Grade 11 Writing prompt
Why Tanbury Springs Declined: Rainfall, Pumping, or Pines
Grade 11 students weigh three explanations for an 18-year decline in a fictional spring, then write an evidence-based argument with a counterclaim and a proposed test.
Common Core ELA · Grades 11–12
WHST.11-12.1 Discipline-specific argument writing
Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
Why water teaches this standard well
Advanced students write discipline-based arguments on questions such as whether a utility's data justify a rate increase or how a state should regulate groundwater pumping, anticipating the audience's knowledge and concerns. Water policy analysis mirrors the writing done in college coursework and in the water professions.
Materials tagged with this code are written to the full standard , and each carries a written note explaining the alignment. See how we review materials.
20 materials aligned to WHST.11-12.1
Writing prompts
Grade 12 Writing prompt
Rennick Creek: Channel Change and Late-Summer Flow
A grade 12 scientific argument prompt in which students weigh channel incision against irrigation withdrawal as the cause of a fictional creek's summer flow loss.
Grade 11 Writing prompt
Twelve-Hour Water Notices for Illerton: A Grade 11 Argument Prompt
Students argue whether a fictional state should make water systems notify every customer within twelve hours of a violation, weighing trust against small-system cost.
Grade 12 Writing prompt
Should Kirkmead Move Water Revenue to the General Fund?
A grade 12 argument prompt on a fictional city's yearly transfer of water rate revenue into the general fund, with budget figures, an exemplar, and a four-level rubric.
Grade 11 Writing prompt
Should the Pallister Water District Elect Its Board? A Writing Prompt
Students weigh accountability against long-range planning and argue whether a fictional three-town water district should elect its board or keep appointing it.
Grade 11 Writing prompt
Selling Norvale's Water Utility: A Grade 11 Argument Prompt
A grade 11 argument prompt asking whether the fictional city of Norvale should sell its water utility to a private operator, with organizer, exemplar essay, and rubric.
Grade 12 Writing prompt
Should Marchant Require a 100-Year Water Supply for New Homes?
A grade 12 argument prompt on whether a fictional desert city should require proof of a 100-year water supply before new subdivisions can be approved and sold.
Debate kits
Grade 11 Debate kit
Sarnwick's Sewer Overflows: Green Streets or a Tunnel
A grade 11 debate on whether a fictional city should cut sewer overflows with green infrastructure or a deep storage tunnel, using soil and storm data.
Grade 11 Debate kit
Thurlow Bend Dam: Remove It or Relicense It
A grade 11 debate on whether a fictional utility should remove an aging hydroelectric dam or relicense it with fish passage, using sediment and energy evidence.
Grade 12 Debate kit
Reconnecting the Ardsley Floodplain or Raising the Levee
A grade 12 science debate on whether a fictional levee district should set its levee back to reconnect a floodplain or raise the existing embankment in place.
Grade 12 Debate kit
Stannard Weir: Removal or a Fish Passage Retrofit
A grade 12 science debate on whether a fictional river authority should remove an aging weir or retrofit it for fish passage, with two-sided ecological evidence.
Grade 11 Debate kit
Relicense or Remove the Kilnwood Dam: A Grade 11 Debate Kit
A grade 11 debate on whether a fictional river commission should support a new license for an aging hydropower dam or fund its removal, with two-sided evidence.
Grade 12 Debate kit
Should Stridham Ratepayers Fund a Water Workforce Academy?
A grade 12 debate kit on a fictional state's plan to train water operators through a monthly surcharge on every water bill, with sourced evidence for both sides.
Grade 11 Debate kit
A Withdrawal Fee for the Tarleton Basin: A Grade 11 Debate Kit
Teams argue a fictional bill that would charge farms, factories, and utilities for the water they pump from a shared basin, using a two-sided evidence file.
Grade 11 Debate kit
Should Gatley Join a Regional Water System? A Grade 11 Debate Kit
A grade 11 debate kit on whether the fictional town of Gatley should transfer its aging water system to a regional authority, with two-sided evidence and a rubric.
Grade 12 Debate kit
Should Thurlow County Approve the Draycott Data Center?
A grade 12 debate kit on a fictional county's 20-year water service agreement with a data center, with two-sided evidence on jobs, aquifer decline, and rates.
Grade 11 Debate kit
Water as a Commodity or a Right: A Grade 11 Debate Kit
A grade 11 debate kit on whether communities should price water by use or guarantee a basic amount to every household, with two-sided evidence.
Grade 11 Debate kit
Chlorine or UV at Thistlewood: A Water Disinfection Debate Kit
A grade 11 debate kit on whether a fictional utility should replace chlorine with UV disinfection, weighing residual protection against chemical byproducts and handling.
Grade 12 Debate kit
Mandating Nutrient Removal Upgrades for Harlow Lake Plants
A grade 12 debate kit on requiring nutrient removal upgrades at plants discharging to a fictional lake, weighing water quality against ratepayer cost.
Projects
Grade 12 Project
The Vesser Basin Treaty: Ordania and Belmarre Negotiate
A five-session grade 12 project in which two fictional countries negotiate a shared river and aquifer treaty, then argue for ratification before a joint commission.