Journal Writing
Choose at least one topic from each of the lists below.
Narratives
1. a memorable wedding or a funeral
2. a trip or vacation
3. a frightening experience
4. a painful experience
5. a time you fought with a good friend
6. a holiday or birthday
7. an embarrassing moment
8. a brush with greatness
9. the most fun you've ever had
10.a memorable day in school
Compare and Contast
1. the sixth grade you to a younger you
2. two different pizza restaurants
3. morning to night
4. any book you've read to "The Hero's Journey"
5. a rainy day to a sunny day
6. two different video games
7. dress shoes to sneakers or flip flops
8. writing in pen to writing in pencil
9. watching a movie in a movie theatre to watching a movie at home
10. sixth grade to any other grade
Writing to Persuade
1. spiders are great pets
2. playing music is great when doing homework
3. every student should have a computer or ipad in school
4. students should have to dress up for school
5. cursive writing should be mandatory in school
6. all grade levels should have at least a thirty minute recess each day
7. students should be able to chew gum and eat candy throughout the day in school
8. children in elementary school (grades K-6) should only be able to watch 1 hour of TV each night
9. one restaurant is better than another
10. poetry writing is better than essay writing
You should have:
• A Catchy Title
• Introductory paragraph with a “hook”, three main arguments and a thesis statement.
Make sure you choose a position
• One paragraph for each of your three arguments.
• Address the “counter-argument”
• Closing paragraph that re-states your thesis and challenges the reader to think about it.
Writing to Inform
Choose any topic that interests you. Write a short research paper on the topic.
You will need an introduction with a thesis statement.
You will need to choose three topics to explain or support your thesis.
You will need a conclusion.
Use index cards to help with taking notes.
Remember to quote or paraphrase and to give credit in a citation.
Create a bibliography.