Writing Prompts

1. Writing Prompts Directions: Find the prompt number that corresponds to the number you picked from Ms. Wiggins’ card stack. As a group, take turns writing one sentence each to respond to the prompt until time has been called. Challenge yourselves to use at least FIVE vocabulary words in your response. Make sure your group’s initial response comes to at least half of a page.

2. Prompt #1 In A Doll’s House, while telling Mrs. Linde about her financial troubles, Nora explains that she has spent any allowance Torvald has given her first on her family then whatever is left over one herself, which she justifies in a comedic tone with, “Thank heavens everything looks good on me – Torvald hasn’t even noticed.” This begs the question: • Do attractive people have advantages that other people don’t? • For Persuasive/Information Text Reading Activity: • NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/fashion/makeup-makes-women-appear-more-competent-study.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1396959822-hYL/vIwXV9H/gJvtpu+ckA

3. Prompt #2 In A Doll’s House, Nora has had to come up with various excuses to make sure Torvald does not know she has been working for money behind his back – at one point she locks herself in a room for three weeks claiming to be making Christmas decorations! In an age where most anything we want can be found at Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby, one has to think: • What have you made for yourself? • For Persuasive/Informational Text Activity: • NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/arts/24iht-design24.html

4. Prompt #3 In A Doll’s House, Mrs. Linde has been an extremely hard worker – working herself nearly to the bone to provide for her mother and two younger brothers. In an age of rapid technological change and one in which employers are always lamenting the “skills gap”, we have to ask ourselves: • Which is more important: talent or hard work? • For Persuasive/Informational Text Activity: • NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/sorry-strivers-talent-matters.html

5. Prompt #4 At the end of A Doll’s House, Nora does something unprecedented for a woman in the Victorian Age – she leaves her husband. Nora tells Torvald that she will send Mrs. Linde the next day to retrieve her things. But what if Torvald had not allowed this? What if she were in a position where she had to leave immediately and only take what she had ready? In a world which seems to be experiencing a rise in natural disasters, we have to ask ourselves: • What would you put in your emergency “go-bag”? • For Persuasive/Informational Text Activity: • NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/01/fashion/disaster-go-bags-of-the-famous.html

6. Prompt #5 At the end of A Doll’s House, Nora informs Torvald that in the eight years that they have been married, they have never had a serious conversation together. In an age where most of our social interactions seem to be happening via digital media, we must ask ourselves: • Are we losing the art of listening? • For Persuasive/Informational Text Activity: • NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/opinion/sunday/in-africa-the-art-of-listening.html

7. Prompt #6 At the end of A Doll’s House, Torvald attempts using many strategies to keep Nora from leaving – one of which was an appeal on her moral and religious character. (Nora informs Torvald that she doesn’t really know who or what God is – only what the clergy man has told her to believe.) In an age that seems to be experiencing loosening morals and which may be becoming increasingly secular, we have to ask ourselves: • Can you be good without god? • For Persuasive/Informational Text Activity: • NY Times Article: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/good-minus-god/