Writing skills are something trained over time. While teaching how to write an essay may scratch the surface of the craft of writing, the truth is your students need lots of practice to get to where those skills are actually producing some good writing. The key to success: practice.
One useful way to get your students to practice writing more is by giving them prompts that are sure to spark their interest. Getting them to write a solution to a problem in a problem/solution essay is a great idea. Or asking for their opinion on something relevant to them, like social media, can inspire them to express themselves better. Read on for 16 relevant essay prompts that you can use for getting your students to practice writing essays.
15 Attention-grabbing Essay Prompts for Upper-Middle and High School Students
There are those that think studying online – also known as distance learning – is more beneficial than studying in a traditional setting, like a classroom. Write an advantage/disadvantage essay on this topic.
People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university?
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “Parents are the best teachers.” Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live or not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
It has been said, ‘Books are the best way to learn anything.’ In your opinion, which source is the best to learn from? Why?
There is no need to go to a physical building to attend school anymore, as everything we need to do can be done online at home. What is your opinion?
Once someone hits a certain age in their life, they have worked enough and should not have to earn money anymore; they should get things for free. What’s your opinion on this?
Social media has taken what used to be quality time together and transformed it into something more superficial, not focusing on emotions anymore. Therefore, you should just disconnect your social media account. What do you think? give reasons for your answer.
Do movies and television influence people’s behavior in a good or bad way? What’s your opinion? Use specific reasons to support your ideas.
Artificial intelligence, A.I., is a very exciting topic that some people want to become a reality. However, there are a lot of people who are frightened of A.I. and believe that we should stop researching it. What do you think?
Governments throughout the world spend a lot of money on space exploration, but there are those that think this is a waste and the money could be spent on more important issues. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
With the world more interconnected than ever, globalization has reached most corners of the world today. Globalization certainly has many benefits, but some argue that there are more negatives than positives. What is your opinion?
Automation, especially of jobs, is starting to feel more like the norm. There are those who think this is positive for our future and those who think the opposite. What’s your opinion on the matter?
Many people think that smartphones have transformed society for the better. While this can certainly be supported, there are those who feel that smartphones have been more detrimental than beneficial. What do you think?
These days, most people have at least one social media account and staying connected to each other has never been easier. There are some, however, who feel that we are over-connected and should scale back.
