Persuasive Essay Topics:

We should (should not) have school uniforms
Pets should be allowed in school.
There should be no homework.
The school day should be shorter.
Children should be able to use cellphones in school.
I should get an allowance
I should be able to go to bed when I want.
I should be allowed to have a pet (or another pet!).
I should be able to stay at home on my own.
Everyone should have to exercise every day.
We should all grow our own food.
School should be outdoors

Journal Questions:

I wish my teachers knew that . . .
What’s the most beautiful person, place, or thing you’ve ever seen? Share what makes that person, place, or thing so special.
Which is better, giant muscles or incredible speed? Why?
What is your most difficult subject in school? Why is it difficult? What can you do to get better at that subject?
Describe a scary situation that you’ve experienced.
What is your first memory? Describe it.
You wake up tomorrow with a silly superpower that makes you famous. What is that silly power? How does it lead to your becoming an international superstar?
Are you a good loser? Explain.
What are examples of things you want versus things you need?
Last Friday, you were given one wish by a magical panda. You tried so hard to make the wish positive, but after the whacked-out events that unfolded over the weekend, you regret ever meeting that tricky panda. What did you ask for, and what happened?
What things do all kids know that adults do not?
What TV or movie characters do you wish were real? Why?
Which classmate would be the best to lead us through a zombie apocalypse? Why?
What real-life situations would work out better for you if you were a different gender? Why?
If the internet were to crash forever, what would the benefits be for you? The drawbacks?
What three features should your future house have? Why?
Describe yourself to someone that doesn’t know you at all.
How will the world be different 50 years from now?
If you were Prime Minister, how would you change our country?
If you starred in a television show about your life, what would the show be called? What genre would it be? (Examples: comedy, drama, thriller, romance, action-adventure, fantasy, superhero, soap opera, reality, game show, space adventure, Western, tragedy, etc.) Summarize the plot of an episode.
In the future, what extreme sports will people be talking about?
You get to take one book, one food item, and one famous person (living or dead) to a deserted island. What and who do you take? Why?
Write a powerfully supportive email to yourself 10 years from now.
You have been selected to be the principal of your school. What are five rules that every kid should follow at your school? What should the punishment be for rule breakers?
What do the friends you hang out with most have in common? How are you most like them? How are you different from them?
What contributes to someone becoming a bully? What can help stop someone from bullying?
Do you make friends slowly or quickly? Describe how one of your important friendships evolved.
Should we fear failure? Explain.
If a wizard could tell you anything about your future, what would you most like to know?
Do you believe in luck? Are you superstitious? How so? If not, why do you think some people are?

Story Starters:

She ran down the trail, her dog, Gerard, several feet ahead of her. A gust of wind ripped through the forest and a loud crack on her left caught her attention. She watched the tree fall, then turned back to the trail, but Gerard was gone…
The light started to flicker, first blue, then white. I looked around for a way out, but I was trapped. I guess I’d have to resort to the back up plan…
The footprints in the snow were fresh. They veered off the path and into the woods. I had to make a choice. It was now or never.
I tiptoed down the stairs of the prison. I had to break her out of here before…
It was really hot that day, so I went to my favourite lake. I was about to jump into the cool water, when a big splash in the middle of the lake sent ripples over the water. Something was in there. Something…
My sister and I entered the fairgrounds suspiciously. The note we’d found had said that the mystery person would be here at five, and it was half past four. We weren’t taking any chances. We had to find him before…
Ellen squeezed down the narrow aisle of the plane looking for row M. She stuffed her backpack under the seat in front of her with her feet and buckled up. As the plane lifted off the ground, the pilot welcome them aboard their flight to Iceland. Wait, what? This wasn’t the flight to…?
I walked out of the interview, still holding my breath. This was my dream job and I was afraid that the smallest of breaths would cause me to wake up. I exited the building and a little girl approached me. “The job’s yours,” she said, somewhat prophetically. “All you have to do is…”
Last night, I was taking a nap on the couch when the phone rang. When I answered it, the voice on the other end said, “Will you accept a collect call from Brazil?” I started to panic, was this the call John has warned me about? I answered it with trepidation…
It was my seventeenth birthday, and I’d been planning the party for months. Everything was perfect: the decorations were over the top, the food catered by my favourite restaurant, every cool kid in school was there. The only problem? I was stuck in…
The shelves in the used bookstore climbed higher than I could see, I’d never seen so many books before in my life. I climbed the rolling ladder to get a better look. Just then, a woman approached and held out a thick, red leather-bound tome. “This is one you seek,” she called out to me. “Look no further. This one will…
I was sitting at a bus stop when a little girl came up to me and gave me a small box. It started trembling in my hands but when I looked up to ask her what it was, she’d disappeared.
I tiptoed into the haunted house, looking both ways to see what was in it. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw…
I was about to enter my house when I saw a little dog running down the street toward the busy intersection. There was nobody with him. Without thinking, I took off after him and…
A loud crash sent me thundering down the stairs to the kitchen. Wolf, my rottweiler was greedily licking lasagna off the tiled floor. Not unusual in and of itself, but what caught my eye was the shiny silver thing glinting underneath the tomato sauce. Was that what I thought it was?...
It was well past dark and I was the last person in the library. It was eerily quiet, except for a faint tapping sound coming from the next aisle. I moved cautiously toward the end of the row and peeked my head around the corner...
I was running out of time. They’d said they’d give me until sundown, and that was only a few hours away. I had to...
That’s odd, I thought to myself as I reached the next landing and glanced up at the next set of stairs. I don’t remember there being another set of stairs here before. Is this what the old man was talking about when he said…
The computer beeped again. It was now pinging six times per minute. Whoever was sending these messages was getting impatient, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out why.
I woke up yesterday in a tree, without even a sweater to keep me dry. The weird thing is…

We should (should not) have school uniforms

Pets should be allowed in school.

There should be no homework.

The school day should be shorter.

Children should be able to use cellphones in school.

I should get an allowance

I should be able to go to bed when I want.

I should be allowed to have a pet (or another pet!).

I should be able to stay at home on my own.

Everyone should have to exercise every day.

We should all grow our own food.

School should be outdoors

I wish my teachers knew that . . .

What’s the most beautiful person, place, or thing you’ve ever seen? Share what makes that person, place, or thing so special.

Which is better, giant muscles or incredible speed? Why?

What is your most difficult subject in school? Why is it difficult? What can you do to get better at that subject?

Describe a scary situation that you’ve experienced.

What is your first memory? Describe it.

You wake up tomorrow with a silly superpower that makes you famous. What is that silly power? How does it lead to your becoming an international superstar?

Are you a good loser? Explain.

What are examples of things you want versus things you need?

Last Friday, you were given one wish by a magical panda. You tried so hard to make the wish positive, but after the whacked-out events that unfolded over the weekend, you regret ever meeting that tricky panda. What did you ask for, and what happened?

What things do all kids know that adults do not?

What TV or movie characters do you wish were real? Why?

Which classmate would be the best to lead us through a zombie apocalypse? Why?

What real-life situations would work out better for you if you were a different gender? Why?

If the internet were to crash forever, what would the benefits be for you? The drawbacks?

What three features should your future house have? Why?

Describe yourself to someone that doesn’t know you at all.

How will the world be different 50 years from now?

If you were Prime Minister, how would you change our country?

If you starred in a television show about your life, what would the show be called? What genre would it be? (Examples: comedy, drama, thriller, romance, action-adventure, fantasy, superhero, soap opera, reality, game show, space adventure, Western, tragedy, etc.) Summarize the plot of an episode.

In the future, what extreme sports will people be talking about?

You get to take one book, one food item, and one famous person (living or dead) to a deserted island. What and who do you take? Why?

Write a powerfully supportive email to yourself 10 years from now.

You have been selected to be the principal of your school. What are five rules that every kid should follow at your school? What should the punishment be for rule breakers?

What do the friends you hang out with most have in common? How are you most like them? How are you different from them?

What contributes to someone becoming a bully? What can help stop someone from bullying?

Do you make friends slowly or quickly? Describe how one of your important friendships evolved.

Should we fear failure? Explain.

If a wizard could tell you anything about your future, what would you most like to know?

Do you believe in luck? Are you superstitious? How so? If not, why do you think some people are?

She ran down the trail, her dog, Gerard, several feet ahead of her. A gust of wind ripped through the forest and a loud crack on her left caught her attention. She watched the tree fall, then turned back to the trail, but Gerard was gone…

The light started to flicker, first blue, then white. I looked around for a way out, but I was trapped. I guess I’d have to resort to the back up plan…

The footprints in the snow were fresh. They veered off the path and into the woods. I had to make a choice. It was now or never.

I tiptoed down the stairs of the prison. I had to break her out of here before…

It was really hot that day, so I went to my favourite lake. I was about to jump into the cool water, when a big splash in the middle of the lake sent ripples over the water. Something was in there. Something…

My sister and I entered the fairgrounds suspiciously. The note we’d found had said that the mystery person would be here at five, and it was half past four. We weren’t taking any chances. We had to find him before…

Ellen squeezed down the narrow aisle of the plane looking for row M. She stuffed her backpack under the seat in front of her with her feet and buckled up. As the plane lifted off the ground, the pilot welcome them aboard their flight to Iceland. Wait, what? This wasn’t the flight to…?

I walked out of the interview, still holding my breath. This was my dream job and I was afraid that the smallest of breaths would cause me to wake up. I exited the building and a little girl approached me. “The job’s yours,” she said, somewhat prophetically. “All you have to do is…”

Last night, I was taking a nap on the couch when the phone rang. When I answered it, the voice on the other end said, “Will you accept a collect call from Brazil?” I started to panic, was this the call John has warned me about? I answered it with trepidation…

It was my seventeenth birthday, and I’d been planning the party for months. Everything was perfect: the decorations were over the top, the food catered by my favourite restaurant, every cool kid in school was there. The only problem? I was stuck in…

I was sitting at a bus stop when a little girl came up to me and gave me a small box. It started trembling in my hands but when I looked up to ask her what it was, she’d disappeared.

I tiptoed into the haunted house, looking both ways to see what was in it. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw…

I was about to enter my house when I saw a little dog running down the street toward the busy intersection. There was nobody with him. Without thinking, I took off after him and…

A loud crash sent me thundering down the stairs to the kitchen. Wolf, my rottweiler was greedily licking lasagna off the tiled floor. Not unusual in and of itself, but what caught my eye was the shiny silver thing glinting underneath the tomato sauce. Was that what I thought it was?...

It was well past dark and I was the last person in the library. It was eerily quiet, except for a faint tapping sound coming from the next aisle. I moved cautiously toward the end of the row and peeked my head around the corner...

I was running out of time. They’d said they’d give me until sundown, and that was only a few hours away. I had to...

That’s odd, I thought to myself as I reached the next landing and glanced up at the next set of stairs. I don’t remember there being another set of stairs here before. Is this what the old man was talking about when he said…

The computer beeped again. It was now pinging six times per minute. Whoever was sending these messages was getting impatient, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out why.

I woke up yesterday in a tree, without even a sweater to keep me dry. The weird thing is…