Breakdown the Prompt
Turn to Prompt A.
Break the prompt into its three parts:
1. What is the issue/topic?
2. What decision must the writer make?
3. What must the response include?
Issue: Short breaks between longer class periods
Decision: Whether middle schools should provide short breaks between longer class periods
Requirement: Use relevant evidence from the sources to support the position
Turn to Prompt F.
Which claim is the strongest response to the prompt?
A. Electives are an important part of middle school because students enjoy having choices.
B. Students should be allowed to replace a required study hall with an elective because some students can use that time to develop additional skills when they do not need structured academic support.
C. Study halls and electives both have advantages and disadvantages.
B
Turn to Prompt F.
A student begins:
Middle schools have to decide how students should use time that is not assigned to a regular academic class. Study halls provide structured work time, while electives give students opportunities to explore additional interests.
Which TWO jobs of an introduction has the writer completed so far?
-Established the issue/context
-Begun to narrow toward the specific argument
The writer is still missing a clear claim/position
Turn to Source Set G.
Your claim is:
Middle schools should start later because a later start can improve students' readiness for learning at the beginning of the school day.
Which TWO pieces of evidence most directly support this claim?
Be prepared to explain your choices.
Answer: #1 and #2
- #1: Fewer first-period tardies after the later start.
- #2: Teachers reported fewer students struggling to stay awake during first period.
Both directly connect to students' readiness at the beginning of the school day.
The scheduling evidence is relevant to the overall issue, but it doesn't support this particular claim
Turn to Prompt A.
Write a complete “I must...” statement for this prompt.
Your statement must include:
- the decision you have to make
- what you have to use in your response
I must decide whether middle schools should provide short breaks between longer class periods and support my position with relevant evidence from the sources.
Turn to Prompt B.
A student circles:
“students balance schoolwork with sports, clubs, jobs, and responsibilities at home”
as the issue/topic.
Is that annotation accurate? Correct it if necessary and explain the student's mistake.
No. That information is context/background.
The actual issue is limiting homework on school nights, and the writer must decide whether middle schools should do so.
Turn to Prompt J.
A student writes:
“Middle schools should provide a weekly academic work period because it would help students improve their grades and complete more missing assignments.”
KEEP or REVISE?
Defend your answer using the available source information.
Answer: REVISE.
The sources support the part about missing assignments, but they specifically say there was no significant change in overall grades.
Turn to Prompt J.
Which sentence would be the most useful context for an introduction?
A. School has been around for a very long time, and students spend many hours there.
B. Missing assignments and unfinished work can make it difficult for students to keep up academically.
C. There are many different classes and activities during a normal school week.
D. Students have many opinions about how schools should organize their schedules.
Choose one
B
Turn to Source Set H.
Your claim is:
Students should be allowed to revise major assignments because requiring meaningful revisions can help students learn from teacher feedback.
A student wants to use:
Evidence #4: 62% of surveyed teachers supported revisions only under scheduled school conditions.
Label this evidence:
KEEP, MAYBE, or CUT
Then defend your decision.
Best answer: MAYBE.
It is relevant and could help establish that teachers support revision under certain conditions, but it does not directly prove that revision helps students learn from feedback.
Evidence #1 and #2 would do more work for this specific claim.
Turn to Prompt B.
A student writes:
“I must argue whether homework is good or bad for students and use evidence.”
Rewrite the student's “I must...” statement so it accurately captures the entire task.
I must decide whether middle schools should limit the amount of homework assigned on school nights, use evidence from the sources to support my position, and explain how the evidence supports my claim.
Turn to Prompt C.
A student breaks it down like this:
Issue: Projects
Decision: Are projects better than tests?
Requirements: Use evidence and explain my reasoning.
The breakdown is ALMOST correct.
Identify and correct TWO problems.
Problem 1 — Decision is inaccurate.
The writer isn't being asked whether projects are generally “better than tests.”
The actual decision is:
Whether schools should replace some traditional tests with projects.
Problem 2 — Evidence requirement is incomplete.
The prompt doesn't merely say to “use evidence.” It specifically requires:
Relevant evidence from both sources.
The reasoning requirement is correct.
Turn to Prompt I.
Two students write:
Claim A: Students should sometimes be allowed to choose how they demonstrate mastery because everyone learns differently.
Claim B: Students should sometimes be allowed to choose between approved assessment formats because different formats can still measure mastery when they are evaluated using the same criteria.
Which claim gives the writer the stronger foundation for an argument using THESE sources?
Explain why.
Answer: Claim B.
The key isn't just that B “sounds better.” Its language can actually be supported with the available information:
- Projects can measure application.
- Traditional tests can measure individual knowledge.
- Different formats can use the same scoring criteria.
Claim A relies on the broad statement that “everyone learns differently,” which the provided source information doesn't actually establish.
Turn to Prompt I.
A student writes:
Schools use assessments to determine what students have learned. There are many different kinds of assignments students complete throughout the year. Students should sometimes be allowed to choose between approved ways of demonstrating mastery.
The introduction has context and a defensible claim, but its middle sentence isn't doing much work.
Replace ONLY the middle sentence so the introduction narrows more effectively toward the argument.
Possible answer:
One question schools must consider is whether every student needs to demonstrate mastery using the same assessment format.
Turn to Prompt J.
Your claim is:
Middle schools should provide a weekly academic work period because it can help students manage unfinished work and access academic support.
You may use only TWO pieces of source information.
Which two do you KEEP?
Which piece would you definitely CUT?
Explain your choices.
Strongest KEEP choices:
- Fewer missing assignments after adding the work period.
- Students had more time to ask teachers questions and organize unfinished work.
Strongest CUT:
- No significant change in overall grades during the first semester.
Why? Because the claim isn't promising improved overall grades. That evidence doesn't help establish the specific benefits the writer chose to argue.
The shortened-class concern could be useful later as a concern/opposing consideration, but it doesn't directly support the claim.
Turn to Prompt C.
You have 20 seconds to write an accurate “I must...” statement.
Then identify the ONE word in the prompt that your team absolutely cannot leave out when describing the evidence requirement.
I must decide whether schools should replace some traditional tests with projects, use relevant evidence from both sources, and explain my reasoning.
Critical word: BOTH.
Turn to Prompt D.
A student plans to:
- Argue that students should be allowed to use AI for schoolwork
- Use information from Source 1
- Explain why the evidence supports the claim
The student believes the plan completely answers the prompt.
Diagnose THREE problems or missing pieces.
-The position is too broad. The prompt asks whether students should be allowed to use AI for some school assignments, not schoolwork in general.
-The writer must use evidence from at least two sources, not only Source 1.
-The writer must address a relevant concern about the position.
-Depending on their explanation, students may also note that the prompt specifically involves AI use when a teacher gives permission, which is relevant context they shouldn't ignore when developing the argument.
Turn to Prompt D and its source information.
A student wants to use this claim:
“Students should be allowed to use AI on any school assignment because AI helps students become better writers and more independent learners.”
Diagnose TWO problems with the claim based on the prompt AND the available source information.
1. It overreaches the prompt.
The prompt asks about AI use on some assignments when a teacher gives permission, not any school assignment.
2. It makes promises the source information doesn't establish.
The sources say AI can help with things like brainstorming and organizing ideas, but they don't establish that AI makes students “better writers and more independent learners.” In fact, one source raises a concern about AI preventing teachers from seeing independent ability.
Turn to Prompt D.
Read this introduction:
AI tools have become part of many conversations about technology and education. Schools must now decide what role these tools should have in student assignments. AI can do many interesting things and technology will probably continue changing in the future. Students should be allowed to use AI tools for certain parts of assignments when teachers give permission and set clear limits.
One sentence weakens the introduction.
1. Identify it.
2. Explain why it is weak.
3. Tell what the writer should do with it: CUT or REVISE.
It's broad and doesn't help narrow toward the actual decision. CUT is completely defensible.
A team could choose REVISE if they can turn it into a sentence that actually helps set up the argument.
Turn to Source Set G.
Your position is NO — middle schools should NOT move the school day later.
You may use only TWO pieces of evidence.
One student chooses:
#3: A later dismissal could push sports, clubs, and jobs later.
#5: A later start does not guarantee students will sleep more.
Another student chooses:
#4: 54% of surveyed families reported at least one transportation or scheduling problem.
#5: A later start does not guarantee students will sleep more.
Which evidence set would you keep? Defend your decision.
Stronger answer: #4 + #5.
Both sets are relevant, but #4 provides specific data showing that scheduling problems were actually reported by families. #3 mainly states what could happen.
#5 contributes a different reason: changing the start time doesn't guarantee the intended sleep benefit.
So #4 + #5 gives the writer stronger and less repetitive support.
Turn to Prompt D.
Without copying the prompt word-for-word, write an “I must...” statement that captures EVERY requirement.
Your team earns the points only if nothing important is missing.
I must take a position on whether students should be allowed to use AI tools for some school assignments, use evidence from at least two sources, address a relevant concern about my position, and explain my reasoning.
✓ Correct decision
✓ Evidence from at least two sources
✓ Address a relevant concern
✓ Explain reasoning
Turn to Prompt E.
A student plans:
“I will argue that community service is valuable. I will use the evidence about students continuing to volunteer and the evidence about volunteers completing hundreds of hours of work. Then I will explain how both examples show that volunteering helps communities.”
Perform a Prompt Autopsy.
Identify THREE ways this plan fails to fully meet the prompt.
1. The student is answering the wrong question.
The prompt doesn't ask whether community service is valuable. The writer must decide whether it should be required for graduation.
2. The student's reasoning is aimed at the wrong claim.
Explaining that volunteering “helps communities” doesn't necessarily explain why community service should therefore be required for graduation.
3. The student hasn't addressed a relevant concern.
Prompt E explicitly requires one.
4. A strong response could question whether the selected evidence is truly the two pieces that most strongly support the student's actual position. Once the claim is corrected to address a requirement, the writer would need to reconsider which evidence best supports that specific claim.
Turn to Prompt E and its source information.
A student writes:
“Community service should be required for graduation because it benefits communities and encourages students to continue volunteering.”
KEEP or REVISE?
Your team must defend its decision by:
1. Identifying evidence that supports the claim, AND
2. Identifying source information that could make part of the claim harder to defend.
Turn to Prompt E and its source information.
A student writes:
“Community service should be required for graduation because it benefits communities and encourages students to continue volunteering.”
KEEP or REVISE?
Your team must defend its decision by:
1. Identifying evidence that supports the claim, AND
2. Identifying source information that could make part of the claim harder to defend.
Turn to Prompt C.
Two students wrote introductions.
Introduction A:
Projects are becoming more common in schools. Some students like projects more than tests because they can be creative. Schools should replace some traditional tests with projects because projects can measure skills such as application and problem-solving.
Introduction B:
Schools use assessments to determine what students know and can do, but different types of assessments may measure different abilities. When deciding how students should demonstrate learning, schools must consider whether traditional tests should always be the only option. Schools should replace some traditional tests with well-designed projects when those projects can measure the skills students are expected to demonstrate.
Which introduction more effectively completes all THREE jobs of an argumentative introduction?
Your team must identify TWO specific differences between the introductions to defend your answer.
Answer: Introduction B.
Possible defenses:
- B provides more useful context connected to the actual assessment issue.
- B deliberately narrows from assessment generally to the specific question about traditional tests.
- B's claim is more precise and defensible because it qualifies the position with “some” and “when those projects can measure the skills...”
- A jumps from “some students like projects” to replacing tests. Student preference doesn't strongly establish the actual argument.
Turn to Source Set H.
Your position is:
NO — students should not automatically be allowed to revise every major assignment after receiving feedback.
You can use only TWO pieces of evidence from the NO argument.
Choose your final two. Then defend ONE piece of evidence you deliberately eliminated, even though it supports your side.
The three main possibilities are:
- Increased teacher workload
- 62% of teachers supported revisions only under scheduled conditions
- Some assignments are designed to measure independent performance under a time limit
Turn to Prompt E.
Three students wrote “I must...” statements.
Student A:
I must argue whether community service is valuable, use two pieces of evidence, and explain my reasoning.
Student B:
I must decide whether community service should be required for graduation, use two pieces of evidence from the sources, explain how the evidence supports my claim, and address a concern.
Student C:
I must decide whether community service should be required for graduation, choose the two pieces of evidence that most strongly support my position, explain how each piece supports my claim, and address one relevant concern about my position.
Which statement most accurately captures the prompt?
Then identify one specific thing EACH of the other two students misunderstood or left out.
Answer: Student C.
For Student A:
- Changes the decision from whether service should be required for graduation to whether service is merely valuable.
- Also doesn't specify the strongest evidence or relevant concern.
They only need one.
For Student B:
- It says to use “two pieces of evidence,” but the prompt specifically requires the two pieces that most strongly support the position.
Student C preserves the actual decision and the precision of every requirement.