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January 21, 2025

Dear Reader,

As 2025 begins, how are you feeling about the state of politics? Should social media companies be responsible for fact-checking their sites? How much say do you have in what you learn at school? Is it OK to be messy?

These are just a few of the questions we posed recently in our writing prompts. We’d love to read your students’ answers.

Sincerely,
The Learning Network

WRITING PROMPTS

Taylor Cook Student Opinion As 2025 Begins, How Are You Feeling About the State of Politics? Scroll through artwork by the teenage winners of our Coming of Age in 2024 contest. Then, tell us how well the collection captures your feelings and experiences. By Katherine Schulten

Eli Durst for The New York Times Student Opinion Is It OK to Be Messy? A guest essay argues that we need to embrace our clutter more. Do you agree? By Jeremy Engle

Colin Clark for The New York Times Picture Prompts Sequels and Remakes When it comes to movies, do you prefer original stories or reboots of your old favorites? By The Learning Network

Jason Henry for The New York Times Student Opinion Should Social Media Companies Be Responsible for Fact-Checking Their Sites? Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, announced last week that it would end its longstanding fact-checking program. Is that a good idea? By Natalie Proulx

Brian Rea Picture Prompts Hug Tell us a story, real or made up, that is inspired by this image. By The Learning Network

Jarod Lew for The New York Times Student Opinion How Much Say Do You Have in What You Learn at School? A guest essay argues that when students are more involved in setting their own academic goals, they’re more excited to learn. Is that true for you? By Shannon Doyne

Illustration by Mathieu Larone. Picture Prompts Person and Shapes What do you think this image is communicating? By The Learning Network

India’s Uttar Pradesh State Information Department, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Picture Prompts Religious Ceremonies Do you belong to a religious or spiritual community? What traditions and rituals are important to you and your faith? By The Learning Network

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VOCABULARY RESOURCES

Word of the day Word of the Day: jeremiad This word has appeared in five articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

Word of the day Word of the Day: presto This word has appeared in 23 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

Word of the day Word of the Day: emporium This word has appeared in 45 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

Word of the day Word of the Day: castigate This word has appeared in 18 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

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