argumentative essay ideas 5th grade

Elementary Assessments

51 Amazing Persuasive Writing Prompts for 5th Grade Students

Motivate 5th graders to take a stance on a subject using these persuasive writing prompts for 5th grade learners.

These journal prompts encourage fifth graders to confidently express their opinions and help them to strengthen their writing skills.

So add a few of these persuasive writing prompts for 5th grade into your lesson plans this week.

Persuasive Writing Prompts for 5th Grade

1. Should students sit-in on parent-teacher conferences? Why or why not?

2. What are your thoughts about birthday parties held during school hours? Do you think it should be allowed or disallowed?

3. Should schools encourage students to brush their teeth right after lunch?

4. Do you think schools should be strict with the dress code?

5. Is it still necessary to learn cursive writing? Why or why not?

6. Should school extend until the summer? Explain.

7. What is your opinion on fifth graders receiving an allowance for completing chores? Do you think it’s a good idea? Why or why not?

8. Should we have a class pet? If so, what kind fits best with the classroom environment?

9. In your opinion, do you think persuasive writing prompts for 5th grade help you to express your thoughts and develop your writing skills? Why or why not?

10. Should students sit wherever they want in class? Why or why not?

11. Do zoos protect or harm animals? Why do you think this?

12. Should there be a limit to how much time children watch TV each day? If you think so, what should the limit be and why?

13. What are your thoughts on bikers being held accountable for wearing a helmet?

14. Should cell phones be allowed in classrooms with elementary students?

15. Is tap or bottled water the better choice? Why?

16. Should children be forced to play with someone known as a bully? Explain your thinking.

17. Do you think homework should be given every night? Why or why not?

18. Should schools require students to wear uniforms? Explain.

19. Persuade someone you know to adopt a pet that has no home.

20. Should stores require shoppers to bring their own grocery bags? Why or why not?

21. Convince the principal to extend recess for any extra twenty minutes every Friday.

22. Should schools sell junk food to kids after school? Why or why not?

23. Persuade your mom to let you have dessert after dinner tonight.

24. Should every child learn to play a musical instrument? Why or why not?

25. In your opinion, should candy or gum be allowed in the classroom? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

26. Should elementary students be required to learn a second language ? Why do you think doing so or not doing so is a good idea?

27. How do you feel about people learning how to cook when they are children? Good idea or not?

28. Should schools require standardized testing? What are the benefits and downfalls of state testing?

29. Convince your family to take you to the restaurant of your choice.

30. Imagine that you are running for class president. Give reasons why your classmates should vote for you.

31. Should the school have an A, B, C, D, or F grading system or simply Pass/Fail? Explain your thinking.

32. Convince the teacher to organize reading buddies with another grade level.

33. Should the teacher eat lunch with students every day? Why or why not?

34. Should fifth graders be allowed to have social media accounts in order to communicate with friends? Why or why not?

35. Persuasive writing prompts for 5th grade students should be eliminated from the school’s curriculum.

36. Which career is best and why?

37. Persuade a friend to try a new food.

38. Yoga should be taught in P.E. class.

39. Persuade a friend to attend a sporting event with you.

40. A laptop is better than a desktop. Do you agree?

41. Persuade someone to pick you to be on his/her sports team.

42. Soccer is better than basketball.

43. Every grade level should raise money for a local charity.

44. Spelling tests should no longer be given.

45. What’s the best time of the year?

46. State testing should not occur in fifth grade.

47. Junk food should not be sold at school.

48. Students should be able to check out library books from the school during the summer.

49. Persuade a friend to sleep over this weekend.

50. Convince your dad to prepare your favorite meal.

51. Fifth graders should have special privileges.

Final Thoughts: Persuasive Writing Prompts for 5th Grade

Now you have a collection of persuasive writing prompts for 5th grade to use during writer’s workshop.

For support, teach students  how to respond well to these prompts.

If you liked these persuasive writing prompts for 5th grade, you may also like … 5th grade opinion writing prompts

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Don’t Miss Our List of the Top 2024-25 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12! 🏆

130 Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

Use your words to sway the reader.

Persuasive writing is one of those skills that can help students succeed in real life. Learn the basics of this valuable skill, then use our big roundup of persuasive essay topics for practice.

Plus, fill out the form on this page to grab our free printable persuasive essay graphic organizers to pair with your lessons!

What is persuasive writing?

In a persuasive essay, the writer uses a combination of facts and emotion to sway a reader to adopt their own point of view or take a specific action. Here are the general steps to writing persuasively:

• State your position: Clearly and succinctly, state your desired opinion or outcome up front. This could be the point of view you want the reader to adopt (“Pineapple has no place on a pizza.”) or the action you want them to take (“All adults should educate themselves and vote in every election.”).
• Provide evidence and support: Use facts to support your point of view, citing sources whenever you can. Explain how those facts back up your position, using logic and reason.
• Anticipate counterarguments: It’s important to know your audience so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them.
• Use emotional appeals: Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, but they incorporate more emotion rather than sticking to facts and logic. For instance, you might try to anger, scare, or create a sense of pride in your reader so they’ll be more likely to agree with you.
• Make a call to action: Finish strong with the specific action you’d like the reader to take, whether it’s voting responsibly or never putting pineapple on a pizza again.

Help students understand what strong persuasive writing looks like by exploring well-known examples of persuasive essays, speeches, ads, and more . Then, use the topics here to give them practice writing persuasively on their own.

School and Education Persuasive Essay Topics

Life and ethics persuasive essay topics, science and technology persuasive essay topics, sports and entertainment persuasive essay topics, just for fun persuasive essay topics.

• 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?
• All students should wear school uniforms.
• If I could change one school rule, it would be …
• Is year-round school a good idea?
• Should we stop giving final exams?
• Is it better to be good at academics or good at sports?

• Which is better, private schools or public schools?
• Should every student have to participate in athletics?
• Should schools teach life skills like financial responsibility?
• Does your school handle bullying well?
• 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?

• Is it ever OK to cheat on homework or a test?
• What are the ideal starting and ending hours for a school day?
• Should students get to grade their teachers?
• Do you think college should be free for anyone who wants to attend?
• Should schools be allowed to ban some books from their libraries?
• Which is better, book smarts or street smarts?
• Is attending college worth the time and effort?

• Should all students have to learn a foreign language?
• Are single-gender schools better or worse for students?
• Schools should reduce or eliminate standardized testing.
• Is it OK to eat animals?
• What animal makes the best pet?
• Visit an animal shelter, choose an animal that needs a home, and write an essay persuading someone to adopt that animal.
• Why is it important to vote?
• Wealthy people should pay a higher tax rate.
• If you find money on the ground, should you try to find the person who lost it, or is it yours to keep?

• Who faces more peer pressure, girls or boys?
• Should all Americans be required to vote?
• Is it better to be kind or truthful?
• Which is better, giving or receiving?
• Should free speech have any limitations?
• Is it OK to keep animals in zoos?
• Should we change the minimum driving age in the United States?

• Which is more important, happiness or success?
• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Is social media helpful or harmful?
• Should parents be punished for their children’s mistakes or crimes?
• Should kids have set bedtimes or just go to bed when they’re sleepy?
• Do you think the government should find a way to provide free universal health care for everyone?

• Is it better to save your allowance or spend it?
• Is capital punishment ever ethical or justified?
• Should we ban plastic bags and bottles?
• Which is better, living in the city or in the country?
• Immigration benefits the United States.
• A border wall between Mexico and the United States is essential for reducing crime rates.
• Should the United States have stronger gun regulations?
• If I could make a new law, it would be …
• Is Pluto a planet?
• Should human cloning be legal?
• Should vaccines be mandatory?
• Do the benefits of nuclear power outweigh the risks?
• Is it right for countries to still maintain nuclear weapon arsenals?

• Should testing on animals be made illegal?
• Will expanded use of artificial intelligence be good for humanity?
• Should all people have free internet access in their homes?
• Is there intelligent life on other planets?
• Does technology create more jobs than it eliminates?
• Should parents use their children’s cell phones to track where they are?
• Should scientists try to develop a way for people to live forever?

• What’s the best type of smartphone: Android or iPhone?
• Which is better, Macs or PCs?
• Do people rely too much on technology in the modern world?
• Should cryptocurrencies replace cash?
• Should there be a minimum age requirement to own a smartphone?
• All people have a responsibility to help combat climate change.
• Is it important to keep spending money on space exploration, or should we use the money for other things?

• Should kids under 13 be allowed to use social media sites?
• Should we ban cigarette smoking and vaping entirely?
• Is it better to be an animal that lives in the water or on land?
• Are humans responsible for an increase in climate change?
• Should all communities be legally required to recycle?
• Should kids be allowed to watch TV on school nights?
• Which is better, paper books or e-books?
• Is the current movie rating system (G, PG, PG-13, etc.) effective?
• Are video games better than board games?
• Sports teams should have to pay to build their own arenas or stadiums rather than relying on the community.
• Movie theater tickets are too expensive.
• Should we allow little kids to play competitive sports?

• Youth sports have become too competitive.
• Which is better, reading books or watching TV?
• Are celebrities obligated to be positive role models for their fans?
• Does playing violent video games make people more violent in real life?
• Video games need more inclusive and diverse characters.
• Are graphic novels just as valuable as traditional fiction books?
• Women’s sports deserve equal funding and coverage as men’s sports.
• Should everyone play on the same sports teams, regardless of gender?
• Choose a book that’s been made into a movie. Which was better, the movie or the book?

• Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
• Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
• Is hosting the Olympics a waste of a country’s money and resources?
• College athletes should be allowed to accept a salary for playing.
• Which is better, fiction or nonfiction?
• The best music genre is …
• What is one book that everyone should read?
• What new sport should be added to the Olympics?

• What’s the best video game system?
• Does playing video games make you smarter?
• Should high school athletes be required to maintain a minimum GPA to continue playing?
• Contact sports like boxing and football are too dangerous.
• Does reality TV actually depict real life?
• Should all neighborhoods have free parks and playgrounds?
• Are awards like the Grammys and Oscars biased and in need of reform?
• What’s the best holiday?
• The very best food of all time is …
• Which make better pets, dogs or cats?
• Which is better, artificial Christmas trees or real ones?

• What’s the best season of the year?
• Should you put ketchup on a hot dog?
• Is a taco a sandwich?
• Does fruit count as dessert?
• Everyone should eat dessert first.
• Should people have to go to school or work on their birthday?
• Are clowns scary or funny?
• Which is more dangerous, werewolves or vampires?

• The best pizza topping is …
• What would be the best superpower to have?
• Should everyone make their bed every day?
• Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
• Should you put pineapple on a pizza?
• Should you eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon or a fork?

• Describe the world’s best ice cream sundae.
• Is Monday the worst day of the week?
• Would you rather travel back in time or forward in time?
• Is it better to be too hot or too cold?
• Are there aliens living among us here on Earth?

Get my free printable persuasive essay graphic organizers

Download our persuasive essay graphic organizer bundle to pair perfectly with your lesson and allow your students to plan their writing with helpful visuals. There are two worksheets, one with a simple layout for younger students and one with a detailed layout that’s best for older students. Both graphic organizers feature a road map theme that walks your students through all the steps, such as stating their claim, providing reasons and supporting facts, and restating the claim. These graphic organizers work for both persuasive and argumentative essays. Just press the button below to grab them!

What are your favorite persuasive essay topics for students? Come exchange ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school ., you might also like.

The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (150+ Ideas!)

Ideas to inspire every young writer. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256