Argumentative Essay Prompts for Middle School Students

 

Are you looking for argumentative writing prompts for your middle school students? Help your students develop critical thinking, research, writing, and persuasive skills by exploring these essay topic ideas: 

• Should books ever be banned in school? If so, what sort of books should be banned? 
• Should school be 5 days long (8 am - 3 pm) or 4 days long (8 am - 5 pm)? 
• Should schools continue standardized testing? 
• Are graphic novels and comic books "real books"? 
• Should parents be required to pay children for chores they complete at home? 
• Does homework help students learn more? 
• Should wild animals be kept in zoos? 
• Does technology benefit or harm learning more? 
• Would education systems be better or worse if schools became gradeless? 
• Does pineapple belong on pizza? 
• Invent a holiday and argue why it should become nationally recognized as an official holiday. 
• Will robots help or hurt society in the future? 
• Should we eat bugs as a protein alternative to meat? 
• Are online schools or in-person schools better? 
• On snow days, should students have virtual classes? Or should the school cancel school altogether? 
• Should students be allowed to use artificial intelligence (AI) software on homework assignments? 

In conclusion, exploring argumentative writing prompts like the ones above can be an meaningful tool for developing a diverse set of important skills that can help students become stronger critical thinkers, researchers, writers, and persuaders. Ultimately, it may also increase their confidence in their abilities and help them feel more comfortable expressing their opinions in spaces outside of the classroom. 

What debate prompts would you add to this list? Leave a comment below to share your ideas!