'Writing Exams' photo (c) 2007, ccarlstead - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I’ve previously posted Here’s What I’m Having My ELL Geography Students Do As Their Semester “Final” and thought readers might find it useful to see what I’m having my ELL U.S. History student do for theirs next week.

The final will be a simple reading followed by a prompt. They’ll be reading Why is studying history important?, followed by this prompt:

According to the author, why is important to study history?  Do you agree with what the author is saying?  To support your opinion you may use examples from your own experiences, your observations of others, and any of your reading (including passages from this essay).

You can see similar prompts and the reasons for their wording at My Best Posts On Writing Instruction.

Feedback on this final, including ideas on how I can make it better, are welcome!

By the way, you might (or might not) be interested in a similar model prompt I’m using with my ninth-grade mainstream classes — Here’s The “Growth Mindset” Article & Prompt We’re Using As Part Of Our Semester Final.