Coming Up With Good Persuasive Essay Topics For 5th Graders


Students of every age throughout their education careers will be faced with the task of writing a persuasive essay. These assignments help to teach the student how to correctly define a problem, develop their points and then convince the reader that their perspective is correct. But picking a topic that is age and grade appropriate can be a challenge. Consider these tips when you must select a topic for students in the 5th grade.

  • School concerns
  • One of the first areas to look when trying to find a topic for a 5th grade student is to look at their educational environment and concerns that they may have about their school. For example, if the school does not have regular recess and offer the students a chance to go outdoors then the student could develop their assignment around arguments for more frequent breaks during the school day. This topic will be relevant to the student and work at their level so that the writing will be something they care about.

  • Family vacations
  • Another place to look for age appropriate persuasive topics are any concerns the child has about their family such as arguments on where they should go for their family vacation. Children of that age will be more likely to pick an amusement park or a fun destination rather than a vacation with learning value so they should be able to put together a persuasive argument to convince their parents to choose the location they prefer.

  • Games and toys
  • Another option to find a good topic is to look at games and toys the student enjoys. They can develop an argument for or against a particular game and discuss the merits and disadvantages they see with playing with that particular selection.

  • Superheroes
  • Many students in the fifth grade are often a fan of superheroes and this could be the topic for their writing. Consider having the student write an argument comparing the super powers of two heroes and developing a case for why one or the other will win in a fight.

The key to finding a good topic for a fifth grader for a persuasive essay is to select a topic that they can relate to and enjoy. When they enjoy a topic the end product and the assignment will be of higher quality than something they do not know or understand.

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