9th Grade

Class Outside (Persuasive)

Spring has finally arrived and the weather has been beautiful all week. Sitting in the classroom with the windows closed is driving you and your classmates crazy. Wouldn't it be nice to do your learning outside for a change? Write an essay convincing one of your teachers to hold class outside for a day. Imagine what her objections might be, and be ready with counterarguments.

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Day with a Friend (Expository)

Imagine that a good friend is visiting you for a day. Write an essay explaining how the two of you might best spend the day together.

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Directions for a Meal (Expository)

Write an essay in which you provide readers with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare your favorite meal. Explain the ingredients you will need and the order in which they are added to the recipe or meal. Include details such as the smells, taste, and appearance of the finished meal.

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Exercise for Teenagers (Expository)

Exercise is important for teenagers, but sometimes it is hard to get started. Write an essay suggesting ways that teenagers can exercise more. Include specific ideas or approaches that would appeal to teenagers.

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Favorite Commercial (Descriptive)

Do you have a favorite commercial? What is it for? What do you like about it? Write an essay describing your favorite commercial in detail. Be sure to include details that will help your readers to understand descriptions not only what the commercial looks and sounds like, but also how the commercial made you feel and why you like it.

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Favorite Possession (Descriptive)

Describe your favorite possession. Write an essay about your favorite thing, describing it so that a reader can appreciate its value to you. Illustrate what it looks and feels like and discuss why it is so important to you.

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Fictional Bedroom (Descriptive)

We hear a lot about Harry Potter's bedroom, but in general, books and movies don't go into much detail about where their characters sleep. Write an essay describing the bedroom of a favorite fictional character. How large is the room? How is it furnished? Is it messy or clean? What is on the walls? As you describe the details of the room, be sure to explain why you imagine the character's room the way you do.

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Field Trips (Persuasive)

There is some debate about the benefits of field trips. Some educators argue that they are valuable educational tools, while others claim that they are no more than a chance for students to have a free day. Write an essay in which you argue whether field trips are beneficial or a waste of time. Support your position with specific reasons and examples, citing your own experience or the experiences of your peers and class to bolster your opinion.

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Forever Young? (Expository)

Peter Pan is the story of a boy who doesn’t want to grow up. If you could pick any age to be forever, which age would it be? You can pick an age you have not yet been. Why would you pick that age? Be sure to use examples and details when writing your essay explaining which age you would choose to be and why.

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Get a Job (Persuasive)

The U.S. Department of Labor says that 14- and 15-year-olds may work in family businesses, stores, restaurants, theaters, and sports arenas. Think of one more place that you believe 14- and 15-year-olds should be able to work. Write an essay to the U.S. Department of Labor to convince officials to expand the regulations to allow for this new place of employment. Be sure to give several reasons to support your argument.

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Good Person (Descriptive)

Describe a "good person." Write an essay in which you illustrate what it means to be a "good person", either by identifying and explaining the qualities it takes to be a good person or by identifying someone you know who is one.

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How Did You Two Meet? (Narrative)

You meet friends in many different places and situations. Sometimes you make a great friend in a very unlikely way. Write an essay telling the story of how you and a close friend met. Use specific details to describe where you met and how you became good friends.

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Keep Our Town Clean (Persuasive)

You have been noticing that the amount of litter in your town has been increasing. Everywhere you go, you can see cans, bottles, plastic bags, and other trash littering the streets. Write a letter to your local newspaper urging members of your community to help keep your town clean. Use specific reasons and examples to convince your audience to work toward a cleaner town.

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Litter in the Park (Persuasive)

A park in your town or neighborhood has become messy with litter. You have decided to start an organization dedicated to cleaning up the park. Write an essay persuading people to join your organization. Why is your organization necessary? Why should others contribute? Give people compelling reasons to help.

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Lost and Found (Narrative)

The Lord of the Rings is the story of a very powerful object, lost for hundreds of years, that is found and guarded by a memorable group of characters. Write a story about an object that, during the course of your story, is lost and then found. The object could be something small and personal that holds meaning only to one person, or it could be something huge and historically significant. Let your imagination run wild!

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Lunchroom (Descriptive)

Write an essay in which you describe your school lunchroom to someone who has never seen it. Include sights, sounds, smell, and tastes so that your reader can imagine what it would be like to eat there. Identify the sensory experience you like best about the lunchroom, as well as what you like least.

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Make-up Day (Persuasive)

Imagine that your school had to close for several bad-weather days during the winter. Now the students have to make up eight hours of class time before the end of the school year. Some students want to make up all of the time on one Saturday; others want to make up the time by staying one extra hour on eight school days. The student body will vote to decide. Write an essay to your classmates explaining which option you think is the best and why you think they should vote for it.

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New Challenges (Narrative)

Learning new things can be difficult, but it can be rewarding too. Think about a skill you have that wasn’t easy to learn – it could be anything from juggling, to dribbling a basketball, to playing a musical instrument. Tell the story of the learning process you went through to develop the new skill, the challenges you faced, and how you felt when you finally mastered the skill.

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New School (Narrative)

Over the course of their education, most students experience a "new school" at one time or another. This could occur when a student moves to a different town or state or when he/she moves from grade school to middle school or middle school to high school. Write an essay about your first day at a new school. Use specific details in telling the story of any challenges you had to overcome or any surprises you may have discovered.

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Sister School (Persuasive)

Sister School programs link your high school with a high school in another country. Usually, sister schools host exchange students; sometimes, they also arrange for pen pals between schools or exchange culturally-significant gifts. In addition, both schools offer programs to learn about life in the sister country.

Pick a city in another country, and write an essay to your student council proposing that your school become a 'sister' to a high school in that city. Be sure to give reasons why you feel this program would be beneficial to the students at your school.

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Sound Picture (Descriptive)

When you describe a place to someone who has never been there, you should tell the person what the place looks like. Picture yourself in a unique place you know well. Instead of describing how the place looks, write an essay describing the sounds you hear there. Try to give the reader a complete "sound picture" of the place you are describing.

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Special Skills (Expository)

Everyone has certain skills in which they excel. What is one area in which you excel? Write an essay describing your success and how you achieved it. Be complete and specific in describing how you achieved this success.

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Story Contest (Narrative)

Imagine that a film director is holding a contest for the best story written by a high school student about his or her high school experience. The winning story will be made into a movie to be filmed at the winner’s school. Write a story about high school that takes place in your school and that would make a great movie. Use as many vivid details as possible so that the director will pick your story.

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Teen-Owned Businesses (Expository)

You receive a letter from a local bank, which has developed a new program for teenagers. This innovative program will provide teens with the start-up money for businesses. As part of the application process, you must provide the bank with an essay in which you describe your business idea.

What type of business would you start? Would you provide a service or a product? Where would you open your business (downtown, the suburbs, a mall, rural area, etc.) and why? Write an essay describing your business idea and explain why you chose it.

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That’s Dedication (Expository)

Your school is creating an annual award for the student who demonstrates the most dedication to a worthy task or cause. The school wants to name the award after someone whose dedication made the world a better place. Write an essay describing the person who best embodies dedication.

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Two Classes (Expository)

Write an essay in which you compare and contrast two of your classes. Discuss at least 2 differences and 2 similarities between the classes. Be as specific and comprehensive as possible in comparing and contrasting the two classes.

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