33 Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School » JournalBuddies.com (2024)

Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School Students. Bonus! Many of these ideas are also GREAT for students and writers of all ages.

Argumentative essays tend to require a little more research and logic than their cousin, the persuasive essay—but your middle school students will enjoy the opportunity to argue convincingly to readers all the same.

And…

More importantly, as students research their papers, gather evidence, and form their positions and arguments, they’ll be learning and practicing a number of important writing and critical thinking skills.

Good Grades in Essay Writing this School Year

The way to good grades for every student is to practice.

Yes, some students will have to practice their essay writing skills more than others. But…

It is the exploration and understanding of the essay writing process that lead to good writing.

This is why to support your students, we offer you…

Good Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas (and Free, too!)

With these 33 new argumentative essay topics for middle school students, you can help your students learn more about what makes a good argument and how to evaluate and decipher so-called “evidence.”

As they explore topics like the ways in which schools handle bullying and whether or not the Pledge of Allegiance should be required in schools, they’ll have the chance to see how biased some sources may be—and how those sources can be construed to support a particular side of an argument.

Whether students choose to argue for or against a given topic, you can be sure they’ll learn plenty about the components of an excellent argument either way.

Yes…

You can help your writers form a point of view on topics they are interested in by using our ideas for your next homework assignment.

So get to it and…

Use these argumentative essay topics for middle school today to teach your middle-schoolers all about the process of delivering well-researched, evidence-based arguments to their peers. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

33 Powerful Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School

Enjoy using these middle schooler argumentative essay topic ideas with your kids.

1. Do people have a right to Internet access?
2. Do violent video games make people more likely to be violent in real life?
3. Is it ever fair for minorities to receive special treatment or consideration?
4. Does the average American have a healthy diet? What are the effects of good or bad eating habits on the healthcare system?
5. Should students have a greater say in what they learn?
6. Do girls or boys face more societal pressure—or do they face equal amounts?
7. Do schools do enough to prevent bullying?
8. Does reality television accurately depict real life? Do movies?
9. Does nature or nurture play a bigger role in who we are?
10. Do athletes, celebrities, and CEOs deserve to make more money than the average person?
11. Is arts education as important as other types of curriculum?
12. What is the greatest challenge today’s students face?
13. What responsibilities do people have to help one another out?
14. What one thing should all households be doing to conserve energy?
15. Is Common Core good for students?
    
16. Does pop culture have value?
17. Should parents monitor their children’s Internet and/or social media usage?
18. When it comes to government monitoring, which is more important—individual privacy or national security?
19. How does the location someone grows up in affect who they become?
20. Should the Pledge of Allegiance be recited (or required) in schools?
21. Should official forms and documents have more than two options available when asking about gender?
22. Do participation trophies have value or do they undervalue the achievements of the winners?
23. Should children have restricted limits on the amount of screen time they can have on their cell phones, computers, and so forth?
24. Is climate change real, and is it happening?
25. What types of responsibilities does a government have to take care of its citizens?
26. Knowing what we know about the dangers of smoking, should cigarettes be outlawed?
27. Should students be required to learn a second, foreign language in school?
28. What issue should lawmakers be most concerned about?
29. Should Photoshopped magazine covers be banned?
30. Should religion be kept out of politics or brought into it?
31. Do celebrities have a right to privacy or do they forfeit some of that right by choosing to live in the public eye?
32. Should peanut products and other common allergens be kept out of schools?
33. Is it immoral to download copyrighted content illegally—or is it something that is a violation of the law, but not an issue of ethics?

I hope you enjoyed these argumentative essay topics for middle school writers.

Now, in case your students need more ideas, here are…

13 More Argumentative Research Paper Topic Ideas

A few of these topics are deep and may be better suited for more advanced writers. Of course, they may also be reworked and simplified for writers of all skill levels if needed.

1. Should all kids have curfews?
2. Are pets really “fur babies” and should they have the same rights as children?
3. Are school uniforms a good idea?
4. Should gym class (physical education) be required in school for all students?
5. Do beauty pageants objectify the participants?
6. Was the civil rights movement one of the most significant times in American history?
7. Should the United States revise the history lessons taught in public schools?
8. What events from history do you think must continue to be taught in public schools? (Great Depression, historical mistreatment of Native Americans, etc…)
9. If a politician is caught lying, should they be required to instantly resign from their elected office?
10. The minimum wage law in the United States is…
11. Is too much homework harmful, helpful, or both?
12. Do you believe access to a needed medical treatment is a human right?
13. Young adults today are…

Ok, in case more writing prompt ideas are needed, check out the resources listed below.

174 More Essay Writing Topics

• 31 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
• 35 Essay Topics for Kids
• 37 Essay topics for 6th graders
• 36 Opinion Writing Prompts
• 35 Argumentative Essay Topics for High School Students

Until next time, keep on writing!

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Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator

PS – This Argumentative Writing Step-by-Step Plan might be helpful for your students!