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List of 75 Essay Topic Ideas For Middle School Students

Middle school students have learned how to write and are only too willing to show off their writing. Writing their ideas on paper is one way they can express what they feel on the inside. As a teacher, it is your duty to encourage them by giving them essays to write. However, you may be lacking in inspiration with essay topics ideas for middle school students. You don’t have to worry about that any longer. In this article, you will be getting 75 essay topic ideas for middle school students. So, continue reading!

Essay Topic Ideas For Middle School Students

• What Are The Benefits of Technology To Education?
• Should School Cafeteria Serve Only Vegetables?
• Is Fast Food Just As Safe As Homemade Food?
• Why Should People Stop Taking Soda?
• What Can Students Do To Improve Their Grades?
• Why More Time Should Be Allocated To Sports In Schools
• Discuss Your Understanding of Democracy
• Describe The President of Your Country
• Is It Possible For Virtual Friends To Become Real-life Friends?
• Does Social Media Help Improve Mental Health?
• Should Education Be Tuition-free?
• Homeschooling vs Virtual Learning: Which One Should Stay?
• Do Students Have Too Much Access To The Internet?
• In What Ways Can Bullying Be Curbed?
• Why Are Sports Part of The School Curriculum?
• Should Students Engage In All Types of Sports?
• Write About Your Understanding of Democracy
• Write About Three of the World’s Most-Democratic Leaders
• What Is Healthy Competition For Middle School Students?
• What Punishment Is The Most Suitable For Bullies In Schools?
• What Are The Top Three Countries You Would Like To Visit?
• Should Children Be Taught How To Pray In Schools?
• What Do You Think About Tattoos and Piercings?
• How Can Parents Help Their Children To Do Better In Schoolwork?
• Is Homework Necessary For Students?
• Can A Middle Schooler Decide To Be A Vegan?
• Can A Middle Schooler Learn How To Drive?
• What Is The Most Embarrassing Thing That Has Ever Happened To You?
• What Was The Happiest Day of Your Life?
• What Was The Saddest Day of Your Life?
• Discuss Your Experience At The Gym
• Discuss The First Time You Learned How To Swim
• Discuss The First Day You Went Hiking
• Write About Your Experience With Your First Pet
• How Did Getting Your Personal Computer Feel Like?
• What Is That Smell You Will Never Forget?
• What Incident Scared You The Most?
• Write About Your Role Models
• Which Celebrity Will You Like To Meet?
• What Do You Think About Alien Invasion?
• Describe A Typical Day In Your Life
• Write About Your Favourite Parent
• Write About Your Favourite Food
• Should Middle School Students Be On Social Media?
• What Do You Know About Cyber-bullying?
• Write About Your Favourite Song
• Write About Your Favourite Instrument To Play
• Write About Your Favourite Movie
• Write About The Day You Met Your Best Friend
• Write About The Day You Got Sick
• Describe Your Experience At A Bank
• Describe Your Experience At A Zoo
• Describe Your Experience At A Beach
• Describe Your Experience With Your First Flight
• Write About How To Take Care of A Pet Dog
• Write About How To Take Care of A Pet Cat
• Should More Teenagers Be Involved In Tech?
• Write A Step-by-Step Method On How To Cook Your Favourite Meal
• What Can Your School Do To Get Rid of Bullying?
• Should Middle Schoolers Be Allowed To Talk About Politics In Schools?
• What Do You Understand About Peer Pressure?
• Should Middle School Students Be Stopped From Using A Cell Phone?
• What Is The Biggest Problem Facing Middle School Students?
• Why Are Uniforms So Important To Schools?
• Write About A Famous Ideology You Disagree With
• What Is The Best Thing About Middle School?
• What Is The Worst Thing About Middle School?
• If You Were To Be A Fantasy Animal, What Type of Animal Would That Be?
• Write About Your Life As A Middle Schooler
• Write A Letter To Your Role Model
• Write About What You Think Of Racial Discrimination
• Write About The Holiday You Love The Most
• Write About Your Favourite Toy
• What Would You Like To Study In College
• Write About Friendships

How To Write A Middle School Essay

The structure for a middle school essay is simple; it consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. As a teacher, you should guide your students on how to write these. The introduction of the essay should provide an idea of what the student wants to write about and the conclusion should summarize all that the student has written. The body paragraphs should have a natural flow of the student’s ideas. While this may be easy for most students, as a teacher, you should expect that not all students will get this right. Thus, it becomes your duty to help them.

Coming up with essay topics for middle schoolers can be mentally tasking. Thankfully, with this article, there are 75 different topics to choose from!

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94 Argumentative Essay Topics For Middle School: Protocols, Health, Politics, And More

January 4, 2024 //  by  Brittany Ray

Middle schoolers are always ready for a feisty debate and to argue their points! This list of excellent argumentative essay topics for middle school is sure to give your students the practice they need in getting their arguments down on paper, in a persuasive way. With a variety of topics ranging from whether or not to outlaw animal testing to debating a 3-day weekend, this curated collection will give your kiddos lots of fun choices to explore! Take a look and see which topics are sure to spark some interest in your classroom!

School Rules and Policies

1. should cell phones be allowed at school.

2. Should gym class (physical education) be a requirement?

3. Explain why or why not: Should students have homework on weekends?

4. Should the school day be extended in exchange for a long weekend?

5. Do you feel the government should dictate what you get for school lunch?

6. Do you believe brick-and-mortar schools are still necessary for today’s post-pandemic society?

7. Is the student-per-class limit too high?

8. Should high school students be required to take a civics exam before graduation?

9. Should school security be improved?

10. Should students be allowed to use smartwatches during examinations?

11. Should there be a limit to the amount of homework a school can assign to students?

12. Is the traditional grading system effective, or does it need an overhaul?

13. Should schools offer more extracurricular activities to cater to diverse interests?

14. Do schools place too much emphasis on sports and athletes at the expense of academic pursuits?

15. Explain your stance as to whether schools should or should not require students to wear uniforms.

16. Do you believe that school field trips are beneficial or merely recreational?

17. Should students be required to learn a second language starting in middle school?

18. Should the government have the ability to ban certain books in the classroom?

19. Should school cafeterias serve exclusively vegetarian meals to promote health?

20. Should schools have mandatory classes on financial literacy?

21. Should schools have strict policies against cyberbullying?

22. Should schools have mandatory mental health classes and counseling sessions?

23. Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?

24. Should schools have mindfulness and meditation sessions as part of the daily routine?

25. Should schools emphasize more on teaching critical thinking skills rather than just memorizing things?

26. Should there be more emphasis on vocational training in middle school?

27. Should students be taught the dangers of misinformation and “fake news” as part of their curriculum?

28. Should schools introduce mandatory community service as part of the curriculum?

29. Should schools allow students to bring their pets to school?

30. Should schools be allowed to monitor students’ online activities?

31. Should education about global warming and environmental conservation be a mandatory part of the curriculum?

32. Should schools introduce more practical skills courses like basic cooking, sewing, or home repair?

33. Do school dress codes infringe on personal expression?

34. Should middle school students be allowed to bring and use laptops in class?

35. Is homeschooling a better option than traditional schooling for some students?

36. Is learning to write in cursive still a necessary skill in the digital age?

37. Should school libraries invest in more digital resources or in physical books?

38. Should students be taught about controversial historical figures objectively or with a critical lens?

39. Should students have a more significant say in the creation of school rules and policies?

40. Do schools focus too much on college preparation at the expense of life skills?

41. Should parents be held more accountable for their children’s misbehavior at school?

42. Are parent-teacher conferences still effective or have they become outdated?

43. Should middle schools have later start times to accommodate adolescent sleep patterns?

College Admission and Tuition 

44. should excellent grades guarantee a scholarship.

45. Should a college degree earned through online education have the same worth as a degree earned at a brick-and-mortar university?

46. Do you feel art courses should be a required part of earning a college degree?

47. Should college admission criteria be less stringent?

48. Should college athletes be paid?

49. Do you believe that a college education is necessary for everyone?

50. Should public education at the college level be tuition-free?

Health and Wellbeing

51. do parents put too much pressure on their children to excel academically.

52. Should cigarettes be illegal?

53. Should employers have the right to require a Covid-19 vaccine?

54. Is milk beneficial to a person’s health?

55. Are hot dogs bad for you?

56. Do you agree or disagree that parents should be held responsible for childhood obesity?

57. Should the FDA allow GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) in our food?

58. Does the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) do a good job of regulating the production of food?

59. Should junk food advertisements be banned during children’s TV shows?

60. Should students be allowed to take “mental health days” off from school?

Government, Politics, and Civic Responsibilities

61. do you think electronic voting machines make the election procedure fair or unfair.

62. Explain whether or not the Electoral College should be eliminated.

63. Should the government have more say in what is or is not “fake news”?

64. Should a felon have the right to vote?

65. Should all political offices have term limits?

66. Should the voting age be lowered?

67. The moral stain of the slavery of African American people in early American History is undoubtedly present. Do you feel the government promotes hate or love with the way it currently speaks about racism?

68. Should the minimum wage be raised to $15 an hour?

69. Should the government have more strict gun control policies?

70. With the separation of church and state, should churches be exempt from paying taxes?

71. Do you feel undocumented immigrants should be granted all the same rights as naturalized citizens?

72. Have Native American communities been given proper reparations for the United States’ long history of seizing land?

73. Do you think that the government should do more to fight against human trafficking?

Environmental and Moral Issues

74. is climate change something we can truly make a difference with.

75. If protecting the environment is of utmost importance, should bottled water be banned?

76. Should exotic animals be kept in captivity?

77. Explain your stance on whether wind farms are a good or bad idea.

78. Do “participation trophies” diminish the value of real achievement?

79. Should there be harsher punishments for bullying?

80. Explain whether or not animal testing should be outlawed.

81. Should the death penalty exist?

82. Should an individual be able to keep wild animals as pets if they have the means to care for them?

83. Do curfews for teenagers prevent them from getting in trouble or infringe on personal freedom?

84. Is scientific research on cloning DNA ethical?

85. Is daylight saving something the U.S. should keep, or should it be abolished?

86. Should schools ban single-use plastics?

Digital and Media

87. do children currently have too much screen time, and is it harmful.

88. Do you believe that the media and/or social media negatively impact body image among teens?

89. Do social media platforms need stricter age verification processes?

90. Should parents have access to their children’s social media accounts for monitoring purposes?

91. Should parents limit the time their children spend on video games?

92. Should violent video games be banned in the United States?

93. Do violent cartoons and animations impact a child’s behavior negatively?

94. Do video games have educational potential or are they merely distractions?

45 Argumentative Writing Prompts for Middle School

As students make their way through school, the types of writing they do will change—as will the difficulty.

Writing persuasive or argumentative essays and letters is a great skill for students to learn, and a wonderful way to help guide them on proper research techniques so they can view more than one opinion and form their own conclusions.

Below, we’ve put together a list of writing prompts to help students tackle persuasive writing and dig deeper for an opinion.

Using These Prompts

This writing guide can be used as homework or in tandem with your ELA curriculum. The point is to get students to work on their nonfiction writing skills in a way that is fun and engaging.

Here are a few ways you can use the list below:

• Use these prompts for students who finish work early and need something to do.
• To choose a prompt, have students pick a number between 1 and 45.
• Challenge your students to use one writing prompt every day for a full week.
• Pick prompts that line up with what students are learning in other classes (like history or art).
• Have each student pick a prompt for someone else in the class to use.

The Prompts

• Do you think teachers should assign homework over the weekend? Explain.
• Is America ready to have a woman president? Why or why not?
• Should kids have chores? Explain.
•  Should GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) be allowed in our food?
• Is life more challenging for your generation than your parents’ generation at your age? Explain.
• Should gym class be required for all students?
• Do you think your school treats boys and girls equally? Explain.
• Do athletes and actors deserve to make more money than the average worker? Explain.
• Do beauty pageants objectify the participants?
• Should teachers accept late work? Explain.
• Should cell phones be allowed in school? Why?
• Do you think community college should be free? Explain.
• Should schools have harsher punishments for bullies?
• Does snail mail (handwritten cards or letters) still have value in the digital age?
• Do you think parents should limit screen time for their children?
• Should a student’s behavior be a factor in their overall grade in a class?
• Explain your stance on alternative energy.
• Do you think the media puts too much pressure on high school and college athletes?
• At what age do you think kids should be allowed to use social media?
• Do you think Native Americans have had justice for having their land stolen?
• Should the US invest more money in the space program, or should that money be spent elsewhere?
• Does society rely too heavily on technology?
• Should single-use plastics be eliminated entirely?
• Do you think students should be given letter grades, or should classes be graded as pass/fail?
• Explain the benefits of learning a second language.
• Does your school mascot represent your school well?
• If your school mascot could be changed, what would you propose? Why?
• Defend your position on recreational hunting.
• Explain the benefits of going away to summer camp.
• Do you think there is anything we can do about climate change, or is it already too late?
• Explain why students should have more say in what they learn.
• What do you think is the perfect pet?
• Is online learning or in-person learning better? Why?
• How has reality TV had an impact on real life?
• At what age are you old enough to stay home alone?
• Should children be required to attend church with their families? Explain your reasoning.
• Do you think the dress code is harmful or helpful to daily school life?
• Is it better to be liked or to be respected?
• Should school start later for teenagers?
• Should students be required to participate in a sport or extracurricular activity?
• Is the glass half-empty or half-full? Explain.
• Should the United States keep daylight savings time, or do away with it?
• What is something every household should do to conserve energy?
• Should beauty standards be more inclusive?
• What is the greatest song of all time? Explain.

Looking For More Resources?

We offer an abundance of free writing resources for parents, guardians, and teachers to help give young writers the tools they need to succeed.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you are looking for something specific and can’t find it on our site. We love hearing all of your ideas!

• Writing Prompts

150 Writing Prompts For Middle School (+Free Printable)

Make writing fun and easy, with these 150 writing prompts for middle school students. 

The more you write, the better you become at writing. But the problem is not all middle schoolers enjoy writing. There’s always something better to do, playing video games , watching YouTube videos , hanging with friends , lazing about the house – Why bother writing, right? The trick is to understand that even the smallest piece of writing can make a huge difference in a student’s attitude towards writing. 

If you unload too many lengthy assignments, such as writing 1,000 words on topic X or 3,000 about something, something – Writing can seem like a long, boring chore for some students. But if you break it down, and mix it up a bit, then your students have a real chance of actually liking writing for fun. Think of creating small writing tasks that take no longer than around 10 or 15 minutes to complete. As students complete these small tasks with ease, their confidence will grow, eventually turning them into avid young writers.

To help inspire and motivate young writers, we have created this list of 150 quick and easy writing prompts for Middle School students. Keep reading for a free printable writing pack for middle schoolers as well! Here is a quick generator that will generate a random middle school prompt for you:

For more fun writing ideas, check out this list of over 300 writing prompt for kids .

150 Writing Prompts For Middle School Students

This list of prompts is great for whenever your middle-schooler is bored and needs some quick ideas to write about:

• Make a list of at least three different opening lines for this story idea: A space knight living in outer space wants to fight a real fire-breathing dragon.
• Complete this sentence in at least three different ways: When I’m bored, I like to…
• Draw a picture of your dream house, and describe some of the coolest features it has.
• Make a top ten list of the scariest animals in the animal kingdom. You could even write down one scary fact about each animal.
• Write an acrostic poem using the letters that spell z-o-m-b-i-e.
• Describe the scariest monster that you can think of. You could even draw a picture of it.
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: My goal for the next month is to…
• Make a top ten list of your favourite foods of all time. You could even write down one reason for why each food is your favourite.
• Create your own A-Z book or list of monsters. For A is for Abominable Snowman, B is for Bogeyman and so on.
• Research and write down five facts about an endangered species of your choice. Examples of endangered species include the blue whale, giant pandas, snow leopards and tigers.
•  Create a postcard for your local town or city. What picture would you draw on the front? And what message could you include on the back?
• Write an acrostic poem using the letters that spell out your own first name. This poem could be about yourself. 
• Make a top ten list of your favourite movies of all time.
• Make a top ten list of your favourite songs of all time.
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways. When I grow up I want to…
• Which is your favourite season, Winter , Spring , Summer or Autumn? Write a haiku poem about your favourite season.
• Create a party invite for a dinner party at your house. Think about the party theme, entertainment, food and dress code.
• Write down a recipe that uses eggs as one of the ingredients.
• Write a how-to guide on how to take care of a kitten or puppy.
• What do you enjoy doing on the weekends? Start by making a list of activities that you do on the weekend. Then you can pick one to write about in more detail.
• Using a photograph (or one of these picture writing prompts ), write a short caption or description to go alongside it. 
• Imagine you are the owner of a new restaurant. Create a menu of the dishes you will serve at this restaurant. 
• What has been the best part of your day so far? And what has been the worst part of the day?
• Imagine that you have a time machine. What year would you travel to and why?
• If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
• If you could keep one dinosaur as a pet, which dinosaur would you pick and why?
• Write down everything you remember from a recent nightmare that you had. 
• What is your favourite country in the whole wide world? List at least five fun facts about this country.
• Make a list of at least 3 different story ideas about aliens.
• Create a character description of the world’s most evil supervillains.
• What is your greatest achievement to date? What are you most proud of and why?
• Write an action-packed scene that contains the following: A car chase, a lucky pair of socks and a talking parrot.
• What advice would you give to someone who is being bullied? You could make a list of at least three pieces of advice that you might give.
• Imagine you are stuck on a desert island. Write a diary entry of your first day on the island.
• Imagine you are a pirate sailing the seven seas. Talk about the scariest thing you faced while out at sea.
• You just discovered a new planet . Can you describe this new planet in detail? What would you call it? Does any life exist on the planet? What type of climate does it have?
• Would you rather have a magical unicorn as a pet or a fire-breathing dragon?
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: One day I was walking through the forest and discovered…
• Write a letter to your friend about a favourite memory you have of them. You can use the following starter as inspiration: Remember that time…
• Make a list of book title ideas for a story about a girl who can go invisible whenever she wants.
• A talking cat is fast asleep, then suddenly someone wakes it up. Write down a short script between the cat, and the person arguing. 
• What is the nicest thing that anyone has done for you recently?
• Make a list of 10 online safety tips to help you stay safe online.
• Can you think of at least 5 ways to prevent climate change in your daily life?
• Make a list of your top ten favourite books of all time.
• Think about a movie that you’ve seen recently. What did you enjoy most about this movie, and what did you dislike about it?
• You are just about to take a bite of an apple. And then suddenly the apple starts screaming. What do you do next?
• Describe a magical forest in great detail. What makes this forest so magical?
• Write a super scary scene, using the following starter: As I walked into the haunted house…
• What is your greatest fear? Is it possible to ever overcome this fear? If so, how would you do it?
• Make a list of at least five things you like about yourself. And then make a list of five things that you would change about yourself.
• What would the perfect day look like for you? How would it start? What activities would you do? And how does it end?
• You are standing in the playground when you hear two of your classmates making fun of your best friend. What do you do next?
• A young boy yells at his pet eagle to fly away into the wild. The eagle does not respond. Write down this scene between the two characters in great detail. 
• Describe a pencil in the greatest detail possible.
• Create your own superhero character. What are their strengths and superpowers? What about their weaknesses? Also, think of a cool superhero name for them!
• What is your dream job? What skills and traits do you need to do this job well?
• Imagine that you have had the worst day ever. Write down what happened to make it so bad.
• What is your favourite colour? Now write a short rhyming poem about this colour.
• If you had three wishes, what would you wish for and why? Wishing for extra wishes is not allowed.
• Write an action-packed scene of a lion chasing a zebra in the wild from the perspective of the lion. 
• Imagine you own a video gaming company. Your task is to come up with a new video game idea. Explain this new video game idea in detail.
• What would you do if you were given $1 million dollars? 
• What is your favourite hobby or interest? Can you provide at least five tips for beginners who might be interested in starting this hobby?
• Make a top ten list of your favourite celebrities or YouTube stars.
• Write the opening paragraph of a fairytale about a zombie prince who has returned from the dead.
• Write an alternative ending to a fairytale that you are familiar with. For example, you could write a sad ending for Cinderella or a cliff-hanger style ending for Jack and the Beanstalk.
• Write down a conversation in a script format between two people waiting for the bus at a bus stop.
• Would you rather get abducted by aliens, or discover a magical portal to another realm in your bedroom? Explain your answer.
• Write a shape poem about your favourite food in the shape of this food.
• If you had to prepare for a zombie invasion, which three items would you pack in your bag, and why?
• Describe the most beautiful garden in the world in detail. What type of flowers would it have? Would it have any garden furniture?
• You receive a strange parcel in the middle of the night. You open the parcel to discover… Write down at least one paragraph of what you discover in the parcel.
• Use the word, ‘Stampede’ in at least three different sentences.
• Complete the following metaphor in at least three different ways: Your smile is like…
• Describe the city of the future. What would the buildings look like? How will people travel? What kind of homes will people live in?
• What is Marie Curie (the physicist) famous for? Research and write down five facts about her research and studies. 
• You have just been made leader of the Kingdom of Kinloralm. As the leader, what rules would you set for the kingdom? Make a list of at least 10 rules that you will enforce. 
• A witch has cast a spell on you. Every night at midnight, you turn into a werewolf. Describe this transformation in great detail. What does it feel like when you are transforming? How does your skin change? What about your teeth and fingernails?
• Using the following starter , write at least one paragraph: When I look outside the window…
• After a deep sleep, you wake up to find yourself locked inside a cage. No one else is around. What do you do next?
• You keep on having the same nightmare every night. In your nightmare, you are running as fast as you can, and then you suddenly fall. When you turn around you see… Write at least one paragraph about what you see. 
• Write down at least 10 interview questions that you can ask your favourite celebrity. If you have time, you can even write down the potential answers to these questions from the perspective of the celebrity.
• Write a how-to guide on how to grow tomatoes at home.
• Make a list of at least five tips for keeping your bedroom clean.
• Would you rather drive the fastest car on Earth for one hour or own a custom-made bicycle? Explain your choice.
• Write a limerick poem about an old snail. 
• Find something in your room that begins with the letter, ‘R’, and write a paragraph describing this object in detail.
• Research the history of how the first mobile phone was invented. Create a timeline of mobile phone inventions from the very first mobile to the current time. 
• If you were the headteacher of your school, what changes would you make and why? Try to list and describe at least three changes. 
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of having access to the internet? Try to think of at least five benefits and five drawbacks.
• Write about the best day of your life so far. Then write about the worst day of your life so far.
• Imagine that you are an agony aunt for a newspaper. A reader has written to you with the following problem: Dear Agony Aunt, I have no friends at school. And my classmates are always making fun of me… What advice would you give this reader?
• Imagine that you are a salesperson. Your task is to sell a new chocolate bar to customers. Write down a sales pitch that was selling this chocolate bar. What features would you highlight? What are the benefits of this chocolate bar?
• Can you complete the following sentence in three different ways: When I feel upset, I …
• What is the most difficult part about being in middle school? What is the best part of middle school?
• Imagine that your best friend has just revealed a huge secret. How would you react? Write down a script of the conversation between you and your best friend.
• Have you learned any new skills recently? How did you learn these?
• Imagine you are sitting at a dinner party with a group of strangers. Describe the atmosphere in great detail. Who are you sitting next to? What sort of conversations are the other guests having? What food is being served?
• Five years from now, where will you be? Will you be the same person? How would you have changed?
• Write about your plans for the weekend.
• Describe a day in the life of being a goldfish in a fishbowl at a pet shop.
• While at the seaside, a message in a bottle washes up onto the shore. You open the bottle and read the message. The message reads: Help Me! I’m stranded on an island! What do you do next?
• A mother and her son are baking some muffins in the kitchen. Write down a conversation that they might have while they bake together.
• Make a list of indoor activities you can do when it’s raining outside. Try to think of at least ten activities.
• Write down a diary entry from the perspective of an alien secretly living undercover on Earth. 
• Write at least three different opening lines for the following story idea: A king needs to keep his kingdom safe from the ravenous trolls that come out at night.
• Imagine you are a secret agent cat, write about your most recent mission.
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: If I could change the world, I would…
• If you could program a robot, what tasks would you program it to do, and why?
• Imagine you are the owner of a toy shop. Your task is to hire some toy makers. Write a job description for a toymaker. Think about the skills and traits required to become a toymaker. 
• You are the owner of a zoo. Suddenly you hear people screaming as the lions are accidentally released. What do you do next?
• Your future self comes from the future to warn you about something. Write a conversation that you would have with your future self. 
• If you had a choice to become a superhero or a supervillain, which one would you be and why?
• Can you think of at least three things that no one knows about you? Why have you kept these things a secret?
• During a science experiment, you mix up the wrong chemicals. The liquid turns blue and jumps out of the glass container. It then slides into your backpack. What do you do next?
• Write down at least five things that you are grateful for in your life right now.
• You notice some strange footprints in your backyard leading to your shed. You follow these footprints and discover…
• When was the last time someone upset you or hurt your feelings? How did they hurt your feelings? Do you remember what was said?
• You walk inside a magic shop. You see all sorts of weird and fun things. Describe the inside of the shop in as much detail as possible. 
• Write at least three different opening lines for the following story idea: A young werewolf wants to be a human again.
• Make a list of three different story ideas about dragons.
• Write from the perspective of a kite flying high in the sky. Think about what you feel, see and hear.
• Write about your favourite subject at school. Why do you like this subject?
• Write a haiku poem about the full moon.
• Imagine you are the manager of a TV channel. Make a list of at least three new TV show ideas you can air on Saturday evening.
• You find a baby alien in your basement. What do you do next?
• Think of at least three newspaper headlines for the following article idea: The new mayor of your town/city is planning on creating more homes.
• Imagine that your pet dog has gone missing. Create a missing poster to find your dog. Remember to describe any important details relating to the dog in your power.
• Write an advertisement for the brand new mixer 3000. It mixes all the best music tracks with sounds to create the ultimate track.
• Write down three sentences. One of something interesting that happened to you today. Another of something positive that happened. And finally another sentence of something negative. 
• Write down four different character descriptions. Each character must have a different background story or history when growing up.
• Imagine you had a terrible experience at a restaurant. Write a complaint letter to the restaurant manager, outlining the problems you had. 
• Imagine your family is planning to go on a cruise. As you drive to the boat, a person walks up to your car window, holds up a flyer, and demands that they do what they were told. What is your family’s reply?
• As you’re making your way home, you pass by a group of people. It turns out the person who was walking next to them is a ghost. What do you do next?
• Your best friend has had a terrible year. You need to plan the best birthday party ever for them. Make a list of items that you will need for the party. 
• Using the 5 W’s and 1 H technique, outline the following newspaper article idea: A new breed of wolves was discovered nearby. The 5 W’s include: What, Where, When, Who and why. The one H is How.
• Write a positive self-talk poem, using the following starter: I am…
• Take a recent picture that you have drawn at home or during art class. Using this picture, can you think of at least three ideas for stories from it?
• How can you prevent bullying in your school? Make a list of at least five different ways to prevent bullying.
• Write a list of at least 10 interview questions that you can ask your favourite teacher at school. If you want, you can actually ask these questions and write down the responses your teacher gives.
• Describe a day in the life of being a mouse that lives in your school.
• What qualities to look for in a friend? Make a list of at least 3 qualities. Also, think about what qualities you try to avoid. 
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: When I wake up in the morning, I feel…
• Do you ever wish you could do more to help people? Make a list of at least five ways you can help a friend who is going through a tough time.
• When was the last time you felt angry? How did you deal with this anger? Do you think it is okay to be angry all the time?
• Write down at least three predictions for the future. These predictions can be personal or about the world. You can use the following starter: In 10 years time…
• Do you enjoy writing? If yes, then what kind of things do you enjoy writing about. Explain your answer.
• Think about the last book you read. Which scene in the book stood out to you the most? Why did it stand out for you?
• Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: The biggest question on my mind right now is…

What did you think of this list of quick and easy writing prompts for Middle School students? Did you find this list useful or difficult to use? Let us know in the comments below!

Printable Writing Pack for Middle Schoolers

Thank you for reading this post! You can download the free PDF writing prompts for Middle School students pack here .

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Persuasive essay examples & writing tips.

75 Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School

At some points in middle school, schoolchildren will be made to write essays to prove points and convince their readers. These essays, called persuasive essays, help the students become decisive and to stand by their choices. They also help build the charisma and morale needed to convince other people of their choices.

An example of such is the persuasive essay rubric middle school students are made or encouraged to write.

Persuasive Essay Prompts Middle School Students Will Find Helpful

Choosing the right persuasive essay topic is as important as writing a good essay. This is because right from the topic you choose, you must be able to convince your readers to pick up your essay and read till the end. This article provides 75 persuasive essay topics for middle school students or persuasive essay ideas for middle school students.

Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School

Below is a compilation of topics for persuasive essay rubric middle school and other middle school students can choose from:

• Teenagers should be allowed to vote
• Saving the Earth should be everybody’s business
• Sign languages should be taught in all schools
• Students should be allowed to pick their teachers
• Students should be taught valuable manners in schools
• The Child Right Act should be included in every school’s curriculum
• Schools should not impose wearing uniforms on their students
• Students should be made to wear uniforms
• Adults should pay more attention to their children’s overall welfare
• Pop culture has a negative effect on young people
• Pop culture has a positive effect on young people
• Students should be allowed to take personalised classes
• Self defence classes should be mandatory for students
• Middle school students should be taught how to defend themselves
• Schools need to encourage their students to spend more time reading
• Adults should take time to monitor their children’s progress in schools
• Important values should be taught at home
• No child should be forced to grow up
• Parents must be ready to take responsibility for their children
• Parents should learn to make investments for their children’s futures
• Parents should teach their children good spending habits
• Children should be taught to save money
• Children under the age of 18 should not be made to work
• Parents have to pay special attention to their children to make sure they are not being bullied
• Schools need to take stricter measures against students that bully others
• No child is too old to learn about avoiding strangers
• People should be taught the best way to interact with special needs children
• Both bullies and their parents should be made to face punishments
• Students should be allowed to bring their pets to schools
• Students should be taught relevant subjects in schools
• Every child should be taught to speak at least one foreign language
• Video games should be regarded as part of school curricular activities
• Middle school students should be allowed to have cell phones
• Students who bully others should be expelled
• Holidays should be spent with loved ones
• People should do more to help homeless people
• Sharing is an important value to have
• Body shaming is a form of bullying
• Sex education should be compulsory
• Cooking classes should be mandatory for students
• Students should be taught ways to ensure their security
• Children under the age of 18 should not be allowed to be babysitters
• Students should be taught healthy lifestyles both at home and in schools
• Parents should take out time to get to know their children better
• Good communication skills should be taught in schools
• Teenagers should be allowed to make political decisions
• The government is hiding the truth about aliens
• Children should be given free education
• Every child should be allowed to take time off from school
• Every school should teach their students proper etiquette
• Ever child needs to know their home address and parents’ phone numbers
• Junior school students should be made to take regular spelling tests
• Pop quizzes should be encouraged
• Students should be encouraged to form study groups
• Schools need to implement proper hygiene practices
• Parents should make sure their children practice proper hygiene
• Schools need to make students involved in their future
• Every child should learn a skill
• Every child should know the basic rules of environmental protection
• Schools should give students proper counseling
• Student’s health should be taken seriously
• Students should be taught good dietary practices
• Sports keep students away from crimes
• Schools need to allow indigenous attires
• Having too much money can be bad
• Rich people need to help poor people
• The government needs to do more
• Lockers are unnecessary
• Every child should have a proper lunch
• All teachers should be nice
• Every child should have a reading corner
• Children should be allowed to pick meals
• Every child needs a home
• Stability is important in a child’s life
• Creativity should be encouraged

All these topics are good enough for you to write a convincing essay about, so pick whichever you feel comfortable with.

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50 English Essay Creative Writing Topics for Kids in Middle School

Wondering which topic to pick up for your next essay? Essay writing is nowadays an essential task given to students of all grades. No matter how daunting it may appear to you essay writing allows students to build up a disciplined, logical and rational communication approach towards a topic. Before picking up an ideal essay topic, it is important for you to understand the characteristics of the essay.

What are Essays?

An essay is a formal piece of writing that may describe, analyze, argue, or present a writer’s opinion on a particular topic. An essay has three parts –

Introduction – It presents the essay topic to the readers. The last sentence of the essay is generally the thesis statement that states the writer’s perspective about the topic.

Body Paragraph(s) – There are generally one or more body paragraphs written in an essay which explain the topic introduced earlier in the introductory paragraph. The writer can provide examples, facts, and evidence to prove their points.

Conclusion – It presents a short summarized version of the essay and concludes what the writer expressed in the essay. A conclusion includes something for the readers that they may take up from the essay.

We understand writing essays could be an overwhelming task. Learn how to fight with procrastination  and develop time management skills here!

Types of Essays

An essay can be categorized differently based on its purpose, whether a writer wants to present their opinion, an argument, an explanation or convince the readers. No matter what type of essay you write you must be aware of the topic and to gain that knowledge you must research well. English essays for students are generally of four types –

Narrative Essays – These types of essays follow the concept of storytelling. As the name suggests, the writer narrates their experience in a narrative essay. There can be a number of fun essay topics in this category where you can explain bizarre incidents happened with you.

Descriptive Essays – These types of essays are explanatory in nature. They describe a place, object or any other concept. It is just like painting a picture – including the details and giving complete information about the topic to the readers.

Persuasive Essays – If you are a beginner in essay writing choose a simple essay topic for kids and follow the above-stated format for writing the essay. These types of essays are written to convince the readers about a particular idea or opinion of the writer. The writer needs to present a logical approach and support their arguments with facts and evidence.

Expository Essays – These essays provide a rational analysis of a topic. These essays can be argumentative, comparison-based or problem-solution based. The writer needs to include facts and evidence to support their arguments here. They do not involve the personal opinions of the writer but theories and facts.

Learn to write leave applications & personal letters here !

English Essay Topics for Kids

Do you know how important it is to choose an interesting essay topic? It can straightway put a good first impression on your teacher as they assess your essay. Moreover, it will be much easier for a student to prepare an essay if they topic intriguing for them. It’s time to end your search for Essay writing topics in English as we have brought you 50 best essay writing topics.

Our essay writers have brainstormed to come up with topics of English Essays for students and children that are not only informative but engaging.

• Should there be Wi-Fi at every public place?
• EBooks are better than Traditional Paperback Books
• My last Summer Vacation
• Internet usage should be limited
• Eating animals and birds is Immoral
• Christmas Eve with Family and Friends
• Global Warming is a Threat to Mother Earth
• How can You be a Better Friend
• Importance of a Value-Based Life
• It is Good to be Bilingual
• The Best Reality TV Show
• Why learning History is Important
• Can Clothes Define a Person’s Character
• Eating Healthy
• Music My Parent Like
• My Favorite City
• Helping Family at Home
• A View I Would Never Forget
• The Scene of a Bus Stop
• Video Games make you Smart
• Hobbies are Important for Everyone
• My Favorite Animal
• How Technology Has Affected Us
• Harmful Effects of Smoking
• How are We Affecting the Environment
• Why Kids Love Chocolate
• Visiting Zoo for the First Time
• Growth of Plants
• How Rainfall Occurs
• The Dessert I Like the Most
• Making New Friends at School
• Spring is the Season of Life
• A Noisy Evening
• Clubhouse of My Society
• School Picnic to A Village
• How Grandparents Play a Major Role in Child’s Growth
• A Funny Incident that Happened with Me
• Benefits of Morning Walk
• Value of Rivers
• A Fair at the Village
• New Year Eve With Friends
• Why Should Kids Learn Gardening
• Homework is Important
• Visit a Dentist
• Why Hiccups Occur
• A Machine I would like to Invent
• If I were an Entrepreneur
• My Favorite Job
• How To Help Animals
• Learning From The Globe

Are you ready to begin with your essay? Pick up a topic that interests you the most and begins writing. All you need to do is a little research and give way to your creativity. Do not forget to maintain the format of essay writing. Make sure you write an eye-catching introduction and effective conclusion and we are sure that your teacher will assign you better grades.

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65+ Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School Students

Middle school students can improve their writing and critical thinking skills by writing persuasive essays. This list of  persuasive essay topics will help them choose a topic that they are passionate about and that will help them make a strong argument.

Table of Contents

List of Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School Students

• Should students be allowed to have cell phones in school?
• Should schools require students to wear uniforms?
• Should students be allowed to choose their own classes?
• Should schools have a longer summer break?
• Should schools offer more extracurricular activities?
• Should schools have a later start time?
• Should students be required to take physical education classes?
• Should schools ban junk food?
• Should schools teach students about financial literacy?
• Should schools offer more vocational training programs?
• Should students be allowed to use calculators during math class?
• Should schools have mandatory drug testing?
• Should schools offer more mental health resources?
• Should schools have a mandatory community service requirement?
• Should students be required to take a foreign language ?
• Should schools ban single-use plastics?
• Should schools teach students about climate change ?
• Should students be allowed to have pets in school?
• Should schools offer more field trips?
• Should students be required to wear helmets while riding bikes?
• Should schools offer more technology classes?
• Should schools have a dress code?
• Should students be allowed to use social media during school hours?
• Should schools have a longer school day?
• Should students be required to take a life skills class?
• Should schools have more security measures?
• Should schools teach students about healthy eating habits?
• Should students be allowed to have a part-time job while in school?
• Should schools have more art programs?
• Should schools have more music programs?
• Should schools have a later end time?
• Should schools have more foreign exchange programs?
• Should schools have more community service opportunities?
• Should schools have more recycling programs?
• Should schools have more renewable energy sources?
• Should schools have more vegetarian and vegan options in the cafeteria?
• Should schools have more sports teams?
• Should schools have a mandatory home economics class?
• Should schools teach students about mental health?
• Should schools have more dance programs?
• Should students be required to take a public speaking class?
• Should schools have more drama programs?
• Should schools have more debate teams?
• Should schools have more writing clubs?
• Should schools have more science fairs?
• Should schools have more math clubs?
• Should schools have more book clubs?
• Should schools have more community service clubs?
• Should schools have more cooking classes?
• Should schools have more robotics classes?
• Should students be required to take a financial literacy class?
• Should schools have more field day events?
• Should schools have more gardening programs?
• Why should schools have dress codes?
• Should school buses have seat belts?
• Should middle school students be allowed to carry cell phones?
• Why is breakfast important and should schools provide free breakfast for all students?
• Should students have to wear uniforms to school?
• Should physical education be mandatory in middle school?
• Why is sleep important and should middle school students have later start times?
• Should schools ban junk food and provide healthier lunch options?
• Why is art education important and should it be mandatory in middle school?
• Should middle school students be allowed to have jobs?
• Should schools have therapy dogs to help students with stress and anxiety?
• Why is it important to learn a second language and should it be mandatory in middle school?
• Should schools have stricter policies on bullying?
• Why is it important to have diverse literature in schools?
• Should schools have gender-neutral bathrooms?
• Should middle school students be allowed to use social media in school?
• Why is it important to have music education in schools?

Middle school can be a challenging time for students as they navigate new social and academic responsibilities. Writing persuasive essays can help students develop critical thinking skills and learn how to effectively communicate their opinions and ideas. By selecting a persuasive essay topic that is relevant and engaging, middle school students can not only improve their writing abilities, but also explore important issues and develop a better understanding of the world around them. These persuasive essay topics for middle school students offer a range of options for students to choose from and spark their creativity and critical thinking.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

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Top 145 Middle School Essay Topics

Aug 13, 2021 | 0 comments

Aug 13, 2021 | Topics | 0 comments

Middle school is the most important stage of education. It is an educational stage providing education between primary school and high school. It’s when people really start to become knowledgeable and skilled. With a coherent curriculum, writing will give middle school students the ability to communicate with fluidity and clarity. The essay topics help them explore some interesting ideas related to both social life and academic knowledge in middle school so far! Essay writing is an excellent way for learners to express their thoughts and ideas. Learners can take time in class or at home to ponder about the topic they are interested in learning more about and then use that knowledge as a background when drafting essays on it. There is no better way to understand a student’s individual qualities than through essay writing . This form of expression lets students share how they see themselves and what makes them unique while simultaneously building on their communication skills. Middle school essay topics need good writing skills and comprise argumentative essay topics and narrative essay topics. The purpose of argumentative essays is to organize and present your well-reasoned conclusions in order to persuade the audience to accept—or at least seriously consider—your point of view. With narrative writing, the purpose is to tell stories on a range of topics. This is quite similar to creative writing which is used to both entertain and share the human experience In many essay assignments, 5-paragraph essays are usually common in high school. The best thing you can do as a parent or teacher would be to choose something that reflects their personal experience. We have compiled a long list of writing prompts to help college students when they are writing their own 5-paragraph essays.

Best Essay Topics For Middle School

1.      How family issues can affect the development of a child 2.      The importance culture plays at a workplace 3.      Are vegan diets good for a person’s health? 4.      How did the invention of the mobile phone change the world? 5.      What are the advantages of using technology in class settings? 6.      The negative effects of living an unhealthy life 7.      What are the consequences of legalizing drugs? 8.      What caused the extinction of dinosaurs and could it have been prevented? 9.      Does a person’s behavior change when they’re in front of many people? 10.  What are the causes and consequences of earthquakes? 11.  The impact of technology on a person’s IQ 12.  Should be learning a second language be made compulsory in middle school? 13.  Should parents keep a close eye on their children’s online activities? 14.  How to deal with stress both at home and at work 15.  How can one protect themselves from scammers online? 16.  What are the dangers of heavy smoking? 17.  How the coronavirus outbreak has affected the job market 18.  What are the positives and negatives of video games? 19.  Should the prison system in America be reformed? 20.  Why is cryptocurrency very popular these days? 21.  Should men and women receive equal pay for doing the same job? 22.  Do schools do enough to prevent bullying? 23.  How has social media changed the way we do business in 2020? 24.  How to work effectively with people from different cultures 25.  Will there be flying cars in the future? 26.  What are the major causes of global warming? 27.  How to communicate effectively 28.  Why competition is very important in sports 29.  What was the impact of World War II on women’s rights? 30.  What are the 10 things people should be doing to help conserve the environment?

Argumentative Essays Prompts

1.      Would a later start to the school day be beneficial? 2.      At what age should children get smartphones? 3.      What is the best solution to climate change? 4.      What is the biggest problem facing your generation? 5.      Are magazine covers harmful to kids’ self-esteem? 6.      Does the right to free speech include student comments on the Internet? 7.      Should your school do more to prevent bullying? 8.      Who faces more pressure: boys or girls? 9.      Should healthcare be free? 10.  Is it easier to learn online or in the classroom? 11.  Should the voting age be lowered to 16 in the United States? 12.  What is the best way to prevent crime in the community?

Good Persuasive Essay Topics

1.      Why should someone vote for you in a mock presidential election? 2.      Where is the best location for a vacation? Why should others go there? 3.      Should your school have a dress code? 4.      Why should you receive a higher allowance? 5.      Should students be allowed to eat in class? 6.      Is it ethical to test products on animals? 7.      Write a letter to the editor about an article in the paper with which you agree or disagree. 8.      The worst thing about middle school is… 9.      What is the best way to prepare eggs? 10.  Is music important in a person’s daily life? 11.  Would you rather shrink to the size of a penny or grow to the size of a building? 12.  Would you rather have a long summer break or more frequent breaks throughout the year? 13.  Should your school reduce the amount of homework? 14.  The best thing about middle school is… 15.  What is the worst chore to have? 16.  Do you believe that smokers should be able to smoke wherever they want? 17.  Should users be able to download movies and TV shows for free? 18.  Is it more important to be honest or popular?

Writing Prompts for Middle School

Writing Prompts for Middle School  

Get Help from the Experts with your Middle School Essay Topics Paper

We understand that it can be hard to choose a topic, so we have put together some ideas you may consider. You’ll also find links below for more topics and information on how our writers will help your essay writing process. If you need help choosing a topic or getting started with an outline, please get in touch with us now to get the assistance you deserve from a professional writer. Order Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good essay topics.

• Most recent travel experience.
• Your first time on a plane.
• The loss of a pet that changed your life.
• The first book you read.
• The worst memory you have.
• The death of a friend or relative that influenced you.
• Your best friend and how you met.
• Your favorite childhood memory.

What should I write my middle school essay about?

• A funny time in my family.
• A great place to go.
• A cozy spot at home.
• A great treehouse.
• A day at the beach.
• A great day with a friend.
• A helpful person I have met.
• A day in the desert.

What are 3 good topics for an essay?

What is a good topic for 7th grade.

1.      Do athletes, celebrities, and CEOs deserve to make more money than the average person? 2.      Does the average American have a healthy diet? What are the effects of good or bad eating habits on the healthcare system? 3.      Do schools do enough to prevent bullying? 4.      Is arts education as important as other types of the curriculum? 5.      Is it ever fair for minorities to receive special treatment or consideration? 6.      What responsibilities do people have to help one another out? 7.      Does nature or nurture play a bigger role in who we are? 8.      Do people have a right to Internet access? 9.      Do girls or boys face more societal pressure—or do they face equal amounts? 10.  Do violent video games make people more likely to be violent in real life? 11.  Should students have a greater say in what they learn? 12.  What one thing should all households be doing to conserve energy? 13.  Does reality television accurately depict real life? Do movies? 14.  Is Common Core good for students? 15.  What is the greatest challenge today’s students face?

What are 5-paragraph essay topics for middle school?

1.      How Does Music Influence Student Performance During Homework, Tests or Writing? 2.      How Can We Prevent Animal Extinction And Endangerment? What Can We Do As a Country or a State? What Can Individuals Do? 3.      Should E-books Or Physical Textbooks Be Used in Schools? Why? 4.      Should Middle School Students Be Given Free Time or Recess During the School Day? Would This Improve School Performance or Take Away From Instructional Time? 5.      What Should The Curfew Be In The State or at Your Home? Why? 6.      Should Middle School Students Be Allowed to See Higher Rated Films? 7.      Should Standardized Tests Be Required In Schools? Why or Why Not? 8.      Is Fast Food to Blame For the Obesity Problem? 9.      Why Should Students Be Allowed to Listen to Music During Tests? 10.  Should Movie Ratings Be Changed So That More People Can See Them? 11.  Should Cell Phones And Other Electronic Devices Be Allowed At School? If So, at What Times? What Regulations Should Be Put on Them? 12.  What Ways Can You Prevent Bullying In Your Community or at School? What Can You Do to Raise Awareness? 13.  What Are Some of the Changes That Should Be Made at School? How Can These Changes Be Made? 14.  Why Is Or Isn’t Education Important? Does It Contribute to One’s Success? 15.  In What Ways Does Peer Pressure Affect Individuals? For Better or For Worse? 16.  What Is Important to Have In a Friendship? Why? 17.  What Are Some Alternatives To Standardized Testing In Schools? Will They Work As Well? 18.  Should Students Have More Freedom at School? In What Areas? 19.  Is Too Much Pressure Put On Students to Participate In Extracurricular Activities? 20.  Should Students Be Required to Bring Their Own Computers or Tablets to School?

What are good argumentative topics in middle school?

1.      School uniforms should be required. 2.      All students should be required to volunteer in the community. 3.      Year-round education is better for students. 4.      Corporal punishment should be allowed in schools. 5.      Homework should be banned. 6.      The internet should be banned from schools. 7.      Children should not be allowed to drink soda. 8.      Junk food should be banned from schools. 9.      All students should have daily chores. 10.  All parents should be required to attend parenting classes before having a child. 11.  Every home should have a pet. 12.  Every student should play a musical instrument. 13.  All museums should be free to the public. 14.  All students should be required to learn a foreign language in middle school. 15.   PE should be required of all students throughout middle and high school.

Expository writing prompts for middle school

1.      Are you the oldest, middle, or youngest child in your family? Explain what you like or dislike about your position. 2.      Think of something your parents always tell you and explain why it is or isn’t true. 3.      Explain why it is so important for kids to attend school. 4.      Explain what your favorite thing to do after school is. 5.      Think about a time when you did something that you didn’t want to do. Explain why you did it anyway. 6.      Explain why you shouldn’t have too many sweets or snacks. 7.      Think about a famous person whom you would like to meet and explain why you would want to meet them. 8.      Explain three ways that people can do nice things for one another. 9.      Explain why it is important to eat healthy foods. 10.  Explain what you would do if a friend got mad at you for something that you didn’t do. 11.  Think about a time when you couldn’t stop laughing and explain what happened. 12.  Think about what you want to be when you grow up and explain why you think that would be the best job. 13.  Think of your most valued possession. Explain why it is so important to you. 14.  Think of a person whom you consider to be a hero. Explain why other people should admire this person. 15.  Choose an important tool that can be found in our classroom. Explain how it has made an impact on teachers and students.  

With a passion for education and student empowerment, I create blog content that speaks directly to the needs and interests of students. From study hacks and productivity tips to career exploration and personal development

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Books About Queer Middle Schoolers and Crushes

In new middle grade fiction and graphic novels, queer and nonbinary kids experience puppy love.

The word “crush” is so closely tied to tweens that its use later in life is usually self-deprecating. “When you’re an adult,” says middle grade novelist Maggie Horne, confessing that you have a crush means “you’re poking fun at yourself. Or you mean it in a way that’s quite sweet—‘I like this person so much, it makes me feel young.’ ”

For middle schoolers, though, a crush is serious business, and that holds true regardless of orientation or gender identity. Queer middle grade authors are finding a particular meaning in showcasing these tender feelings among LGBTQ characters in their forthcoming books.

Secret identities

What sort of queer representation did the authors interviewed for this piece find in their own middle school reading? When asked, the answer was nearly unanimous: “none.” A few named queer-coded characters whose identity is never addressed outright—Marcy and Peppermint Patty, Harriet the Spy, Nancy Drew’s “boyish” friend George.

Horne remembers searching for queer content in the middle grade stacks and reading author bios for subtext: “When they said, ‘She lives with her family,’ I’d think, gotcha , she lives with a lady.” In Horne’s second middle grade book, Noah Frye Gets Crushed (HarperCollins, May), 12-year-old Noah, who fears getting left behind by her boy-crazy friends, conceals her feelings for another girl by faking a crush on a guy.

The protagonist of Deke Moulton’s Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf (Tundra, July) is hiding more than a crush; Benji is part of an extended family of Jewish werewolves, caretakers of a wolf sanctuary who carefully conceal their supernatural identities. Benji’s feelings for Caleb, the bullying son of an angry local rancher, are complicated when Caleb’s secret is revealed—he too is a werewolf, and he needs Benji’s help to get control over his shifting. It’s overwhelming, kind of like a crush.

“You’re bombarded with these super-intense feelings,” Moulton says. “You’re head over heels, you’re obsessive, and you don’t know how to handle them.”

In Tori Sharp’s graphic novel, Stand Up! (Little, Brown Ink, Oct.), Clay and Kyle are two queer neurodivergent kids who have always worked behind the scenes on school plays. To showcase their underappreciated comedic chops, the pair start a podcast; Clay, meanwhile, auditions for their middle school production of Gals and Dolls , which puts her in close proximity to her crush, Dania.

Sharp, the youngest in a family of theater kids, draws a comparison between performance on- and offstage. “Being afraid of something isn’t necessarily an indication that you shouldn’t do it,” she says. “A lot of the time, fear is telling us that something is important to us. This can apply to getting onstage and performing or being in a relationship.”

The protagonists of Erin Becker’s debut, Crushing It (Penguin Workshop, Aug.), are a pair of eighth grade soccer team frenemies who, unbeknownst to them, are growing closer through the poetry they pseudonymously share with each other online. “Crushes can play a powerful part in our stories,” Becker says. “Falling for someone can help give you space to be a new version of yourself. These characters don’t quite fit in with family, friends, or teammates, so in this chat space they can try out new identities and parts of themselves.”

Thank you for being a friend

Adult romancelandia has the friends-to-lovers trope; in middle grade novels, friends and classmates become the object of crushes, no matter how inconvenient or seemingly unattainable.

Author-illustrator Kirk Scroggs has written 20 books for kids; the forthcoming graphic novel series launch PetWizards (Union Square, Aug.) is his first to star a queer character. Seventh grader and glam rock enthusiast Finch Eaglehawk comes from a long line of humans with a secret psychic link to particular animals, but where his great-grandfather Joe could command sharks and his cousin Bobby’s domain is dogs, Finch got stuck with “et cetera”—think naked mole rats and hissing cockroaches. With the help of his friends Aberdeen and Erica, he sets out to gain control over birds and win the heart of his crush, football player and school musical star Ken Chu.

Scroggs says he wants to avoid “sad queer characters” in his writing and likes the idea of kids being able to see themselves as “just part of the action, part of the fun.” He adds: “When I was a kid, I yearned to see any other gay kids in books. I’m so glad it’s happening now.”

Tight-knit friend groups can be as central to middle school emotional life as crushes, if not more so, and authors like Preston Norton take care to portray those relationships as thoughtfully as their romantic counterparts. “I wanted to include some intimate portrayals of boy friendships—it’s not just boogers and farts,” Norton says of his fourth book for middle grade readers, The House on Yeet Street (Union Square, Aug.). Thirteen-year-old Aiden processes his crush on his best friend, Kai, by writing a story reimagining Kai as a merman. Well aware that its discovery would lead to fatal levels of embarrassment, he chucks the story into the one place his friends will never go: the neighborhood haunted house. When the group decides that, in fact, the dilapidated Victorian is the perfect spot for a sleepover, Aiden goes in first to retrieve his notebook and meets his work’s biggest fan, who may be a ghost.

Terry J. Benton-Walker’s Alex Wise vs. the Cosmic Shift (Labyrinth Road, Sept.) picks up the adventures of the title character, a queer middle schooler and reluctant hero he introduced in 2023’s Alex Wise vs. the End of the World . He may have vanquished Death and saved his sister in book one, but he still doesn’t think he’s cut out for heroics. Plus, he’s contending with his burgeoning feelings for demigod Liam, a friend who’s becoming something more.

“Friendships are safe spaces for us,” Benton-Walker says. “These crushes develop with someone you know on a deeply personal level, where it’s easy to be vulnerable and talk to them.”

Sometimes crushes don’t pan out, and Nicole Melleby, for one, wants readers to know that’s okay. She sends the protagonist of Winnie Nash Is Not Your Sunshine (Algonquin, Apr.) to spend the summer with her grandmother at her Jersey Shore senior community during a family crisis. Among the secrets Winnie’s keeping: she likes girls. She meets pretty Pippa Lai, who’s visiting her own grandmother at the community, and ultimately realizes they’re better as friends.

“Winnie is fully in touch with her own feelings,” Melleby says. “Not every crush needs to become something. She’s my first fully self-aware character.” PW ’s review called Melleby’s sixth middle grade title a “summery, heartfelt tale of change and transformation.”

Living out loud

Amid the perils of middle school—the drama, the bullying, the hurt feelings—authors also emphasize the importance of allowing their characters big emotions like joy, even to the point of embarrassment.

“A crush is cringe by definition,” says former literary agent V.P. Anderson, who wrote her graphic novel debut, Blood City Rollers (Labyrinth Road, Apr.), as a stress reliever when she lost her derby community during Covid lockdown. “It’s about the yearning, the pining, the obsession, the unrestrained joy. It’s a very queer vibe; if we were all allowed to embrace the cringe we’d be a happier world.”

In the book, a figure skater who’s been sidelined by an injury is recruited by the gorgeous captain of a vampire derby team looking for a human jammer. PW ’s starred review praised the graphic novel, a debut for Anderson and for illustrator Tatiana Hill, for “striking a refreshing balance between spectral sports romp and queer found family narrative.”

Michael Leali, who has written two previous novels starring queer middle schoolers, likewise expressed appreciation for the thrills of first love. “It’s one of my favorite things about middle grade—the innocence of a child attempting an adult thing for the first time. There’s this lack of being jaded or apprehensive, a certain willingness to take risks. I didn’t get to explore expressing my crushes in middle or high school, so getting to do that through my writing feels like giving my younger self a chance to experience it.”

The protagonist of The Truth About Triangles (Harper, May), 12-year-old Luca Salvatore, was raised to be a people pleaser and a perfectionist, traits Leali says he shares. Luca tries to save his family’s failing pizzeria by pitching it to be featured on the culinary TV show Pizza Perfect , all while navigating chaos at home and a burgeoning crush on Will, the new kid at school .

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger (Greenwillow, Aug.) takes inspiration from the author-illustrator’s 2019 New Yorker piece, “How to Draw a Horse,” about her seventh grade crush on a “horse girl,” whom she imagined herself heroically saving from a house fire. It’s her first book for middle schoolers; 2020’s My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! , written with her wife, fellow cartoonist Tillie Walden, is a picture book.

Like other authors who spoke with PW for this piece, Hunsinger acknowledges the liminal, all-consuming nature of middle school infatuation. “What’s so special about being a 12- or 13-year-old with a crush is that it’s the first time you’re feeling this way with some understanding of what you’re feeling,” she says. “The first of anything is so intense, so shocking, simultaneously scary and exciting—it’s why we like roller coasters, too.”

Liz Scheier is a writer, editor, and product strategist living in Washington, D.C. She is the author of the memoir Never Simple .

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80 Intriguing Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

Android vs. iPhone? Capitalism vs. communism? Hot dog vs. taco?

In compare and contrast essays , writers show the similarities and differences between two things. They combine descriptive writing with analysis, making connections and showing dissimilarities. Remind students that in this type of writing, they’re not necessarily trying to sway the reader to one opinion or another—they’re just presenting and analyzing facts. These compare and contrast essay topics will give them plenty of practice.

• School and Life Essay Topics
• Entertainment Essay Topics
• History and Politics Essay Topics
• Just for Fun Essay Topics

School and Life Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

• Public and private schools
• Online school and in-person school
• Any two schools or colleges
• Going to college vs. starting work full-time

• Working your way through college as you go or taking out student loans
• Parents and grandparents
• Elementary school and high school
• Learning to read vs. learning to write
• The importance of any two school subjects
• Wearing glasses vs. having braces
• You and your best friend
• Friendship vs. romantic love

• Group work and individual work
• Only child vs. having siblings
• Nature vs. nurture
• Anxiety and depression
• Old friends and new friends
• Your teacher vs. your parent/guardian
• Car ownership and public transportation

• Learning to ride a bike vs. learning to drive a car

Entertainment Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

• iPhone vs. Android
• Instagram vs. Twitter (or choose any other two social media platforms)
• Xbox vs. PlayStation

• Any two sports, like American football vs. soccer
• Cooking at home and dining out
• A movie based on a book and the book it was based on
• Reading and watching TV
• Opera music and pop music (or any two music genres)
• Vegetarian and vegan

• Giving and receiving gifts
• Going to a play vs. going to a movie
• Playing a video game and watching a movie
• Horse racing vs. NASCAR
• Laptop vs. tablet
• Sprint vs. marathon
• Poetry and rap music
• Ping-Pong vs. tennis
• DC vs. Marvel
• Netflix and YouTube
• Shopping online and shopping in person

History and Politics Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

• Capitalism vs. communism
• Socialism vs. communism
• Monarchy/dictatorship and democracy
• Two political candidates in a current race

• Spanish flu pandemic vs. COVID-19 pandemic
• World War I and World War II
• American pioneers vs. first space explorers
• Gen X vs. Gen Z
• Abraham Lincoln vs. Barack Obama (or any other two presidents)
• Any two U.S. states

• Any two historic eras
• Queen Elizabeth I vs. Queen Elizabeth II
• Republicans and Democrats
• Hitler and Stalin
• The first airplane flight vs. the first manned spaceflight
• American president vs. U.K. prime minister

• Fox News vs. CNN
• Legislative branch and executive branch and/or judicial branch
• Equality and equity
• Elected politicians vs. lobbyists

Just for Fun Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

• Dogs vs. cats as pets

• Paper books or e-books
• Hot dogs vs. tacos
• Summer and winter
• Fall and spring
• Big Mac vs. Whopper
• Coke vs. Pepsi
• Chocolate shake vs. hot chocolate
• Any two superheroes or villains
• Mondays and Fridays
• Mornings vs. evenings

• First day of school vs. last day of school
• Christmas vs. birthdays
• Hurricane vs. tornado
• Birthday as a kid and birthday as an adult
• Going barefoot vs. wearing shoes
• Appetizers and desserts

• Phone calls and texting
• Pants vs. skirts
• Electric cars vs. gas-powered cars

What are some of your favorite compare and contrast essay topics? Come share your prompts on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school (100+ ideas).

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34 Compelling Compare and Contrast Essay Examples

Topics cover education, technology, pop culture, sports, animals, and more. Continue Reading

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What’s it like to be a teacher in america today, public k-12 teachers are stressed about their jobs and few are optimistic about the future of education; many say poverty, absenteeism and mental health are major problems at their school.

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand the views and experiences of public K-12 school teachers. The analysis in this report is based on an online survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023. The teachers surveyed are members of RAND’s American Teacher Panel, a nationally representative panel of public K-12 school teachers recruited through MDR Education. Survey data is weighted to state and national teacher characteristics to account for differences in sampling and response to ensure they are representative of the target population.

Here are the questions used for this report , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

Low-poverty , medium-poverty and high-poverty schools are based on the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (less than 40%, 40%-59% and 60% or more, respectively).

Secondary schools include both middle schools and high schools.

All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party.

Public K-12 schools in the United States face a host of challenges these days – from teacher shortages to the lingering effects of COVID-19 learning loss to political battles over curriculum .

In the midst of all this, teachers express low levels of satisfaction with their jobs. In fact, they’re much less satisfied than U.S. workers overall.

Here’s how public K-12 teachers are feeling about their jobs:

• 77% say their job is frequently stressful.
• 68% say it’s overwhelming.
• 70% say their school is understaffed.
• 52% say they would not advise a young person starting out today to become a teacher.

When it comes to how their students are doing in school, teachers are relatively downbeat about both academic performance and behavior.

Here’s how public K-12 teachers rate academic performance and behavior at their school:

• 48% say the academic performance of most students at their school is fair or poor. A third say it’s good, and only 17% describe it as excellent or very good.
• 49% say the behavior of most students at their school is fair or poor; 35% say it’s good and 13% say it’s excellent or very good.

The COVID-19 pandemic likely compounded these issues. About eight-in-ten teachers (among those who have been teaching for at least a year) say the lasting impact of the pandemic on students’ behavior, academic performance and emotional well-being has been very or somewhat negative.

Assessments of student performance and behavior differ widely by school poverty level. 1 Teachers in high-poverty schools have a much more negative outlook. But feelings of stress and dissatisfaction among teachers are fairly universal, regardless of where they teach.

Related: What Public K-12 Teachers Want Americans To Know About Teaching

As they navigate these challenges, teachers don’t feel they’re getting the support or reinforcement they need from parents.

Majorities of teachers say parents are doing too little when it comes to holding their children accountable if they misbehave in school, helping them with their schoolwork and ensuring their attendance.

Teachers in high- and medium-poverty schools are more likely than those in low-poverty schools to say parents are doing too little in each of these areas.

These findings are based on a survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted Oct. 17-Nov. 14, 2023, using the RAND American Teacher Panel. 2 The survey looks at the following aspects of teachers’ experiences:

• Teachers’ job satisfaction (Chapter 1)
• How teachers manage their workload (Chapter 2)
• Problems students are facing at public K-12 schools (Chapter 3)
• Challenges in the classroom (Chapter 4)
• Teachers’ views of parent involvement (Chapter 5)
• Teachers’ views on the state of public K-12 education (Chapter 6)

Problems students are facing

We asked teachers about some of the challenges students at their school are facing. Three problems topped the list:

• Poverty (53% say this is a major problem among students who attend their school)
• Chronic absenteeism (49%)
• Anxiety and depression (48%)

Chronic absenteeism (that is, students missing a substantial number of school days) is a particular challenge at high schools, with 61% of high school teachers saying this is a major problem where they teach. By comparison, 46% of middle school teachers and 43% of elementary school teachers say the same.

Anxiety and depression are viewed as a more serious problem at the secondary school level: 69% of high school teachers and 57% of middle school teachers say this is a major problem among their students, compared with 29% of elementary school teachers.

Fewer teachers (20%) view bullying as a major problem at their school, though the share is significantly higher among middle school teachers (34%).

A look inside the classroom

We also asked teachers how things are going in their classroom and specifically about some of the issues that may get in the way of teaching.

• 47% of teachers say students showing little or no interest in learning is a major problem in their classroom. The share rises to 58% among high school teachers.
• 33% say students being distracted by their cellphones is a major problem. This is particularly an issue for high school teachers, with 72% saying this is a major problem.
• About one-in-five teachers say students getting up and walking around when they’re not supposed to and being disrespectful toward them (21% each) are major problems. Teachers in elementary and middle schools are more likely than those in high schools to see these as challenges.

A majority of teachers (68%) say they’ve experienced verbal abuse from a student – such as being yelled at or threatened. Some 21% say this happens at least a few times a month.

Physical violence is less common. Even so, 40% of teachers say a student has been violent toward them , with 9% saying this happens at least a few times a month.

About two-thirds of teachers (66%) say that the current discipline practices at their school are very or somewhat mild. Only 2% say the discipline practices at their school are very or somewhat harsh, while 31% say they are neither harsh nor mild. Most teachers (67%) say teachers themselves don’t have enough influence in determining discipline practices at their school.

Behavioral issues and mental health challenges

In addition to their teaching duties, a majority of teachers (58%) say they have to address behavioral issues in their classroom every day. About three-in-ten teachers (28%) say they have to help students with mental health challenges daily.

In each of these areas, elementary and middle school teachers are more likely than those at the high school level to say they do these things on a daily basis.

And teachers in high-poverty schools are more likely than those in medium- and low-poverty schools to say they deal with these issues each day.

Cellphone policies and enforcement

Most teachers (82%) say their school or district has policies regarding cellphone use in the classroom.

Of those, 56% say these policies are at least somewhat easy to enforce, 30% say they’re difficult to enforce, and 14% say they’re neither easy nor difficult to enforce.

Experiences with cellphone policies vary widely across school levels. High school teachers (60%) are much more likely than middle school (30%) and elementary school teachers (12%) to say the policies are difficult to enforce (among those who say their school or district has a cellphone policy).

How teachers are experiencing their jobs

Thinking about the various aspects of their jobs, teachers are most satisfied with their relationship with other teachers at their school (71% are extremely or very satisfied).

They’re least satisfied with how much they’re paid – only 15% are extremely or very satisfied with their pay, while 51% are not too or not at all satisfied.

Among teachers who don’t plan to retire or stop working this year, 29% say it’s at least somewhat likely they will look for a new job in the 2023-24 school year. Within that group, 40% say they would look for a job outside of education, 29% say they’d seek a non-teaching job in education, and only 18% say they’d look for a teaching job at another public K-12 school.

Do teachers find their work fulfilling and enjoyable?

Overall, 56% of teachers say they find their job to be fulfilling extremely often or often; 53% say their job is enjoyable. These are significantly lower than the shares who say their job is frequently stressful (77%) or overwhelming (68%).

Positive experiences are more common among newer teachers. Two-thirds of those who’ve been teaching less than six years say their work is fulfilling extremely often or often, and 62% of this group says their work is frequently enjoyable.

Teachers with longer tenures are somewhat less likely to feel this way. For example, 48% of those who’ve been teaching for six to 10 years say their work is frequently enjoyable.

Balancing the workload

Most teachers (84%) say there’s not enough time during their regular work hours to do tasks like grading, lesson planning, paperwork and answering work emails.

Among those who feel this way, 81% say simply having too much work is a major reason.

Many also point to having to spend time helping students outside the classroom, performing non-teaching duties like lunch duty, and covering other teachers’ classrooms as at least minor reasons they don’t have enough time to get all their work done.

A majority of teachers (54%) say it’s very or somewhat difficult for them to balance work and their personal life. About one-in-four (26%) say it’s very or somewhat easy for them to balance these things, and 20% say it’s neither easy nor difficult.

Among teachers, women are more likely than men to say work-life balance is difficult for them (57% vs. 43%). Women teachers are also more likely to say they often find their job stressful or overwhelming.

How teachers view the education system

A large majority of teachers (82%) say the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years.

And very few are optimistic about the next five years: Only 20% of teachers say public K-12 education will be a lot or somewhat better five years from now. A narrow majority (53%) say it will be worse.

Among teachers who think things have gotten worse in recent years, majorities say the current political climate (60%) and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (57%) are major reasons. A sizable share (46%) also point to changes in the availability of funding and resources.

Related:  About half of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction

Which political party do teachers trust more to deal with educational challenges?

On balance, more teachers say they trust the Democratic Party than say they trust the Republican Party to do a better job handling key issues facing the K-12 education system. But three-in-ten or more across the following issues say they don’t trust either party:

• Shaping school curriculum (42% say they trust neither party)
• Ensuring teachers have adequate pay and benefits (35%)
• Making schools safer (35%)
• Ensuring adequate funding for schools (33%)
• Ensuring all students have equal access to high-quality K-12 education (31%)

A majority of public K-12 teachers (58%) identify or lean toward the Democratic Party. This is higher than the share among the general public (47%).

• Poverty levels are based on the percentage of students in the school who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. ↩
• For details, refer to the Methodology section of the report. ↩
• Urban, suburban and rural schools are based on the location of the school as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (rural includes town). Definitions match those used by the U.S. Census Bureau. ↩

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Table of contents, ‘back to school’ means anytime from late july to after labor day, depending on where in the u.s. you live, among many u.s. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows, most european students learn english in school, for u.s. teens today, summer means more schooling and less leisure time than in the past, about one-in-six u.s. teachers work second jobs – and not just in the summer, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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Registration open for K-State College of Education's Summer STEAM Virtual Academy for middle schoolers

Thursday, April 11, 2024

The K-State College of Education is offering the Summer STEAM Virtual Academy for middle schoolers across Kansas and at international sites from June 10-27. Registration is open now. | Download this photo.

MANHATTAN — Registration is now open for the fourth annual Summer STEAM Virtual Academy , a Kansas State University College of Education summer program that engages middle schoolers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or STEAM, topics. 

The virtual camp will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, from June 10-27. It will provide engaging, hands-on learning for middle schoolers across Kansas and the United States, as well as at international sites. Enrollment is open to students in grades 5-8 during the 2023-2024 school year.

Individuals can register for the academy, while educators can register classrooms for a hybrid version in which content is taught by academy teachers — veteran teachers from around the state — with assistance from the onsite educators in classrooms. Registration includes all three weeks of the academy. 

Registration is $500 for one classroom for all three weeks of instruction for up to three different topics. Partial scholarships are available for Kansas schools and individuals through the Rural Education Center and for international partners through the K-State Global Education Outreach office . 

"Our partial scholarships are intended to provide access to students in rural areas and at international sites to enable them to participate in activities that are as fun as they are intellectually enriching," said Lori Goodson, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction. "We're especially excited about the outstanding topics we have for this summer's camp."

This summer, the Summer STEAM Virtual Academy will offer nine different topics: Block Coding Bootcamp; Music Using STEM is Cool, or MUSIC; Stop Motion Animation Fun; Math Behind Games — Probability is Everywhere!; Thinking through Games; Build and Dream: A STEAM Adventure in Architecture!; Unleash Your Inner Masterpiece: A STEAM Explosion of Creativity!; A Voice Worth Hearing — Yours!; and Express Yourself Through Arts Integration. 

For more information about the camp and to register, please visit the Summer STEAM Virtual Academy website . The site also provides details about the classes offered and the teachers leading each class. 

Questions can be directed to Calista Speake, academy principal, at [email protected] or Goodson at [email protected] .

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