Missing Person Essay Pack for Middle School ELA | Where is Ben McDaniel?

This middle school research paper will grab your students' attention with an engaging never-solved mystery writing prompt.

The Prompt:

On August 18, 2010, BenMcDaniel went diving in Vortex Spring, Florida. He was never seen again.

Did he drown in the spring? Expert divers never found his body.

Did he run away on purpose? His parents can’t imagine he would abandon his beloved dog.

Theories abound, but police still don’t have answers.

Where is Ben McDaniel?

Using evidence from the news or other credible media sources, determine Ben’s most likely current location. Then write a convincing argument that this is where he went.

Will you be the first to find Ben?

This resource will help your students . . . 

• Develop a thesis statement
• Write logical topic sentences
• Support their claims
• Find credible sources
• Build a logically organized research paper (5-8 paragraphs)
• Self-assess their writing
• And more!

Rather than starting with an intro and rambling their way through to the conclusion, your students will start with the most important building block of their research paper: the thesis statement.

From there, they will build their topic sentences and move on to the support/evidence.

Finally, they will finish with an introduction and conclusion that complement the content of their research paper.

‼️Does your district use different terminology?‼️

Not a problem! This pdf includes a link to a ✨FULLY EDITABLE✨ version of the resource in Canva!

Individual rubrics are included for each step of the process so your students can check their work as they go and YOU can grade their papers AS they're being written!

What's included in this resource?

• Teacher tips to guide you through the process
• A student handout with an intriguing missing person writing prompt
• 13 Fillable student handouts that build a 5-paragraph research paper when put together
• Rubrics for each section of the paper (for student self-assessment and teacher grading)
• A put-it-all-together handout that shows students how to organize their papers
• An evidence tip sheet to help students get started with their research
• An example paper for students to reference as they write
• A link to a FULLY EDITABLE version to meet your students' specific needs