Require students to explain the importance of good grades and test scores. Explaining their importance will improve students' writing skills while requiring them to think about their post-graduation college and job prospects. Extend this assignment by following up with an additional essay focusing on specific colleges or career fields.
Students like to voice their opinions about what happens in their school and they usually don't have the opportunity to do so. Have students write an essay explaining changes needed in their school and why these changes would make the school a better place. Volunteer to share some of the essays with the school administration to see if they will implement any of the students' proposed changes.
Have students recognize a special person in their lives and explain why that person is special. Encourage students to think back as far as they can remember. They should then list that person's personality traits and specific actions the person took that made them special. If you want to limit the topic, you could have students choose a favorite teacher or relative.
Have students explain what their favorite sport, animal, food, or book is and why it's their favorite. You don't have to limit students to these four topics, they could write about almost anything they enjoy. If you don't want to grade several different topics, choose to limit their choices to two or three. Some teachers find it difficult to grade various topics, while others enjoy the variety.
If you're using the essay in conjunction with a literature assignment, such as reading a novel, have students explain who their favorite character is in the assigned reading and why. If you want your students to further analyze the literature, require them to examine the character traits of the protagonist or antagonist and how those traits contribute to the plot. Use expository essays to examine any part of the literature you want them to study further, such as figurative language or plot structure. It's up to you as to how to incorporate the literature into the expository essay.
It's important that all students can write about the topics you assign. For instance, not all families take vacations, so it's probably not a good idea to ask about favorite vacation destinations, unless you're certain that every student has experience with that topic. If a student tries to write an essay about a topic they have no knowledge of, they're at a disadvantage compared to the students that do have the knowledge. Choose a topic that every student in your class knows about.