Persuasive Writing Examples and Prompts for Kids
Is your student stepping into the world of persuasive writing?
As a parent, it’s fun to watch your child learn the art of forming and supporting an argument.
(Plus, it’s a significant step toward critical thinking.)
If they need extra help, here are a few persuasive writing examples for kids along with 20 writing prompts to make it fun!
Why Persuasive Writing Is Important for Elementary Writers
Teaching persuasive writing is important because it’s a fundamental step in helping your child think critically.
By arguing a topic, your student will need to examine both sides, which is an essential component of critical thinking. Persuasive writing also inspires formation of opinion and sharing that opinion effectively.
Students as young as elementary-school age can learn to write persuasively. In fact, we’ll share some quick examples of persuasive essays for kids below.
First, let’s discuss the structure of a “mini” persuasive essay.
(If you have an older student, read our step-by-step guide to writing a persuasive essay .)
A Simplified Structure for Persuasive Writing
Of course, expectations and writing guidelines become more involved for older students, but elementary-aged students should keep it simple.
The basic features of persuasive writing can be broken down into 5 steps:
- Topic sentence
- Opening argument 1
- Concluding statement
A topic sentence introduces the argument and clearly expresses the writer’s viewpoint. For a younger child, this is simply a straightforward statement that clearly expresses “this is my opinion.”
The next three steps list “pros” that support their topic statement. Each argument should be distinctly stated.
Again, for an elementary-aged student, arguments can be brief and can simply be a list of reasons.
The concluding statement wraps up by summarizing the arguments and restating the opinion.
If this method of persuasive writing sounds complicated at first, rest assured, it’s not.
Let’s look at how you can easily reinforce this structure for your students, along with some examples.
Homeschool Mom Tip: Use a “Persuasive Text Structure” Poster
One effective method of teaching and reinforcing the persuasive writing model is by using a “persuasive structure” chart or poster.
A visual representation of the steps involved in persuasive writing is important for a few reasons:
- Some students learn best visually. It helps them understand and remember the method when they see it laid out in front of them.
- Graphic illustrations of the different components allow students to take in one piece at a time and avoid overwhelm.
- Hanging the poster where your children do their schoolwork makes it easy for them to reference the structure while they’re writing.
- Knowing the poster is nearby in case they get stuck helps make writing a calmer process.
One other tip I recommend is breaking up essay-style writing with creative writing assignments. ( Try these one-sentence writing prompts! ).
Kid-Friendly Persuasive Writing Examples
Along with tools like a poster, providing simple examples of persuasive writing is another helpful way to teach this new concept.
Here are a few examples of elementary-level persuasive paragraph examples that will give both you and your student an idea of what to expect.
Example 1: A Persuasive Argument About Cats
Cats are the best pets. They can be left alone all day without getting mad. Cats don’t bark, so they are not noisy like dogs. You don’t have to let cats go outside to use the bathroom. As you can see, cats are less work and easier to take care of than dogs.
Example 2: A Persuasive Argument About Meal Choices
French fries should be served with every meal. First, French fries are delicious. Second, French fries are made of potatoes, which are vegetables, and they can air-fried without oil. Also, French fries don’t cost a lot of money. Because they are tasty, cheap, and can be cooked in a healthy way, French fries a perfect side dish to every meal.
Example 3: A Persuasive Argument Against Littering
You should never litter because it is wrong. Littering pollutes the Earth. Littering is throwing trash around outside, which looks ugly. Littering can also make you sick if it has germs on it. Littering is wrong because it makes the world a dirty, unsanitary place to live.
20 Persuasive Writing Prompts for Kids
When you provide a step-by-step structure and supply examples of what is expected, you set your student up for writing success.
The final step in teaching persuasive writing to kids effectively is to present them with an antidote to the dreaded blank page.
To assist you with that, we’ve come up with 20 persuasive writing topics for your students to make it easier for them to get them started on their persuasive essays.
If they can’t come up with their own topics, one of these prompts should spark their interest.
These ideas for persuasive essays cover a wide variety of topics, so there should be something for everyone.
Plus, since persuasive writing is closely related to debate, you can also use these prompts as persuasive debate topics for kids :
- I deserve to be paid for my chores.
- Hamsters are the best type of pet.
- Everyone should eat a salad daily.
- Board games help you learn.
- Kids need free time to relax and play.
- You should always obey speed limits.
- Every family should have a dog.
- Dinner should always end with dessert.
- Homeschool students should get “snow days” as well.
- Kids should choose where the family spends summer vacation.
- I am old enough for a later bedtime.
- All students should learn a second language.
- School should only be 4 days per week.
- Soda is bad for you.
- I am responsible enough to learn how to cook.
- My cat should be allowed to sleep on my bed.
- Kids should be allowed to vote in their local elections at age 16.
- I am old enough to babysit and be paid.
- You should always wear a seatbelt in the car.
- Pizza is a healthy food.
I hope these persuasive texts and prompts for kids are helpful to you!
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to provide a few persuasive paragraph examples for your students to gain inspiration (and eliminate overwhelm).
If your student is entering 6th grade or above , we have a complete course that teaches students to write skillfully, think critically, and speak clearly as they explore the history of ideas! As a bonus in these dark days, Philosophy Adventure also teaches students to discern truth from error:
will your children recognize truth?
About the author.
Jordan Mitchell
Jump to navigation
- Inside Writing
- Teacher's Guides
Student Models
- Writing Topics
- Minilessons
- Shopping Cart
- Inside Grammar
- Grammar Adventures
- CCSS Correlations
- Infographics
Student Writing Models
How do I use student models in my classroom?
When you need an example written by a student, check out our vast collection of free student models. Scroll through the list, or search for a mode of writing such as “explanatory” or “persuasive.”
Jump to . . .
Explanatory writing.
- How Much I Know About Space Explanatory Paragraph
- My Favorite Pet Explanatory Paragraph
- Sweet Spring Explanatory Paragraph
Narrative Writing
- A Happy Day Narrative Paragraph
- My Trip to Mexico Narrative Paragraph
Creative Writing
- Happy Easter Story Paragraph
- Leaf Person Story
Research Writing
- Parrots Report
- If I Were President Explanatory Paragraph
- My Dad Personal Narrative
- The Horrible Day Personal Narrative
Response to Literature
- One Great Book Book Review
- A Fable Story
- Ant Poem Poem
- The Missing Coin Story
- Winter Words Poem
- Horses Report
- Ladybugs Report
- How to Make Boiled Eggs How-To
Persuasive Writing
- Plastic, Paper, or Cloth? Persuasive Paragraph
- The Funny Dance Personal Narrative
- The Sled Run Personal Narrative
- Hello, Spring! Poem
- Cheetahs Report
Business Writing
- Dear Ms. Nathan Email
- My Favorite Place to Go Description
- My Mother Personal Essay
- Rules Personal Essay
- Shadow Fort Description
- Adopting a Pet from the Pound Editorial
- Letter to the Editor Letter to the Editor
- Ann Personal Narrative
- Grandpa, Chaz, and Me Personal Narrative
- Indy’s Life Story Personal Narrative
- Jet Bikes Personal Narrative
- The Day I Took the Spotlight Personal Narrative
- A Story of Survival Book Review
- Chloe’s Day Story
- Did You Ever Look At . . . Poem
- Dreams Poem
- I Am Attean Poem
- Sloppy Joes Poem
- The Civil War Poem
- The Haunted House Story
- The Terror of Kansas Story
- When I Was Upside Down Poem
- Deer Don’t Need to Flee to Stay Trouble-Free! Report
- Height-Challenged German Shepherd Report
- Friendship Definition
- What Really Matters News Feature
- Cheating in America Problem-Solution
- Hang Up and Drive Editorial
- Musical Arts Editorial
- Summer: 15 Days or 2 1/2 Months? Editorial
- A Cowboy's Journal Fictionalized Journal Entry
- Giving Life Personal Narrative
- The Great Paw Paw Personal Narrative
- The Racist Warehouse Personal Narrative
- Limadastrin Poem
- The Best Little Girl in the World Book Review
- How the Stars Came to Be Story
- Linden’s Library Story
- My Backyard Poem
- The Call Poem
- I Am Latvia Research Report
- Mir Pushed the Frontier of Space Research Report
- The Aloha State Research Report
- The Incredible Egg Observation Report
- Unique Wolves Research Report
- Dear Dr. Larson Email
Personal Writing
- A Lesson to Learn Journal
- Caught in the Net Definition
- From Bed Bound to Breaking Boards News Feature
- If Only They Knew Comparison-Contrast
- Save the Elephants Cause-Effect
- Student Entrepreneur Reaches for Dreams of the Sky News Feature
- Internet Plagiarism Problem-Solution
- Mosquito Madness Pet Peeve
- Anticipating the Dream Personal Narrative
- Huddling Together Personal Narrative
- H’s Hickory Chips Personal Narrative
- It’s a Boy! Personal Narrative
- My Greatest Instrument Personal Narrative
- Snapshots Personal Narrative
- Take Me to Casablanca Personal Narrative
- The Boy with Chris Pine Blue Eyes Personal Narrative
- The Climb Personal Narrative
- The House on Medford Avenue Personal Narrative
- Adam’s Train of Ghosts Music Review
- Diary of Gaspard Fictionalized Journal Entry
- My Interpretation of The Joy Luck Club Literary Analysis
- Mama’s Stitches Poem
- The KHS Press Play
- Rosa Parks Research Report
- The Killer Bean Research Report
- Mid-Project Report on History Paper Email
- Vegetarian Lunch Options at Bay High Email
The Joy of Teaching
Sharing creative ideas and lessons to help children learn.
Using Voice to Persuade: Persuasive Writing Prompts for Grades 4–6
April 16, 2019 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments
Teaching persuasive writing can seem overwhelming, but following these steps helps to guide students through the writing process:
- Use read-alouds and writing examples to show persuasive writing with voice.
- Review elements of persuasive writing, such as opinion statements.
- Discuss supporting evidence with examples.
- Write a persuasive paragraph on a compelling topic!
Persuade: to cause someone to do something by giving them reasons; to convince. A persuasive article speaks directly to the reader with pronouns such as you, your, and we; it appeals to the reader’s emotions and provides reasons that support the opinions stated.
Introduce Persuasive Writing with Voice
Before asking students to tackle persuasive writing with voice, introduce them to examples of authors using strong voices. Expose them to various writing voices and explain why the author chose each voice for a particular audience.
Read-Alouds to Show Voice
A fun way to introduce voices within persuasive writing is through read-alouds. These three picture books are entertaining stories that get students invested in identifying voice:
Click on the activity for this free download.
Examples of Voice in Writing
Once students understand the importance of voice, introduce examples of using voice within persuasive writing. Writers should ask themselves who the audience is and determine the most appropriate voice for their purpose.
The best examples are taken from two different texts written about the same topic to the same audience. The examples listed below identify the differences between a formal letter to the President of the United States and an informal letter. Students should identify which letter uses the correct voice for the audience (the president).
Review Elements of Persuasive Writing
Click on page for close-up view.
Opinion Statement
An opinion statement is one sentence that tells how you feel about a topic. In persuasive writing, you must always take a stand and state your opinion on the topic or issue. Often, the sentence after your opinion statement gives the most important reason for your opinion.
Practice writing strong opinion statements such as:
- Should students be allowed to have cellphones in the classroom?
Sample answer: Students should be allowed to keep their cellphones during class. Cellphones are important to have in case of emergency.
- Should your class go on a field trip to a science museum, a play, or an aquarium?
Sample answer: Our class should take a field trip to the science museum. We could do research there for our upcoming science projects.
Supporting Evidence
In order to convince someone that your opinion is the best, you need to convince them using supporting evidence. Strong opinion writing will list multiple reasons as well as address opposing views of their opinion.
To persuade your readers, speak directly to them; give reasons that support your ideas, and write with emotion. An author’s voice is his or her attitude toward a subject, and creating a strong voice makes an author’s writing more interesting to read. Match your voice to the purpose and audience. Use persuasive techniques such as word choice, repetition, and emotional appeal that are appropriate to your audience.
Practice developing supporting arguments with these examples.
Assignment: Read these community project ideas. Choose one project to persuade your class to do. Write your opinion statement and create four reasons that support your opinion.
- Volunteer at a wildlife rescue center. Help birds, amphibians, and small mammals that are hurt or sick.
- Hold a book drive to collect new and used books. Donate the books to schools or libraries that need them.
Raise money to build wells in Africa. Hold fundraisers to collect the money.
Write a Persuasive Paragraph
Listed below is a combination of serious and fun persuasive writing prompts to give your students practice.
- Which community service project should your class perform? (Use the ideas generated from your supporting evidence exercise.)
- Sweet or salty? Which is better?
- Should television be allowed in classrooms?
- Should pets be allowed at school?
- Should schools sell soda to students?
- Students should be allowed to have cellphones turned on in class (yes or no).
- State government should mandate for more recess time (yes or no).
- Week 1: Examining Different Writing Voices (these bullets should be the same style as those above)
- Week 2: Using Your Voice to Persuade
- Week 3: Writing From Different Points of View
- Week 4: Using Voice in Poetry
- Week 5: Developing Your Own Voice
Get this grade 4 unit from Daily 6-Trait Writing TeachersPayTeachers here.
Additional nonfiction writing resources from Evan-Moor
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Subscribe Today!
Sign-up for education inspiration for PreK–8 teachers and parents.
Email address:
Grade Level Pre-K Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade +
Profession Teacher Homeschooler Parent School Admin Other
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from Evan-Moor. You can unsubscribe at any time by using the Unsubscribe link found at the bottom of every email.
- Try for free
Writing a Persuasive Argument (Gr. 4)
Scott Foresman, an imprint of Pearson
Featured 4th grade resources.
Related Resources
Free Printable Persuasive Writing Worksheets for 4th Grade
Persuasive Writing: Discover a collection of free printable Reading & Writing worksheets tailored for Grade 4 students. Enhance your teaching experience and help students develop persuasive writing skills.
Explore Persuasive Writing Worksheets by Grades
- kindergarten
Explore Other Subject Worksheets for grade 4
- Social studies
- Social emotional
- Foreign language
- Reading & Writing
Explore printable Persuasive Writing worksheets for 4th Grade
Persuasive Writing worksheets for Grade 4 are essential tools for teachers to help their students develop strong writing skills, especially in the areas of Reading & Writing. These worksheets focus on teaching students how to effectively express their opinions and persuade others through well-structured arguments. By incorporating these worksheets into their lesson plans, teachers can provide their students with ample opportunities to practice and refine their writing abilities. Additionally, these Grade 4 worksheets cover various nonfiction writing topics, allowing students to explore different subjects while honing their persuasive writing techniques. In conclusion, Persuasive Writing worksheets for Grade 4 are invaluable resources for teachers looking to enhance their students' Reading & Writing skills.
Quizizz offers a fantastic platform for teachers to supplement their Persuasive Writing worksheets for Grade 4 with engaging and interactive quizzes. This online platform allows educators to create customized quizzes that align with their lesson plans and the specific needs of their students. By incorporating Quizizz into their teaching strategies, teachers can provide a more dynamic and enjoyable learning experience for their Grade 4 students. Furthermore, Quizizz offers a wide range of other educational resources, such as Reading & Writing materials and Nonfiction Writing content, making it a one-stop-shop for teachers seeking comprehensive tools to support their students' learning. With Quizizz, teachers can easily enhance their Grade 4 Persuasive Writing worksheets and other offerings, ensuring a well-rounded and effective educational experience for their students.
Persuasive Writing
About this Strategy Guide
This strategy guide focuses on persuasive writing and offers specific methods on how you can help your students use it to improve their critical writing and thinking skills.
Research Basis
Strategy in practice, related resources.
Students often score poorly on persuasive writing assessments because they have no authentic audience or purpose; thus their counterarguments and rebuttals are weak. However, if they see writing as personally meaningful and a useful way to express their needs and desires, they will want to improve their skills in writing style, content, spelling, and other mechanics. Research shows that young children are capable of anticipating their readers’ beliefs and expectations when writing for familiar readers to get something they want and when prompted to think about their audience’s perspective while writing. 1 Teachers can also guide students to analyze examples of persuasive writing and understand the author’s purpose. Before writing a persuasive piece, students should understand how persuasion is used orally in everyday life by practicing making short, convincing speeches about something that’s important to them. 2 1 Wollman-Bonilla, J. (2000). Family message journals: Teaching writing through family involvement. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
2 Wollman-Bonilla, J. (2000). Family message journals: Teaching writing through family involvement. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Here are some ways you can help your students master persuasive writing:
- Have students listen to and analyze various persuasive speeches and writings in the media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television, and the Internet), looking for words, phrases, and techniques (e.g., reasons, repetition, counterarguments, comparisons) that are designed to persuade. This improves critical reading and thinking skills. The Persuasive Strategies PowerPoint offers some of the more common techniques.
- Break down the elements of a persuasive speech or piece of writing: an introduction that states the position clearly, at least three pieces of evidence to support the position, and a conclusion that restates the topic and summarizes the main points. The interactive Persuasion Map provides a framework to help students organize their ideas before writing.
- Challenge students to address what people currently believe about the issue so that they can convince them to change through counterarguments. Have them interview 5–10 people (with varying perspectives) about their current beliefs on an issue and create a graph to see patterns in people’s arguments. Students can mention these different beliefs toward the beginning of their writing piece before they make their own argument.
- Find authentic opportunities for students to write persuasive letters to family or community, speeches, classified advertisements, and other persuasive pieces. After a unit on recycling, for example, students could write a persuasive letter to their families to convince them to recycle more. Or students might write to their school librarian and try to convince him or her to purchase something in particular for the library. The Speechwriting Website offers a student tutorial, tips from the pros, and audio samples of other students’ writing.
- Incorporate peer review techniques so students analyze and improve each other’s persuasive arguments (oral or written). See Teaching Writing: Peer Review for further guidance. Use the Peer Review Guidelines for Persuasive Letters to guide students’ review of persuasive letters.
- Challenge students to differentiate fact and opinion from an article. Start by discussing short examples to see if students understand the difference. Use the Fact vs. Opinion handout from Education Oasis to reinforce this concept.
- Show students examples of how community discussion on an issue can lead to alternative positions that take different people’s needs into account, perhaps by looking in the editorial section of the local newspaper. Issues such as adding bike paths or improving parks might be interesting for the students to follow. You might encourage them to participate by having them write a letter to the editor.
- Encourage students to participate in online role-play, respond to YouTube videos or blogs, or create their own websites as ways for students to debate a real issue with a broader audience.
Vary the types of assignments you give to meet the different learning needs, styles, and interests of your students. If students sense that voicing their opinions may lead to change, it can motivate them to formulate effective arguments for their positions and propose possible solutions.
- Lesson Plans
- Student Interactives
- Calendar Activities
- Strategy Guides
Through a classroom game and resource handouts, students learn about the techniques used in persuasive oral arguments and apply them to independent persuasive writing activities.
Students analyze rhetorical strategies in online editorials, building knowledge of strategies and awareness of local and national issues. This lesson teaches students connections between subject, writer, and audience and how rhetorical strategies are used in everyday writing.
The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.
Students examine the different ways that they write and think about the role writing plays in life.
- Print this resource
Explore Resources by Grade
- Kindergarten K
- Grades 6-12
- School Leaders
FREE Book Bracket Template. For March and Beyond!
101 Exciting 4th Grade Writing Prompts for 2023 (Free Printable!)
Use them for journal writing, essay topics, and more!
Fourth grade is a time for students to continue to hone their writing chops as they put to use the skills they’ve learned and gain confidence in their abilities. We’ve collected this list of fourth grade writing prompts—including opinion, persuasive, informational, and narrative—to spur your students’ imaginations and get them writing!
You can get 50 of these fourth grade writing prompts in a free PowerPoint slideshow bundle! They make it easy to share these writing ideas with your students. Grab your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here .
- Persuasive and Opinion Writing Prompts
- Descriptive and Expository Writing Prompts
- Narrative and Personal Writing Prompts
- Creative Writing Prompts
- Current Events Writing Prompts
Persuasive and Opinion 4th Grade Writing Prompts
Would you rather be good at sports or good in school? Why?
Would you rather have lots of money or lots of friends? Why?
What is your favorite subject in school? Why?
Are fourth graders ready to stay home alone? Why or why not?
Name two characters from different books that you think might be good friends. Why?
Which is more important for success, skill or luck?
Should kids be paid an allowance to do chores around the house? Why or why not?
Why are classroom rules important?
If you had a time machine, what era of history would you visit?
Why is math important?
Why is science important?
Should fourth graders have cell phones? Why or why not?
If you could open a store, what type of store would it be and why?
Which would you rather read: a scary story that gives you goosebumps or a funny story that cracks you up? Why?
What is the hardest thing about being a fourth grader?
If I were the ruler of the world, the first law I would pass would be … because …
If you found a backpack filled with dollar bills, what would you do?
Is it ever OK to tell secrets? Why or why not?
What animal makes the best pet? Why?
Is it better to spend an hour a day reading or an hour a day exercising? Why?
Descriptive and Expository 4th Grade Writing Prompts
If you had a YouTube channel, what would you talk about?
What’s the best book you’ve read recently? What was it all about?
If you won a million dollars, how would you spend the money?
Describe what you think of as perfect weather.
Describe how to build a birdhouse step by step.
Write five rules for staying organized.
What is the worst book you ever read?
Describe the physical appearance of someone in your family in detail.
Imagine you are in a hot-air balloon above your house. Describe everything you can see.
Describe how to play your favorite board game.
There’s an old saying: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” What do you think this saying means?
Describe your perfect day.
One of your little cousins is very nervous about starting kindergarten. What would you tell them to make them feel better?
Imagine you are an adult and describe your dream job.
Explain your morning routine in detail, from waking up to arriving at school.
Describe the perfect meal, including what you’d eat and where you’d dine.
Share what you do on a typical non-school day.
Explain the right way to do one of your household chores, like making your bed or cleaning your room.
Describe your favorite room at home in detail.
How do you prepare for a big test? Describe the ways you study or practice.
Narrative and Personal 4th Grade Writing Prompts
Share one of the stories your family has told you about when you were a baby.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?
Write about an adult you look up to.
What’s the nicest thing anybody has ever done for you?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Write about a time you felt like quitting but didn’t. How did you keep yourself going?
Do you like nonfiction books or fiction books better? Why?
What makes your family unique?
What would you say is your greatest strength? Greatest weakness?
Are you a patient person? Why or why not?
What is something you’ve never done that you would like to try?
What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you?
Write about a time you tried something new and how you felt before, during, and after.
What is your earliest memory?
What’s your favorite holiday? What makes it so special?
Write about a time when you felt proud of yourself.
Tell the story of your favorite field trip of all time.
If you could relive any day in your life, what would it be? Would you want it to be the same or different?
What holiday is important to your family? Describe how you celebrate it together.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten? How did it make you feel?
Creative 4th Grade Writing Prompts
If you met an alien, what three questions would you ask them?
Pretend you drank a magic potion that made you as tiny as an ant. Where would you go and what would you do?
Pretend you ate a magic pill that made you as tall as a redwood tree. Where would you go and what would you do?
Write a story that includes these five words: keys, spaghetti, uncle, jellyfish, spaceship.
What would the world be like if dinosaurs still existed?
If you could invent something new the world really needs, what would it be? How would it work?
Retell a classic story, making the villain the hero instead.
Imagine that one day you woke up and found everyone in the world could no longer talk. What would happen next?
Write a new chapter of your favorite book, with yourself as a new character.
Imagine you woke up one morning with a superpower, like invisibility or the ability to fly. Describe your experiences learning how to use that power.
Use these words to start a story: “When I opened the box that came in the mail, I never expected to find …”
Describe a world where it rains fruit juice and snows M&Ms.
Come up with the most ridiculous excuse possible for why you are unable to turn in your homework today.
Describe a world where all the adults are robots, but kids are still human kids.
Imagine a conversation between yourself and a talking animal.
Describe the kind of creature you’d create if you were a mad scientist. Would it be scary and mean? Nice and friendly?
Invent a new kind of candy. Give it a name, and write a commercial jingle for it.
Write about a day where kids are in charge instead of grown-ups.
Imagine you’re lost in a haunted wood, and tell the story of your escape.
Tell a story that ends with these words: “… and that’s how we all learned to fly.”
Describe a night in the life of the tooth fairy.
Current Events 4th Grade Writing Prompts
If you made a time capsule for this year, what would you put in it?
Describe something that you saw in the news recently and how it made you feel.
Tell about an event that happened recently at your school or in your town.
What do you think is one of the world’s biggest problems right now, and how would you solve it?
Read a news story about something happening in another country and summarize it.
Write a news article about something important that happened to you this week.
Create a poem about something in the local news right now.
Write a letter to the editor about a current issue, explaining your opinion.
Find a “good news” story, and share why it makes you happy.
What living famous person do you most admire and why?
What do you think kids today can do about climate change and global warming?
Learn about an endangered animal, and describe what we can do to help it.
What does the word “racism” mean to you?
What is one thing you would do to make your school or town a better place?
Choose an upcoming sports event, and explain who you think will win.
Describe a current fashion trend or something that’s very popular in your school right now, and how you feel about it.
What can we do to help people with different opinions get along with one another better?
Interview a grown-up you know, and write a news article about them.
What do you think is the best new song right now? The worst? Why?
Describe an event that’s happening in the world right now that you don’t understand. What questions would you ask a grown-up about it?
How do you use writing prompts with your students? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .
Also check out 57 awesome 4th grade books you’ll want to share with students ..
Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256
4th grade writing
by: Jessica Kelmon | Updated: August 4, 2022
Print article
In fourth grade, study skills play an important role in your child’s writing. Kids do research using multiple sources. They also learn to take notes on what they research, read. and hear. And even stories are more advanced, with more developed characters who show their feelings and react to what happens. And perhaps most important, your child is expected to analyze a book’s structure, logic, details, and evidence in their writing. It’s all pretty impressive!
Building 4th grade study skills
This year taking notes is an important skill. Fourth graders are expected to use books, periodicals, websites, and other digital sources to conduct research projects — both on their own and as part of group work with peers. Your child should keep track of all the sources they check — noting what they learn, the name of the source and page number or url so they can find it again and create a source list or bibliography later.
Also, taking notes while reading fiction will help your child when it comes time to analyze what they’ve read or to give an in-depth description of a character, setting, or story event drawing on specific details.
Check out this related worksheet: • Finding key points
bttr, better, best!
Last year’s prewriting step — planning — becomes more essential in your child’s writing process this year. Before your child sits down to write, they should use their organized notes to help create the structure of whatever they’re writing. While planning , your child may brainstorm ideas for a story or decide how to organize facts into a cohesive set of points. The more knowledge your child builds during the prewriting stage, the easier it will be to write. Encourage reading and rereading, taking notes, finding additional sources, discussing aloud how new knowledge fits in with what your child knew before, and visually organizing what they plan to write about. After the first draft is written, the teacher and possibly other students will offer feedback: asking questions to elicit new details or clarify an argument or suggest new sources of information. They should check that there’s a clear introduction and conclusion, and that the order of points or events makes sense. Your child will then do a revision (or two), adding, reordering, and refining their writing to show deep understanding.
After making revisions, your child does a final edit focusing on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and strengthening word choices. These steps — planning, writing a first draft, revising, and editing the final piece — help fourth graders understand that research, organizing, clarifying ideas, and improving grammar and presentation are all essential to strong writing.
See what your fourth grade writing looks like
Fourth grade writing: opinion pieces
Your child’s opinions always need to be supported by evidence. Persuasive writing should start by clearly introducing an opinion on a topic. To support their opinion, kids need to present their argument, which is a list of reasons why they hold that opinion. Each of their reasons needs to be supported by facts and details (a.k.a. evidence). After presenting all of their research-supported reasons, kids should close their arguments with a concluding statement or paragraph that sums up how their evidence supports their opinion.
Check out this example of good fourth grade opinion writing: • “ Zoos should close ”
Fourth grade writing: informative writing
This year, your child’s informative writing gets more organized, with headers, illustrations and even multimedia components to support specific points. To begin, your child should introduce the topic. Then they should use facts, definitions, details, quotes, examples, and other information to develop their topic into a few clear, well thought-out paragraphs. Your fourth grader should use advanced linking words (e.g. also, another, for example, because ) to form compound and complex sentences connecting their research and ideas to the point they’re making. Finally, to wrap it up, your child should have a conclusion — either a statement or, if necessary, a section labeled conclusion.
Check out these three examples of good fourth grade informational writing: • “ John Cabot and the Rediscovery of North America ” • “ Big Book of Evolution ” • “ Book report: A Tale of Despereaux ”
Can your fourth grader write an informational essay?
Fourth grade writing: narratives
A narrative means writing a story. This year your child will be expected to use storytelling techniques, descriptive details, and clear sequences to tell compelling tales. Whether inspired by a favorite book, real events, or your child’s imagination, your child’s story should use dialogue, descriptive words, and transitional language. Look for precise language and sensory details that bring characters to life. Finally, your child should keep pacing and sequence of events in mind. The events should unfold naturally, bringing the story to a natural conclusion. Are surprise endings okay? Sure… so long as the details and events plausibly lead there.
Check out this related worksheet: • Putting sentences in order
Gettin’ good at grammar
You may want to review all those parts of speech your child learned last year because fourth grade grammar is expected to be quite accurate. Your child should know relative pronouns (e.g. who, whose, whom, which, that ), relative adverbs (e.g. where, when, why ), adjective ordering (e.g. short dark hair and small red bag ), descriptive prepositional phrases (e.g. in the air, down the block, on the grass ), progressive past, present, and future verbs (e.g. I was walking, I am walking, I will be walking ), and verbs used with other verbs to express mood or tense (aka modal auxiliaries, e.g. can, may, must, should, would ). Also, your child needs to master the distinctions between frequently confused words like to , too , and two and there , their , and they’re . Finally, your child should be able to recognize and correct run-on sentences.
Check out these related worksheets: • Prepositions • Compound sentences • Punctuating a paragraph • Its or it’s?
Learning to use language precisely
This means:
- Recognizing and explaining common idioms (e.g. bending over backwards )
- Distinguishing between similes and metaphors (e.g. quiet as a mouse and the sun is a yellow beach ball ).
- Identifying and using synonyms and antonyms
- Using increasingly specific words in writing (e.g. glamorous instead of pretty, pre-dawn instead of morning, quizzed instead of asked )
Your fourth grader should now be using relevant academic words in informational writing and research reports. Although accurate spelling should be the norm in fourth grade, when faced with spelling more academic words, your child should use a dictionary and thesaurus (print and digital versions).
Check out these related worksheets: • 4th grade weekly spelling lists • Making metaphors • Simile or cliché?
Sharing their work
Most classrooms will encourage (if not require) kids to use technology to produce and publish their writing. Your fourth grader should be able to type up to a full page in one sitting. While teachers should be there to help, your child should be doing the work. Students will also be expected to interact with peers about each other’s work. What might that look like? Your child might read a classmates’ published work online and comment on it, or cite a peer’s work when answering a question in class.
Updated August 2022
Homes Nearby
Homes for rent and sale near schools
6 ways to improve a college essay
Quick writing tips for every age
Writing on the wall
Why parents must teach writing
Yes! Sign me up for updates relevant to my child's grade.
Please enter a valid email address
Thank you for signing up!
Server Issue: Please try again later. Sorry for the inconvenience
persuasive essay samples for 4th grade
All Formats
Resource types, all resource types.
- Rating Count
- Price (Ascending)
- Price (Descending)
- Most Recent
Persuasive essay samples for 4th grade
Persuasive Essay Writing Packet, Two Sample Essays, and Checklists
St. Patrick's Day Five-Paragraph Persuasive Essay - Argumentative Writing Prompt
- Easel Activity
A Persuasive Essay Sample & Walkthrough
- NOTEBOOK (SMARTboard) File
Opinion Essay 3rd & 4th grade Persuasive Writing with Graphic Organizer
- Google Apps™
Persuasive Essay - Save the Turkey!
Writer's Workshop DIGITAL Journal 4th Grade --UNIT 2
Essay with 5 Paragraphs | Unit Plans
Groundhog Day Writing Activity - Five-Paragraph Persuasive Essay Prompt
Summer Writing Prompts Distance Learning | 3rd and 4th Grade FREE
Persuasive Writing: Complete Unit
Eight Sentence Persuasive Paragraph Guide with three samples
- Word Document File
Opinion Writing and Argumentative Writing Activities for Persuasive Writing
Persuasive Writing & Writing a Letter | Step up to Writing Inspired COMBO Unit
Persuasive Essay and Public Issues Scaffolded Unit +Word Search CCSS Grades 4-7
How To Write In Fourth Grade - A spiraled curriculum aligned to the Common Core.
Christmas Writing Activities Bundle: 3 Engaging Winter Writing for 3rd, 4th , 5th
Personal and Persuasive Writing
Writing Persuasive Paragraphs Video - Streaming or Shareable Link
- Supporting Information
Persuasive Essay : Thanksgiving Turkey Contest
Perfectly Persuasive Essays
Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan with Activities and Assessment!
NO PREP PACK - Grades 4-8 - Persuasive writing prompts, rubrics (Ontario)
Text Evidence Based Opinion Argument Persuasive Writing Video Lesson Grades 3-6
WRITING BUNDLE: Narrative, Persuasive /Opinion, Informational
- We're hiring
- Help & FAQ
- Privacy policy
- Student privacy
- Terms of service
- Tell us what you think
Narrative Writing Prompts 6th Grade
Narrative prompts Narrative writing grade 6th
4th grade narrative writing prompts Narrative essay writing personal prompts school first grade 6th prompt worksheet example 4th college reviewed curated lessonplanet Narrative thatsnotus
Narrative writing prompts year 6 - researchabout.web.fc2.com
👍 narrative topics for 6th grade. narrative essay grade 7 worksheets
6th grade narrative essay prompts
👍 narrative topics for 6th grade. narrative essay grade 7 worksheetsNarrative prompts 6th grade writing prompts • journalbuddies.comNarrative narratives thatsnotus fifth net3 persuasive.
Narrative writing prompts worksheetsGrade essay writing samples 4th expository topics 6th persuasive bravery essays prompts example worksheets sixth 5th narrative argumentative templates opinion Grade writing 6th prompts narrative topics school sixth students essay creative opinion middle teaching journal use journalbuddies board paper persuasive017 essay example narrative fun experience 4th grade ~ thatsnotus.
Check Details
4th grade narrative writing prompts
014 essay example receiving award narrative writing prompt worksheetNarrative writing prompts year 6 Grade writing 6th prompts journalbuddies sixth write students school opinion ela safe reading time long activities008 personal narrative essay examples for 6th grade example ~ thatsnotus.
Grade writing prompts 6th narrative worksheets 4th 5th worksheeto printable via promptPrompts narrative descriptive prompt Writing grade narrative 3rd prompts worksheets prompt worksheet essay 6th topics honors pathfinder 4th kids whats printable creative graders personalNarrative writing.
Grade essay 8th writing topics 6th example graders sixth narrative prompts school persuasive prompt topic thatsnotus
008 personal narrative essay examples for 6th grade example ~ thatsnotus16 best images of 4th grade writing prompts worksheets Writing narrative prompts worksheets prompt year school englishlinx grade list worksheet narratives middle essay personal story topics paper assignments shortNarrative prompts persuasive essays thatsnotus.
Share with friends
- Link copied
COMMENTS
Writing for a Reader #2. Worksheet. Persuasive Writing: Testing Your Reasons. Worksheet. Writing for a Reader #3. Worksheet. Dear Santa Writing Prompt. Worksheet. Forming an Opinion: Halloween Costumes.
The basic features of persuasive writing can be broken down into 5 steps: Topic sentence. Opening argument 1. Argument 2. Argument 3. Concluding statement. A topic sentence introduces the argument and clearly expresses the writer's viewpoint.
Find strong persuasive writing examples to use for inspiration, including essays, speeches, advertisements, reviews, and more. ... All Grades K-5 All Grades 6-12 PreK 6th Grade Kindergarten 7th Grade 1st Grade 8th Grade 2nd Grade 9th Grade 3rd Grade 10th Grade 4th Grade 11th Grade 5th Grade 12th Grade.
Student Models. When you need an example written by a student, check out our vast collection of free student models. Scroll through the list, or search for a mode of writing such as "explanatory" or "persuasive.".
14. Convince a classmate to be your partner for the science fair. 15. Persuade your best friend to go see a movie of your choice. 16. In a letter, convince your parents or guardians to allow you to have an extra hour before bedtime. 17. Write a letter persuading your parents to buy you a new pet. 18.
In this series of writing worksheets, your child will read an example of a persuasive argument and then answer questions about the text's structure, meaning, and language. Your child will also get practice summarizing the writer's main points. Bonus: your child may use a dictionary and/or a thesaurus for help finding word replacements.
Explore persuasive technique examples with your students using this digital game perfect for your persuasive writing lessons. ... Persuasive Writing Bump It Up Wall - Grade 4 Help your 4th-grade students "bump up" their persuasive writing with this bulletin board display. PDF Word
Persuasive writing is a form of writing where the writer attempts to convince or persuade the audience to adopt a particular point of view or take a specific action by presenting logical reasoning, supporting evidence, and compelling arguments. This type of writing encourages students to formulate a clear viewpoint on a particular topic ...
Respond to Art: Opinion & Evidence #1. Worksheet. Argument Writing: Peer Review Rubric. Worksheet. Household Chores: Opinion Writing Exercise. Worksheet. 1. Browse Printable 4th Grade Persuasive Essay Structure Worksheets. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed.
These persuasive writing activities are geared for students in grades 4, but can be adapted for grades 5-6. Teaching persuasive writing can seem overwhelming, but following these steps helps to guide students through the writing process: Use read-alouds and writing examples to show persuasive writing with voice. Review elements of persuasive ...
Writing a Persuasive Argument (Gr. 4) Try this printable writing packet to teach students to write a persuasive argument. Model and blank graphic organizers, as well as, four different revisions of a persuasive paragraph are provided. This activity works well as part of your class lesson or as practice at home.
Explore printable Persuasive Writing worksheets for 4th Grade. Persuasive Writing worksheets for Grade 4 are essential tools for teachers to help their students develop strong writing skills, especially in the areas of Reading & Writing. These worksheets focus on teaching students how to effectively express their opinions and persuade others ...
This lesson encourages students in grades 4 and 5 to think critically and write persuasively by focusing on preparing, presenting, and evaluating mock campaign speeches. Students learn to use tricolons—a writer's technique of putting words and phrases into groups of threes—to add rhythm and power to their writing.
15 Persuasive Writing Topics for Kids. We should not have a school dress code. Pets should be allowed in school. School break times should be longer. There should be no homework. The school day should be shorter. Children should be able to use cellphones in school. I should get a pocket money raise from my parents.
In this lesson, fourth graders use BrainPOP resources to learn conventions of persuasive writing. Students will: 1. Build Background Knowledge: Watch the BrainPOP Types of Writing and Fact and Opinion movies. 2. Think and Do: Make-A-Map: Brainstorm persuasive argument topics using a concept map.
Persuasive Writing Prompts: 4th Grade. Adam owns a Master's degree in Professional and Digital Media Writing. During his time as a graduate assistant, he developed lesson plans for upper-level ...
Oct 6, 2023. Fourth grade is a time for students to continue to hone their writing chops as they put to use the skills they've learned and gain confidence in their abilities. We've collected this list of fourth grade writing prompts—including opinion, persuasive, informational, and narrative—to spur your students' imaginations and get ...
Fourth grade writing: informative writing. This year, your child's informative writing gets more organized, with headers, illustrations and even multimedia components to support specific points. To begin, your child should introduce the topic. Then they should use facts, definitions, details, quotes, examples, and other information to develop ...
Fourth Grade Writing Prompts make writing practice a breeze! With a variety of prompts that give students opportunities to write opinion, persuasive, descriptive, and narrative pieces, there's sure to be something for every student learning how to write, respond to questions, develop creativity, and more!
This unit includes everything you need to teach, practice and assess opinion essay writing for eight full weeks. Students will be learning all of the skills necessary to write an
Persuasive Essay Writing Packet, Two Sample Essays, and Checklists. by. Teachers 3through8. 5.0. (1) $1.00. PDF. This product pairs nicely with Lucy Calkin´s workshop curriculum. I created it for my 4th grade students to teach with the curriculum but I am sure many others would benefit from it whether in a different grade or teaching a ...
008 personal narrative essay examples for 6th grade example ~ thatsnotus16 best images of 4th grade writing prompts worksheets Writing narrative prompts worksheets prompt year school englishlinx grade list worksheet narratives middle essay personal story topics paper assignments shortNarrative prompts persuasive essays thatsnotus.