PERSUASIVE ESSAY TOPICS FOR HIGH SCHOOL

HOW TO WRITE PERSUASIVE ESSAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL

One of the vital functions that high school performs is introducing students to the complexities of writing. It provides them with the skills and knowledge that they need to develop inspired pieces of writing. In particular, high school guides students in writing persuasive essays. It is crucial for students to learn how to write these essays because this skill proves crucial once they join the workforce. Among other things, high schools help students to understand the basic structure of persuasive essays and the elements that they must include in their essays to enhance their appeal and impact.

BASICS OF PERSUASIVE ESSAYS

WHAT IS A PERSUASIVE ESSAY?

To understand how to write persuasive essay, high school students need to begin by recognizing the essence of these essays. Basically, a persuasive essay is a type of writing that challenges students to present and defend an argument. When they write these essays, students are driven by the goal of convincing their readers to support their position. Another crucial element of persuasive essays is including facts and evidence to support the claims that the student presents. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for students to mention alternative and opposing viewpoints in their persuasive essays.

STRUCTURE OF PERSUASIVE ESSAY

After learning about the basic purpose of persuasive essays, students need to be exposed to the elements that make up the structure of a typical persuasive essay. Usually, persuasive essays are made up of five paragraphs. One of the paragraphs is the introduction, another is the conclusion while three make up the body of the essay. Each of these components is discussed in some detail below.

INTRODUCTION

As the name indicates, the introduction offers the student the opportunity to present the basic premise of their writing. Here, the student offers some background information as part of their efforts to familiarize readers with the topic being addressed. Another key aspect of the introduction is the thesis statement. It typically forms the last sentence of the introduction. The thesis statement captures the main argument that the student wishes to summarize. Without a clearly defined thesis statement, persuasive essays lack direction and purpose.

BODY

The body paragraphs make up the bulk of persuasive essays. In these paragraphs, students primarily present supporting information to substantiate the claims that they make. For instance, students offer facts and evidence in support of the thesis of their persuasive essays. As they write the body paragraphs, students should be sure to include transition words and phrases. Proper transition enhances flow and eases understanding.

CONCLUSION 

The conclusion is the last and final paragraph of the persuasive essay. Among the mistakes that students make is to simply restate the argument presented in the introduction and supported in the body paragraphs. Students should understand that the conclusion is designed for wrapping up and offering readers some closure. It is here that the student resolves the issues raised in the essay and offers some indication of future direction. For example, in their conclusion, a student could call for further research.

GUIDE FOR WRITING PERSUASIVE ESSAY

In writing persuasive essays, students need to be deliberate and strategic. Among the tips that they should remember is to ensure that their essays are well structured and ordered logically. Basically, this means that the students should follow the five paragraph structure described above and employ transition words and phrases. Furthermore, students should ensure that there are clear connections between the ideas that they advance in their essays. It is also essential for students to begin all their paragraphs with topic sentences. Essentially, these sentences contain the main point presented in a particular paragraph. To ensure that their audiences fully understand their arguments, it is also crucial for students to illustrate these arguments using examples. Lastly, students need to help readers understand why their point is important. When the audience recognizes that the argument is critical, they are more likely to care and therefore become persuaded. Listed below are some of the topics that students can expect to encounter.

PERSUASIVE ESSAY TOPICS FOR HIGH SCHOOL:

  • The US should lower the drinking age.
  • Colleges should pay student athletes.
  • Hunting such animals as deer should be outlawed.
  • The US should ban the keeping of exotic animals as pets.
  • The US should do away with the Electoral College.
  • Unvaccinated children should be denied admission into public schools.
  • Social media has harmful effects on the health of high school students.
  • Affirmative action policies are inherently unfair.
  • Public officials who refuse to perform gay marriages on religious grounds should be fired.
  • Stricter gun laws hold the key to curbing mass shootings.
  • The US must do more to tackle climate change.
  • The US has a duty to serve as the police for the globe.
  • Cell phones should be kept off school premises.
  • To curb teenage pregnancies, high schools should issue condoms to students.
  • Juveniles who commit serious and violent crimes should be treated as adults.
  • The US should lift the restrictions on stem cell research.
  • Under no circumstances should police officers be permitted to seize private property without warrants.
  • The US needs federal laws that forbid all forms of torture.
  • Climate change can be blamed on human activity.
  • It is reckless and unacceptable for parents to share photos of their children on social media platforms.
  • Caps on the pay earned by company executives should be introduced.
  • Higher taxes should be imposed on the richest 1%.
  • The adversarial system in the US frustrates the delivery of justice.
  • Economic sanctions are ineffective.
  • Vegan diets could be the key to combating climate change.
  • Tougher laws are needed to regulate the fast fashion industry.
  • Following Brexit, Britain should brace for tough economic times ahead.
  • Parents should limit screen time for their children.
  • The US should adopt more stringent regulations for alternative medicine and therapies.
  • The US should refrain from interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries.
  • An overhaul of US immigration policy is desperately needed.
  • The US decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord does not augur well for the future of the planet.
  • Aid to developing countries causes more harm than good.
  • The US needs measures to ensure full compliance with court orders.
  • The auto lending industry is pushing Americans into cycle of debt.
  • Payday lending should be banned.
  • To avert another financial crisis, the US must adopt tougher laws regulating Wall Street.
  • The opioid crisis is the result of aggressive and reckless marketing by the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Doctors should not receive incentives from pharmaceutical marketers.
  • Adverts for medications should be outlawed.
  • Infrastructure development spurs economic growth.
  • The West should not export its waste to the developing world.
  • Electric vehicles are the future of mobility.
  • Huawei must not be allowed to participate in setting up 5G infrastructure in the US.
  • Extradition threatens a country’s sovereignty.
  • The war on drugs has failed.
  • Zoning laws reform is required to address the housing shortage crisis in major US cities.
  • E-cigarettes pose serious threat to health of American teens.
  • Celebrity CEOs are more effective.
  • Lobbying undermines American democracy.