example of argumentative essay 6th grade

Argumentative Essay Writing

Argumentative Essay Examples

Best Argumentative Essay Examples for Your Help

Published on: Mar 10, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 30, 2024

Good Argumentative Essay Examples

Argumentative essays are an inevitable part of academic life. To write a good argumentative essay, you need to see a few good examples of this type of essay.

To analyze whether the example is good to take help from or not. You need to look for a few things in it.

Make sure it follows one specific model and has an introductory paragraph, organized body paragraphs, and a formal conclusion.

Get More Examples From Our AI Essay Writer

How to Start an Argumentative Essay Example

Learning how to start an argumentative essay example is a tricky thing for beginners. It is quite simple but can be challenging for newbies. To start an argumentative essay example, you need to write a brief and attractive introduction. It is written to convince the reader and make them understand your point of view .

Add body paragraphs after the introduction to support your thesis statement. Also, use body paragraphs to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your side of the argument.

Write a formal conclusion for your essay and summarize all the key elements of your essay. Look at the example mentioned below to understand the concept more clearly.

Check out this video for more information!

Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Example

Argumentative essays are assigned to university students more often than the students of schools and colleges.

It involves arguments over vast and sometimes bold topics as well.

For university students, usually, argumentative essay topics are not provided. They are required to search for the topic themselves and write accordingly.

The following examples will give an idea of how university students write argumentative essays.

Argumentative Essay Example for University (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Examples for College

For the college level, it is recommended to use simple language and avoid the use of complex words in essays.

Make sure that using simple language and valid evidence, you support your claim well and make it as convincing as possible

If you are a college student and want to write an argumentative essay, read the examples provided below. Focus on the formatting and the vocabulary used.

Argumentative Essay Example for College (PDF)

College Argumentative Essay Sample (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Examples for Middle School

Being a middle school student, you must be wondering how we write an argumentative essay. And how can you support your argument?

Go through the following examples and hopefully, you will be able to write an effective argumentative essay very easily.

Argumentative Essay Example for Middle School(PDF)

Middle School Argumentative Essay Sample (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Examples for High School

High school students are not very aware of all the skills that are needed to write research papers and essays.

Especially, when it comes to argumentative essays, it becomes quite a challenge for high schools to defend their argument

In this scenario, the best option is to look into some good examples. Here we have summed up two best examples of argumentative essays for high school students specifically.

Argumentative Essay Example for High School (PDF)

High School Argumentative Essay Sample (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Examples for O Level

The course outline for O levels is quite tough. O levels students need to have a good command of the English language and amazing writing skills.

If you are an O-level student, the following examples will guide you on how to write an argumentative essay.

Argumentative Essay Example for O Level (PDF)

Argumentative Essay for O Level Students (PDF)

5-Paragraph Argumentative Essay Examples

A 5-paragraph essay is basically a formatting style for essay writing. It has the following five parts:

Introduction

In the introduction, the writer introduces the topic and provides a glance at the collected data to support the main argument.

Body paragraph 1

The first body paragraph discusses the first and most important point related to the argument. It starts with a topic sentence and has all the factual data to make the argument convincing.

Body paragraph 2

The second body paragraph mentions the second most important element of the argument. A topic sentence is used to start these paragraphs. It gives the idea of the point that will discuss in the following paragraph.

Body paragraph 3

The third paragraph discusses all the miscellaneous points. Also, it uses a transitional sentence at the end to show a relation to the conclusion.

The conclusion of a five-paragraph essay reiterates all the major elements of an argumentative essay. It also restates the thesis statement using a more convincing choice of words.

Look at the example below to see how a well-written five-paragraph essay looks like

5 Paragraph Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Examples for 6th Grade

Students in 6th grade are at a point where they are learning new things every day.

Writing an argumentative essay is an interesting activity for them as they like to convince people of their point of view.

Argumentative essays written at such levels are very simple but well convincing.

The following example will give you more detail on how a 6th-grade student should write an argumentative essay.

6th Grade Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Examples for 7th Grade

There is not much difference between a 6th-grade and a 7th-grade student. Both of them are enhancing their writing and academic skills.

Here is another example to help you with writing an effective argumentative essay.

7th Grade Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)

Tough Essay Due? Hire a Writer!

Short Argumentative Essay Examples

For an argumentative essay, there is no specific limit for the word count. It only has to convince the readers and pass on the knowledge of the writer to the intended audience.

It can be short or detailed. It would be considered valid as far as it has an argument involved in it.

Following is an example of a short argumentative essay example

Short Argumentative Essay Example (PDF)

Immigration Argumentative Essay Examples

Immigration is a hot topic for a very long time now. People have different opinions regarding this issue.

Where there is more than one opinion, an argumentative essay can be written on that topic. The following are examples of argumentative essays on immigration.

Read them and try to understand how an effective argumentative essay is written on such a topic.

Argumentative Essay Example on Immigration (PDF)

Argumentative Essay Sample on Immigration (PDF)

Writing essays is usually a tiring and time-consuming assignment to do. Students already have a bunch of assignments for other subjects to complete. In this situation, asking for help from professional writers is the best choice.

If you are still in need of assistance, our essay writer AI can help you create a compelling essay that presents your argument clearly and effectively.

With our argumentative essay writing service, you will enjoy perks like expert guidance, unlimited revisions, and helpful customer support. Let our essay writer help you make an impact with your essay on global warming today!

Place your order with our college essay writing service today!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 7 types of arguments.

The seven types of arguments are as follows:

Statistical

What is the structure of an argument?

The structure of an argument consists of a main point (thesis statement) that is supported by evidence.

This evidence can include facts, statistics, examples, and other forms of data that help to prove or disprove the thesis statement.

After providing the evidence, arguments also often include a conclusion that summarizes the main points made throughout the argument.

Cathy A. (Literature, Marketing)

For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Legal & Policies

Privacy Policy
Cookies Policy
Terms of Use
Refunds & Cancellations
Our Writers
Success Stories
Our Guarantees
Affiliate Program
Referral Program
AI Essay Writer

Disclaimer: All client orders are completed by our team of highly qualified human writers. The essays and papers provided by us are not to be used for submission but rather as learning models only.

How to Teach Argument Writing Step-By-Step

example of argumentative essay 6th grade

No doubt, teaching argument writing to middle school students can be tricky. Even the word “argumentative” is off-putting, bringing to mind pointless bickering. But once I came up with argument writing lessons that were both fun and effective, I quickly saw the value in it. And so did my students.

You see, we teachers have an ace up our sleeve. It’s a known fact that from ages 11-14, kids love nothing more than to fire up a good ole battle royale with just about anybody within spitting distance.

Yup. So we’re going to use their powers of contradiction to OUR advantage by showing them how to use our argument writing lessons to power up their real-life persuasion skills. Your students will be knocking each other over in the hall to get to the room first!

I usually plan on taking about three weeks on the entire argument writing workshop. However, there are years when I’ve had to cut it down to two, and that works fine too.

Here are the step-by-step lessons I use to teach argument writing. It might be helpful to teachers who are new to teaching the argument, or to teachers who want to get back to the basics. If it seems formulaic, that’s because it is. In my experience, that’s the best way to get middle school students started.

Prior to Starting the Writer’s Workshop

A couple of weeks prior to starting your unit, assign some quick-write journal topics. I pick one current event topic a day, and I ask students to express their opinion about the topic.

Quick-writes get the kids thinking about what is going on in the world and makes choosing a topic easier later on.

Define Argumentative Writing

I’ll never forget the feeling of panic I had in 7th grade when my teacher told us to start writing an expository essay on snowstorms. How could I write an expository essay if I don’t even know what expository MEANS, I whined to my middle school self.

We can’t assume our students know or remember what argumentative writing is, even if we think they should know. So we have to tell them. Also, define claim and issue while you’re at it.

Establish Purpose

I always tell my students that learning to write an effective argument is key to learning critical thinking skills and is an important part of school AND real-life writing.

We start with a fictional scenario every kid in the history of kids can relate to.

ISSUE : a kid wants to stay up late to go to a party vs. AUDIENCE : the strict mom who likes to say no.

The “party” kid writes his mom a letter that starts with a thesis and a claim: I should be permitted to stay out late to attend the part for several reasons.

By going through this totally relatable scenario using a modified argumentative framework, I’m able to demonstrate the difference between persuasion and argument, the importance of data and factual evidence, and the value of a counterclaim and rebuttal.

Students love to debate whether or not strict mom should allow party kid to attend the party. More importantly, it’s a great way to introduce the art of the argument, because kids can see how they can use the skills to their personal advantage.

Persuasive Writing Differs From Argument Writing

At the middle school level, students need to understand persuasive and argument writing in a concrete way. Therefore, I keep it simple by explaining that both types of writing involve a claim. However, in persuasive writing, the supporting details are based on opinions, feelings, and emotions, while in argument writing the supporting details are based on researching factual evidence.

I give kids a few examples to see if they can tell the difference between argumentation and persuasion before we move on.

Argumentative Essay Terminology

In order to write a complete argumentative essay, students need to be familiar with some key terminology . Some teachers name the parts differently, so I try to give them more than one word if necessary:

thesis statement
bridge/warrant
counterclaim/counterargument*
turn-back/refutation

*If you follow Common Core Standards, the counterargument is not required for 6th-grade argument writing. All of the teachers in my school teach it anyway, and I’m thankful for that when the kids get to 7th grade.

Organizing the Argumentative Essay

I teach students how to write a step-by-step 5 paragraph argumentative essay consisting of the following:

Introduction : Includes a lead/hook, background information about the topic, and a thesis statement that includes the claim.
Body Paragraph #1 : Introduces the first reason that the claim is valid. Supports that reason with facts, examples, and/or data.
Body Paragraph #2 : The second reason the claim is valid. Supporting evidence as above.
Counterargument (Body Paragraph #3): Introduction of an opposing claim, then includes a turn-back to take the reader back to the original claim.
Conclusion : Restates the thesis statement, summarizes the main idea, and contains a strong concluding statement that might be a call to action.

Mentor Texts

If we want students to write a certain way, we should provide high-quality mentor texts that are exact models of what we expect them to write.

I know a lot of teachers will use picture books or editorials that present arguments for this, and I can get behind that. But only if specific exemplary essays are also used, and this is why.

If I want to learn Italian cooking, I’m not going to just watch the Romanos enjoy a holiday feast on Everybody Loves Raymond . I need to slow it down and follow every little step my girl Lidia Bastianich makes.

The same goes for teaching argument writing. If we want students to write 5 paragraph essays, that’s what we should show them.

In fact, don’t just display those mentor texts like a museum piece. Dissect the heck out of those essays. Pull them apart like a Thanksgiving turkey. Disassemble the essay sentence by sentence and have the kids label the parts and reassemble them. This is how they will learn how to structure their own writing.

Also, encourage your detectives to evaluate the evidence. Ask students to make note of how the authors use anecdotes, statistics, and facts. Have them evaluate the evidence and whether or not the writer fully analyzes it and connects it to the claim.

This is absolutely the best way for kids to understand the purpose of each part of the essay.

Research Time

Most of my students are not very experienced with performing research when we do this unit, so I ease them into it. (Our “big” research unit comes later in the year with our feature article unit .)

I start them off by showing this short video on how to find reliable sources. We use data collection sheets and our school library’s database for research. There are also some awesome, kid-friendly research sites listed on the Ask a Tech Teacher Blog .

Step-By-Step Drafting

The bedrock of drafting is to start with a solid graphic organizer. I have to differentiate for my writers, and I’ve found they have the most success when I offer three types of graphic organizers.

1- Least Support: This is your standard graphic organizer. It labels each paragraph and has a dedicated section for each part of the paragraph.

2- Moderate Support: This one has labels and sections, but also includes sentence stems for each sentence in the paragraph.

3- Most Support: This one has labels and sections and also includes fill-in-the-blank sentence frames . It’s perfect for my emerging writers, and as I’ve mentioned previously, students do NOT need the frames for long and soon become competent and independent writers.

Writing the Introduction

The introduction has three parts and purposes.

First, it has a hook or lead. While it should be about the topic, it shouldn’t state the writer’s position on the topic. I encourage students to start with a quote by a famous person, an unusual detail, a statistic, or a fact.

Kids will often try to start with a question, but I discourage that unless their question also includes one of the other strategies. Otherwise, I end up with 100 essays that start with, “Do you like sharks?” Lol

Next, it’s time to introduce the issue. This is the background information that readers need in order to understand the controversy.

Last, students should state the claim in the thesis statement. I call it a promise to the reader that the essay will deliver by proving that the claim is valid.

Writing the Supporting Body Paragraphs

Each supporting body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the idea and states the reason why the claim is valid. The following sentences in the paragraph should support that reason with facts, examples, data, or expert opinions. The bridge is the sentence that connects that piece of evidence to the argument’s claim. The concluding sentence should restate the reason.

Writing the Counterclaim Paragraph

The counterclaim paragraph is a very important aspect of argument writing. It’s where we introduce an opposing argument and then confidently take the reader back to the original argument. I tell students that it’s necessary to “get in the head” of the person who might not agree with their claim, by predicting their objections.

It can be tough for kids to “flip the switch” on their own argument, so I like to practice this a bit. I give them several pairs of transitions that go together to form a counterclaim and rebuttal. I also switch up what I call this part so that they use the terminology interchangeably.

It might seem that [ counterargument . ]However, [ turn-back .]
Opponents may argue that [ counterargument .] Nevertheless, [ turn back .]
A common argument against this position is [ counterargument .] Yet, [ turn-back .]

A great way for kids to practice this is to have them work with partners to write a few counterarguments together. I let them practice by giving them easy role-playing topics.

Your cousins want to jump into a poison ivy grove for a TikTok challenge. Choose your position on this and write a counterargument and turn-back.
Your friend wants to get a full-face tattoo of their boyfriend’s name. Choose your position on this and write a counterargument and turn-back.

This kind of practice makes the counterargument much more clear.

The concluding paragraph should remind the reader of what was argued in the essay and why it matters. It might also suggest solutions or further research that could be done on the topic. Or students can write a call to action that asks the reader to perform an action in regard to the information they’ve just learned.

My students write about local issues and then turn the essays into letters to our superintendent, school board, or state senators. It’s an amazing way to empower kids and to show them that their opinion matters. I’ve written about that here and I’ve included the sentence frames for the letters in my argumentative writing unit.

I hope this gives you a good overview of teaching argument writing. Please leave any questions below. Please also share your ideas, because we all need all the help we can give each other!

And one more thing. Don’t be surprised if parents start asking you to tone down the unit because it’s become harder to tell their kids why they can’t stay up late for parties. 🙂

Stay delicious!

Narrative Writing Workshop for Middle School ELA

Fiction & Nonfiction Reading -Teach, Practice, Test BUNDLE – Middle School ELA

RACES Writing Introduction to Paragraph Frames DIGITAL & EDITABLE

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 3 strong argumentative essay examples, analyzed.

General Education

Need to defend your opinion on an issue? Argumentative essays are one of the most popular types of essays you’ll write in school. They combine persuasive arguments with fact-based research, and, when done well, can be powerful tools for making someone agree with your point of view. If you’re struggling to write an argumentative essay or just want to learn more about them, seeing examples can be a big help.

After giving an overview of this type of essay, we provide three argumentative essay examples. After each essay, we explain in-depth how the essay was structured, what worked, and where the essay could be improved. We end with tips for making your own argumentative essay as strong as possible.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is an essay that uses evidence and facts to support the claim it’s making. Its purpose is to persuade the reader to agree with the argument being made.

A good argumentative essay will use facts and evidence to support the argument, rather than just the author’s thoughts and opinions. For example, say you wanted to write an argumentative essay stating that Charleston, SC is a great destination for families. You couldn’t just say that it’s a great place because you took your family there and enjoyed it. For it to be an argumentative essay, you need to have facts and data to support your argument, such as the number of child-friendly attractions in Charleston, special deals you can get with kids, and surveys of people who visited Charleston as a family and enjoyed it. The first argument is based entirely on feelings, whereas the second is based on evidence that can be proven.

The standard five paragraph format is common, but not required, for argumentative essays. These essays typically follow one of two formats: the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model.

The Toulmin model is the most common. It begins with an introduction, follows with a thesis/claim, and gives data and evidence to support that claim. This style of essay also includes rebuttals of counterarguments.
The Rogerian model analyzes two sides of an argument and reaches a conclusion after weighing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

3 Good Argumentative Essay Examples + Analysis

Below are three examples of argumentative essays, written by yours truly in my school days, as well as analysis of what each did well and where it could be improved.

Argumentative Essay Example 1

Proponents of this idea state that it will save local cities and towns money because libraries are expensive to maintain. They also believe it will encourage more people to read because they won’t have to travel to a library to get a book; they can simply click on what they want to read and read it from wherever they are. They could also access more materials because libraries won’t have to buy physical copies of books; they can simply rent out as many digital copies as they need.

However, it would be a serious mistake to replace libraries with tablets. First, digital books and resources are associated with less learning and more problems than print resources. A study done on tablet vs book reading found that people read 20-30% slower on tablets, retain 20% less information, and understand 10% less of what they read compared to people who read the same information in print. Additionally, staring too long at a screen has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including blurred vision, dizziness, dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain, at much higher instances than reading print does. People who use tablets and mobile devices excessively also have a higher incidence of more serious health issues such as fibromyalgia, shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and muscle strain. I know that whenever I read from my e-reader for too long, my eyes begin to feel tired and my neck hurts. We should not add to these problems by giving people, especially young people, more reasons to look at screens.

Second, it is incredibly narrow-minded to assume that the only service libraries offer is book lending. Libraries have a multitude of benefits, and many are only available if the library has a physical location. Some of these benefits include acting as a quiet study space, giving people a way to converse with their neighbors, holding classes on a variety of topics, providing jobs, answering patron questions, and keeping the community connected. One neighborhood found that, after a local library instituted community events such as play times for toddlers and parents, job fairs for teenagers, and meeting spaces for senior citizens, over a third of residents reported feeling more connected to their community. Similarly, a Pew survey conducted in 2015 found that nearly two-thirds of American adults feel that closing their local library would have a major impact on their community. People see libraries as a way to connect with others and get their questions answered, benefits tablets can’t offer nearly as well or as easily.

While replacing libraries with tablets may seem like a simple solution, it would encourage people to spend even more time looking at digital screens, despite the myriad issues surrounding them. It would also end access to many of the benefits of libraries that people have come to rely on. In many areas, libraries are such an important part of the community network that they could never be replaced by a simple object.

The author begins by giving an overview of the counter-argument, then the thesis appears as the first sentence in the third paragraph. The essay then spends the rest of the paper dismantling the counter argument and showing why readers should believe the other side.

What this essay does well:

Although it’s a bit unusual to have the thesis appear fairly far into the essay, it works because, once the thesis is stated, the rest of the essay focuses on supporting it since the counter-argument has already been discussed earlier in the paper.
This essay includes numerous facts and cites studies to support its case. By having specific data to rely on, the author’s argument is stronger and readers will be more inclined to agree with it.
For every argument the other side makes, the author makes sure to refute it and follow up with why her opinion is the stronger one. In order to make a strong argument, it’s important to dismantle the other side, which this essay does this by making the author's view appear stronger.
This is a shorter paper, and if it needed to be expanded to meet length requirements, it could include more examples and go more into depth with them, such as by explaining specific cases where people benefited from local libraries.
Additionally, while the paper uses lots of data, the author also mentions their own experience with using tablets. This should be removed since argumentative essays focus on facts and data to support an argument, not the author’s own opinion or experiences. Replacing that with more data on health issues associated with screen time would strengthen the essay.
Some of the points made aren't completely accurate , particularly the one about digital books being cheaper. It actually often costs a library more money to rent out numerous digital copies of a book compared to buying a single physical copy. Make sure in your own essay you thoroughly research each of the points and rebuttals you make, otherwise you'll look like you don't know the issue that well.

Argumentative Essay Example 2

There are multiple drugs available to treat malaria, and many of them work well and save lives, but malaria eradication programs that focus too much on them and not enough on prevention haven’t seen long-term success in Sub-Saharan Africa. A major program to combat malaria was WHO’s Global Malaria Eradication Programme. Started in 1955, it had a goal of eliminating malaria in Africa within the next ten years. Based upon previously successful programs in Brazil and the United States, the program focused mainly on vector control. This included widely distributing chloroquine and spraying large amounts of DDT. More than one billion dollars was spent trying to abolish malaria. However, the program suffered from many problems and in 1969, WHO was forced to admit that the program had not succeeded in eradicating malaria. The number of people in Sub-Saharan Africa who contracted malaria as well as the number of malaria deaths had actually increased over 10% during the time the program was active.

One of the major reasons for the failure of the project was that it set uniform strategies and policies. By failing to consider variations between governments, geography, and infrastructure, the program was not nearly as successful as it could have been. Sub-Saharan Africa has neither the money nor the infrastructure to support such an elaborate program, and it couldn’t be run the way it was meant to. Most African countries don't have the resources to send all their people to doctors and get shots, nor can they afford to clear wetlands or other malaria prone areas. The continent’s spending per person for eradicating malaria was just a quarter of what Brazil spent. Sub-Saharan Africa simply can’t rely on a plan that requires more money, infrastructure, and expertise than they have to spare.

Additionally, the widespread use of chloroquine has created drug resistant parasites which are now plaguing Sub-Saharan Africa. Because chloroquine was used widely but inconsistently, mosquitoes developed resistance, and chloroquine is now nearly completely ineffective in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 95% of mosquitoes resistant to it. As a result, newer, more expensive drugs need to be used to prevent and treat malaria, which further drives up the cost of malaria treatment for a region that can ill afford it.

Instead of developing plans to treat malaria after the infection has incurred, programs should focus on preventing infection from occurring in the first place. Not only is this plan cheaper and more effective, reducing the number of people who contract malaria also reduces loss of work/school days which can further bring down the productivity of the region.

One of the cheapest and most effective ways of preventing malaria is to implement insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). These nets provide a protective barrier around the person or people using them. While untreated bed nets are still helpful, those treated with insecticides are much more useful because they stop mosquitoes from biting people through the nets, and they help reduce mosquito populations in a community, thus helping people who don’t even own bed nets. Bed nets are also very effective because most mosquito bites occur while the person is sleeping, so bed nets would be able to drastically reduce the number of transmissions during the night. In fact, transmission of malaria can be reduced by as much as 90% in areas where the use of ITNs is widespread. Because money is so scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa, the low cost is a great benefit and a major reason why the program is so successful. Bed nets cost roughly 2 USD to make, last several years, and can protect two adults. Studies have shown that, for every 100-1000 more nets are being used, one less child dies of malaria. With an estimated 300 million people in Africa not being protected by mosquito nets, there’s the potential to save three million lives by spending just a few dollars per person.

Reducing the number of people who contract malaria would also reduce poverty levels in Africa significantly, thus improving other aspects of society like education levels and the economy. Vector control is more effective than treatment strategies because it means fewer people are getting sick. When fewer people get sick, the working population is stronger as a whole because people are not put out of work from malaria, nor are they caring for sick relatives. Malaria-afflicted families can typically only harvest 40% of the crops that healthy families can harvest. Additionally, a family with members who have malaria spends roughly a quarter of its income treatment, not including the loss of work they also must deal with due to the illness. It’s estimated that malaria costs Africa 12 billion USD in lost income every year. A strong working population creates a stronger economy, which Sub-Saharan Africa is in desperate need of.

This essay begins with an introduction, which ends with the thesis (that malaria eradication plans in Sub-Saharan Africa should focus on prevention rather than treatment). The first part of the essay lays out why the counter argument (treatment rather than prevention) is not as effective, and the second part of the essay focuses on why prevention of malaria is the better path to take.

The thesis appears early, is stated clearly, and is supported throughout the rest of the essay. This makes the argument clear for readers to understand and follow throughout the essay.
There’s lots of solid research in this essay, including specific programs that were conducted and how successful they were, as well as specific data mentioned throughout. This evidence helps strengthen the author’s argument.
The author makes a case for using expanding bed net use over waiting until malaria occurs and beginning treatment, but not much of a plan is given for how the bed nets would be distributed or how to ensure they’re being used properly. By going more into detail of what she believes should be done, the author would be making a stronger argument.
The introduction of the essay does a good job of laying out the seriousness of the problem, but the conclusion is short and abrupt. Expanding it into its own paragraph would give the author a final way to convince readers of her side of the argument.

Argumentative Essay Example 3

There are many ways payments could work. They could be in the form of a free-market approach, where athletes are able to earn whatever the market is willing to pay them, it could be a set amount of money per athlete, or student athletes could earn income from endorsements, autographs, and control of their likeness, similar to the way top Olympians earn money.

Proponents of the idea believe that, because college athletes are the ones who are training, participating in games, and bringing in audiences, they should receive some sort of compensation for their work. If there were no college athletes, the NCAA wouldn’t exist, college coaches wouldn’t receive there (sometimes very high) salaries, and brands like Nike couldn’t profit from college sports. In fact, the NCAA brings in roughly $1 billion in revenue a year, but college athletes don’t receive any of that money in the form of a paycheck. Additionally, people who believe college athletes should be paid state that paying college athletes will actually encourage them to remain in college longer and not turn pro as quickly, either by giving them a way to begin earning money in college or requiring them to sign a contract stating they’ll stay at the university for a certain number of years while making an agreed-upon salary.

Supporters of this idea point to Zion Williamson, the Duke basketball superstar, who, during his freshman year, sustained a serious knee injury. Many argued that, even if he enjoyed playing for Duke, it wasn’t worth risking another injury and ending his professional career before it even began for a program that wasn’t paying him. Williamson seems to have agreed with them and declared his eligibility for the NCAA draft later that year. If he was being paid, he may have stayed at Duke longer. In fact, roughly a third of student athletes surveyed stated that receiving a salary while in college would make them “strongly consider” remaining collegiate athletes longer before turning pro.

Paying athletes could also stop the recruitment scandals that have plagued the NCAA. In 2018, the NCAA stripped the University of Louisville's men's basketball team of its 2013 national championship title because it was discovered coaches were using sex workers to entice recruits to join the team. There have been dozens of other recruitment scandals where college athletes and recruits have been bribed with anything from having their grades changed, to getting free cars, to being straight out bribed. By paying college athletes and putting their salaries out in the open, the NCAA could end the illegal and underhanded ways some schools and coaches try to entice athletes to join.

People who argue against the idea of paying college athletes believe the practice could be disastrous for college sports. By paying athletes, they argue, they’d turn college sports into a bidding war, where only the richest schools could afford top athletes, and the majority of schools would be shut out from developing a talented team (though some argue this already happens because the best players often go to the most established college sports programs, who typically pay their coaches millions of dollars per year). It could also ruin the tight camaraderie of many college teams if players become jealous that certain teammates are making more money than they are.

They also argue that paying college athletes actually means only a small fraction would make significant money. Out of the 350 Division I athletic departments, fewer than a dozen earn any money. Nearly all the money the NCAA makes comes from men’s football and basketball, so paying college athletes would make a small group of men--who likely will be signed to pro teams and begin making millions immediately out of college--rich at the expense of other players.

Those against paying college athletes also believe that the athletes are receiving enough benefits already. The top athletes already receive scholarships that are worth tens of thousands per year, they receive free food/housing/textbooks, have access to top medical care if they are injured, receive top coaching, get travel perks and free gear, and can use their time in college as a way to capture the attention of professional recruiters. No other college students receive anywhere near as much from their schools.

People on this side also point out that, while the NCAA brings in a massive amount of money each year, it is still a non-profit organization. How? Because over 95% of those profits are redistributed to its members’ institutions in the form of scholarships, grants, conferences, support for Division II and Division III teams, and educational programs. Taking away a significant part of that revenue would hurt smaller programs that rely on that money to keep running.

While both sides have good points, it’s clear that the negatives of paying college athletes far outweigh the positives. College athletes spend a significant amount of time and energy playing for their school, but they are compensated for it by the scholarships and perks they receive. Adding a salary to that would result in a college athletic system where only a small handful of athletes (those likely to become millionaires in the professional leagues) are paid by a handful of schools who enter bidding wars to recruit them, while the majority of student athletics and college athletic programs suffer or even shut down for lack of money. Continuing to offer the current level of benefits to student athletes makes it possible for as many people to benefit from and enjoy college sports as possible.

This argumentative essay follows the Rogerian model. It discusses each side, first laying out multiple reasons people believe student athletes should be paid, then discussing reasons why the athletes shouldn’t be paid. It ends by stating that college athletes shouldn’t be paid by arguing that paying them would destroy college athletics programs and cause them to have many of the issues professional sports leagues have.

Both sides of the argument are well developed, with multiple reasons why people agree with each side. It allows readers to get a full view of the argument and its nuances.
Certain statements on both sides are directly rebuffed in order to show where the strengths and weaknesses of each side lie and give a more complete and sophisticated look at the argument.
Using the Rogerian model can be tricky because oftentimes you don’t explicitly state your argument until the end of the paper. Here, the thesis doesn’t appear until the first sentence of the final paragraph. That doesn’t give readers a lot of time to be convinced that your argument is the right one, compared to a paper where the thesis is stated in the beginning and then supported throughout the paper. This paper could be strengthened if the final paragraph was expanded to more fully explain why the author supports the view, or if the paper had made it clearer that paying athletes was the weaker argument throughout.

3 Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay

Now that you’ve seen examples of what good argumentative essay samples look like, follow these three tips when crafting your own essay.

#1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear

The thesis is the key to your argumentative essay; if it isn’t clear or readers can’t find it easily, your entire essay will be weak as a result. Always make sure that your thesis statement is easy to find. The typical spot for it is the final sentence of the introduction paragraph, but if it doesn’t fit in that spot for your essay, try to at least put it as the first or last sentence of a different paragraph so it stands out more.

Also make sure that your thesis makes clear what side of the argument you’re on. After you’ve written it, it’s a great idea to show your thesis to a couple different people--classmates are great for this. Just by reading your thesis they should be able to understand what point you’ll be trying to make with the rest of your essay.

#2: Show Why the Other Side Is Weak

When writing your essay, you may be tempted to ignore the other side of the argument and just focus on your side, but don’t do this. The best argumentative essays really tear apart the other side to show why readers shouldn’t believe it. Before you begin writing your essay, research what the other side believes, and what their strongest points are. Then, in your essay, be sure to mention each of these and use evidence to explain why they’re incorrect/weak arguments. That’ll make your essay much more effective than if you only focused on your side of the argument.

#3: Use Evidence to Support Your Side

Remember, an essay can’t be an argumentative essay if it doesn’t support its argument with evidence. For every point you make, make sure you have facts to back it up. Some examples are previous studies done on the topic, surveys of large groups of people, data points, etc. There should be lots of numbers in your argumentative essay that support your side of the argument. This will make your essay much stronger compared to only relying on your own opinions to support your argument.

Summary: Argumentative Essay Sample

Argumentative essays are persuasive essays that use facts and evidence to support their side of the argument. Most argumentative essays follow either the Toulmin model or the Rogerian model. By reading good argumentative essay examples, you can learn how to develop your essay and provide enough support to make readers agree with your opinion. When writing your essay, remember to always make your thesis clear, show where the other side is weak, and back up your opinion with data and evidence.

What's Next?

Do you need to write an argumentative essay as well? Check out our guide on the best argumentative essay topics for ideas!

You'll probably also need to write research papers for school. We've got you covered with 113 potential topics for research papers.

Your college admissions essay may end up being one of the most important essays you write. Follow our step-by-step guide on writing a personal statement to have an essay that'll impress colleges.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

Argumentative Essay Guide

Argumentative Essay Examples

Argumentative Essay Examples: Samples & Tips

11 min read

Free Argumentative Essay Examples For Students

A good essay presents facts and data to support an argument, evaluates point of view, and proves its point. It's designed to convince the reader with facts and logic.

Below are some more good argumentative essay examples written by our professional essay writers.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

6th Grade Argumentative Essay Examples

Looking for inspiration for your 6th-grade argumentative essay? Explore this detailed example crafted specifically for 6th graders.

Argumentative Essay Example for 6th Grade

Argumentative Essay Example Grade 7

With this example, seventh graders can confidently tackle topics they care about.

Argumentative Essay Example for 7th Grade

Grade 8 Argumentative Essay Examples

Right here, we've got 8th grader example of an argumentative essay.

Grade 8 Argumentative Essay Example

Argumentative Essay Examples For Middle School

Middle school essays are pretty basic and easier to debate. Following is an example of middle school argumentative essay:

Argument Essay Example For Middle School

Argumentative Essay Examples For High School PDFs

Here are some amazing argumentative essay examples for high school students. Read them and get an idea of how you can make your argumentative essay flawless.

Argumentative Essay Example for High School

Evaluation Argumentative Essay Example

Counter Argument Essay Example

Argumentative Essay Examples For College Students

When it comes to the college level, essay writing becomes more complicated. At this level, students have to write complex papers like research papers or thesis papers .

Here are some argumentative essay examples pdfs that all college students can use as a guide for their next essay assignment:

Argumentative Essay Example For College

Sample Argumentative Essay For College

Sample Argumentative Essay On Smoking

Argumentative Essay On Gun Control

Argumentative Essay Example for O Level

Following argumentative essay samples can assist you in creating an essay if you are an O Level student.

Social Media Argumentative Essay Example

Short Argumentative Essay Examples

There is no precise word count for an argumentative essay. It just has to persuade the reader and give the author's message to the intended audience.

It can be short or lengthy. It would be considered correct as long as there's a discussion in it.

This is a sample of an argumentative essay.

Short Argumentative Essay Example

Ap lang Argumentative Essay Examples

Argumentative Essay Example About Covid-19

5 Paragraph Argumentative Essay Examples

The traditional argumentative essay outline consists of 5 paragraphs: one introduction, three body paragraphs, and one conclusion.

Here are 5 paragraph argumentative essay examples pdf for crafting an argumentative essay.

5 Paragraph Argumentative Essay

How to Write an Argumentative Essay? Examples

Writing a compelling argumentative essay can be a daunting task, but with the right guidance and examples, it becomes more manageable.

In this section, we'll explore the essential steps along with examples to master the art of crafting persuasive arguments.

Argumentative Essay Examples Introduction

The introduction should include an attention-grabbing hook and background information on the topic. Additionally, it should have a clear thesis statement at the end that outlines the main points of your argument.

After reading through this introduction, readers should have a good understanding of what they can expect from your paper.

Here is a thesis statement for argumentative essay example:

Argumentative Essay Examples with Thesis Statement

Need more examples? Don’t worry! Read out these free argumentative essay examples pdf:

Argumentative Essay Examples Introduction

How to start an Argumentative Essay Examples

How to Write a Body Paragraph of Argumentative Essay

Argumentative essay conclusion example .

The conclusion of your argumentative essay is an important part where everything ties together. It should summarise your main points and reiterate your argument.

Here is an example of what it looks like:

How to End an Argumentative Essay Examples

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Interesting Argumentative Essay Topics

Choosing an essay topic is sometimes the most difficult part of the writing process. Here are some topics that will help you in brainstorming your topics:

Should the government impose a curfew on teens?
Should alcohol advertisements be banned?
Are cell phones dangerous to our health?
Is global warming real or fake?
Should school uniforms be mandatory?
Does the media influence gender roles in society?
Is nuclear energy safe?
Should the death penalty be abolished?
Should abortion be legal in the United States?
Is animal testing necessary?

If you are looking for a comprehensive list of topics, check out our argumentative essay topics blog!

Argumentative Essay Writing Tips

When it comes to writing high-quality argumentative essays, there are some solid tips you need to know.

Below are 10 useful tips you should keep in mind while crafting an argumentative essay.

Choose Engaging Topics

Choosing an engaging topic will make you feel enthusiastic from the moment you start drafting down words in your essay. An argumentative essay topic should always be debatable, arguable, and researchable.

Choose the Structure

An argumentative essay can be structured in three ways: Classical, Toulmin, and Rogerian. Choose any of these types of arguments to give your essay a logical flow and purpose.

Conduct Quality Research

Extensive fact-based research goes a long way in producing a good argumentative essay. The more you study, the broader your horizons will be, and you will have just that much more supporting evidence.

Credible Sources

You can’t expect someone to agree with opposing views without strong and authentic evidence. If you want someone to change their perspective, you need to persuade them with facts from credible sources .

Use Counter Arguments

One of the most important parts of an argumentative essay is using counter-arguments. Introduce the opposing view in a few short sentences and proceed to refute them with fact-based empirical evidence. This is a powerful way of persuading a reader to agree with your side of the argument.

Create a Solid Introduction

Remember to pay keen attention to the introduction of your essay, as it can make or break your essay. A strong thesis statement lets your readers know your stance and gives them an idea of your philosophy around the topic.

Complex Sentences Never Impress

Fancy vocabulary and extremely long sentences are too complex to understand. Your goal is to strike the reader’s mind with intelligent arguments and not try to sound smarter than them. Use simple vocabulary, but be fueled with creativity.

Clarity and Authority

When writing an argumentative essay, do not come across as reluctant or uncertain. Whatever you do, don’t play both sides or show your strengths and weaknesses simultaneously. You should choose a side and be confident about the points you make.

Stick to the Essay Length

When writing an argumentative essay, it is very easy to deviate from the assigned essay length given by your instructor. Writing a 4000-word essay while the maximum essay length given by your instructor was 1500 probably isn’t a good idea.

Avoid Sensitive Topics

Students should avoid hot-button topics like race, sports, politics, and religion at all costs. The last thing you want to do is offend a reader who holds a strong personal opinion of you.

Here is a video with some tips on starting your essay. Be sure to check it out:

In summary, we've explored a wide range of example for different academic levels. These examples will help you in creating strong arguments and using persuasive writing effectively.

Remember, a good argumentative essay isn't just about stating your opinion. It's about stating it clearly, supporting it with solid evidence, and presenting it convincingly.

Moreover, if you need help with writing argumentative essays, our expert writers are here for you. You can trust our online essay writing service to help you craft engaging argumentative essays.

With us, you will get 24/7 customer support, timely delivery, free revisions, and more benefits! So place your order at our argumentative essay writing service today!

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Nova Allison is a Digital Content Strategist with over eight years of experience. Nova has also worked as a technical and scientific writer. She is majorly involved in developing and reviewing online content plans that engage and resonate with audiences. Nova has a passion for writing that engages and informs her readers.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing

February 7, 2016

Can't find what you are looking for? Contact Us

Listen to this post as a podcast:

This page contains Amazon Affiliate and Bookshop.org links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. What’s the difference between Amazon and Bookshop.org?

For seven years, I was a writing teacher. Yes, I was certified to teach the full spectrum of English language arts—literature, grammar and usage, speech, drama, and so on—but my absolute favorite, the thing I loved doing the most, was teaching students how to write.

Most of the material on this site is directed at all teachers. I look for and put together resources that would appeal to any teacher who teaches any subject. That practice will continue for as long as I keep this up. But over the next year or so, I plan to also share more of what I know about teaching students to write. Although I know many of the people who visit here are not strictly English language arts teachers, my hope is that these posts will provide tons of value to those who are, and to those who teach all subjects, including writing.

So let’s begin with argumentative writing, or persuasive writing, as many of us used to call it. This overview will be most helpful to those who are new to teaching writing, or teachers who have not gotten good results with the approach you have taken up to now. I don’t claim to have the definitive answer on how to do this, but the method I share here worked pretty well for me, and it might do the same for you. If you are an experienced English language arts teacher, you probably already have a system for teaching this skill that you like. Then again, I’m always interested in how other people do the things I can already do; maybe you’re curious like that, too.

Before I start, I should note that what I describe in this post is a fairly formulaic style of essay writing. It’s not exactly the 5-paragraph essay, but it definitely builds on that model. I strongly believe students should be shown how to move past those kinds of structures into a style of writing that’s more natural and fitting to the task and audience, but I also think they should start with something that’s pretty clearly organized.

So here’s how I teach argumentative essay writing.

Step 1: Watch How It’s Done

One of the most effective ways to improve student writing is to show them mentor texts, examples of excellent writing within the genre students are about to attempt themselves. Ideally, this writing would come from real publications and not be fabricated by me in order to embody the form I’m looking for. Although most experts on writing instruction employ some kind of mentor text study, the person I learned it from best was Katie Wood Ray in her book Study Driven (links to the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon ).

Since I want the writing to be high quality and the subject matter to be high interest, I might choose pieces like Jessica Lahey’s Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need it Most and David Bulley’s School Suspensions Don’t Work .

I would have students read these texts, compare them, and find places where the authors used evidence to back up their assertions. I would ask students which author they feel did the best job of influencing the reader, and what suggestions they would make to improve the writing. I would also ask them to notice things like stories, facts and statistics, and other things the authors use to develop their ideas. Later, as students work on their own pieces, I would likely return to these pieces to show students how to execute certain writing moves.

Step 2: Informal Argument, Freestyle

Although many students might need more practice in writing an effective argument, many of them are excellent at arguing in person. To help them make this connection, I would have them do some informal debate on easy, high-interest topics. An activity like This or That (one of the classroom icebreakers I talked about last year) would be perfect here: I read a statement like “Women have the same opportunities in life as men.” Students who agree with the statement move to one side of the room, and those who disagree move to the other side. Then they take turns explaining why they are standing in that position. This ultimately looks a little bit like a debate, as students from either side tend to defend their position to those on the other side.

Every class of students I have ever had, from middle school to college, has loved loved LOVED this activity. It’s so simple, it gets them out of their seats, and for a unit on argument, it’s an easy way to get them thinking about how the art of argument is something they practice all the time.

Step 3: Informal Argument, Not so Freestyle

Once students have argued without the support of any kind of research or text, I would set up a second debate; this time with more structure and more time to research ahead of time. I would pose a different question, supply students with a few articles that would provide ammunition for either side, then give them time to read the articles and find the evidence they need.

Next, we’d have a Philosophical Chairs debate (learn about this in my discussion strategies post), which is very similar to “This or That,” except students use textual evidence to back up their points, and there are a few more rules. Here they are still doing verbal argument, but the experience should make them more likely to appreciate the value of evidence when trying to persuade.

Before leaving this step, I would have students transfer their thoughts from the discussion they just had into something that looks like the opening paragraph of a written argument: A statement of their point of view, plus three reasons to support that point of view. This lays the groundwork for what’s to come.

Step 4: Introduction of the Performance Assessment

Next I would show students their major assignment, the performance assessment that they will work on for the next few weeks. What does this look like? It’s generally a written prompt that describes the task, plus the rubric I will use to score their final product.

Anytime I give students a major writing assignment, I let them see these documents very early on. In my experience, I’ve found that students appreciate having a clear picture of what’s expected of them when beginning a writing assignment. At this time, I also show them a model of a piece of writing that meets the requirements of the assignment. Unlike the mentor texts we read on day 1, this sample would be something teacher-created (or an excellent student model from a previous year) to fit the parameters of the assignment.

Step 5: Building the Base

Before letting students loose to start working on their essays, I make sure they have a solid plan for writing. I would devote at least one more class period to having students consider their topic for the essay, drafting a thesis statement, and planning the main points of their essay in a graphic organizer.

I would also begin writing my own essay on a different topic. This has been my number one strategy for teaching students how to become better writers. Using a document camera or overhead projector, I start from scratch, thinking out loud and scribbling down my thoughts as they come. When students see how messy the process can be, it becomes less intimidating for them. They begin to understand how to take the thoughts that are stirring around in your head and turn them into something that makes sense in writing.

For some students, this early stage might take a few more days, and that’s fine: I would rather spend more time getting it right at the pre-writing stage than have a student go off willy-nilly, draft a full essay, then realize they need to start over. Meanwhile, students who have their plans in order will be allowed to move on to the next step.

Step 6: Writer’s Workshop

The next seven to ten days would be spent in writer’s workshop, where I would start class with a mini-lesson about a particular aspect of craft. I would show them how to choose credible, relevant evidence, how to skillfully weave evidence into an argument, how to consider the needs of an audience, and how to correctly cite sources. Once each mini-lesson was done, I would then give students the rest of the period to work independently on their writing. During this time, I would move around the room, helping students solve problems and offering feedback on whatever part of the piece they are working on. I would encourage students to share their work with peers and give feedback at all stages of the writing process.

If I wanted to make the unit even more student-centered, I would provide the mini-lessons in written or video format and let students work through them at their own pace, without me teaching them. (To learn more about this approach, read this post on self-paced learning ).

As students begin to complete their essays, the mini-lessons would focus more on matters of style and usage. I almost never bother talking about spelling, punctuation, grammar, or usage until students have a draft that’s pretty close to done. Only then do we start fixing the smaller mistakes.

Step 7: Final Assessment

Finally, the finished essays are handed in for a grade. At this point, I’m pretty familiar with each student’s writing and have given them verbal (and sometimes written) feedback throughout the unit; that’s why I make the writer’s workshop phase last so long. I don’t really want students handing in work until they are pretty sure they’ve met the requirements to the best of their ability. I also don’t necessarily see “final copies” as final; if a student hands in an essay that’s still really lacking in some key areas, I will arrange to have that student revise it and resubmit for a higher grade.

So that’s it. If you haven’t had a lot of success teaching students to write persuasively, and if the approach outlined here is different from what you’ve been doing, give it a try. And let’s keep talking: Use the comments section below to share your techniques or ask questions about the most effective ways to teach argumentative writing.

Want this unit ready-made?

If you’re a writing teacher in grades 7-12 and you’d like a classroom-ready unit like the one described above, including mini-lessons, sample essays, and a library of high-interest online articles to use for gathering evidence, take a look at my Argumentative Writing unit. Just click on the image below and you’ll be taken to a page where you can read more and see a detailed preview of what’s included.

What to Read Next

Categories: Instruction , Podcast

Tags: English language arts , Grades 6-8 , Grades 9-12 , teaching strategies

58 Comments

This is useful information. In teaching persuasive speaking/writing I have found Monroe’s Motivated sequence very useful and productive. It is a classic model that immediately gives a solid structure for students.

Thanks for the recommendation, Bill. I will have to look into that! Here’s a link to more information on Monroe’s Motivated sequence, for anyone who wants to learn more: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/MonroeMotivatedSequence.htm

What other sites do you recommend for teacher use on providing effective organizational structure in argumentative writing? As a K-12 Curriculum Director, I find that when teachers connect with and understand the organizational structure, they are more effective in their teaching/delivery.

Hey Jessica, in addition to the steps outlined here, you might want to check out Jenn’s post on graphic organizers . Graphic organizers are a great tool that you can use in any phase of a lesson. Using them as a prewrite can help students visualize the argument and organize their thoughts. There’s a link in that post to the Graphic Organizer Multi-Pack that Jenn has for sale on her Teachers Pay Teachers site, which includes two versions of a graphic organizer you can use specifically for argument organization. Otherwise, if there’s something else you had in mind, let us know and we can help you out. Thanks!

Dear Jennifer Gonzalez,

You are generous with your gift of lighting the path… I hardly ever write (never before) , but I must today… THANK YOU… THANK YOU….THANK YOU… mostly for reading your great teachings… So your valuable teachings will even be easy to benefit all the smart people facing challenge of having to deal with adhd…

I am not a teacher… but forever a student…someone who studied English as 2nd language, with a science degree & adhd…

You truly are making a difference in our World…

Thanks so much, Rita! I know Jenn will appreciate this — I’ll be sure to share with her!

Love it! Its simple and very fruitful . I can feel how dedicated you are! Thanks alot Jen

Great examples of resources that students would find interesting. I enjoyed reading your article. I’ve bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks!

You’re welcome, Sheryl!

Students need to be writing all the time about a broad range of topics, but I love the focus here on argumentative writing because if you choose the model writing texts correctly, you can really get the kids engaged in the process and in how they can use this writing in real-world situations!

I agree, Laura. I think an occasional tight focus on one genre can help them grow leaps and bounds in the skills specific to that type of writing. Later, in less structured situations, they can then call on those skills when that kind of thinking is required.

This is really helpful! I used it today and put the recess article in a Google Doc and had the kids identify anecdotal, statistic, and ‘other’ types of evidence by highlighting them in three different colors. It worked well! Tomorrow we’ll discuss which of the different types of evidence are most convincing and why.

Love that, Shanna! Thanks for sharing that extra layer.

Greetings Ms. Gonzales. I was wondering if you had any ideas to help students develop the cons/against side of their argument within their writing? Please advise. Thanks.

Hi Michael,

Considering audience and counterarguments are an important part of the argumentative writing process. In the Argumentative Writing unit Jenn includes specific mini-lessons that teach kids how, when and where to include opposing views in their writing. In the meantime, here’s a video that might also be helpful.

Hi, Thank you very much for sharing your ideas. I want to share also the ideas in the article ‘Already Experts: Showing Students How Much They Know about Writing and Reading Arguments’ by Angela Petit and Edna Soto…they explain a really nice activity to introduce argumentative writing. I have applied it many times and my students not only love it but also display a very clear pattern as the results in the activity are quite similar every time. I hope you like it.

Lorena Perez

I’d like to thank you you for this excellence resource. It’s a wonderful addition to the informative content that Jennifer has shared.

What do you use for a prize?

I looked at the unit, and it looks and sounds great. The description says there are 4 topics. Can you tell me the topics before I purchase? We start argument in 5th grade, and I want to make sure the topics are different from those they’ve done the last 5 years before purchasing. Thanks!

Hi Carrie! If you go to the product page on TPT and open up the preview, you’ll see the four topics on the 4th page in more detail, but here they are: Social Networking in School (should social media sites be blocked in school?), Cell Phones in Class, Junk Food in School, and Single-Sex Education (i.e., genders separated). Does that help?

I teach 6th grade English in a single gendered (all-girls) class. We just finished an argument piece but I will definitely cycle back your ideas when we revisit argumentation. Thanks for the fabulous resources!

Glad to hear it, Madelyn!

I’m not a writing teacher and honestly haven’t been taught on how to teach writing. I’m a history teacher. I read this and found it helpful but have questions. First I noticed that amount of time dedicated to the task in terms of days. My questions are how long is a class period? I have my students for about 45 minutes. I also saw you mentioned in the part about self-paced learning that mini-lessons could be written or video format. I love these ideas. Any thoughts on how to do this with almost no technology in the room and low readers to non-readers? I’m trying to figure out how to balance teaching a content class while also teaching the common core skills. Thank you for any consideration to my questions.

Hey Jones, To me, a class period is anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour; definitely varies from school to school. As for the question about doing self-paced with very little tech? I think binders with written mini-lessons could work well, as well as a single computer station or tablet hooked up to a class set of videos. Obviously you’d need to be more diligent about rotating students in and out of these stations, but it’s an option at least. You might also give students access to the videos through computers in other locations at school (like the library) and give them passes to watch. The thing about self-paced learning, as you may have seen in the self-paced post , is that if students need extra teacher support (as you might find with low readers or non-readers), they would spend more one-on-one time with the teacher, while the higher-level students would be permitted to move more quickly on their own. Does that help?

My primary goal for next semester is to increase academic discussion and make connections from discussion to writing, so I love how you launch this unit with lessons like Philosophical Chairs. I am curious, however, what is the benefit of the informal argument before the not-so-informal argument? My students often struggle to listen to one another, so I’m wondering if I should start with the more formal, structured version. Or, am I overthinking the management? Thanks so much for input.

Yikes! So sorry your question slipped through, and we’re just now getting to this, Sarah. The main advantage of having kids first engage in informal debate is that it helps them get into an argumentative mindset and begin to appreciate the value of using research to support their claims. If you’ve purchased the unit, you can read more about this in the Overview.

My 6th graders are progressing through their argumentative essay. I’m providing mini lessons along the way that target where most students are in their essay. Your suggestions will be used. I’ve chosen to keep most writing in class and was happy to read that you scheduled a lot of class time for the writing. Students need to feel comfortable knowing that writing is a craft and needs to evolve over time. I think more will get done in class and it is especially important for the struggling writers to have peers and the teacher around while they write. Something that I had students do that they liked was to have them sit in like-topic groups to create a shared document where they curated information that MIGHT be helpful along the way. By the end of the essay, all will use a fantastic add-on called GradeProof which helps to eliminate most of the basic and silly errors that 6th graders make.

Debbi! I LOVE the idea of a shared, curated collection of resources! That is absolutely fantastic! Are you using a Google Doc for this? Other curation tools you might consider are Padlet and Elink .

thanks v much for all this information

Love this! What do you take as grades in the meantime? Throughout this 2 week stretch?

Ideally, you wouldn’t need to take grades at all, waiting until the final paper is done to give one grade. If your school requires more frequent grades, you could assign small point values for getting the incremental steps done: So in Step 3 (when students have to write a paragraph stating their point of view) you could take points for that. During the writer’s workshop phase, you might give points for completion of a rough draft and participation points for peer review (ideally, they’d get some kind of feedback on the quality of feedback they give to one another). Another option would be to just give a small, holistic grade for each week based on the overall integrity of their work–are they staying on task? Making small improvements to their writing each day? Taking advantage of the resources? If students are working diligently through the process, that should be enough. But again, the assessment (grades) should really come from that final written product, and if everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing during the workshop phase, most students should have pretty good scores on that final product. Does that help?

Awesome Step 2! Teaching mostly teenagers in Northern Australia I find students’ verbal arguments are much more finely honed than their written work.

To assist with “building the base” I’ve always found sentence starters an essential entry point for struggling students. We have started using the ‘PEARL’ method for analytical and persuasive writing.

If it helps here a free scaffold for the method:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Paragraph-Scaffold-PEEL-to-PEARL-3370676

Thanks again,

Thank you for sharing this additional resource! It’s excellent!

I’ve been scouring the interwebs looking for some real advice on how I can help my struggling 9th grader write better. I can write. Since it comes naturally for me, I have a hard time breaking it down into such tiny steps that he can begin to feel less overwhelmed. I LOVE the pre-writing ideas here. My son is a fabulous arguer. I need to help him use those powers for the good of his writing skills. Do you have a suggestion on what I else I can be using for my homeschooled son? Or what you may have that could work well for home use?

Hi Melinda,

You might be interested in taking a look at Jenn’s Argumentative Writing unit which she mentions at the end of the post . Hope this helps!

Mam it would be good if you could post some steps of different writing and some samples as well so it can be useful for the students.

Hi Aalia! My name is Holly, and I work as a Customer Experience Manager for Cult of Pedagogy. It just so happens that in the near future, Jenn is going to release a narrative writing unit, so keep an eye out for that! As far as samples, the argumentative writing unit has example essays included, and I’m sure the narrative unit will as well. But, to find the examples, you have to purchase the unit from Teachers Pay Teachers.

I just want to say that this helped me tremendously in teaching argument to 8th Graders this past school year, which is a huge concept on their state testing in April. I felt like they were very prepared, and they really enjoyed the verbal part of it, too! I have already implemented these methods into my unit plan for argument for my 11th grade class this year. Thank you so much for posting all of these things! : )

-Josee` Vaughn

I’m so glad to hear it, Josee!!

Love your blog! It is one of the best ones.

I am petrified of writing. I am teaching grade 8 in September and would love some suggestions as I start planning for the year. Thanks!

This is genius! I can’t wait to get started tomorrow teaching argument. It’s always something that I have struggled with, and I’ve been teaching for 18 years. I have a class of 31 students, mostly boys, several with IEPs. The self-paced mini-lessons will help tremendously.

So glad you liked it, Britney!

My students will begin the journey into persuasion and argument next week and your post cemented much of my thinking around how to facilitate the journey towards effective, enthusiastic argumentative writing.

I use your rubrics often to outline task expectations for my students and the feedback from them is how useful breaking every task into steps can be as they are learning new concepts.

Additionally, we made the leap into blogging as a grade at https://mrsdsroadrunners.edublogs.org/2019/01/04/your-future/ It feels much like trying to learn to change a tire while the car is speeding down the highway. Reading your posts over the past years was a factor in embracing the authentic audience. Thank You! Trish

I love reading and listening to your always helpful tips, tricks, and advice! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on creative and engaging ways to have students share their persuasive writing? My 6th students are just finishing up our persuasive writing where we read the book “Oh, Rats” by Albert Marrin and used the information gathered to craft a persuasive piece to either eliminate or protect rats and other than just reading their pieces to one another, I have been trying to think of more creative ways to share. I thought about having a debate but (un)fortunately all my kids are so sweet and are on the same side of the argument – Protect the Rats! Any ideas?

Hi Kiley! Thanks for the positive feedback! So glad to hear that you are finding value in Cult of Pedagogy! Here are a few suggestions that you may be interested in trying with your students:

-A gallery walk: Students could do this virtually if their writing is stored online or hard copies of their writing. Here are some different ways that you could use gallery walks: Enliven Class Discussions With Gallery Walks

-Students could give each other feedback using a tech tool like Flipgrid . You could assign students to small groups or give them accountability partners. In Flipgrid, you could have students sharing back and forth about their writing and their opinions.

I hope this helps!

I love the idea of mentor texts for all of these reading and writing concepts. I saw a great one on Twitter with one text and it demonstrated 5-6 reasons to start a paragraph, all in two pages of a book! Is there a location that would have suggestions/lists of mentor texts for these areas? Paragraphs, sentences, voice, persuasive writing, expository writing, etc. It seems like we could share this info, save each other some work, and curate a great collection of mentor text for English Language Arts teachers. Maybe it already exists?

Hi Maureen,

Here are some great resources that you may find helpful:

Craft Lessons Second Edition: Teaching Writing K-8 Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling and Mentor Texts and Mentor Texts, 2nd edition: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, K-6

Thanks so much! I’ll definitely look into these.

I love the steps for planning an argumentative essay writing. When we return from Christmas break, we will begin starting a unit on argumentative writing. I will definitely use the steps. I especially love Step #2. As a 6th grade teacher, my students love to argue. This would set the stage of what argumentative essay involves. Thanks for sharing.

So glad to hear this, Gwen. Thanks for letting us know!

Great orientation, dear Jennifer. The step-by-step carefully planned pedagogical perspectives have surely added in the information repository of many.

Hi Jennifer,

I hope you are well. I apologise for the incorrect spelling in the previous post.

Thank you very much for introducing this effective instruction for teaching argumentative writing. I am the first year PhD student at Newcastle University, UK. My PhD research project aims to investigate teaching argumentative writing to Chinese university students. I am interested in the Argumentative Writing unit you have designed and would like to buy it. I would like to see the preview of this book before deciding to purchase it. I clicked on the image BUT the font of the preview is so small and cannot see the content clearly. I am wondering whether it could be possible for you to email me a detailed preview of what’s included. I would highly appreciate if you could help me with this.

Thank you very much in advance. Looking forward to your reply.

Take care and all the very best, Chang

Hi Chang! Jenn’s Argumentative Writing Unit is actually a teaching unit geared toward grades 7-12 with lessons, activities, etc. If you click here click here to view the actual product, you can click on the green ‘View Preview’ button to see a pretty detailed preview of what’s offered. Once you open the preview, there is the option to zoom in so you can see what the actual pages of the unit are like. I hope this helps!

Great Content!

Another teacher showed me one of your posts, and now I’ve read a dozen of them. With teaching students to argue, have you ever used the “What’s going on in this picture?” https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture?module=inline I used it last year and thought it was a non-threatening way to introduce learners to using evidence to be persuasive since there was no text.

I used to do something like this to help kids learn how to make inferences. Hadn’t thought of it from a persuasive standpoint. Interesting.

this is a very interesting topic, thanks!

Hi! I’m a teacher too! I was looking for inspiration and I found your article and thought you might find this online free tool interesting that helps make all students participate meaningfully and engage in a topic. https://www.kialo-edu.com/

This tool is great for student collaboration and to teach argumentative writing in an innovative way. I hope this helps!

Your email address will not be published.

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

Praxis Core Writing

Course: praxis core writing > unit 1, argumentative essay | quick guide.

Source-based essay | Quick guide
Revision in context | Quick guide
Within-sentence punctuation | Quick guide
Subordination and coordination | Quick guide
Independent and dependent Clauses | Video lesson
Parallel structure | Quick guide
Modifier placement | Quick guide
Shifts in verb tense | Quick guide
Pronoun clarity | Quick guide
Pronoun agreement | Quick guide
Subject-verb agreement | Quick guide
Noun agreement | Quick guide
Frequently confused words | Quick guide
Conventional expressions | Quick guide
Logical comparison | Quick guide
Concision | Quick guide
Adjective/adverb confusion | Quick guide
Negation | Quick guide
Capitalization | Quick guide
Apostrophe use | Quick guide
Research skills | Quick guide

Argumentative essay (30 minutes)

states or clearly implies the writer’s position or thesis
organizes and develops ideas logically, making insightful connections between them
clearly explains key ideas, supporting them with well-chosen reasons, examples, or details
displays effective sentence variety
clearly displays facility in the use of language
is generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
organizes and develops ideas clearly, making connections between them
explains key ideas, supporting them with relevant reasons, examples, or details
displays some sentence variety
displays facility in the use of language
states or implies the writer’s position or thesis
shows control in the organization and development of ideas
explains some key ideas, supporting them with adequate reasons, examples, or details
displays adequate use of language
shows control of grammar, usage, and mechanics, but may display errors
limited in stating or implying a position or thesis
limited control in the organization and development of ideas
inadequate reasons, examples, or details to explain key ideas
an accumulation of errors in the use of language
an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
no clear position or thesis
weak organization or very little development
few or no relevant reasons, examples, or details
frequent serious errors in the use of language
frequent serious errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
contains serious and persistent writing errors or
is incoherent or
is undeveloped or
is off-topic

How should I build a thesis?

(Choice A) Kids should find role models that are worthier than celebrities because celebrities may be famous for reasons that aren't admirable. A Kids should find role models that are worthier than celebrities because celebrities may be famous for reasons that aren't admirable.
(Choice B) Because they profit from the admiration of youths, celebrities have a moral responsibility for the reactions their behaviors provoke in fans. B Because they profit from the admiration of youths, celebrities have a moral responsibility for the reactions their behaviors provoke in fans.
(Choice C) Celebrities may have more imitators than most people, but they hold no more responsibility over the example they set than the average person. C Celebrities may have more imitators than most people, but they hold no more responsibility over the example they set than the average person.
(Choice D) Notoriety is not always a choice, and some celebrities may not want to be role models. D Notoriety is not always a choice, and some celebrities may not want to be role models.
(Choice E) Parents have a moral responsibility to serve as immediate role models for their children. E Parents have a moral responsibility to serve as immediate role models for their children.

How should I support my thesis?

(Choice A) As basketball star Charles Barkley stated in a famous advertising campaign for Nike, he was paid to dominate on the basketball court, not to raise your kids. A As basketball star Charles Barkley stated in a famous advertising campaign for Nike, he was paid to dominate on the basketball court, not to raise your kids.
(Choice B) Many celebrities do consider themselves responsible for setting a good example and create non-profit organizations through which they can benefit youths. B Many celebrities do consider themselves responsible for setting a good example and create non-profit organizations through which they can benefit youths.
(Choice C) Many celebrities, like Kylie Jenner with her billion-dollar cosmetics company, profit directly from being imitated by fans who purchase sponsored products. C Many celebrities, like Kylie Jenner with her billion-dollar cosmetics company, profit directly from being imitated by fans who purchase sponsored products.
(Choice D) My ten-year-old nephew may love Drake's music, but his behaviors are more similar to those of the adults he interacts with on a daily basis, like his parents and teachers. D My ten-year-old nephew may love Drake's music, but his behaviors are more similar to those of the adults he interacts with on a daily basis, like his parents and teachers.
(Choice E) It's very common for young people to wear fashions similar to those of their favorite celebrities. E It's very common for young people to wear fashions similar to those of their favorite celebrities.

Want to join the conversation?

Upvote Button navigates to signup page
Downvote Button navigates to signup page
Flag Button navigates to signup page

35 Thought-Provoking Persuasive Writing Prompts For 6th Graders

Persuasive Writing Prompts 6th Graders Pin

Looking for a solid persuasive essay topic for your 6th grader?

The below post contains tons of great ideas that will get your 6th-grade students thinking, researching, debating, and writing!

I’m not talking about simple opinion writing topics – like their favorite food, favorite book, or how much money they should get for an allowance.

That is the the thing that my 3rd grade student would delight in arguing.

No, sixth graders are ready for more meaty topics that require a bit of research and thought. The more they dig into the topic and refine their point of view, the more they will sharpen their critical thinking and writing skills!

Don’t miss the free pdf printable at the bottom of this page with all of the ideas in one place!

Persuasive Writing Prompts For The 6th Grade Student

boxing gloves facing each other showing oppostie opinions

1. Is a dress code ever necessary?

In this prompt, students will be asked to take a stance on whether or not they think there is ever a time to enforce a dress code. Are there times when someone should be told how to dress? Such as a school dress code or wedding? Or should people be allowed to dress in any way that expresses themselves or their personality?

2. Should recycling be mandatory instead of suggested?

Students will be asked to consider whether the government should be more aggressive about recycling. They will be working with the concepts of the benefits of recycling vs. the freedoms of people.

3. Should vending machines ban junk food?

6th grade students will be asked to argue for or against the ban of junk food in vending machines. Vending machines are often used by people who are hungry and in a hurry. The vending options are usually less than healthy. Should vending machine owners be required to provide better choices? Or should they be allowed to stock their machines as they see fit?

4. Is it okay to keep exotic animals as pets?

This persuasive topic will have students take a stance on whether or not it is a good idea to keep exotic animals as pets. They will need to consider the benefits and drawbacks of keeping exotic pets and present a strong argument for their position. Make sure the student has a good understanding of the topic and the different types and sizes of animals that some people keep as pets.

5. Should the federal government impose a tax on sugary drinks?

In this prompt, students will be asked to argue for or against a government tax on sugary drinks – similar to the tax on cigarettes. They will need to consider the potential benefits of such a tax. What would the tax money be spent on? Or should people be free to drink any kind of beverage they wish, no matter how healthy or unhealthy?

6. Should life skills be a greater focus for education?

In this prompt, students will be asked to take a stance on what should be taught in school. Should the schools be doubling down on the basics of reading, writing, and math since test scores have dipped? Or should schools start allotting more time for important life skills, like time management, personal finance, and cooking, which are things many young adults struggle with.

7. Should there be age limits to use social media?

Students will list specific reasons why there should or should not be age restrictions for facebook pages and other forms of social media.

8. Is it important to save endangered species?

Students will be asked argue why enndangered animals should or should not be protected. They may be quick to make up their mind, but make sure they do research and find factual reasons that support their opinions.

9. Should video games be considered a sport?

Even though video games do not require the physical activity of traditional sports, does it still require focus, skill, and grit that would make it a modern sport? Or should that title only be awarded to an activity that requires you to sweat?

10. Should there be a ban on plastic bags?

Everyone knows plastic bags are bad for the environment, but should they be banned? What would the alternative be?

11. Is it necessary to have physical books anymore?

In the age of digital everything, are paper books still necessary? College students are already buying digital books instead of expensive physical ones. What benefits would come from doing away with paper books? What drawbacks would there be for those without a computer or solid internet?

12. Is it important to teach physical education in schools?

What is the goal of physical education? Does it have a place in the academic environment of education? Should those things be taught at home or on a sports team instead of during school hours? Shouldn’t physical activity be optional? Or is PE a vital piece of knowledge for a well-rounded education?

13. Should zoos be banned?

Do zoos raise money and awareness for animal conservation…or do they imprison animals for a lifetime that should be free and in the wild?

14. Should recess be scheduled for all kids in school? Even high school students?

What are the benefits of taking an outside break with fresh air for students? Are other subjects too important to sacrifice the time? Could older students be more productive with some sunshine and fresh air during the day?

15. If a student has good grades all school year, should they still have to take standardized tests?

If a student has shown that they are learning and progressing academically, should they have to take a long standardized test? Are there other reasons to take these tests?

16. Is hunting cruel to animals?

Most people buy their meat at grocery stores these days, so is there really any reason to still hunt animals? Does harvesting animals keep humans safe? Or does it make sport of animal lives?

17. Should gas powered cars be outlawed?

Fossil fuels are wreaking havoc on the planet, so should gasoline powered vehicles become illegal? Are electric cars a better option? Do electric cars have any drawbacks?

18. Is a rewards program or discipline more effective to motivate students?

What incentivizes kids to dive into their work, when maybe they don’t want to? Is it a really strong rewards program that will motivate them to finish a difficult task? Or fear of a consequence if they don’t complete their work?

19. Should the United States require military service for men and women, like other countries do?

Many countries require their population to do some form of federal service. America has a draft registration for men, but not for women. Should both genders be required to serve our country? Would it strengthen our nation and our people to have a common experience with service? Or is it unfair to require people to pause their lives for 2 years during the prime of their youth?

20. Should healthcare be free for everybody?

Is it a human right to get healthcare for free? If the patient doesn’t pay, then who should pay for the treatment? What benefits and/or consequences could come from reshaping our healthcare system?

21. Should candy purchases be limited based on how many cavities you have?

Dental health is very serious. Should a kid’s candy be rationed based on their dental records? The more cavities, the less candy you can have – and vice versa?

22. Is it appropriate to let kids work at younger ages, like 10 or 12, if they can do the job?

Many kids today have a strong desire to work, make money, and be successful. We have child labor laws in place to protect kids, but could that be holding them back? If they can do a job, should they be allowed to be hired? Or would that be robbing a kid of their right to a carefree childhood?

23. Should foreign language be required in school or should it be one of the elective courses?

English is spoken nearly worldwide, as it is taught in many countries around the world. What benefits come from learning another language? Should students be able to choose another elective if they don’t want to learn a new language? Or should American children try harder to be multilingual?

24. Should students be allowed to use their cell phones during tests?

You cannot get away from cell phones these days. Even small children have them! They will be a readily available resource in most work places, so shouldn’t they be allowed during tests? Or are memorization and internalization of information important skills for students to learn?

25. Should plastic water bottles be banned?

Plastic water bottles are a huge problem in our environment. Should we outlaw them to help the Earth? What kind of things are one-use water bottles used for that might be important?

26. Is it more important to continue exploration of space or the ocean?

Many wonderful advancements and knowledge have come from space exploration, but we know precious little about our ocean which covers 2/3 of the planet. Should governments be investing money into finding what lies beneath the surface instead of what’s above our heads?

27. Should reading an analog clock still be taught in school?

Digital clocks are everywhere – on your phone, stove, microwave, computer, cable box. Do you really need to learn how an analog clock works anymore? Are there times that digital clocks may not be available? Or are they becoming as archaic as a sundial?

28. Is learning proper handwriting or fast typing more important in today’s world?

Many have stopped learning cursive handwriting, so should schools also stop focusing so much on print handwriting? Should kids be spending that time learning how to type on a keyboard instead?

29. Should the voting age be lowered so elementary school students can vote?

Kids today are developing opinions and beliefs at younger ages and want to be heard. Should we lower the voting age so that children can make more of a difference? Or are most children not quite ready to handle the responsibility of voting?

30. Should AI be allowed in writing school papers if calculators are allowed in math?

Many teachers are concerned about how to tell the difference between an AI-written essay and one written by a student. Should that be a concern? If math allows calculators, can’t English classes allow help from another form of artificial intelligence? What drawback could come from not expecting kids to write their own essays?

31. Are cell phones good or bad for your health?

Cell phones are common around the world now, but are they good for us? How do they benefit our health? How might they hurt our overall health?

32. Should bees become a protected species?

Many scientists have expressed concern about the dwindling number of bees. Should these important pollinators become a protected species like the bald eagle? Or is it unreasonable to expect a person not to kill a bee that is buzzing around them?

33. Is it ever appropriate to ban a book?

Many heated discussions have come up recently about banning books. Is there ever a time that certain books should be kept from kids – like an R rating on a movie? Or should kids be allowed to read whatever they are interested in? Should offensive content be censored or should it be learned from?

34. Should community service be required for kids, middle schoolers and up?

What good could come of requiring community service from children? Or should people only serve because they genuinely want to help their community?

35. Is reading or math more important in today’s world?

Which is a more crucial skill to master? Should kids be focused on reading at the highest levels? Or should they be focused on learning the language of math at the highest levels?

Click Here To Download A One Page PDF Printable Of All The Argumentative Essay Topics

The above text link will take you to a new window where you can download and print the topics today. No email required! Terms of Use : Homeschool, classroom, co-op, and personal use only.

These essay topics will go along with any persuasive writing unit in your writing curriculum ! Let your student go through the list and find the one that really gets them excited.

If you’re looking for more fun writing prompts, be sure to check out the picture writing prompts below. There are 40 images with corresponding text that will get your kid excited to write!

100 Thought-Provoking Argumentative Writing Prompts for Kids and Teens

Practice making well-reasoned arguments using research and facts.

Parents should be punished for their minor children’s crimes.

Writing a strong argumentative essay teaches students to make a case for their own point of view without relying on emotion or passion. These argumentative essay topics provide options for kids of all ages, including controversial subjects and some that are just for fun.

School and Education Argumentative Essay Topics

Science and history argumentative essay topics, life and ethics argumentative essay topics, social justice and civics argumentative essay topics, more argumentative essay topics, what’s the difference between argumentative and persuasive essays.

These two types of essays are similar, but there are some subtle and important differences .

Author’s purpose: In an argumentative essay, your job is to simply convince the reader that the point of view you’re presenting is valid, even if it doesn’t change their mind. Persuasive essays seek to sway the reader to adopt your point of view over any others.
Method: Argumentative essays rely heavily on well-researched facts and logical assertions. In a persuasive essay, the writer may use a blend of emotion and facts to win over the reader.
Audience: Persuasive essays require a specific audience, since the writer must acknowledge and attempt to overcome their potential objections. The writer of an argumentative essay is simply making a statement, so knowing their audience is less important.
Viewpoint: A persuasive essay writer should believe their point of view is the only correct one, and try to persuade the reader to agree. Argumentative essays acknowledge other points of view, but use reason and logic to argue that the writer’s point of view is best.

Persuasive and argumentative essay topics often overlap. The difference is in how the writer approaches the topic. When you assign one of the topics below as an argumentative essay, remind students to use research, reason, and logic to make a strong but dispassionate argument.

Should physical education be part of the standard high school curriculum?
Schools should require recommended vaccines for all students, with very limited exceptions.
Should all students have the ability to attend college for free?
What one class should all high schools students be required to take and pass in order to graduate?

What one class should all high schools students be required to take and pass in order to graduate?

Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?
Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
Should schools have dress codes?
If I could change one school rule, it would be …
Is year-round school a good idea?
Which is better, private schools or public schools?
Should every student have to participate in athletics?
Do you think schools should ban junk food from their cafeterias?
Should students be required to volunteer in their communities?
What is the most important school subject?
Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?

Are letter grades helpful, or should we replace them with something else?

Should schools be allowed to ban some books from their libraries?
Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?
Are single-gender schools better or worse for students?
Are computers making teachers obsolete?
Students who fail a test should be given a chance to take it again.
Is it acceptable to use animals for experiments and research?
Vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco.
Do we really learn anything from history, or does it just repeat itself over and over?
Is it OK to keep animals in zoos?
Should we ban plastic bags and bottles?
Should we still consider Pluto a planet?

Should we still consider Pluto a planet?

It’s important to spend tax dollars exploring space, instead of on other things.
Is there life on other planets?
Who was the best/worst American president?
Should vaccines be mandatory?
Are GMOs more helpful than harmful?
Is animal cloning ethical?
Should human cloning be legal?
Should we use stem cells from human embryos for scientific research?
Is it better to provide drug addicts with treatment instead of punishment?

Is it better to provide drug addicts with treatment instead of punishment?

Should we ban the use of fossil fuels?
Can we truly do anything about human-caused global warming?
Are electric vehicles better than gas-powered ones?
Was life really better “back in the day”?
Choose a foreign conflict (e.g., Vietnam or Afghanistan) and argue whether or not the United States was justified in getting involved.
The most important challenge our country is currently facing is … (e.g., immigration, gun control, economy)
Does social media do more harm than good?
The best country in the world is …
Are men and women treated equally?
Is it better to be vegetarian/vegan than to eat meat?
Should little kids be allowed to play competitive sports?
Who faces more peer pressure, girls or boys?
Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed whenever they’re sleepy?

Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed whenever they’re sleepy?

Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?
Playing violent video games is bad for kids and teens.
Parents should track their kids using their cell phones.
Are paper books better than e-books?
All kids should play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender.
All paper documents should be replaced with electronic versions.
Is conflict necessary for change?
Is war ever justified?
A strong middle class is vital to the economy.

A strong middle class is vital to the economy.

Is the local minimum wage truly a living wage?
Should we do away with gender-specific public bathrooms?
Is a progressive income tax better than a flat tax?
Capital punishment does/does not deter crime.
Would it be better to legalize, tax, and regulate all drugs (including alcohol and cigarettes) instead of banning them?
Parents should be punished for their minor children’s crimes.

The government should provide free internet access for every citizen.
Is democracy the best form of government?
Is capitalism the best form of economy?
Should all Americans be required to vote?
Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?
Do you think the government should find a way to provide free health care for everyone?
School-age children should be allowed to vote.
We should/should not abolish the electoral college.
Are “Stand Your Ground” laws effective?
Supreme Court judges should be appointed for fixed terms.

Supreme Court judges should be appointed for fixed terms.

Does segregation still exist in the United States?
We should/should not continue building a wall between the United States and Mexico.
Will stricter gun control laws help control mass shootings?
Should we make the path to American citizenship easier?
Is the American justice system inherently racist?
Should we redirect some or all police force funding to social services?
Should the United States implement a universal basic income?
Choose a fictional character and explain why they should be the next president.
What animal makes the best pet?
Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
Which is better, reading books or watching TV?
Is a taco a sandwich?
Should kids be allowed to stay up as late as they want?

Should kids be allowed to stay up as late as they want?

What’s the best video game system?
Kids shouldn’t have to go to school on their birthdays.
Is video gaming a sport?
Are beauty pageants sexist?
Should kids get participation trophies for sports?
Are stereotypes ever right?
Is there any benefit to teaching proper grammar and spelling, or should we allow language to be descriptive instead of prescriptive?
All teenagers should have part-time jobs.
Should kids have limits on screen time?
Is it better to read fiction or nonfiction?
Should kids have to eat everything on their plate, even if they really don’t like something?

Should kids have to eat everything on their plate, even if they really don't like something?

Is it better to spend an hour a day reading or exercising?
Is graffiti an act of vandalism or an art form?
Should society hold celebrities to a high moral standard?

What are your favorite argumentative writing prompts? Come share your thoughts in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Also check out 100 intriguing cause and effect essay topics for students ..

Use these thought-provoking argumentative essay topics to teach students to write well-researched and convincing compositions.

The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (120+ Ideas!)

Ideas to inspire every young writer! Continue Reading

6th grade writing

by: Hank Pellissier | Updated: August 4, 2022

Print article

6th grader's writing under Common Core standards

This year, your sixth grader should learn to use precise language, the right pronouns, and high-quality sources for research. Public presentations are also a nerve-wracking but important skill highlighted this year. Read on to learn the key sixth grade writing skills your child should learn this year.

Introducing argument writing

Developmentally, sixth graders are entering a rebellious phase. Luckily, all this attitude has an academic outlet: argument writing . Your tween will write persuasive essays that promote their bold opinions with organized logic, backed by evidence from carefully researched, respectable sources. ( Wikipedia , The Onion , and National Enquirer won’t qualify, but Wikipedia does often link to sources at the bottom of their entries that may be acceptable.)

Your 11- or 12-year-old will also write formal essays that explain complicated topics with precise information. They’ll start with intriguing introductions, and then present their research in a clear, organized way. They will use quotes, facts, definitions, compare-and-contrast statements, cause-and-effect statements, graphics (e.g., charts, graphs), subject-specific vocabulary, and multimedia. It will all be formatted (e.g., using headings, subheadings, and bullet points), to make their points clear. They’ll end with concluding paragraphs that recap their main points.

“ To put it another way, Mommy, there is compelling evidence that I need another scoop of ice cream. ” This grown-up language sounds amusingly hoity-toity in squeaky voices, but don’t laugh when your child attempts it in daily conversation. Indeed, it is good practice for their writing.

Incredibly, what happened next was..

Storytelling is a fun part of sixth grade writing. This year, kids practice narrative writing in fiction and nonfiction papers. They learn effective ways to select their narrator, characters, setting, dialogue, descriptions, and conclusion. They work to make plot sequences seem natural. To really make their stories sing, kids should use specific details, precise language, and transition vocabulary (think: After nightfall or When she awoke ) that guides readers from one setting or plot point to another. Don’t be surprised if your shy bookworm starts writing a trilogy.

If at first you don’t succeed

Grit. Determination. Perseverance. Ernest Hemingway rewrote the last page of one of his novels 39 times. Rewriting and editing both teach kids discipline and determination. They are required to plan before they write, and then plan some more as their draft develops. They’re encouraged to outline before they start writing. They draft and redraft. They will revise certain parts and maybe restructure their entire paper. Then they will edit, possibly rewrite, and re-edit. At every turn, they’re encouraged to try new approaches. This isn’t obsessive redundancy; it helps students practice thinking about what they’re really, truly trying to say and then use their writing skills to convey their thoughts clearly and exactly.

Command of the keyboard

Writing nowadays often means typing . Sixth graders accelerate their hand-eye coordination as they evolve from hunt-and-peck slowness to rat-tat-tat-tat-tatting at a furious pace. The goal is for sixth graders to be able to sit and type three pages in a single sitting. Additionally, kids are taught online interaction and collaboration (e.g., emailing their work to each other, sharing Google docs, and adding suggestions and comments to each other’s work).

My research reveals…

Sixth graders get writing assignments that require research. To answer questions like What famous historical character do you admire? What’s your favorite invention? What endangered species do you worry about the most? , your young detective will read thick reference books and print periodicals at the library and digital data online (yes, often via Google). Students learn to evaluate the credibility of sources . Is National Lampoon as legitimate as Encyclopedia Britannica ? No. Using evidence, they compile information to write reports. They’ll learn to paraphrase what they’ve read, synthesize new thoughts, and use quotations to share information without plagiarizing.

Novel approach

Is Harry Potter more emotionally conflicted than Katniss Everdeen? Sixth graders sharpen their critical thinking skills by doing literary analysis. They’ll analyze poems, stories, historical novels, and nonfiction books. Kids learn to compare and contrast topics and themes. They’ll do this, for example, by discussing the consequences of prejudice in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and in Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad or by explaining how nature directs the plots of The Secret Garden and The Island of the Blue Dolphin . In nonfiction, sixth graders learn to divide an author’s statements into facts supported by evidence versus opinions. For example, was the Great Houdini truly “the world’s greatest magician” or is this an opinion? After all, David Copperfield walked through the Great Wall of China.

Pronouns: not just me-me-me all the time

Grammar isn’t easy, especially for 11- and 12-year-olds. Pronoun usage can be particularly tough. Kids learn about proper pronoun case . What’s that? Subjective case refers to pronouns used as subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). Objective case indicates pronouns used as objects (me, you, him, her, it, us, they). Possessive case conveys ownership (my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs). Using pronouns incorrectly can leave the writer (or speaker) looking unintelligent. For example, Us and her carried apples over to yous big barn is neither proper nor pretty.

Mistakes in pronoun person are common among this age group. To correct this, your child needs to loyally stick with the “person” they started with. No switching from first person (I or me) to second person (you), or vice-versa: When I go to school, you should have your homework done, or When you go to school, a person should have his homework done . (Hint, that second example goes from second person to third person.) Both switches are incorrect and can create confusion.

Pronoun number is also crucial. If the subject indicates a plural quantity, the related possessive pronoun needs the identical number. Here’s an example of this common error: All of the school girls took her umbrella. (It should be their umbrellas) . Vague pronouns are also a no-no. Take the sentence: Alice put a vase with a red rose on the desk, and sold it. What was sold: the vase, the rose, or the desk? We don’t know because it, used here, is too vague.

Sentences, spelling, punctuation

Sixth grade writing raises the bar when it comes to sentence structure. Kids are expected to vary their sentences by alternating the length and structure to keep their writing interesting.

When it comes to spelling, many sixth graders know that spelling rules in English are finicky and have many exceptions. Kids learn to spell odd English words correctly, with silent letters ( island, crumb ) and bizarre combo consonants ( cough, pheasant ). As such, spelling is best learned through practice and, eventually, by memorizing. If your child gets frustrated spelling words like climb or plumbing , let them know that Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, and a committee of concerned citizens tried to simplify English spelling more than a century ago — sadly, to no avail.

Finally, as their writing becomes more advanced, sixth graders tend to use commas, parentheses, and dashes to set apart phrases and clauses. You can help by reviewing these sentences and making sure the punctuation is placed correctly.

It’s all about presentations

In sixth grade, kids will read their writing aloud to classmates. As they read, they’ll be expected to make eye contact, pronounce their words clearly, and speak loudly enough to be heard by the entire class. They’ll share their arguments, research papers, projects, and literary efforts, which will often be accompanied by visual displays, music, audio, charts, and slides. Your child may be nervous before these presentations, but hopefully your child will be empowered by the experience.

Homes Nearby

Homes for rent and sale near schools

6 ways to improve a college essay

Quick writing tips for every age

Writing on the wall

Why parents must teach writing

Yes! Sign me up for updates relevant to my child's grade.

Please enter a valid email address

Thank you for signing up!

Server Issue: Please try again later. Sorry for the inconvenience

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

Knowledge Base
How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

Academic style
Vague sentences
Style consistency

See an example

An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

Make a claim
Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
Cite data to support your claim
Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
Highlight the problems with this position
Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Ad hominem fallacy
Post hoc fallacy
Appeal to authority fallacy
False cause fallacy
Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

Choosing Essay Topic
Write a College Essay
Write a Diversity Essay
College Essay Format & Structure
Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

(AI) Tools

Grammar Checker
Paraphrasing Tool
Text Summarizer
AI Detector
Plagiarism Checker
Citation Generator

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/argumentative-essay/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to write a thesis statement | 4 steps & examples, how to write topic sentences | 4 steps, examples & purpose, how to write an expository essay, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

EL Education Curriculum

You are here.

ELA 2019 G6:M3:U3

Literary Argument Writing: Gather Evidence and Reflect on Multiple Perspectives

In this unit, ccs standards, the four ts.

Habits of Character

Unit-at-a-Glance

Texts and resources to buy, preparation and materials, you are here:.

ELA 2019 Grade 6
ELA 2019 G6:M3

Like what you see?

Order printed materials, teacher guides and more.

How to order

Help us improve!

Tell us how the curriculum is working in your classroom and send us corrections or suggestions for improving it.

Leave feedback

In Unit 3, students begin their work with literary argument essay writing. They apply the Painted Essay® structure to this new type of writing, evaluating how it changes when applied to writing a literary argument. As they have done previously, students deconstruct the model and complete a collaborative practice argument essay. In each lesson, students look at a discrete aspect of the argument essay model and practice using it in their own writing. In response to an open-ended prompt, they brainstorm possible reasons to support two different positions. They collect textual evidence for both sides of the argument and connect the evidence to the reasons with sound reasoning. Finally, students determine their strongest argument and make a claim. Using these skills practiced with a partner, students are then prepared to independently plan and draft an argument essay to answer the prompt: Should Cal return to Challagi Indian Industrial School?

After writing their essay for the mid-unit assessment, students are ready to move towards the culmination of the module, an audio museum exhibit featuring the voices of American Indian boarding school students. First, students will select a text (a poem, personal narrative, etc.) written by a survivor of the boarding schools, one that resonates with them personally. They respond to this reading by writing a preface to provide context and a reflection to explain why the text is meaningful. Using the recording application first introduced in Unit 2, students record themselves reading their preface, text, and reflection aloud using proper and respectful intonation, volume, and pacing. This recording will be used for both the performance task and the End of Unit 3 Assessment. Students record two versions of their performance task contribution and then reflect on and self-assess each for their volume, pronunciation and language use. Students use their observations about their first attempt to improve their performance on the second attempt. Finally, they listen to a peer’s second recording and reflect on and paraphrase the content and assess their peer’s volume, pronunciation, and language use in that second performance.

To showcase their recordings, the class prepares listening stations where guests of the audio museum can listen and learn about American Indian boarding schools. Learning from the module and the performance task synthesizes in a concluding whole class discussion about the importance of honoring diverse experiences and perspectives.

Please note: For the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum, there are Teaching Notes for each unit that contain helpful information for supporting English language learners. These overview notes complement the more specific English language learner supports and differentiated materials within each lesson. You will find the Teaching Notes in the Unit download below.

Reading—Literary Text

RL.6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.6.3: Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
RL.6.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading—Informational Text

RI.6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.6.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
W.6.1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.6.1a: Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
W.6.1b: Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
W.6.1c: Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
W.6.1d: Establish and maintain a formal style.
W.6.1e: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
W.6.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
W.6.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
W.6.9a: Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics").
W.6.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening

SL.6.2: Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
SL.6.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
L.6.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.6.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.6.3b: Maintain consistency in style and tone.
L.6.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Topic: American Indian boarding schools
Write a literary argument essay (W.6.1, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.6, W.6.9a, W.6.10, L.6.2, L.6.3, L.6.6) about whether or not Cal should return to Challagi Indian Industrial School (RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.10), using reasons and evidence to defend a claim.
Record a performance task contribution and then reflect on and self-assess for (W.6.10) volume, pronunciation and language use (SL.6.2, SL.6.6, L.6.6). Provide feedback on a peer's recording (RI.6.1, RI.6.6, W.6.10).
Targets: RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.10, RI.6.1, RI.6.6, W.6.1, W.6.4, W.6.6, W.6.9a, W.6.10, SL.6.2, SL.6.6, L.6.2, L.6.3b, L.6.6 (optional L.6.1)
Texts: Two Roads by Joseph Bruchac

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Habits of Character/Social-Emotional Learning Focus

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on "habits of character" and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

Students focus on becoming effective learners by persevering as they read and analyze a model essay, then collaborate with a peer to plan and draft an essay as practice for the assessment. They contribute to a better world, using their strengths when working with a partner to give and receive feedback on their recordings.

Most importantly, students work to become ethical people by showing respect and compassion when they listen to and reflect upon the recordings of their classmates during the audio museum. Through this performance task, students contribute to a better world by acting as witnesses to this time period, highlighting the experiences and amplifying the voices of American Indian boarding school students.

Each unit is made up of a sequence of between 10-18 lessons. The Unit-at-a-Glance charts, available on the grade-level landing pages, break down each unit's lessons, showing CCS standards, agenda breakdown, daily learning targets, and ongoing assessments. The charts also indicate which lessons include mid- and end of unit assessments and the performance task.

View the unit-at-a-glance chart

Texts and resources that need to be procured. Please download the Required Trade Books and Resources Procurement List for procurement guidance.

See full list of texts, including recommended texts

Review the Argument Writing checklist and Model Literary Argument Essay to become familiar with what students will be required to do in this unit (see Lesson 1 supporting materials).

Determine if students will be allowed to type their literary argument essays, and arrange the necessary devices for them to do so.

Considerations for the Performance Task:

Preread the personal narratives provided for students to use as their End of Unit 3 Speaking and Listening Assessment (see Lesson 12). Consider adding more options to the list (i.e., adding excerpts from the Independent Research Reading text list.)
Determine what technology is needed for students to record their readings. Preview audio recording tools, such as http://eled.org/0180 or http://eled.org/0211 .
Gather equipment needed to set up recording stations for each student for use during the End of Unit 3 Assessment.
Determine how visitors to the audio museum will listen to the recordings. Preview a QR code generator site such as http://eled.org/0212 if planning to use codes to link to audio files.
Plan ahead for the performance task; secure a location to set up the audio museum and invite guests from the community, offering specific details about the event.
Create a model of the types of visuals one might display at their listening station, such as images of the boarding schools or of the author of the text chosen to be recorded.

The following material is introduced in this unit and referenced throughout both the module and the school year:

Characteristics of Effective Argument Writing anchor chart

ELA 2019 G6:M3:U3:L1

Analyze a model literary argument essay, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l2, gather evidence and plan collaborative literary argument essay, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l3, collaborative literary argument essay: analyze a model and draft an introduction, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l4, collaborative literary argument essay: analyze a model and draft proof paragraph 1, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l5, collaborative literary argument essay: analyze a model and draft proof paragraph 2, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l6, collaborative literary argument essay: analyze a model and draft conclusion, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l7, gather evidence and plan independent literary argument essay, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l8, mid-unit 3 assessment: write a literary argument essay (lessons 8-9), ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l10, prepare for performance task: analyze a model and select a text, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l11, plan performance task: audio museum, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l12, end of unit 3 assessment: rehearse and refine performance task recording, ela 2019 g6:m3:u3:l13, participate in performance task: audio museum.

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Help us improve our curriculum..

Tell us what’s going well, share your concerns and feedback.

Persuasive Writing Examples and Prompts for Kids

A child enjoying persuasive writing with easy examples.

Is your student stepping into the world of persuasive writing?

As a parent, it’s fun to watch your child learn the art of forming and supporting an argument.

(Plus, it’s a significant step toward critical thinking.)

If they need extra help, here are a few persuasive writing examples for kids along with 20 writing prompts to make it fun!

Why Persuasive Writing Is Important for Elementary Writers

Teaching persuasive writing is important because it’s a fundamental step in helping your child think critically.

By arguing a topic, your student will need to examine both sides, which is an essential component of critical thinking. Persuasive writing also inspires formation of opinion and sharing that opinion effectively.

Students as young as elementary-school age can learn to write persuasively. In fact, we’ll share some quick examples of persuasive essays for kids below.

First, let’s discuss the structure of a “mini” persuasive essay.

(If you have an older student, read our step-by-step guide to writing a persuasive essay .)

A Simplified Structure for Persuasive Writing

Of course, expectations and writing guidelines become more involved for older students, but elementary-aged students should keep it simple.

The basic features of persuasive writing can be broken down into 5 steps:

Topic sentence
Opening argument 1
Concluding statement

A topic sentence introduces the argument and clearly expresses the writer’s viewpoint. For a younger child, this is simply a straightforward statement that clearly expresses “this is my opinion.”

The next three steps list “pros” that support their topic statement. Each argument should be distinctly stated.

Again, for an elementary-aged student, arguments can be brief and can simply be a list of reasons.

The concluding statement wraps up by summarizing the arguments and restating the opinion.

If this method of persuasive writing sounds complicated at first, rest assured, it’s not.

Let’s look at how you can easily reinforce this structure for your students, along with some examples.

Homeschool Mom Tip: Use a “Persuasive Text Structure” Poster

One effective method of teaching and reinforcing the persuasive writing model is by using a “persuasive structure” chart or poster.

A visual representation of the steps involved in persuasive writing is important for a few reasons:

Some students learn best visually. It helps them understand and remember the method when they see it laid out in front of them.
Graphic illustrations of the different components allow students to take in one piece at a time and avoid overwhelm.
Hanging the poster where your children do their schoolwork makes it easy for them to reference the structure while they’re writing.
Knowing the poster is nearby in case they get stuck helps make writing a calmer process.

One other tip I recommend is breaking up essay-style writing with creative writing assignments. ( Try these one-sentence writing prompts! ).

Kid-Friendly Persuasive Writing Examples

Along with tools like a poster, providing simple examples of persuasive writing is another helpful way to teach this new concept.

Here are a few examples of elementary-level persuasive paragraph examples that will give both you and your student an idea of what to expect.

Example 1: A Persuasive Argument About Cats

Cats are the best pets. They can be left alone all day without getting mad. Cats don’t bark, so they are not noisy like dogs. You don’t have to let cats go outside to use the bathroom. As you can see, cats are less work and easier to take care of than dogs.

Example 2: A Persuasive Argument About Meal Choices

French fries should be served with every meal. First, French fries are delicious. Second, French fries are made of potatoes, which are vegetables, and they can air-fried without oil. Also, French fries don’t cost a lot of money. Because they are tasty, cheap, and can be cooked in a healthy way, French fries a perfect side dish to every meal.

Example 3: A Persuasive Argument Against Littering

You should never litter because it is wrong. Littering pollutes the Earth. Littering is throwing trash around outside, which looks ugly. Littering can also make you sick if it has germs on it. Littering is wrong because it makes the world a dirty, unsanitary place to live.

20 Persuasive Writing Prompts for Kids

When you provide a step-by-step structure and supply examples of what is expected, you set your student up for writing success.

The final step in teaching persuasive writing to kids effectively is to present them with an antidote to the dreaded blank page.

To assist you with that, we’ve come up with 20 persuasive writing topics for your students to make it easier for them to get them started on their persuasive essays.

If they can’t come up with their own topics, one of these prompts should spark their interest.

These ideas for persuasive essays cover a wide variety of topics, so there should be something for everyone.

Plus, since persuasive writing is closely related to debate, you can also use these prompts as persuasive debate topics for kids :

I deserve to be paid for my chores.
Hamsters are the best type of pet.
Everyone should eat a salad daily.
Board games help you learn.
Kids need free time to relax and play.
You should always obey speed limits.
Every family should have a dog.
Dinner should always end with dessert.
Homeschool students should get “snow days” as well.
Kids should choose where the family spends summer vacation.
I am old enough for a later bedtime.
All students should learn a second language.
School should only be 4 days per week.
Soda is bad for you.
I am responsible enough to learn how to cook.
My cat should be allowed to sleep on my bed.
Kids should be allowed to vote in their local elections at age 16.
I am old enough to babysit and be paid.
You should always wear a seatbelt in the car.
Pizza is a healthy food.

I hope these persuasive texts and prompts for kids are helpful to you!

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to provide a few persuasive paragraph examples for your students to gain inspiration (and eliminate overwhelm).

If your student is entering 6th grade or above , we have a complete course that teaches students to write skillfully, think critically, and speak clearly as they explore the history of ideas! As a bonus in these dark days, Philosophy Adventure also teaches students to discern truth from error:

will your children recognize truth?

About the author.

Jordan Mitchell

IMAGES

6th Grade Essay Example
Argumentative Essay Examples 6Th Grade Pdf / 10 Easy Argumentative
003 6th Grade Argumentative Essay Topics Example Persuasive Writing
FREE 15+ Argumentative Essay Samples in PDF
Argumentative Essay Examples 6Th Grade Pdf / 10 Easy Argumentative
Shocking 6th Grade Argumentative Essay Examples ~ Thatsnotus

VIDEO

Class 6 English
Class 6
4th Grade Argumentative Writing Introduction
English 2020: Argumentative Speech
Grade 6 English
Class 6 English

COMMENTS

6th Grade Writing Samples
Sixth Grade Literary Writing Sample 4. Sixth Grade Argumentative Essay Prompt. Sixth Grade Argumentative Writing Sample 1. Sixth Grade Argumentative Writing Sample 2. Sixth Grade Argumentative Writing Sample 3. Sixth Grade Argumentative Writing Sample 4. Sixth Grade Informative Essay Sample 1.
20 Easy and Free Argumentative Essay Examples for Students
Body paragraph 1. The first body paragraph discusses the first and most important point related to the argument. It starts with a topic sentence and has all the factual data to make the argument convincing. Body paragraph 2. The second body paragraph mentions the second most important element of the argument.
PDF Opinion/Argument Writing Packet Grades 3-6
Opinion/Argument and College and Career Readiness - Michelle Karns 10 Opinion/Argument Writing in the new Common Core Standards - Standards for K-8 11-12 CCCS Anchor Paper Grade 4 13-14 CCCS Anchor Paper Grade 6 15-16 CCCS Writing Rubric for Grade 5-SAMPLE 17 Write a Sample Anchor Paper with Your Class 18
PDF Grade 6 English Language Arts Opinion /Argument
Grade 6, Standard 1: L.6.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned in previous grades. Overall text reference. The writer demonstrates suficient control of grammar and usage to make a clear argument.
PDF GRADE 6 2022 B.E.S.T. Writing
Write an argumentative essay about whether scientists should continue to develop more advanced robots. Your argumentative essay must be based on this prompt and topic, and it must incorporate ideas and evidence found in the sources provided. Use your best writing to complete an essay that. is focused on your claim;
How to Teach Argument Writing Step-By-Step
I teach students how to write a step-by-step 5 paragraph argumentative essay consisting of the following: Introduction: Includes a lead/hook, background information about the topic, and a thesis statement that includes the claim. Body Paragraph #1: Introduces the first reason that the claim is valid. Supports that reason with facts, examples ...
3 Strong Argumentative Essay Examples, Analyzed
Argumentative Essay Example 2. Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through female Anopheles mosquitoes. Each year, over half a billion people will become infected with malaria, with roughly 80% of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa.
PDF Argumentative Essay Writing
Matthew Barbee, 2015 1 Name_____ Class_____ In an argumentative essay, your job is make the reader agree with your opinion about a controversial topic. You have to (1) state your opinion, (2) give reasons to support your opinion, and (3) argue against the opposite opinion. Overall, you must convince the audience that your side of the
Printable 6th Grade Argument Writing Worksheets
Use this sixth-grade graphic organizer worksheet to plan an argumentative essay about whether more should be done to solve a problem facing our society. 6th grade. Reading & Writing. ... This rubric for sixth-grade argument writing covers all of the major Common Core standards in the argument writing strand, including introduction, support ...
PDF 6th Grade Argumentative Writing Prompt
W.6.1.DEstablish and maintain a formal style. W.6.1.EProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support ...
Argumentative Writing
Student learning culminates in the form of a debate, argumentative essay, and optional end of unit project. Sparking Interest With Exciting Topics. The topics for CommonLit 360's argumentative units are designed to be interesting and relevant to students' lives. Here are the topics and essential questions for each grade:
25+ Argumentative Essay Examples
The conclusion reinforces the main points, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. Example#2: Argumentative Essay - The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health. The pervasive influence of social media on the lives of today's youth has raised significant concerns about its impact on mental health.
A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing
I love the steps for planning an argumentative essay writing. When we return from Christmas break, we will begin starting a unit on argumentative writing. I will definitely use the steps. I especially love Step #2. As a 6th grade teacher, my students love to argue. This would set the stage of what argumentative essay involves. Thanks for sharing.
Argumentative essay
A 6 essay demonstrates a high degree of competence in response to the assignment but may have a few minor errors. ... Once you've decided on a thesis, take a minute to choose 3-4 examples that directly support your argument. If you start writing before outlining your support, the resulting essay may be confusing or disorganized. ...
35 Thought-Provoking Persuasive Writing Prompts For 6th Graders
Looking for a solid persuasive essay topic for your 6th grader? The below post contains tons of great ideas that will get your 6th-grade students thinking, researching, debating, and writing! I'm not talking about simple opinion writing topics - like their favorite food, favorite book, or how much money they should get for an allowance.
33 Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School
With these 33 new argumentative essay topics for middle school students, you can help your students learn more about what makes a good argument and how to evaluate and decipher so-called "evidence.". As they explore topics like the ways in which schools handle bullying and whether or not the Pledge of Allegiance should be required in ...
100 Compelling Argumentative Essay Topics for Kids and Teens
100 Thought-Provoking Argumentative Writing Prompts for Kids and Teens. Practice making well-reasoned arguments using research and facts. Writing a strong argumentative essay teaches students to make a case for their own point of view without relying on emotion or passion. These argumentative essay topics provide options for kids of all ages ...
6th grade writing
In the first year of middle school, kids are expected to write essays and stories, share their writing, and compare literary texts. This year, your sixth grader should learn to use precise language, the right pronouns, and high-quality sources for research. Public presentations are also a nerve-wracking but important skill highlighted this year.
Argumentative Essay: Guide on How to Write
1. First evidential support of your reason (known as confirmatio) 2. Second evidential support of your reason, then third, and so on. B. Summarize your first reason again and tie it together with evidential support. III. Second reason, etc. A. Continue to list your reasons in the same format as the first.
PDF Grade 6 FSA ELA Writing Practice Test
FSA ELA Writing Practice Test. The purpose of these practice test materials is to orient teachers and students to the types of passages and prompts on FSA ELA Writing tests. Each spring, students in grades 4-10 are administered one text-based writing prompt for the FSA English Language Arts test. Students will respond to either an informative ...
How to Write an Argumentative Essay
Make a claim. Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim. Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim) Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives. The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays.
Literary Argument Writing: Gather Evidence and Reflect on Multiple
In Unit 3, students begin their work with literary argument essay writing. They apply the Painted Essay® structure to this new type of writing, evaluating how it changes when applied to writing a literary argument. As they have done previously, students deconstruct the model and complete a collaborative practice argument essay. In each lesson, students look at a discrete
20 Persuasive Writing Examples for Kids
The basic features of persuasive writing can be broken down into 5 steps: Topic sentence. Opening argument 1. Argument 2. Argument 3. Concluding statement. A topic sentence introduces the argument and clearly expresses the writer's viewpoint.

Best Argumentative Essay Examples for Your Help

Good Argumentative Essay Examples

How to Start an Argumentative Essay Example

Argumentative Essay Example

Argumentative Essay Examples for College

Argumentative Essay Examples for Middle School

Argumentative Essay Examples for High School

Argumentative Essay Examples for O Level

5-Paragraph Argumentative Essay Examples

Argumentative Essay Examples for 6th Grade

Argumentative Essay Examples for 7th Grade

Short Argumentative Essay Examples

Immigration Argumentative Essay Examples

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the structure of an argument?

Keep reading

How to Teach Argument Writing Step-By-Step

Prior to Starting the Writer’s Workshop

Define Argumentative Writing

Establish Purpose

Persuasive Writing Differs From Argument Writing

Argumentative Essay Terminology

Organizing the Argumentative Essay

Mentor Texts

Research Time

Step-By-Step Drafting

Writing the Introduction

Writing the Supporting Body Paragraphs

Writing the Counterclaim Paragraph

Narrative Writing Workshop for Middle School ELA

Fiction & Nonfiction Reading -Teach, Practice, Test BUNDLE – Middle School ELA

RACES Writing Introduction to Paragraph Frames DIGITAL & EDITABLE

Choose Your Test

What Is an Argumentative Essay?

3 Good Argumentative Essay Examples + Analysis

Argumentative Essay Example 1

Argumentative Essay Example 2

Argumentative Essay Example 3

3 Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay

#1: Make Your Thesis Crystal Clear

#2: Show Why the Other Side Is Weak

#3: Use Evidence to Support Your Side

Summary: Argumentative Essay Sample

What's Next?

Ask a Question Below

Improve With Our Famous Guides

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

Stay Informed

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Argumentative Essay Examples: Samples & Tips

Free Argumentative Essay Examples For Students

6th Grade Argumentative Essay Examples

Argumentative Essay Example Grade 7

Grade 8 Argumentative Essay Examples

Argumentative Essay Examples For Middle School

Argumentative Essay Examples For High School PDFs

Argumentative Essay Examples For College Students

Short Argumentative Essay Examples

5 Paragraph Argumentative Essay Examples

How to Write an Argumentative Essay? Examples

Argumentative Essay Examples Introduction

How to Write a Body Paragraph of Argumentative Essay

Interesting Argumentative Essay Topics

Argumentative Essay Writing Tips

Keep reading

A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing

Step 1: Watch How It’s Done

Step 2: Informal Argument, Freestyle

Step 3: Informal Argument, Not so Freestyle

Step 4: Introduction of the Performance Assessment

Step 5: Building the Base

Step 6: Writer’s Workshop

Step 7: Final Assessment

Want this unit ready-made?

What to Read Next

58 Comments

Leave a Reply