Examples that show the thinking.
534 examples and lessons to explore. Find an approach, follow the thinking, and try it in your own writing.
What Makes a Good Friend?
An argumentative essay about why reliability, respect, and room for disagreement matter more to friendship than the size of a social circle.
Should Students Wear School Uniforms?
A qualified argument that schools should prefer clear dress codes and require uniforms only when a school-specific evaluation shows that their benefits justify their costs and restrictions.
The Great Gatsby’s American Dream and the Cost of Reinvention
An interpretation of how Gatsby’s ambition, wealth, and pursuit of Daisy expose the limits of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel.
Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost?
An argument that space exploration merits public investment when it is pursued for measurable scientific and practical purposes, while recognizing that it must compete with urgent needs on Earth.
Should Schools Give Students More Opportunities to Play Sports?
An argumentative essay defending broader, more accessible school sports and physical-activity opportunities while distinguishing established health benefits from unsupported claims about grades or guaranteed character development.
Learning to Ask for Help
An illustrative reflective essay about a student who learns that independence can include seeking help, without giving up responsibility for their own work.
How Food Can Preserve Family History
An explanatory essay on how a Smithsonian family-food activity uses objects and conversation to explore identity and migration, while showing why one family's food traditions cannot stand for an entire culture.
Should Schools Ban Cellphones? Weighing Focus Against Digital Skills
An argument for restricting personal cellphone use during lessons while preserving instructional, practical, and emergency access—and for judging policy by its effects rather than assuming a ban solves every problem.
Civil Rights Activism and Government Action, 1940–1980
An evidence-based argument that civil rights activism was a major driver of federal action between 1940 and 1980, while recognizing the independent roles of courts, Congress, and the limits of legal change.
Should Schools Explain What Happens to Students' Data in Digital Tools?
Schools should explain the data practices of the tools they choose, limit information to what instruction requires, and communicate in age-appropriate ways. Evidence about the value of education helps show why schools should support learning responsibly, but it cannot establish how a particular tool handles student information.
Living in the Present: When to Embrace the Moment
An argument that staying present is valuable when it supports attention, judgment, and meaningful action, but should be balanced with preparation and responsibility for the future.
Why an AI Chatbot's Confident Answer May Still Need Checking
A fluent answer can sound authoritative without showing how its claims are supported. This essay explains how to distinguish presentation from evidence, using U.S. examples in teen chatbot use, child privacy, and vehicle safety.