Writing prompt Grade 10 English Language Arts
Wren Valley's Water Conservation Rule: An Argument Prompt
A grade 10 argument prompt where students take a position on a fictional town's proposed water conservation mandate, using real household water-use figures as evidence.
Objectives
- Students will write an argument essay that states a claim, develops a counterclaim, and supports both with evidence.
- Students will use real household water-use figures to weigh a conservation policy tradeoff.
Vocabulary
- WaterSense
- An EPA label on toilets, showerheads, faucets, and irrigation controllers that meet water-saving standards. It works like the ENERGY STAR label, but for water.
Also: conservation mandate, claim, counterclaim, rebuttal
Teacher overview
Water conservation is easy to support in general and harder to support when it becomes a rule with costs attached. This prompt asks students to take a position on a fictional town's conservation mandate, weighing the water it would save against the burden it places on residents. The tension is real: the same policy that stretches a scarce supply also tells people what fixtures to buy and when they may water a lawn. Students must argue a clear claim, take an opposing view seriously, and answer it.
Prompt
Background: The fictional town of Wren Valley is in its third year of drought, and its reservoir is well below normal. The town council has proposed a water conservation ordinance with two parts. First, any home sold in Wren Valley would have to install WaterSense-labeled fixtures before the sale closes. A standard showerhead flows at about 2.5 gallons per minute, while a WaterSense-labeled model uses 2.0 gallons per minute or less. Second, outdoor watering would be limited to two days a week.
Supporters point out that the average United States household uses about 300 gallons of water per day, and that roughly 70 percent of that use is indoors, where efficient fixtures make a difference. They also note that household leaks alone waste an average of nearly 9,400 gallons per year, so requiring efficient fixtures and prompting repairs could save a large amount across the whole town. Opponents argue that the rule adds cost and inconvenience: replacing fixtures before a sale is an expense for the seller, and telling residents when they may water feels heavy-handed. Some also question whether outdoor limits are fair to households that grow food in home gardens.
Writing task: Wren Valley's council will vote on the conservation ordinance. Write an argument essay that states a clear claim on whether the town should adopt it, develops at least one counterclaim a resident might raise, and supports your position with evidence from the background material above.
Planning Organizer
| Category | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Claim (should Wren Valley adopt the ordinance?) | |
| Reason 1 + evidence from the background | |
| Reason 2 + evidence from the background | |
| Counterclaim a resident might raise | |
| Your rebuttal to the counterclaim | |
| Concluding statement |
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Exemplar & Rubric
Exemplar response:
Wren Valley should adopt the conservation ordinance, because a town in its third year of drought cannot afford to keep using water as though the reservoir were full. The savings are not small. The average United States household uses about 300 gallons of water each day, and roughly 70 percent of that use is indoors, exactly where efficient fixtures do their work. A WaterSense showerhead uses 2.0 gallons per minute or less, compared with about 2.5 for a standard model, and that difference repeats across every shower in town. On top of that, household leaks waste an average of nearly 9,400 gallons a year, so a rule that pushes residents to install efficient fixtures and notice leaks would save water the town badly needs.
Some residents will argue that the ordinance is heavy-handed, and that telling people what fixtures to buy and when to water crosses a line. This concern deserves a serious answer, because the rule does add cost and inconvenience. Replacing fixtures before a home sale is a real expense for the seller, and outdoor watering limits can frustrate people who tend gardens. But the ordinance is written to limit that burden. The fixture requirement applies only when a home is already being sold, a moment when other upgrades and repairs are common, and the outdoor limit still allows watering two days a week, enough to keep a careful garden alive. Weighed against a shrinking reservoir, a modest, well-timed cost is a reasonable trade.
Wren Valley's council should approve the ordinance. The background figures show that efficient indoor fixtures and reduced leaks can save a meaningful share of the town's water, and the rule is designed to spread its costs thinly and fairly. During a drought this deep, asking residents to use water carefully is not too much to ask.
Rubric:
| Criterion | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | No clear position stated | States a position but it shifts or is vague | States one clear, consistent position | States a clear position and previews the essay's reasoning |
| Evidence & reasoning | No evidence from the background | Restates one figure without explaining its relevance | Uses at least one specific figure and explains how it supports the claim | Uses two or more specific figures and explains how each supports the claim |
| Counterclaim | No counterclaim addressed | Mentions an opposing view without a rebuttal | States a counterclaim and offers a rebuttal | States a counterclaim, rebuts it specifically, and ties the rebuttal back to the claim |
| Organization & conventions | Ideas are disconnected; frequent errors interfere with meaning | Some organization; errors are noticeable but do not block meaning | Clear paragraph structure; few errors | Clear, purposeful structure with a strong conclusion; virtually error-free |
Differentiation
Support
Provide sentence starters for each Planning Organizer row, such as "One reason Wren Valley should or should not adopt the rule is ___, because the background says ___." Allow the counterclaim and rebuttal to be written as a single two-part sentence.
Extension
Ask students to add a second counterclaim addressing fairness to home gardeners, and to propose one change to the ordinance that would answer it without abandoning the conservation goal.
ELL supports
Pre-teach conservation mandate, claim, counterclaim, and WaterSense with plain-language definitions and an example fixture label. Allow the Planning Organizer to be completed with phrases before drafting in full sentences.