100 New 5th Grade Writing Prompts

Tests like the Florida Standards Assessment for fourth and fifth graders require students to write an opinion essay based on a writing prompt. You can practice writing argumentative essays and persuasive essays using opinion writing prompts to help prepare for a test.

• Should children be allowed to vote?
• Should fifth grade be part of elementary school or middle school?
• Do you think it's appropriate or inappropriate that some cartoon characters don't wear pants?
• Would videogames be better if they were created by kids or by adults?
• Do children need cell phones?
• Should students be allowed to choose their teacher or should the teachers choose their students?
• Do fifth-graders need recess?
• Should students be allowed to opt out of state tests without their parents' permission?
• Does celebrating kindness week make people kinder?
• Which channel has better shows: Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network?
• Should students be allowed excused mental health days?
• Persuade your elementary school to eliminate grade levels.
• Persuade your teacher to use flexible seating instead of chairs.

Informational writing prompts for fifth grade use comparisons, cause and effect, how-to instructions, and research to get a point across. What's something you want to tell others about?

• Compare and contrast your best friend and your worst enemy.
• Choose any major national problem and describe how you would solve it.
• Write a news story about your day so far.
• Who really discovered America?
• What is the greatest invention since sliced bread?
• Write a how-to essay about keeping kids engaged at school.
• Which language is most important for you to learn after your native language?
• Many towns set age limits for trick-or-treating. How could this affect kids?
• Write a how-to guide for making friends in 5th grade.
• Compare and contrast the food you get at school and the food you get at home.
• Choose any current politician and explain what could make them a better leader.

Narrative essays and narrative poems tell your story from your point of view. This type of writing typically involves sharing a personal story that sends a specific message to readers. Think about a great moment from your life that you could share.

• When I am bored, I like to…
• We were doing a boring science experiment when I discovered…
• My grandparents' house is creepy because…
• I secretly love school because…
• I thought my dog was ordinary until he…
• The first day I remember of my whole life was…
• I remember the day I discovered…
• The last phone call I made...
• Share a quote someone once said to you that really made an impact on your life.
• Describe your perfect dinner including who's there and what's served.
• Describe the first time you ever felt sadness.
• If your brain were like the one in the movie Inside Out, which emotion would be the leader?

Journal writing exercises for fifth graders often include reflective journal writing as kids begin to explore who they are and who they want to be.

• Would you rather have a cell phone and no other electronics or a videogame system and no other electronics?
• How do you contribute to the health of your family?
• What is one thing that makes you unique?
• Discuss a TV show, movie, or character that you found terrifying when you were younger.
• If someone wrote a book about your life, would you be the hero, the villain, or the sidekick?
• Who is one other child who inspires you? How do they inspire you?
• Describe what you will become in the afterlife.
• If you could move backwards or forwards to any grade in school, what grade would you choose?
• Ask your parents what other names they considered naming you before you were born. Are you happy with their choice?
• How do you connect with your ancestors?

A fifth grade science curriculum usually includes topics like Earth and space, life cycles, and the human body. Expand your mind and your view of science through thought-provoking writing prompts.

• Which planet would you live on if you couldn't live on Earth?
• If you could rename Earth's moon, what would you call it and why?
• Which part of the human body do you think is useless and why?
• What is one sound an animal or piece of technology makes that you wish people could make?
• If you could be a magnet that attracted any one material, what material would you want to attract?
• What do you think will be the next great space discovery?
• Do you think people will ever live on another planet in outer space?
• Which is more important for human life: plants or animals?
• If you could give humans the gift of one new form of movement they can't currently perform, what would it be?
• Besides water and the sun, where do you think people could harness energy to power their homes?

Students in fifth grade are typically learning about history, colonization, geography, current events, and civic responsibility. Write about what you've learned or imagine how the world would be different if things didn't go as you have learned.

• What makes you a good neighbor?
• Will there ever be a woman president?
• If you could rename the United States of America, what would you name it?
• Compare any historical villain to any fictional villain.
• Imagine how the New World would have unfolded if the Native Amercicans had banded together against colonists.
• Write some rap lyrics that describe any one country.
• Turn your favorite song into the national anthem for a fictional country.
• Who made the first map and how did they make it?

Open your imagination to see what kind of nonsense your mind can create. The crazier the ideas, the better.

• Invent a legend about your favorite book character.
• Combine any two fictional creatures into one new creature.
• Write a conversation between your socks and your shoes.
• Choose any animal and imagine what the world would look like if they were the dominant species.
• Rewrite any classic fairytale so the villain actually becomes the hero.
• Choose your favorite emoji and write a backstory about its life.
• If your teacher had a Magic School Bus, where would you go on a field trip?
• Write the script for your very own science show on Netflix.
• Would you rather be a zombie or a robot?
• Would you rather wear only what your teacher chooses for you or only what your mom chooses for you?

Look at the provided categories for each prompt and choose your words before reading the rest of the prompt. Insert your category words into the prompt to create a funny writing prompt that resembles a Mad Lib.

• Noun. Superpower.
  Prompt: You are a (noun) who can (superpower).
• Family member. Adjective. Noun.
  Prompt: Your (family member) is a (adjective) (noun).
• Verb. Exclamation.
  Prompt: Your teacher can (verb) so well, it makes you say "(exclamation)!"
• Noun. Food item. Person.
  Prompt: Your (noun) cooks (food item) for their favorite (person).
• Holiday. Person. Verb.
  Prompt: It was (holiday) and (person) had to (verb).
• Piece of clothing. Adjective.
  No one is allowed to wear a (piece of clothing) to the (adjective) awards show.

Use the Adobe printables guide to download and print the funky fill-in-the-blanks creative writing worksheet provided here.

Take classic children's rhymes and common fifth grade reading list books and turn them into fun short story starters by changing up the main characters, settings, or titles.

• There was an old man who lived in a can…
• Boldilocks and the Three Scares.
• Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Joe…
• Fairy had a little clam…
• Where the Tame Things are…
• Alex's Adventures in Hungerland…
• Write a short story version of The Hobbit set in a future world.
• Write a short story version of My Side of the Mountain where the main character runs away to a city.
• Reimagine James and the Giant Peach with a smaller fruit and larger animals.
• Write an ending chapter for The Neverending Story that is decisive.
• Reimagine Wonder so the main character is "normal" when everyone else has facial deformities.

Poems come in many forms from free verse to epic. Try your hand at writing different types of poems using fun poem starter writing prompts.

• If you could change your first name what would you change it to? Write an acrostic poem using that name.
• Use the name of a famous person to write an acrostic poem about how you are similar to them.
• Write a long poem about a dream you remember.
• Write a haiku about your desk.
• Invent a holiday and write a haiku about it.
• Choose your favorite snack food and write an ode to it.
• Write a simile poem comparing your teacher to any creature.
• Write a short poem about your favorite hobby.
• Use free verse poetry to share a goal you recently achieved.

Explore three different types of poems based on poem starter writing prompts using a fifth grade writing worksheet PDF.

Creative writing prompts for middle school and upper elementary grades make writing fun and dynamic. Challenge advanced students with 6th grade writing prompts or help struggling writers gain confidence by assigning 4th grade writing prompts. What will you write about next?