows you to play harder.
- Just about everything related to the Ocean. Can’t go wrong with that one.
High school
In a high school level program, you can still get away with observational and experimental essays. You can ponder a question and then observe or research the answer. Given these parameters, it is good to focus on natural phenomena.
Good informative essay topics for High-School include:
- Collective hive creatures in the insect world, i.e., observing all you can about ant hills, termite mounds, and beehives.
- Electricity, lightning, and electromagnetism.
- Desalinization, or writing about the tech used to remove salt from seawater and make it drinkable.
- Terraforming Mars
- Motion, energy, and how these two are interchangeable
- Renewable energy options
- How germs work
- Choose a local manufacturing company and write about their process.
- “What if?” scenarios in history.
- How Education Has Changed During the Pandemic
- Write about how to live close to the land, i.e., survivalism and hunter-gatherer lifestyles.
College-level
In terms of informative essay topics for college students, the scope broadens. There is also a higher standard of proof, writing, and argumentation. You can’t get away with finding a mostly researched topic and putting it in your own words.
- How the brain can be enhanced via repetition
- Do a case study about freelance online writers, and how they make their living
- Write “how-to” guides about the student experience. This can range from describing college social life, to better organizing one’s lesson plans.
- If you live in a country that has fraternities, describe how to get into one. Most are familiar with the pop-culture version of the real thing.
- Write a general guide on athletics programs. Meanwhile, pepper the article with information about health, risks, and the sports themselves.
- Write about the application process in all of its forms. Be it submitting resumes for jobs, college application letters, and everything in between.
- This may sound strange, but you can write an essay on how to write essays.
- Write expert writing reviews.
- Write about the history of your college or a specific department/area of study.
- A financial guide to student life. Rivers of ink can be written on this one. You can explain where to find the cheapest and healthiest foods such as beans, eggs, milk, and rice. Many people are not aware of couponing, meal preparation, and other methods that can be used to spare themselves from paying to order food.
Conclusion
Overall, finding a topic for an informative essay is not that difficult. Your teacher lets you choose for a reason. So, take advantage of the situation and select something that interests you. If you can find something you like, it won’t even seem like hard work.
