For your argumentative essay, consider issues or topics of concern that matter to you. Make a list of them.

Hint: Choose an issue that raises different opinions from people. Persuasion always deals with opposing viewpoints rather than issues agreed upon by most people. You’re not going to get very far with a persuasive topic about the dangers of texting and driving, for example, because almost everyone agrees that texting and driving is dangerous.

Take a deep breath and think of issues that interest you. Next, read through the lists that follow to focus your ideas or come up with new ones. Note: If you need to review the process of generating ideas, go to the lesson titled “Generating Ideas.”

Ideas to get started

• Fast food and obesity
• Social problems, such as stereotyping
• Hunger in America
• High school starting times
• Mandatory recycling in a community
• Healthcare access in poor communities
• Bullying in schools

Initial questions to ask

• Which issue do I care about the most?
• What reasons can I think of to support my position?
• What are some opposing opinions that other people might have?

Points to consider

• Availability of relevant information
• Appropriateness of the subject
• Appropriateness of scope (too broad or too narrow)
• Awareness of, and sensitivity to, the audience

As you choose a topic, think about what you believe. How can you express your opinion most clearly? Here are more suggestions to help you choose a topic:

• List recent reading selections that remind you of freedoms you cherish or situations you’d like to change.
• Check newspapers and television news programs for issues and ideas that affect your world.
• Jot down one or two topics that stir strong feelings in you.
• Write about specific events that impacted you or about people who have influenced what you think. Perhaps such an event changed your life.

For this lesson, let’s use the topic “high school starting times” and then we’ll learn how to write a thesis and develop support. There is some debate about the best time for high school students to start school. The information that I’ve read and heard is that school begins too early in the morning for optimum learning for teenagers because teenage brains need more hours of sleep than adult brains. We will explore this idea together. I haven’t done any research about this topic yet, but I am interested in learning more about it.