Writing prompt Grade 6 English Language Arts
Kingsford's Old Pipes or a New Splash Pad: A Grade 6 Writing Prompt
A grade 6 argument writing prompt where students take a side on how a fictional town should spend its budget, backing a claim with reasons and evidence.
Objectives
- Students will write an argument essay that states a claim and supports it with reasons and evidence.
- Students will use details from the background material as evidence for a budget decision.
Vocabulary
- Water main
- A big underground pipe that carries drinking water beneath the streets to a neighborhood. Smaller service lines branch off it to reach each building.
Also: claim, evidence, reason, budget
Teacher overview
Towns often have to choose between a repair that few people notice and an improvement that many people enjoy. This prompt puts that tension in front of students: a fictional town has enough money for only one project, and must decide between fixing old water pipes or building a new splash pad. Both choices are reasonable, so students can argue either side. The task asks for a grade 6 argument, with a clear claim supported by reasons and evidence, and does not require a counterclaim, which is introduced in grade 7.
Prompt
Background: The fictional town of Kingsford has some extra money in its budget this year. The council must decide how to spend it, and it can afford only one project.
The first idea is to fix the town's old water pipes. Some of Kingsford's pipes are more than 80 years old. They crack and leak, and the town loses clean, treated water through those leaks. Old pipes are a common problem far beyond Kingsford: across the country, a water main breaks somewhere about every two minutes.
The second idea is to build a new splash pad at Kingsford Park. A splash pad is a play area with fountains that spray water. It would give families a free place to cool off together in the summer. It would also bring more visitors to the park.
Writing task: Kingsford's council wants to hear from students. Write an argument essay that states a clear claim about which project the town should choose. Support your claim with at least two reasons, and back each reason with evidence from the background above. End with a concluding statement that restates your position in new words.
Planning Organizer
| Category | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Claim (which project should Kingsford choose?) | |
| Reason 1 and evidence from the background | |
| Reason 2 and evidence from the background | |
| 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:
Kingsford should spend its extra money this year on fixing the town's old water pipes, not on a new splash pad. A splash pad would be fun, but keeping clean water flowing is more important for the whole town.
My first reason is that the old pipes waste clean, treated water. The background says some of Kingsford's pipes are more than 80 years old and that they crack and leak. Every gallon that leaks out of a broken pipe was already cleaned and paid for, so the town loses both water and money each day the pipes stay broken. Fixing them stops that waste.
My second reason is that broken pipes are a serious and common problem, not a small one. The background says a water main breaks somewhere in the country about every two minutes. That fact shows old pipes fail often, and Kingsford's pipes are already cracking. If the town waits, a big break could leave homes without water or flood a street, which would cost far more to fix later.
A splash pad would be a nice addition, and the town can build one in a future year. This year, though, Kingsford should fix its aging pipes first. Clean water reaching every home matters more than a new place to play, so repairing the pipes is the wiser choice.
Rubric:
| Criterion | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | No clear position stated | States a position but it shifts or stays vague | States one clear position on the budget choice | States a clear position and previews the reasons |
| Evidence and reasoning | No evidence from the background | Restates one detail without explaining it | Uses at least one detail as evidence and explains how it supports the claim | Uses two or more details as evidence and explains how each supports the claim |
| Organization | Ideas are out of order with no clear parts | Some order, but reasons and evidence are mixed up | Clear paragraphs with a claim, reasons, and a conclusion | Clear, purposeful order with a strong concluding statement |
| Conventions | Frequent errors make meaning hard to follow | Noticeable errors, but meaning is clear | Few errors in grammar and spelling | Nearly error-free with varied, correct sentences |
Differentiation
Support
Provide a sentence frame for each Planning Organizer row, such as "Kingsford should choose ___. One reason is ___, because the background says ___." Allow students to fill the organizer with phrases before drafting.
Extension
Ask students to add a third reason drawn only from the background, then decide which of their three reasons is strongest and explain in one sentence why they placed it last for emphasis.
ELL supports
Pre-teach "claim," "evidence," "budget," and "water main" with simple definitions and an example of each. Provide the background with the key details highlighted, and let students rehearse their claim aloud with a partner before writing.