TOP PICKS | 18 TOOLS

Resources for Persuasive and Argumentative Essay Writing

You could make the argument that all writing is persuasive. That's why it's so important for students to understand the building blocks of a well-grounded and well-argued persuasive essay. This list collects some helpful resources for building these argumentative and persuasive writing skills. Each of these tools can help students learn to develop a claim, substantiate it with evidence, acknowledge opposing claims, and utilize relevant, logical reasoning to develop a sound and coherent argument. What's more, these skills pay dividends beyond academic writing. By practicing persuasive writing, students also build a solid foundation in the kind of critical thinking and reading necessary for them to be well-informed citizens.

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ThinkCERCA

Well-structured lessons encourage deep analysis, thoughtful writing

Bottom line: This is a ready-to-go, research-backed resource that focuses intently on CCSS-aligned and AP-level critical reading and writing skills.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free, Paid Free Basic version limited to four grade band-based differentiation levels, short reading lessons, and multiple-choice assessments. Paid Premium version adds 10 levels of differentiation (grades 3-12), more in-depth and varied lessons, writing benchmarking, rubrics, data dashboards, and more. Contact for a quote.

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Writable

Stellar program scaffolds the writing process with peer review and feedback

Bottom line: This is an intelligently structured tool for teaching writing and review that focuses on process as much as product.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free to try 30-day free trial. Classroom subscriptions start at $7 per student per year. School price available upon request.

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Quandary

Slick ethics game teaches students to make tough decisions

Bottom line: This versatile game that can teach ethics, argumentation, and civics is light on interactivity but will come alive through discussion.

Grades: 5–8 Price: Free

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Community in Crisis

Game shows real-world uses for literacy and decision-making skills

Bottom line: A clever, real-world, and civic-minded context to learn and practice ELA skills.

Grades: 5–9 Price: Free

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Vital Signs

ELA game set in a medical clinic shows the value of literacy skills

Bottom line: Great ELA lessons that realistically integrate literacy skills into the simulated day-to-day of a medical clinic.

Grades: 6–8 Price: Free

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Argument Wars

Courtroom sim covers ethics, the Constitution, and the art of argument

Bottom line: Social Studies and Civics teachers will find no argument with the game's value; it's a fun, free way to dig into major court cases with lots of extension opportunities.

Grades: 6–10 Price: Free

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Drafting Board

Students get persuasive skills with delightful civics-based essay tool

Bottom line: It's a fantastically detailed tool that helps kids through every step of persuasive essay writing.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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NoodleTools

Expansive research tool uniquely melds learning and productivity

Bottom line: While the complex, old-school design isn't ideal, NoodleTools gives students specific assistance where they need it the most -- with citations, paraphrasing, elaboration, and organization.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free to try 30-day free trial. Individual accounts are $15/year, but these lack collaboration features. Contact for school and district plans with full feature set.

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ProCon.org

Comprehensive, nonpartisan resource navigates controversial issues

Bottom line: The balanced pro/con format makes this a go-to source for online research on controversial issues.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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Race to Ratify

Great history game offers cool constitutional spin on persuasion

Bottom line: This super smart game will get students digging into and understanding the federalist and anti-federalist sides of the U.S. Constitution ratification debate.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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Room for Debate

Experts examine, dissect, and discuss critical issues

Bottom line: A helpful site for exploring multiple perspectives on key current events and hot topics.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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StudySync

Superb ELA/EL resource is a complete package

Bottom line: StudySync continues to thoughtfully grow its already robust platform, offering a complete secondary ELA/EL program that cleverly bridges reading and writing, online and offline work.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free to try A one-year subscription starts at $21.42 per student. The print student reading and writing companion units cost $10.20 per student per year, and the print bundles (including two novels) start at $31.11 per student per year.

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Kialo

A troll-free zone for student discussion and debate

Bottom line: This is a valuable platform for students to learn about social and political issues while practicing digital citizenship and argumentation.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free

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The Learning Network

Process current events through engaging NYT-style lens

Bottom line: From a trusted news organization with its finger on the pulse of the world, this free resource can be a reliable source of activities and ideas for current event discussions.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free

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The Sports Network 2

Make news and build ELA skills with this cable sports show sim

Bottom line: It's a great blend of important cross-disciplinary critical reading skills and a fun newsroom context that'll show students how learning translates to working life.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free

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Weava

Chrome extension helps organize web-based research

Bottom line: For Chrome users and mostly digital classrooms, this is a fairly intuitive tool that'll help students wrangle their research.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free to try Free version has unlimited highlights but 100MB of storage, 5 highlight colors, and 1 collection with 3 sub-collections. Paid version ($5.99 per month or $49.99 per year) has 2GB of storage, unlimited collections, 10 highlight colors, and extra features like more file exports, image clipping, and better support. This paid version is free if users can get five other people to sign up.

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YourCommonwealth

Engage with passionate international perspectives from youth

Bottom line: Offers a rich variety of news and opinion stories on global issues, and its young writers will get U.S. students hooked on civic engagement.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free

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