Future of Cities
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Prompt 1 - Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. Tutorial Screencast - Model Essay Prompt 2 - A person you know is planning to move to your location. What do you think this person would like and dislike about living in your town or city? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay. Model Essay |
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...more writing prompts for Future of Cities!
About Me - In choosing a place (city) to live, what is most important to you? Use specific details and examples to support your answer.
Descriptive - Describe your country's capital. Describe both its physical characteristics and those who live there. In what ways is it a good capital... a poor capital. Narrative - Tell about an experience where you were visiting a new place and something unexpected or unplanned happened. Describe what happened before, during, and after this unplanned event. Problem / Solution - Describe a problem, or challenge, that the leaders of your hometown need to address. What is the problem, and what should be done about it. |
Abstract - Aristotle said, " A great city is not to be confused with a populous one." What did he mean, and to what extent is he correct?
Hypothesis - Your city will host a major international event. If it's a large city it can be a large international sports competition. If it's a small city, it will be a small event (like an academic conference). In what ways will your city be a good location for the event? In what ways will it be a poor location for the event? Support an Opinion - Do you agree, or disagree, with this statement? Culture is stronger in small, rural cities than it is in big, urban cities. Use specific details or examples to support your opinion. |
Note for Teachers - The purpose of our 30 minute timed writing prompts is to engage learners in a carefully crafted exercise that will improve fluency of both thought and pen. Quality writing effectively expresses how a person feels, or thinks, in response to any given topic. This doesn't just happen, but requires consistent and meaningful practice (time on task)... the aim and focus of our Daily Writing Prompt website. A guide to constructing a 5 paragraph essay, along with a model passage for students to study and dissect can also be found on this page.
Model Essay - The distribution of people in an area or country is affected by culture, landscape and economics. Changes to the dispersion of people in an area can have many consequences.The social landscape of countries is changing as people move from rural areas into urban areas. This is causing social discussion on the role and value of big cities and small cities. Some people would prefer to live in sprawling and modern urban metropolises. Others would prefer the simplicity and connectedness of life in a small town. While there are certainly broader and varied economic and cultural opportunities in a big city, I would prefer to live in a small town because of its access to nature, ease of transportation and the deep and lasting social connections.Small towns have quicker and easier access to nature.
If you live in a big city, short of perhaps small parks, accessing wide expanses of nature may take hours of driving. Contrastingly in most small towns its only a short drive before you are free from any people or development and can enjoy mountains, streams, lakes and meadows. This access to nature not only allows for recreation but also provides an escape from the stresses of life. In my rural hometown during exam time or even just a regular afternoon, I would leave the city to go for a run in the hills not far from my home. Even though it would only take a few minutes, I would feel like I had really escaped with nothing but the trees to interrupt my thoughts. Facilitating a relationship with nature is a huge value add to many who live in a small town.
Small towns have less traffic. Big cities have a lot of people and a lot of industry. Most households in big cities have at least two cars and then there is the transportation that all of the industry and city services requires. As a result, the roads become congested and it can become difficult to get to the places you need to go. In small towns, however, it never takes long to get to your destination; partly because there are few places to choose from but also because the roads are wide open. When I visit my parents in the small town were I grew up, I am always surprised at how quickly we can go out to eat, shopping, or even get to the freeway to get out of town. Unlike my normal route to those places in the city I live now, it takes only a matter of minutes. As a result, driving in a small town is efficient, stress free and likely less damaging to the environment.
Small towns have deeper and richer interpersonal connections. In a big city you have shallow meaningless contact with many many people most of whom you do not know and who do not know you. Unlike the anonymity of big city life, in smaller communities its impossible not to know the people in your neighborhood, school and in the town in general. Not only are there fewer people but generally they are around you for longer. Again with the kids that I went to school with growing up, everyone knew everyone. The 60 or so kids who started kindergarten together finished elementary school together and most went on through high school together. There was little attrition and few additions to this group. We knew each others names, families, strengths and weaknesses. As a result of a restricted population, citizens of rural areas have deeper and more intimate elationships with each other
Feeling connected to the people around you without the exhaust and exhaustion of congested and complicated roads and the ability to quickly get out of town are all reasons that for me and many others a smaller city would be ideal for our lives. Naturally this is not always possible; often because of educational or professional needs people must spend time in a large city but those with this preference should support small towns. They can do this through supporting government leaders who value the contribution of small towns. Also through visiting small towns and stimulating their local communities. Also when the opportunity arises people can return to the small city perhaps taking their knowledge, skill set and resources gained in a more urban area to develop the small town they now reside in.
If you live in a big city, short of perhaps small parks, accessing wide expanses of nature may take hours of driving. Contrastingly in most small towns its only a short drive before you are free from any people or development and can enjoy mountains, streams, lakes and meadows. This access to nature not only allows for recreation but also provides an escape from the stresses of life. In my rural hometown during exam time or even just a regular afternoon, I would leave the city to go for a run in the hills not far from my home. Even though it would only take a few minutes, I would feel like I had really escaped with nothing but the trees to interrupt my thoughts. Facilitating a relationship with nature is a huge value add to many who live in a small town.
Small towns have less traffic. Big cities have a lot of people and a lot of industry. Most households in big cities have at least two cars and then there is the transportation that all of the industry and city services requires. As a result, the roads become congested and it can become difficult to get to the places you need to go. In small towns, however, it never takes long to get to your destination; partly because there are few places to choose from but also because the roads are wide open. When I visit my parents in the small town were I grew up, I am always surprised at how quickly we can go out to eat, shopping, or even get to the freeway to get out of town. Unlike my normal route to those places in the city I live now, it takes only a matter of minutes. As a result, driving in a small town is efficient, stress free and likely less damaging to the environment.
Small towns have deeper and richer interpersonal connections. In a big city you have shallow meaningless contact with many many people most of whom you do not know and who do not know you. Unlike the anonymity of big city life, in smaller communities its impossible not to know the people in your neighborhood, school and in the town in general. Not only are there fewer people but generally they are around you for longer. Again with the kids that I went to school with growing up, everyone knew everyone. The 60 or so kids who started kindergarten together finished elementary school together and most went on through high school together. There was little attrition and few additions to this group. We knew each others names, families, strengths and weaknesses. As a result of a restricted population, citizens of rural areas have deeper and more intimate elationships with each other
Feeling connected to the people around you without the exhaust and exhaustion of congested and complicated roads and the ability to quickly get out of town are all reasons that for me and many others a smaller city would be ideal for our lives. Naturally this is not always possible; often because of educational or professional needs people must spend time in a large city but those with this preference should support small towns. They can do this through supporting government leaders who value the contribution of small towns. Also through visiting small towns and stimulating their local communities. Also when the opportunity arises people can return to the small city perhaps taking their knowledge, skill set and resources gained in a more urban area to develop the small town they now reside in.
Model Essay - Taking for granted the place that you live is a natural consequence. The place that surrounds you becomes common place and as a result loses the appeal that drew you to it originally. Something that can be very beneficial to helping you rediscover the virtues of your city is imagining yourself to be introducing a potential citizen to where you live and helping them recognize why its a great place to live. While it will be important to be honest about its limitations, likely the result will be you remembering just why you like the place you call home so much. While a new resident to our community may be slightly inconvenienced by some of its transportation resources such as its small airport, our city is a great place to live because of the quality of its schools and the stunning beauty of its surroundings.
New residents may find our city to be inconvenient in lacking a major airport. Residents in our city have to drive for about an hour when they want to access air travel with connections to most major cities. This not only restricts travel for entertainment but also travel for business. A friend and neighbor of mine often travels for business. He knows that in addition to the time at the airport and on the plan he must add nearly two hours to the trip depending on what time of day he lands or is departing. This means that on days when he travels he must either wake up earlier or go to bed later than he prefers and that is time that seems unnecessarily wasted away from friends and family. Although for some lacking a major airport is a major inconvenience for most everyone, it's an inconvenience that is outweighed by the advantages of our city.
Our city is attractive because of the quality of its schools and educational opportunities. The citizens of our community clearly value education. We are a very family centric community with larger families with many kids. As a result of this aspect of the population, the community takes seriously investment in schools and community education programs. This translates into greater opportunities for both the young and old. For example the school that my daughter attends has introduced a Chinese immersion program. Students in the school spend half their day learning the regular subjects of math and science and art in Chinese. Students that begin this program as first graders are leveraging the natural language learning strengths of their youth. The goal is that they become bilingual in Chinese and English. This is one of many examples of the educational opportunities the area offers that is a key advantage to our community.
Our city is surrounded by entertaining and beautiful natural resources. One side of our city is bordered by impressive mountains that are green in the Spring and Summer, colorful in the Fall and snow-covered in the Winter. The other side of the city consists of a valley with a large fresh water lake. So when you look to your left or to your right there is something scenic to see. On days when you are too busy to get out and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, even just looking at the window can inspire and relax you. However beautiful it is from a distance, naturally it's even better up close. As a result of these natural resources many people adopt outdoor hobbies. This may include hiking, biking, boatings, skiing all of which allow people to get up close and personal with our beautiful nature. These outdoor recreational opportunities are a prominent draw for tourists but for those who really are passionate about spending time outdoors they would find it justified the inconvenience of moving.
Being surrounded by exhilarating natural resources and knowing that my family will have great educational opportunities make the small inconveniences like an hour drive to the nearest major airport even more minor. Recognizing the many advantages of where you live does not only make you more convincing as you encourage potential residents to join. Most people will find that as they focus on the positive they will become personally more satisfied with their community. Also they will be more willing to invest in the long-term growth of the community so it becomes and remains a great place for people to live. Enthusiasm for our cities helps keep them safe because citizens become involved and concerned about what's happening around them, and it facilitates economic growth because when people are happy where they're at, others want to join them.
New residents may find our city to be inconvenient in lacking a major airport. Residents in our city have to drive for about an hour when they want to access air travel with connections to most major cities. This not only restricts travel for entertainment but also travel for business. A friend and neighbor of mine often travels for business. He knows that in addition to the time at the airport and on the plan he must add nearly two hours to the trip depending on what time of day he lands or is departing. This means that on days when he travels he must either wake up earlier or go to bed later than he prefers and that is time that seems unnecessarily wasted away from friends and family. Although for some lacking a major airport is a major inconvenience for most everyone, it's an inconvenience that is outweighed by the advantages of our city.
Our city is attractive because of the quality of its schools and educational opportunities. The citizens of our community clearly value education. We are a very family centric community with larger families with many kids. As a result of this aspect of the population, the community takes seriously investment in schools and community education programs. This translates into greater opportunities for both the young and old. For example the school that my daughter attends has introduced a Chinese immersion program. Students in the school spend half their day learning the regular subjects of math and science and art in Chinese. Students that begin this program as first graders are leveraging the natural language learning strengths of their youth. The goal is that they become bilingual in Chinese and English. This is one of many examples of the educational opportunities the area offers that is a key advantage to our community.
Our city is surrounded by entertaining and beautiful natural resources. One side of our city is bordered by impressive mountains that are green in the Spring and Summer, colorful in the Fall and snow-covered in the Winter. The other side of the city consists of a valley with a large fresh water lake. So when you look to your left or to your right there is something scenic to see. On days when you are too busy to get out and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, even just looking at the window can inspire and relax you. However beautiful it is from a distance, naturally it's even better up close. As a result of these natural resources many people adopt outdoor hobbies. This may include hiking, biking, boatings, skiing all of which allow people to get up close and personal with our beautiful nature. These outdoor recreational opportunities are a prominent draw for tourists but for those who really are passionate about spending time outdoors they would find it justified the inconvenience of moving.
Being surrounded by exhilarating natural resources and knowing that my family will have great educational opportunities make the small inconveniences like an hour drive to the nearest major airport even more minor. Recognizing the many advantages of where you live does not only make you more convincing as you encourage potential residents to join. Most people will find that as they focus on the positive they will become personally more satisfied with their community. Also they will be more willing to invest in the long-term growth of the community so it becomes and remains a great place for people to live. Enthusiasm for our cities helps keep them safe because citizens become involved and concerned about what's happening around them, and it facilitates economic growth because when people are happy where they're at, others want to join them.