5 persuasive writing prompts about heading to college

High school students heading off to college have a multitude of decisions and considerations to make regarding their transition into adult life.  

For many heading of to college will be a major point of consideration and discussion with parents and peers.

I hope these persuasive writing prompts for high school students heading off to college encourage them to put their ideas into an organised manner. 

Prompt 1) Many other countries including: England, Australia and New Zealand, encourage students to take a year off to travel and explore the world before going to college. While not a mainstay in American culture, this "gap-year" movement is beginning to take hold. Do you feel that it is a good idea for students to take a year off between high school and college? Or should they go straight into college following high school?

Prompt 2) You have just gotten into your dream school, the problem is that your family was pushing you to go to a different school. Which school do you go to and why? Site specific examples.

Prompt 3) More and more students are planning on living off-campus their first year of college. Do you plan on living on or off campus for your freshman year of college? Why? 

Prompt 4) A close friend of yours is interested in pursuing a career in a specific trade craft. Do you think they should go to a trade school that specializes in teaching that craft or should they go to a traditional college that offers that craft as a major? Write a letter to convince them to attend the school of your choice above.

Prompt 5) Your guidance counselor is asking for you to defend your choice of major. Write a detailed argument outlining why you are choosing to pursue that particular major. If you are still undecided in what major you are pursuing, write a detailed argument explaining why you haven't made that particular decision yet. 

Please feel free to contribute more below. 

5 persuasive writing prompts about war

The unjust russian invasion of ukraine has higlhighted the lies of a dictator and the suffering of his victims on both sides.

Is war ever justified?  Has there ever been a successful war?  Does war save or spend innocent lives?

War is certainly one of the most complex issues humanity has ever faced, but in saying that we have been pursuing it since we could raise a fist in anger. 

We see images from all around the world every night that highlight man's injustice toward each other. 

Your students will enjoy these five persuasive writing prompts about war in forming an educated opinion about an issue in which so many have laid down their lives for.

 Prompt 1) In several counties, citizens are expected to serve in the national military. Even in America, we have only recently abandoned the draft and the ordinance of mandatory military service. Do you believe we should institute similar mandatory military service requirements for our citizenry? Why or why not?

Prompt 2) Do you believe the US should launch a preliminary strike against Iran? Why or why not?

Prompt 3) Many great philosophers have likened war to being a cowardly way to face a problem. Do you agree with these philosophers? Why or why not?

Prompt 4) One of your friends has been approached by a recruiter for the Army and has asked you for your advice on whether or not they should join. Do you tell him to enlist? Be sure to give them reasons why you feel they should/should not enlist.

Prompt 5) As America's capitalist system becomes more dependent on global markets for stability, many have stipulated that fewer wars will be fought. Do you agree or disagree with this assumption? Why or why not? 

Please feel free to suggest some more below

5 persuasive writing prompts about drugs

Drugs have always been a meaty topic for high school and college students as they are at an age when they are becoming aware of the social and health issues associated with drug use but also surrounded by the confusing messages from music, films and social media that drugs are "cool."

These persuasive writing prompts will certainly require your students to do some research to form an educated opinion about issues surrounding drug use.

Remember that if you are looking for more great free resources and structured guides to teaching all aspects of English especially writing be sure to visit literacyideas.com

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Prompt 1) In order to crack down on drug use and distribution in schools, many high schools have begun to conduct targeted searches of student lockers, backpacks and other "personal" properties. Keeping in mind that the Supreme Court has ruled these types of searches as constitutional, do you feel that this is still a violation of student rights? Or, do you think that since the school is ultimately responsible for the well-being of it’s students, they should have the right to conduct these searches in the effort of keeping the student body safe?

Prompt 2) With more professional and college athletes being drug-tested, do you feel that High School athletes should be subjected to regularly drug tests?

Prompt 3) Should marijuana be legalized? Site your position and specific examples that support this decision. Simply "because I like it," is not an example.

Prompt 4) Medical Marijuana has been legalized in California for some time now. Do you feel that it is okay for the State to decide that marijuana should be regulated and distributed any other prescription drug, or do you feel that this should be a decision made on the Federal level, and California should step inline with the rest of the country?

Prompt 5) Do you think law enforcement agencies and government officials spend too much time and energy focusing on marijuana instead of other drugs (heroin, cocaine,  meth, etc…)

How to write a great essay in ten simple steps

Thanks to literacyideas.com for these great tips for parents, teachers and students about writing essays.  Many students get anxious about how to approach an essay, but these ten tips will make it a logical and simple process.

Remember that if you are looking for more great free resources and structured guides to teaching all aspects of English especially writing be sure to visit literacyideas.com

If you would like some great essay topic suggestions be sure to check our recommendations here.

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1.   Examine the essay question carefully

o   Highlight key words.

o   Use the dictionary to check the meaning of any unfamiliar words.

o   Identify the task words that indicate what needs to be done, eg ‘discuss', ‘explain', ‘compare'.

o   Identify the topic words that indicate the particular subject of the essay, eg the character of ‘Juliet' in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the ‘causes' of World War 1.

o   Identify any limiting words that restrict the discussion to a particular area, eg in ‘Chapters 1-3', during the ‘nineteenth century'.

2.   Finalize any necessary reading or research as background to the essay

o   Be selective: use sources which are relevant and accessible.

o   Write notes in your own words.

o   Write down quotations that may be particularly useful, but ensure the source of these quotes is acknowledged if they're used.

o   Take note of sources so they can be provided in footnotes and the bibliography.

3.   Brainstorm your ideas in response to the question

o   Jot down any relevant points.

o   Make note of any relevant evidence or quotes that come to mind.

o   Use a mind map to help stimulate lateral thinking.

4.   Construct a thesis (idea/argument) that encapsulates the response to the question

o   The thesis should be a statement that strongly expresses the overall response to the question.

o   Avoid a thesis that's too simplistic – show thought has been put into some of the complexities behind the question.

o   The thesis is the backbone of the essay – it will be stated in the introduction. It also needs to be referred to several times in the essay before restating it and demonstrating how it has been proven in the conclusion.

5.   Write a plan for the response

o   Order ideas in a logical sequence.

o   Make sure every point in the plan is relevant to the question.

o   After the plan has been written it should be clear where the essay is going. 

6.   Write the introduction

o   Open up the discussion.

o   Introduce the thesis.

o   Indicate how the questions will be answered.

o   Name any texts to be discussed, if appropriate.

o   Engage the reader.

7.   Write the main body of the essay

o   Ensure each point is given a new paragraph.

o   Use words or phrases at the start of each paragraph that will indicate to the reader how it relates to the previous paragraph, eg, 'however', ‘in addition', ‘nevertheless', ‘moreover'.

o   Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly links the paragraph to the rest of the essay, eg "A striking example of Gary Crew's use of light and darkness imagery to suggest notions of knowledge and ignorance occurs in the scene on the jetty".

o   Provide supporting evidence for each point that you make.

o   Revisit the thesis, and express it in different ways if possible, to emphasise how the question is being addressed. 

8.   Write your essay conclusion

o   Summarise the main ideas.

o   Demonstrate how you have proven your thesis.

o   Finish with an interesting or thought-provoking, but relevant, comment.

9.   Edit the draft

o   Check for spelling, punctuation and grammar.

o   Delete any sections that are not particularly relevant.

o   Change vocabulary to improve expression.

o   Seek feedback from peers or a teacher before writing the final copy.

10.                  Write the final copy

o   Add any footnotes or bibliography if required.

o   Present a clean, neat copy.

o   Submit on time.

Because of Winn Dixie Study Guide

​Synopsis of the Novel:

A 10-year-old girl, abandoned by her mother when she was three, moves to a small town in Florida with her father, a preacher. While there, she adopts a stray dog whom she names after the local supermarket where he was found. With her goofy pooch by her side, she meets an eclectic group of townspeople and rekindles an almost lost relationship with her father.

We have a study guide for students reading the novel.  It is an excellent resource for students to enrich their understanding of the novel as they read through it.

Download it here

Dan Ackland submitted this lesson plan and earned cash for it.  You too can earn cash for your teaching ideas right now by clicking here.

*Please note all of our documents are originally designed using high resolution images and fonts at A3 paper size.

Be aware it will be automatically resized to your default paper size when using Adobe Acrobat Reader without any loss of quality. If you would like to print these documents at larger sizes you can read the Adobe Resize & Scaling FAQ here.

Fact and Opinion Worksheets for Students

A fact is something that is true or can be proven. An opinion is your feelings or how someone else feels about a particular topic. 

These worksheets will greatly assist students in understanding the difference between fact and opinion.​

Download worksheet 1 here.​

Download worksheet 2 here.​

Dan Ackland submitted this lesson plan and earned cash for it.  You too can earn cash for your teaching ideas right now by clicking here.

*Please note all of our documents are originally designed using high resolution images and fonts at A3 paper size.

Be aware it will be automatically resized to your default paper size when using Adobe Acrobat Reader without any loss of quality. If you would like to print these documents at larger sizes you can read the Adobe Resize & Scaling FAQ here.

We recommend laminating them for best results.

Finally if you would like to purchase a completely editable version of this document to alter without any restrictions you can purchase it for $10.00 simply by emailing us.

Literacy Task: Making Predictions

This activity gets students to make logical predictions about what might happen next in a passage of text based on information pulled from the text and what we already know.

Download the activity here.​

Dan Ackland submitted this lesson plan and earned cash for it.  You too can earn cash for your teaching ideas right now by clicking here.

*Please note all of our documents are originally designed using high resolution images and fonts at A3 paper size.

Be aware it will be automatically resized to your default paper size when using Adobe Acrobat Reader without any loss of quality. If you would like to print these documents at larger sizes you can read the Adobe Resize & Scaling FAQ here.

We recommend laminating them for best results.

Finally if you would like to purchase a completely editable version of this document to alter without any restrictions you can purchase it for $10.00 simply by emailing us.

Teach Students how to summarize in their own words

This 30 slide presentation is a great resource for teaching students the skills required to summarize ideas in their own words.

It goes through a number of logical processes and highlights important skills in summarizing text.

Click here to download the PowerPoint.​

Dan Ackland submitted this lesson plan and earned cash for it.  You too can earn cash for your teaching ideas right now by clicking here.

*Please note all of our documents are originally designed using high resolution images and fonts at A3 paper size.

Be aware it will be automatically resized to your default paper size when using Adobe Acrobat Reader without any loss of quality. If you would like to print these documents at larger sizes you can read the Adobe Resize & Scaling FAQ here.

We recommend laminating them for best results.

Finally if you would like to purchase a completely editable version of this document to alter without any restrictions you can purchase it for $10.00 simply by emailing us.