WESTEST 2 Online Writing Teacher-Created Passages and Prompts
Grade 9 Samples
WESTEST 2 Online Writing
Grade 9 Sample Passage and Prompt
Grade:
CSO:
Genre:
21st Century Emphasis:
Lexile:
9
RLA.O.9.2.1: compose narrative, informative,
descriptive, persuasive writing from a prompt using
the five-step writing process (pre-writing, drafting,
revising, editing, publishing).
Descriptive
Communication Skills
1160L
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and prompt and type a composition in the box
below.
PASSAGE:
Extreme Weather
Many areas have begun to experience extreme weather conditions throughout the
year. The winter might be filled with many days of cold temperatures and massive
amounts of snow, while the summer might have several days of 100-degree
temperatures and little precipitation.
In the winter, many people want nothing more than to find some way of staying cozy
and warm. In the summer, people want to try to get outside and find a way to avoid
the sweltering temperatures and oppressive heat.
PROMPT: Choose one day, either in the winter or summer, in which you imagine
such extreme weather. Write an essay in which you vividly describe this day. What
sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures do you encounter on this day? How do you
escape from the extreme weather of the day you chose?
Begin typing your composition here
WESTEST 2 Online Writing
Grade 9 Sample Passage and Prompt
Grade:
CSO:
Genre:
21st Century Emphasis:
Lexile:
9
RLA.O.9.2.1: compose narrative, informative,
descriptive, persuasive writing from a prompt using
the five-step writing process (pre-writing, drafting,
revising, editing, publishing).
Informative
Health and Wellness Literacy
1170L
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and prompt and type a composition in the box
below.
PASSAGE:
Healthy Living
Obesity rates have reached an all-time high, and Americans have been encouraged to
adopt healthier lifestyles. West Virginia, especially, has a large number of people with
high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease which may be a result of their
unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.
Teens, especially, are at risk. Because many young people are involved in sports,
they believe that they don’t need to worry about their health. Others, however, worry
too much about gaining weight and fail to eat an adequate, healthy diet.
PROMPT: Write an essay informing your classmates about healthy living habits they
should consider using.
Begin typing your composition here
WESTEST 2 Online Writing
Grade 9 Sample Passage and Prompt
Grade:
CSO:
Genre:
21st Century Emphasis:
Lexile:
9
RLA.O.9.2.1: compose narrative, informative,
descriptive, persuasive writing from a prompt using
the five-step writing process (pre-writing, drafting,
revising, editing, publishing).
Narrative
Social/Personal Accountability
1010L
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and prompt and type a composition in the box
below.
PASSAGE:
Doing the Right Thing
When we’re young, life seems easy. Early in life we learn we should share our toys,
be nice to other people, and play fair. Our parents and teachers help us learn these
lessons. They remind us to be nice to our brothers and sisters and to help around the
house. They teach us to put away our crayons and to help one another.
As we get older, we are expected to continue to practice these behaviors, and usually
we try to do our best to make our parents proud of us. However, sometimes we are
tempted to forget these early lessons and act differently. We might find ourselves in a
situation where others treat us unfairly and we get angry. Maybe we have forgotten
to complete a job or an assignment and are fearful of getting into trouble.
Situations like these tempt us to forget those early lessons of kindness and honesty
and to act dishonorably. Television personality Oprah Winfrey says, “Real integrity is
doing the right thing, knowing that nobody is going to know whether you did it or
not.”
PROMPT: Think about a situation in which a person might be tempted to act
unkindly or dishonorably. Write a story that presents a person in a difficult situation in
which he or she is tempted to act with or without integrity.
Begin typing your composition here
WESTEST 2 Online Writing
Grade 9 Sample Passage and Prompt
Grade:
CSO:
Genre:
21st Century Emphasis:
Lexile:
9
RLA.O.9.2.1: compose narrative, informative,
descriptive, persuasive writing from a prompt using
the five-step writing process (pre-writing, drafting,
revising, editing, publishing).
Persuasive
Project Planning and Development
1120L
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and prompt and type a composition in the box
below.
PASSAGE:
Summer Assignments
Summer is quickly approaching. You’ve worked hard throughout the school year and
are looking forward to some summer fun. However, your school is considering a
program in which teachers will make summer assignments to students to help them
retain the knowledge they have gained throughout the year and to be better prepared
for the next grade level. Students will be required to complete reading and math
assignments, as well as science and social studies projects. The summer assignments
will be due early in the school year when students return and will be a part of their
grades for each class.
Proponents of summer assignments argue that they teach students to learn
independently, an important skill that today’s adults definitely need. Opponents argue
that students should not be required to spend their summer vacations completing
school assignments. They believe some students will get help from their parents
while others will have no assistance or guidance at all.
How do you feel? Do summer assignments teach students worthwhile skills or are
they senseless waste of time?
PROMPT: Write an essay in which you argue for or against giving summer
assignments to students. Be sure to support your argument with logical reasons.
Begin typing your composition here