Opinion writing prompts

Use these opinion or argumentative writing prompts to help your students to state a point of view, and then provide facts and reasoned arguments to support that viewpoint. The goal of this kind of writing is to convince the reader to share the writer's opinion.

• What animal would judge us the most? Write a scene (based on truth or fiction) where two or more people are doing something silly, and they're being observed and criticized by animals.
• Can honesty honestly be bad? Write about someone, fact or fiction, who gets in trouble for being too truthful.
• Should books ever be banned? Discuss. If no, explain why. You might want to look at a list of commonly banned books. If yes, explain under what circumstances.
• Imagine a moral dilemma (for example, you see someone shoplift or a friend tells a blatant lie to her parents about where she was last night) and explain what you would do and why you would do it.
• According to a Czechoslovakian proverb, “Better a lie that soothes than a truth that hurts.” Agree or disagree? Explain.
• List 10 places in the world that you would most like to visit, 10 places you’ve been, and 10 places you would never want to go.
• Should students be able to grade their teachers?
• Does gym help students perform better in all their classes?
• How big a problem is bullying or cyberbullying in your school or community?
• Does technology make us more alone?
• Is online learning as good as face-to-face learning?
• What role will robots play in our future?
• What current musicians do you think will stand the test of time?
• Should video games be considered a sport?
• To what writer would you award a prize?
• Is school designed more for girls than boys?
• Why aren’t more girls choosing to pursue careers in maths and science?
• Do boys have less intense friendships than girls?
• When do you become an adult?
• Is it ethical to eat meat?
• Can money buy you happiness?
• Is kindness cool?