3. ENGLISH 11
Imagine that you had a Foreign
Exchange Student staying in your
house…
She asks you to name one thing—a holiday,
a place, a tradition, anything—that makes
America a great place to live.
In pairs, you’ll deliberate, choose, and then
come up to the front of the room to make
your case for your choice.
4. Why do we have a Pledge
of Allegiance? What
should we do with it?
5.
6. YOUR NAME
GOES HERE
Imagine that the
District wanted to
change the name
of Shorewood High
School.They want
to name it after
someone who
exemplifies the
best qualities of
America and who
would inspired
students for
generations.What
should the new
name be? Create
both the name and
an ARGUMENT for
why your name is
worthy. Prepare to
present your case
for 2-3 minutes.
20. GATSBY PARTY: WHO’S GATSBY?
You’ll receive a card that tells you 1) Who YOU are and 2) What, if anything, you
know about Gatsby.
Your job is talk to as many people as possible to discover 5 true facts about
Gatsby. Write down the facts you learn and their source.
Be careful. Some people will lie or deliberately mislead you.
Gatsby will not reveal himself unless you tell him the 5 true facts about him.
As you play, think about how our identity is tied up in the perceptions of others.
21. The Poweris a novel by Naomi Alderman in which teenage girls suddenly
gain the power to shoot deadly electricity from their fingers. How would the
world be different if this happened? Would it be better or worse?
28. MODERN
DAY
GATSBY
You go away
to college in a
city where no
one has ever
heard of you.
What made-
up past do
you construct
for yourself?
Who do you
pretend to be?
29. You know animals talk when we’re not
around. Create a short dialogue
between two animals.
31. REMEMBER
Be honest. Don’t rubberneck.
Write in complete sentences with correct grammar/
spelling.
Give your email address if you want to get your score.
The short essays should be 75-125 words. Use specific
examples from the book. You get to skip one.
After you’re finished, don’t talk or play games.
The security code is:
Gatsby Test!
watch out myrtle
32. Imagine that you were
accidentally sent
back in time.
There’s no way to get
back to the present.
How could you use your
knowledge of the
present—especially of
technology and other
knowledge—to become
all powerful?
38. The Viaduct is going down! It’s time to think outside of the box. Come up with
the craziest—possibly unworkable—proposal to fix traffic in Seattle forever.
40. CREATE YOUR OWN WRITING PROMPT
Quote
Response
Tell the
Story
What if? Moral
Question
Make the
Case
Life is like a
box of
chocolates.
Chocolate
was healthy
for you?
Should we
ban
chocolate?
The Student
Store should
be allowed to
sell chocolate.
41. If you lived in
what animal would you want to be?
Describe your life in a town where everyone is a talking animal.
42. People sometimes say
“It’s better to ask for
forgiveness than
beg for permission.”
Do you agree? Is this
a good way to live
your life? Explain
what would happen if
you decided this was
your guiding maxim.
Credit: Cassidy Besecker
43. Aliens have landed on Earth. The world governments have asked You to
initiate first contact. How will you approach this scientifically advanced
race of beings? What will you say if they ask you to come back with
them to their home planet?
Credit: Claudia Mar
45. Tell me about the best snow day (real or fictional) ever…
…or give me a worst case scenario for Snowpocalypse 2019
46. How worried
should we
be about
this?
How could
we defeat
an AI
debater?
from xkcd
Should we—almost always—do what everyone
else is doing? When should we not?
50. Why does your Object Matter?
What emotions do many have when they
see your object?
How do different people see the same
object differently?
What assumptions do people make about
the object?
If you think of your object as a metaphor or
symbol, what does it represent?
54. When is it OK to brag? Is there a difference between bragging
about sports or smarts? What about money or your love life?
IRL or online? Can bragging be healthy or toxic? Would the
world be better off with more or less bragging? What about
humble-bragging? When was the last time you bragged? What
was it about? How did people react?
55. When is it OK to brag? Is there a
difference between bragging about
sports or smarts? What about money or
your love life? IRL or online? Can
bragging be healthy or toxic? Would the
world be better off with more or less
bragging? What about humble-
bragging? When was the last time you
bragged? What was it about? How did
people react?
63. How bad is it to enjoy the misfortunes of others?
Should we resist the feeling of joy or is this a normal
human emotion that we should embrace? Describe
a time when you enjoyed someone else’s suffering.
Schadenfreude
Picture from Getty Images
64.
65. This is the first ever
picture of a black hole,
taken Wednesday, April
10th 2019.
What else do we need a
photo of?
•Shakespeare?
•Cavepeople
•Thoughts?
Explain what you would
like to see and how you
would get the photo?
72. Fences is about—among other things—the
responsibilities parents have to their kids
and the responsibilities kids have to their
parents.
What should every parent do for their kids?
What do children owe their parents?
Be specific.
73. This is the largest teddy bear in the world,
measuring more than 20 meters long and weighing
four tons. If Jeff Bezos gave you a blank check,
what Guinness World record would you
break and why?
