35 Unique Essay Writing Prompts for Middle School ELA
I don’t know about you, but if I have to read one more essay about the pros and cons of school dress codes, I will bury my head in my pile of essays and SCREAM.
Yes, writing essays is an important skill for our students to learn, but for years, we have made it so incredibly . . . boring. Insufferable. Just . . . blah!
Instead of using the traditional boring essay topics, here are 35 fun essay writing prompts for your middle school students.
True Crime Research Essay Prompts
Who stole the Shergar racehorse, and where is he today?
Who stole the artwork from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?
What was Elizabeth Holmes’s first lie about her company, Theranos?
Who is most to blame for Juan Catalan’s false arrest?
Which of Knoedler & Company’s fraudulent art crimes was the worst?
Did Marguerite de Roberval deserve to be marooned?
Who stole the rare African water lily, and why?
Who is responsible for the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?
Silly Argumentative Essay Prompts
Are socks with sandals an appropriate fashion choice?
Is water wet?
Are spiders actually scary?
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Which mythical creature would have the best chance of survival in the real world?
How can you get someone to stop liking you without knowing what you’re up to?
Is knuckle-cracking beneficial?
Fun Literary Analysis Essay Prompts
Design a theme-park ride that represents the events in your chosen book.
Create a new video game based on your chosen book.
Organize a music concert where various musicians perform songs inspired by the book.
Invent a sandwich that represents the personality traits of your chosen book character.
Which chapter of this book could most easily be eliminated from the book?
Nominate a book character to be the world’s next superhero, based on their past experiences.
Design Jibbitz that your chosen character would wear in their Crocs.
Choreograph a dance that represents the themes of your book through movement.
Invent a new professional sport that symbolizes the plot of your chosen book.
Which emojis would best represent your chosen book character?
Meaningful Descriptive Essay Prompts
Interview a classmate you don’t know well and describe who they are beyond the surface.
Describe an object that most people would not find significant but that is incredibly meaningful to you.
Describe the earliest location you can remember and how it made you feel.
Interview an employee at a business your family uses often and describe the essence of who that person is.
Find a piece of artwork that reminds you of your own life and describe the art, along with its similarities to who you are.
An engaging essay prompt makes a WORLD of difference, but why stop there?
When I teach essays, I like to use catchy acronyms, active games, and 30-second rubrics that save my sanity so I can be the teacher my students need.