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February 4, 2025

Dear Reader,

How worried should we be about a resurgence of once common childhood diseases? Should “sports” be a college major? What rites of passage do you celebrate? What are your childhood memories of music? What does your ideal weekend look like?

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

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times Student Opinion What Are Your Childhood Memories of Music? What was your first-ever favorite song? Who was there to listen to it and maybe even sing along with you? By Shannon Doyne

María Jesús Contreras Student Opinion What Does Your Ideal Weekend Look Like? If you could have a perfect weekend, how would you spend it? Where would you go? Whom would you be with? By Natalie Proulx

Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari for The New York Times Picture Prompts Dog and Microphones Tell us a story, real or made up, that is inspired by this image. By The Learning Network

Bruce Newman/Associated Press Student Opinion Should ‘Sports’ Be a College Major? The idea of offering a degree in sports is gaining momentum now that college athletes can be paid. Is that a good idea? By Jeremy Engle

Will Matsuda for The New York Times Picture Prompts Torn Constitution What do you think this image is communicating? By The Learning Network

The New York Times Student Opinion How Worried Should We Be About a Resurgence of Once-Common Childhood Diseases? U.S. vaccination rates against polio, measles, whooping cough and other dangerous diseases are falling. Is this a cause for alarm? By Jeremy Engle

Picture Prompts Food-Shaped Furniture Would you want to decorate your home or room with a strawberry table or a burger stool? By The Learning Network

Student Opinion What Rites of Passage Do You Celebrate? Boys are celebrating their transition into adulthood with lavish quinceañero parties. What coming-of-age rituals are meaningful to you? By Jeremy Engle

VOCABULARY RESOURCES

Cindy Lozito Word of the day Word of the Day: mollify This word has appeared in 41 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

Cindy Lozito Word of the day Word of the Day: obsolescence This word has appeared in 31 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

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

Cindy Lozito Word of the day Word of the Day: adulation This word has appeared in 104 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence? By The Learning Network

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

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