Writing prompt Grade 5 Social Studies & Civics
Should Foxhaven Fix Old Pipes or Build a Splash Pad?
A grade 5 opinion writing prompt where students argue how a fictional town should spend limited water money, weighing repairs to leaking pipes against a new splash pad.
Objectives
- Students will write an opinion piece stating a clear position on a town spending choice.
- Students will support their opinion with ordered reasons about benefits and costs.
Vocabulary
Key words: opinion, budget, tradeoff, maintenance, priority
Teacher overview
Every town has more it would like to do than money to do it, so it must choose. This prompt gives students a real kind of choice a community faces: the fictional town of Foxhaven has a limited amount of water money this year and cannot do everything. Students take a side on whether the town should fix its old, leaking pipes or build a fun new splash pad, and support their opinion with reasons. The task asks them to weigh a benefit and a cost of each choice, then organize their thinking into a clear opinion piece.
Prompt
Background. Foxhaven has set aside a pot of money this year for water projects. It is not enough to do everything, so the town must pick one big project. There are two ideas, and people in town disagree.
The first idea is to fix the old water pipes under the streets. Some of these pipes are worn out. They leak clean water into the ground, which wastes it. Once in a while, an old pipe breaks, and then water shuts off for a whole neighborhood until crews dig it up and repair it. Fixing the pipes now would waste less water and prevent surprise breaks, but it would cost most of the money and no one would see anything fun for it.
The second idea is to build a splash pad at the town park. On hot days, families have no place nearby to cool off. A splash pad would give kids somewhere to play all summer, and it would bring people to the park. But it would use the money that could have fixed the pipes, and the old pipes would keep leaking.
Writing task. The Foxhaven town council wants to hear from students. Write an opinion piece that tells the council which project Foxhaven should choose: fixing the old pipes or building the splash pad. State your opinion clearly, give at least two reasons, and use details from the background to support each reason. Finish with a closing sentence that reminds the reader of your opinion.
Planning Organizer
Fill in each row before you write.
| Part of my opinion piece | My notes |
|---|---|
| My opinion (which project should Foxhaven choose?) | |
| Reason 1 and a detail from the background | |
| Reason 2 and a detail from the background | |
| One benefit or cost I am giving up by choosing this way | |
| My closing sentence |
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 (grade 5, opinion form):
I think Foxhaven should fix its old pipes before building a splash pad. Clean water is something the whole town needs every single day, and a splash pad is only for fun on hot days.
My first reason is that the old pipes waste water. The background says the worn-out pipes leak clean water into the ground. That water is already cleaned and paid for, so leaking it away wastes the town's work and money. If Foxhaven fixes the pipes, less water will be lost.
My second reason is that a broken pipe can shut off water for a whole neighborhood. The background says crews have to dig up a broken pipe and repair it before the water comes back. That is a big problem if it happens to homes, or to a school on a school day. Fixing the pipes now would prevent those surprise breaks.
I know that choosing the pipes means kids will not get a splash pad this year, and that is a real loss on hot days. But a splash pad can wait, and leaking, breaking pipes should not. The town can save for a splash pad later, once the water system is safe. For these reasons, Foxhaven should spend its water money on fixing the old pipes first.
Rubric:
| Criterion | Beginning | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion | No clear opinion is stated | An opinion is stated but is unclear or changes | States one clear opinion about which project to choose | States a clear opinion and returns to it in the closing |
| Reasons and support | Gives no real reasons | Gives one reason with little support | Gives at least two reasons, each with a detail from the background | Gives two or more reasons, each supported and clearly explained |
| Organization | Ideas are out of order or hard to follow | Some order, but reasons run together | Clear beginning, ordered reasons, and a closing sentence | Ideas flow smoothly with linking words and a strong closing |
| Conventions | Frequent errors make it hard to read | Noticeable errors, but meaning is clear | Few errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation | Very few errors; sentences are varied and clear |
Differentiation
Support
Give these students the opinion sentence started for them ("I think Foxhaven should ___ because ___") and a short word bank (pipes, leak, splash pad, waste, break). Allow them to write two reasons in two sentences rather than full paragraphs.
Extension
Ask students to add a paragraph suggesting how Foxhaven could still get both projects over time, such as fixing the pipes this year and saving for a splash pad next year, and to explain why that plan is or is not better than choosing just one.
ELL supports
Pre-teach "budget," "leak," and "tradeoff" with simple pictures before writing. Let students complete the Planning Organizer with phrases in English or their home language first, then turn each row into a sentence with a partner before drafting.