Student Workbook
High School
For grades 9–12
20 cases about media, law, policy and the decisions that shape your life. For every case: the story, the case file, a thinking page and a work page shaped like your task.
How this edition works
Every case starts with something that happened, a question worth asking and the evidence to check. Then you make a call or make something. Write on the pages, fill them in on a computer, or scan the code on a work page to do it online.
- A momentsomething people saw, shared or argued about
- A questionworth investigating
- The evidenceand the context around it
- Your calla decision or something you make
- Feedbackwhat your choice changes, and for whom
- Real worldwhere this decision actually gets made
The companions in the margins
LupaEvidence
DudaQuestions
PautaRules
OndaImpact
NexoConnections
VozNext steps
What’s different in this edition
- Grades 9–10 routes practice credibility, audience and one well-supported product
- Grades 11–12 routes add theory, system-level consequences and a recommendation with stated limits
- Students work from the full evidence page rather than selected cards
- The worked example models analysis and revision at the grades 9–10 level
- Scaffolds are optional references, not required frames
Real, or made for this lesson?
Real source links to reporting, research or an official page you can check yourself. Fictional case material was written for the story, so you can practice on it safely.
What’s inside
1Before you repostWhat can a screenshot actually prove?4
2Same test. More questionsDoes this task show what someone knows?10
3The apology is not the repairWhat makes a correction more useful than “sorry”?16
4Whose room is it, anyway?Who gets a say when a shared space changes?22
5Okay… where did the rest of my paycheck go?Why is my deposit smaller than what I earned?28
6Who gets to see your school records?If your family helps pay for school, what are they allowed to see?34
7Who decides what stays on the shelf?A group chat says one complaint got a novel “banned.” What actually happened, and who decides?40
8Is it a recommendation or an ad?If a creator got the product free, do viewers need to know?46
9Your ballot is more local than your feed.What’s actually on your ballot, and where do you find out?52
10A city you can actually reachIf the usual route is blocked, whose job is it to make the trip work?58
11Same work. Different pay. Why?Jordy and Gia worked the same event. Why are their rates different, and how do you ask?64
12A protest is not one legal questionWhen does a school get to limit what students say?70
13Before it reaches the binCould the crew make less waste before anyone reaches the recycling bin?76
14Credit is not the whole copyright answerIf you credit the artist, can you use their track in your film?82
15Internship, or someone’s unpaid job?When is an unpaid internship really a job that should be paid?88
16“It’s our policy” is not the endWhen a new building rule appears, who wrote it and who does it affect?94
17A good choice for whom?Ten free seats, thirty people who want one. How should the crew decide?100
18Follow the school moneyThe district budget is huge. Why is the theater curtain still falling apart?106
19Give your comment a destinationHow do you make a public comment that actually lands?112
20Looks real. What proves it?A realistic image says the courtyard flooded today. What would it take to post that as true?118
Case 1
Before you repost
What can a screenshot actually prove?
Most news about school closures, rule changes and events reaches students as a cropped clip in a group chat. Checking the original and posting a useful update keeps a whole community from acting on half a sentence.
In the real world
- CrashCourse (YouTube), 2019Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3
- PolitiFact, 2022Viral image shows fake story from The Atlantic about Biden
- You’ll make
- Two messages (30–50 words and 60–90 words) plus a two-sentence rationale
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
MateoDale, I wanted that clip to be fake so badly I almost told everyone to ignore it. Let me find the full transcript first.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Forwarded screenshot in the crew’s group chat, Friday 4:52 p.m.
“They’re removing access tonight. Screening canceled?”
Attached clip, 7 seconds.
Coordinator: “…we are removing access—” The clip ends there.
- 2Fictional case material
Room coordinator, full meeting transcript, Friday 3:30 p.m. meeting
“The side-door reader is broken. We are removing access through that reader tonight. Existing room bookings remain in place. Use the staffed front entrance while we repair it.”
- 3Fictional case material
Booking confirmation emailed to Mateo, sent Tuesday 10:14 a.m.
Friday, 6–9 p.m. Screening confirmed. Front entrance: step-free. Staff member at the desk from 5:30 p.m. Contact the coordinator for arrival support.
- 4Fictional case material
Jordy, holding message in the same chat
“We’re checking the original. Hold your plans for a moment.”
- 5Fictional case material
“My friend is already on the train. “We are figuring it out” does not tell her whether to keep coming.”
Gia, 21, leaving for a café shift
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether every visitor can use the staffed front entrance (the email says step-free, not that every arrival need is covered), who first cropped the clip and why, and how many people already changed their plans.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceSociety of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of EthicsSummary, not a quotation: the code asks journalists to take responsibility for the accuracy of their work, verify information before releasing it and avoid distorting facts or context, including visual information.
videoCheck Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3CrashCourse (YouTube), 2019-01-22Shows the move the crew makes: leave the screenshot, open new tabs and check who made it and what other sources say.
articleViral image shows fake story from The Atlantic about BidenPolitiFact, 2022-08-01A real fact-check of a fabricated news screenshot: the image looked official, but the outlet never published it.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Draw an arrow from each piece of evidence to the claim it supports or challenges. Which claim is left standing, and which gap still needs a check before you post?
| Evidence | Claim 1The screening is canceled. | Claim 2The screening is on; use the staffed front entrance. |
|---|---|---|
| 1The clip: “we are removing access…” ends mid-sentence. | ||
| 2The transcript: access is removed “through that reader,” and existing bookings remain in place. | ||
| 3The booking email: Friday 6–9 p.m., screening confirmed, step-free front entrance. |
Still open
- Can every visitor use the temporary entrance?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a holding statement and a follow-up correction for the same chat, twenty minutes apart. Add a two-sentence rationale.
Message 1 (5:05 p.m.): Hey everyone, we saw the clip about the Common Room. We’re checking the full meeting update right now, so please don’t cancel your plans yet. We’ll post again by 5:25 with a real answer.1 Message 2 (5:25 p.m.): Update: the screening is NOT canceled3. It’s still Friday 6–9 p.m. The clip cut off the part where the coordinator said they’re removing access “through that reader,” meaning the broken side door2. Use the front entrance instead. It’s staffed from 5:30 and it’s step-free. I think whoever posted it was trying to start drama.4 Rationale: I didn’t repeat the word “canceled” in my first message because people might only read that one word. I gave a time for the next update so people know when to check back.
- 1Strong holding move: a specific time tells people already traveling when to look again.
- 2Precise evidence. Quoting the exact words the crop removed shows readers why the clip misled them.
- 3A clear verdict, but naming the booking email or the transcript here would let readers check it for themselves.
- 4Revise: nothing in the sources tells us why the clip was shared. A guess about motive weakens the correction and can start a new argument.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeI think whoever posted it was trying to start drama.
AfterI checked the coordinator’s full transcript and Mateo’s booking email. Need help getting in? Message the coordinator before you leave.
The revision swaps an unsupported guess for a named source and a contact, which gives readers something to verify and something to do.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a holding statement and a follow-up correction for the same chat, twenty minutes apart.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Find out how your school sends urgent updates.
Case 2
Same test. More questions
Does this task show what someone knows?
A single score can follow a student into placement, support and how teachers see them. Knowing what the law requires before a school decides a student needs special education helps students ask for support without diagnosing each other.
In the real world
- Education Week, 2025Does Extended Time on Tests Actually Help Students With ADHD?
- K-12 Dive, 2025IDEA at 50: How the landmark law changed education
- You’ll make
- Email, 60–100 words, plus 2-sentence note on what you left out and why
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
DecI can trace the circuit. The six paragraphs are what lose me. Ask me before you tell the teacher what I need.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Circuit practice brief, handed out Monday, period 4
Goal: Explain how a simple circuit works. Read the six paragraphs below before you answer. Use the diagram to trace the path of the current from the battery through the switch and the LED and back. Answer questions 1–4 in complete sentences. (One small diagram sits below six dense paragraphs. No time limit or speed target is listed.)
- 2Fictional case material
Out loud, with the larger sketch: traced the whole path, battery to switch to LED and back. Correct. Written sheet: skipped a line in the instructions and answered a different question from the one asked. Dec: the layout is hard to follow.
Dec’s study-table notes, Wednesday 3:40 p.m. - 3Fictional case material
“I can show you where the current goes. Then I get halfway through the written question and lose my place.”
Dec, 17, theater crew - 4Fictional case material
“I kept saying “it is right there.” That was not helping. I was looking at the answer, not how the question was written.”
Anika, 16, studying with Dec
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether Dec wants formal support at all, how the sheet is scored, whether other students lose their place in the same layout, and what the teacher meant the six paragraphs to test.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceIDEA regulations, 34 CFR § 300.304 (evaluation procedures)Summary, not a quotation: when a public agency conducts an IDEA evaluation, it must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies and may not use any single measure or assessment as the sole basis for deciding whether a child has a disability or what educational program is appropriate.
Real sourceCAST, Universal Design for Learning GuidelinesSummary, not a quotation: the UDL Guidelines are design guidance that encourages offering learners more than one way to engage with learning, to take in information and to express what they know.
articleDoes Extended Time on Tests Actually Help Students With ADHD?Education Week, 2025-10-13Asks the case’s question in real life: does a test accommodation help students show what they actually know?
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Sort who can decide each question. Which decision belongs to the teacher, which to a formal school process, and which only to Dec?
Try a clearer practice format for the circuit goal
The teacher, who sets the practice format and the learning goal
Dec, who decides what to share and whether to ask
Start a formal IDEA evaluation or a Section 504 conversation
The school’s evaluation process, with a parent or guardian for a student under 18
IDEA evaluation rule: varied tools, no single measure as the sole basis
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Draft a message to the teacher in Dec’s voice, written with his permission, that describes the observations and asks about support options. Add a two-sentence note on what you left out and why.
Hi Ms. R, I’m working on the circuit practice sheet. The goal says we should explain how a simple circuit works.1 At the study table I traced the whole circuit out loud with a bigger diagram, but on the written sheet I skipped a line and answered a different question.2 I think I might have ADHD or something.3 Could we talk about how the sheet checks the goal and whether there are other ways I could show it? I can bring both tries. Thanks, Dec Note: I left out my old grades and anything about my friends’ support plans because that’s private. I also didn’t say the test was unfair, because we don’t actually know that4.
- 1Strong opening. Leading with the learning goal frames the request around what the sheet is meant to measure, not the score.
- 2Two precise, neutral observations taken from the study-table notes. This is the evidence a teacher can act on.
- 3Revise: the notes cannot establish a diagnosis, and naming one in an email shares health information Dec may not want shared. Describe what happened instead.
- 4Good reasoning in the note: the writer separates what the evidence shows from a conclusion it cannot support.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeI think I might have ADHD or something.
AfterThe layout with six long paragraphs is where I lose my place.
The revision keeps the message about the task’s format, which the evidence supports, and leaves any formal evaluation to the school’s process and to Dec’s own choice.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Draft a message to the teacher in Dec’s voice, written with his permission, that describes the observations and asks about support options.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Learn your school’s route for asking about support.
Case 3
The apology is not the repair
What makes a correction more useful than “sorry”?
Clubs, schools and companies all post things that turn out to be wrong, and how they fix it decides who keeps trusting them. Students who can tell a real correction from a nice-sounding apology can hold groups, including their own, to a higher standard.
In the real world
- NPR Public Editor, 2022That was wrong
- NPR, 2017Dove Expresses 'Regret' For Racially Insensitive Ad
- You’ll make
- Correction (70–100 words) plus repair paragraph (80–120 words)
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
AnikaWe were carrying chairs at 5:30. Don’t tell me how sorry you feel. Tell people what actually happened.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
The crew’s published recap caption, Saturday 11:08 a.m.
“Great night, once the younger crowd finally got organized.”
- 2Fictional case material
Jordy’s setup log, Friday evening
5:40 p.m. Projector failure reported. 6:00 p.m. Attendees seated. 6:20 p.m. Replacement projector connected. Note: Anika and Dec helped carry chairs before doors opened.
- 3Fictional case material
Anika, 16, message to the crew
“We were helping you set up. Why are we the problem in this post?”
- 4Fictional case material
Gia’s first correction, drafted Saturday 2:15 p.m., not posted
“Sorry if this came across wrong. We love our younger neighbors and would never want anyone to feel excluded.”
- 5Fictional case material
“My log says Anika and Dec were carrying chairs before doors opened. The caption turned them into the reason we started late.”
Jordy, 20, kept Friday’s setup log
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What each attendee actually experienced, whether any latecomers affected the start at all, how far the recap was reshared, and whether Anika wants any public response.
Real-world evidence
Real sourcePublic Relations Society of America, PRSA Code of EthicsSummary, not a quotation: the code names honesty among its core values and, in its provisions of conduct, expects members to correct promptly any erroneous communication they are responsible for.
articleThat was wrongNPR Public Editor, 2022-10-21How a real newsroom corrects mistakes: name the error, fix it on the story and keep a public list.
articleDove Expresses 'Regret' For Racially Insensitive AdNPR, 2017-10-08A real brand apology after an ad played into a racial stereotype; compare the words with what changed afterward.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Same moment, different accounts
Place the four accounts side by side. Where do they agree, where do they split, and which one was written down at the time?
Caption: the night went well once the younger crowd got organized.
Event log: projector failed at 5:40; replacement connected at 6:20; Anika and Dec carried chairs.
Anika: “We were helping you set up.”
Where they agree
Where they differ
Check: Which account was recorded at the time rather than remembered afterward?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a correction and a short repair plan with a named owner and a date to check it.
Correction: Our recap said the screening started late because the younger crowd wasn’t organized. That was wrong, and we’re sorry.1 Jordy’s event log shows the projector failed at 5:40 p.m.2 and the new one wasn’t connected until 6:20. Anika and Dec actually helped carry chairs before doors opened. Repair plan: Gia will edit the original caption today so the correction is where people saw the mistake. We will also ask Anika to post that she’s okay with the correction so people know it’s resolved.3 Before we post any recap, Jordy will check claims about what caused a problem against the event log. We’ll check on Friday whether the next recap went through that step.4
- 1Good order: the correction names the error before it apologizes, so it does its main job first.
- 2Precise evidence with a time lets readers see why the caption’s explanation doesn’t hold.
- 3Revise: this puts repair work on the person who was blamed. The crew can offer a private way to respond, but Anika shouldn’t have to vouch in public.
- 4Strong measure: it checks whether the promised process happened, not just whether the comments stopped.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeWe will also ask Anika to post that she’s okay with the correction so people know it’s resolved.
AfterWe’ll message the people the caption blamed to say it’s corrected, and they can reply privately if we missed something.
The crew still reaches the people who were harmed, but the work of fixing the record stays with the crew.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a correction and a one-paragraph repair plan with a named owner and a date to check it.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Help a club you’re in write a corrections rule.
Case 4
Whose room is it, anyway?
Who gets a say when a shared space changes?
Libraries, rec centers and after-school rooms change hours and fees all the time, and those changes land hardest on people with the least flexible schedules. Learning to read a budget and ask the right decision-maker lets students defend a shared space without pretending money doesn’t matter.
In the real world
- Education Week, 2023Letting Students Decide Where Money Should Go: How One District Did It
- First Alert 4 (KMOV), 2026St. Louis shuts down streets to cars, hands them over to neighbors
- You’ll make
- 90-second spoken comment (about 200 words) with written script
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
MariMira, “keep it free” doesn’t pay the person closing up, and I’m that person. So what’s our plan for the gap?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Nonprofit board agenda, board meeting Wednesday 6:30 p.m.
Evening rentals, for discussion. Option A: keep the current free evenings; the funding gap remains. Option B: replace Tuesday and Thursday evenings with paid rentals. Option C: pilot one rental evening for six weeks while seeking additional funding. No vote has been taken.
- 2Fictional case material
Illustrative weekly budget note prepared for the board (invented figures for practice)
Evening staffing and utilities: $600. Current grants and donations: $400. Each paid rental is projected to add $120 after its extra costs. Two bookings would add $240; one would add $120. Demand is uncertain.
- 3Fictional case material
Sami works afternoons. Dec rehearses on Thursdays. Mari closes the shop. A nearby resident worries about late noise. The proposed meeting time overlaps with several shifts.
Listening notes from evening users, collected over the weekend - 4Fictional case material
“If they take both late evenings, the room might still be “open” when I am working. That is not the same as being able to use it.”
Mari, 19, bookseller who closes the shop - 5Fictional case material
“I want us to stop solving this for everybody before we ask everybody.”
Sami, 23, uses the room after her print-shop shift
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Who uses the room on other evenings, whether the $120 projection rests on any past bookings, what the board will do if the pilot underperforms, and the views of evening users who were not in the listening notes.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceCarol Bacchi, “What’s the problem represented to be?” approachSummary, not a quotation: Bacchi’s policy-analysis approach asks how a proposed solution represents the problem it claims to solve and what that representation leaves unexamined.
articleLetting Students Decide Where Money Should Go: How One District Did ItEducation Week, 2023-02-06A real district let students propose and vote on how shared school spaces and money would change.
articleSt. Louis shuts down streets to cars, hands them over to neighborsFirst Alert 4 (KMOV), 2026-06-04A city pilot that changes a shared space for a trial run, so neighbors can test trade-offs before anything is permanent.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
If this, then what?
Follow each option to its consequences. Which consequences depend on a projection, and who carries the cost if it misses?
Option B: paid rentals replace Tuesday and Thursday evenings
A projected $240 would cover the $200 gap if both evenings book
Check: What happens if bookings fall short of the projection?Dec loses Thursday rehearsals and Mari’s late evenings stop being usable
Option C: one rental evening piloted for six weeks
A projected $80 gap remains while the board seeks funding and reviews the pilot
Check: What happens if bookings fall short of the projection?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Prepare a 90-second public comment recommending an option, using at least one figure accurately.
Good evening. I use the Common Room on weeknights, and I’m here about the evening rental options. I think the board should choose Option C, the six-week pilot.1 Option B would replace both Tuesday and Thursday free evenings, and Dec rehearses on Thursdays, so he would lose his spot2. The budget note says each rental will add $120, so the pilot will bring the gap down to $803. That still leaves a gap, but the board could ask local businesses to sponsor the room. Also, a lot of people who use the room are working during this meeting. Could the board accept written comments for two weeks so they can be heard too?4 Thank you.
- 1A clear position on a specific option, stated early enough for a listener to follow.
- 2Good use of the listening notes: an affected person tied to a specific evening.
- 3Revise: the budget note calls $120 a projection and says demand is uncertain. Say “is projected to” and “if bookings hold.”
- 4Strong request: the board can act on it, and it reaches people the meeting time leaves out.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe budget note says each rental will add $120, so the pilot will bring the gap down to $80.
AfterThe budget note projects $120 per rental, so if bookings hold, the pilot would bring the weekly gap down to about $80.
The revision matches the source’s own uncertainty, which makes the speaker more credible to a board that knows demand could fall short.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Prepare a 90-second public comment recommending an option, using at least one figure accurately.
First line Start with the moment
Three points, each with its evidence
Last line What should people remember?
Practice 1: what worked
Practice 2: what I changed
Take it off the page
Find the room where your community’s decisions happen.
Case 5
Okay… where did the rest of my paycheck go?
Why is my deposit smaller than what I earned?
Many students start working in high school, and a pay statement is often the first place they meet labor law and the social safety net. Reading each line lets a worker spot a real error and understand what their Social Security and Medicare contributions are for.
In the real world
- Two Cents / PBS (YouTube), 2019How Do Your Tax Dollars Get Spent?
- NPR, The Indicator from Planet Money, 2018Social Insecurity
- You’ll make
- Payroll message (50–80 words) plus explainer (150–200 words)
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
GiaI counted my hours twice. Okay, the Saturday shift was after the cutoff. One more question: what’s this withholding line?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Illustrative pay statement, pay period ending Friday the 12th, paid the following Thursday
Hours: 15.00 at $17.00. Gross pay: $255.00. Social Security tax: $15.81. Medicare tax: $3.70. Federal income tax withheld: $8.40. State and local income tax withheld: $6.10. Net pay: $220.99. (Invented withholding amounts for practice; they do not predict anyone’s taxes.)
- 2Fictional case material
Gia’s shift log in her notes app, last two weeks
Mon the 8th: 4 hrs. Wed the 10th: 4 hrs. Thu the 11th: 3 hrs. Fri the 12th: 4 hrs. Sat the 13th: 3 hrs. My total: 18 hrs.
- 3Fictional case material
Gia and Jordy comparing deposits, Thursday 7:20 p.m.
Gia: my deposit is way less than what I worked out??
Jordy: Mine looks different too. But comparing just our deposits is going to send us in circles.
Jordy: Please don’t post the whole statement. Just tell me which line.
- 4Fictional case material
“Just did. The period ended Friday the 12th. My Saturday shift was the 13th. So it’s probably on the next statement. Probably. I still want payroll to confirm.”
Gia, 21, café worker
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether the Saturday shift will appear on the next statement, what Gia entered on her W-4, whether any other deductions such as benefits apply to her job, and the minimum wage where she works.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceInternal Revenue Service, Understanding employment taxesSummary, not a quotation: the IRS explains that employers generally withhold federal income tax and the employee’s share of Social Security and Medicare taxes from wages, and that federal income-tax withholding is figured partly from the employee’s Form W-4.
Real sourceInternal Revenue Service, Understanding Taxes tutorial on gross and net paySummary, not a quotation: the tutorial defines gross pay as earnings before deductions and net pay as what remains after deductions, the amount often called take-home pay.
videoHow Do Your Tax Dollars Get Spent?Two Cents / PBS (YouTube), 2019-04-10Starts with a first paycheck that’s smaller than expected and explains FICA and income tax withholding.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Before calling it an error, sort the evidence. Which facts explain the smaller deposit, and which question is still worth asking payroll?
| Evidence | Claim 1Payroll shorted Gia’s pay. | Claim 2The missing 3 hours belong on the next statement. |
|---|---|---|
| 1Shift log shows 18 hours; the statement shows 15 | ||
| 2The period ended Friday the 12th; the 3-hour shift was Saturday the 13th | ||
| 3Gross pay of $255.00 matches 15 × $17.00 | ||
| 4FICA and withholding lines account for the gap between gross and net |
Still open
- Will the Saturday shift actually appear next time? Ask payroll.
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write Gia’s payroll question and a short explainer for a friend starting their first job.
Payroll message: Hi, I’m checking my statement for the pay period that ended Friday the 12th. My shift log shows 18 hours, but the statement shows 15.1 Was my Saturday shift on the 13th after the cutoff?2 If so, will it be on my next check? Thanks, Gia Explainer for Jordy: Your deposit is net pay, which is what’s left after deductions. Gross pay is your hours times your rate. FICA is the tax for Social Security and Medicare, and income-tax withholding is basically the same thing, just another name for it3. So before you think payroll messed up, match the dates first and then read each line4.
- 1Precise evidence from both records: the exact comparison payroll can check.
- 2Good reasoning: the writer tests the pay-period explanation before assuming an error.
- 3Revise: federal income-tax withholding is a separate line from FICA, and its amount depends partly on the W-4.
- 4Useful, sequenced advice a new worker can actually follow.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeFICA is the tax for Social Security and Medicare, and income-tax withholding is basically the same thing, just another name for it.
AfterFICA is the tax for Social Security and Medicare. Federal income-tax withholding is a separate line, and the amount depends partly on the W-4 you filled out.
The revision fixes a factual error that would confuse a first-time worker looking at two different lines on the same statement.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write Gia’s payroll question and a short explainer for a friend starting their first job.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Know how to read your first pay statement.
Case 6
Who gets to see your school records?
If your family helps pay for school, what are they allowed to see?
Grades, schedules and discipline records follow students for years, and the rules about who can see them change at 18 or when a student starts college. Knowing which record, which permission and which office to ask keeps family support from turning into giving away every login.
In the real world
- U.S. Department of Education (YouTube), 2013Student Privacy 101: FERPA for Parents and Students
- U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy OfficeMust postsecondary institutions provide a parent with access to an eligible student’s education records?
- You’ll make
- One-page guide, 200–250 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
RafaSige, they can help with the bill. I just want to read what I’m signing before I hand over my grades too.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Parent and family access authorization form mailed to Rafa, August 28 (illustrative)
Section 1, Billing and payments: allow the person named below to view account statements and make payments. Yes / No. Section 2, Academic records: allow the person named below to receive information about grades, enrollment and academic standing. Yes / No. Section 3: this authorization stays in effect until the student changes or withdraws it in writing.
- 2Fictional case material
College annual FERPA notice posted on the registrar’s page, fall term (illustrative)
Students have the right to inspect their education records, to request corrections and to consent to disclosures, except where the law allows disclosure without consent. Questions go to the Office of the Registrar.
- 3Fictional case material
Rafa’s family group chat, Sunday 8:47 p.m.
Mom: Did the tuition form come? We want to help with the bill.
Dad: Send us the login and we’ll take care of everything.
Rafa: Sige, the bill part I can share. Let me read the rest first.
- 4Fictional case material
“Then we need the actual exception and the actual facts. “Privacy law” is not a magic sentence that answers every request.”
Caio, 24, helping Rafa read the request
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Which form and exceptions Rafa’s own college uses, whether his family claims him as a tax dependent, exactly what help his family wants, and how the college lets a student change an authorization.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office, FAQ “What is FERPA?”Summary, not a quotation: FERPA gives parents certain rights over their children’s education records, and those rights transfer to the student at age 18 or when the student attends a school beyond the high school level. A student who holds the rights is called an eligible student.
Real sourceAmerican University, parent-access guide (AU Central)Summary, not a quotation: the guide separates parent online access for student-account activity and bill payment from authorization to discuss academic records, and says parent billing access does not include viewing grades.
videoStudent Privacy 101: FERPA for Parents and StudentsU.S. Department of Education (YouTube), 2013-11-07The Education Department’s own short explainer of FERPA rights and when they move from parents to students.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Who actually decides each question: Rafa, the rule or the college? Mark where paying the bill and seeing grades split into two separate decisions.
Who may see Rafa’s grades?
Rafa, the eligible student, through written consent
FERPA: rights transfer to the student at 18 or on entering college
Rafa’s family, who help pay tuition
Who may see and pay the tuition bill?
Rafa, the eligible student, through written consent
Rafa’s family, who help pay tuition
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write Rafa a one-page guide separating paying the bill from seeing grades.
Paying vs. Seeing: A Guide for Rafa Since you’re 18 and in college, the FERPA rights to your education records belong to you now, not your parents. The Department of Education FAQ says rights transfer at 18 or when you start college1. Paying tuition is a different thing from seeing your grades. In the university guide, parent access for the bill does not include viewing grades2, so that needs a separate authorization. So your parents can never see your grades unless you say yes.3 Before you sign anything, ask the records office three questions: which record would be shared, who would get it, and how you can change your mind later4. Talk with your family first about what help you actually want.
- 1Accurate statement of the transfer rule, attributed to the right source.
- 2Precise use of the university guide, and the writer correctly presents it as one school’s process.
- 3Revise: this overstates the rule. FERPA has exceptions, including one for parents who claim a student as a tax dependent. Say that exceptions exist and send Rafa to the records office.
- 4Strong next step: specific, answerable questions for the office that actually holds the records.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeSo your parents can never see your grades unless you say yes.
AfterUsually your family would need your permission to see grades, but the law has exceptions, so ask the records office which ones your college uses.
The revision keeps the main rule clear while being honest that exceptions exist, which is what the success criteria ask for.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write Rafa a one-page guide separating paying the bill from seeing grades.
Version A What it says or shows
Version B Same moment, told differently
The difference that matters What does one version leave out, add or frame differently?
Who would react differently, and why
Take it off the page
Find your school’s records notice.
Case 7
Who decides what stays on the shelf?
A group chat says one complaint got a novel “banned.” What actually happened, and who decides?
School and public libraries across the country are deciding how to handle challenges to books, and the rules vary by district and state. Students who can tell a complaint from a final decision, and who know where to speak, can take part without spreading rumors or silencing other readers.
In the real world
- Chalkbeat Colorado, 2025Colorado bill to curb school library book challenges clears first legislative hurdle
- Chalkbeat Tennessee, 2024Under stricter Tennessee law, some school library books quietly disappear
- You’ll make
- Written input, 150–200 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
MariMira, I found a character in a book like this who made me feel less alone. That’s why I care. Now what does the policy actually say?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Group chat, Thursday 10:12 p.m.
“One parent complained, so that novel is banned. It’s gone from the library.”
- 2Fictional case material
§ District reconsideration notice, posted Friday by the school library
“A request for reconsideration has been received for one title in the library collection. Under district policy, the title remains available during the review. A review committee will read the full work and evaluate it against the district’s selection criteria. Written input may be submitted by the 15th. The committee’s decision may be appealed.”
- 3Fictional case material
§ Review committee input form, due the 15th
Name and role (student, parent, staff or community member). Have you read the entire work? Yes / No. Which selection criteria does your input address? Comments, 300 words maximum.
- 4Fictional case material
“Mira, I found a character in a book like this who made me feel less alone. That’s why I care. Now what does the policy actually say?”
Mari, 19, bookseller and zine maker
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Which novel is under review and what the request says, who sits on the review committee, what the district’s selection criteria say in full, and what state law, if any, adds to the district policy.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceAmerican Library Association, Selection and Reconsideration Policy Toolkit: formal reconsiderationSummary, not a quotation: ALA’s example procedure has a review committee whose members read or view the entire work, evaluate it against the collection policy’s criteria and vote, with the material remaining available until a formal decision and with an appeal route. ALA presents this as guidance for libraries to adapt, not as law.
Real sourceRoald Dahl, Matilda, authorized extract published by PenguinSummary, not a quotation: in the extract, four-year-old Matilda finds the village public library on her own; the librarian, Mrs Phelps, helps her choose books, and over the following months she reads widely, including classic adult novels.
articleColorado bill to curb school library book challenges clears first legislative hurdleChalkbeat Colorado, 2025-02-10A state debated requiring clear reconsideration policies, showing a challenge is a process, not an instant ban.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Replace “banned” with the real chain of decisions. Who decides at each stage, which rules bind them, and where can a student’s input land?
Keep, restrict or remove the novel after review
The school review committee, which reads the whole work and votes
District-level appeal and, finally, the school board
District reconsideration policy and selection criteria
State law and unsettled First Amendment case law (Pico had no majority opinion)
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write input to the review committee using the published selection criteria.
To the Review Committee, I’m a student at this school, and I’m writing about the novel under review. The district’s selection criteria ask the committee to judge each book as a whole1, not by one passage. Read as a whole, this book follows a character dealing with isolation2 and slowly finding people she can trust, and that is why readers my age connect with it. I understand the parent who filed the request is worried about one scene with mature content, and that concern deserves a real answer3. But honestly, anyone who wants a book removed is just trying to control what other people read4. I’m asking the committee to keep the novel available and, if the concern is about age level, to consider an age note in the catalog rather than removal. Thank you.
- 1Strong: the argument is anchored in the committee’s own published criterion.
- 2Good use of the whole-work standard, though one specific scene or detail would make the evidence stronger.
- 3Good: the writer acknowledges another reader’s concern with respect.
- 4Revise: this assigns a motive to everyone who files a request and contradicts the respect shown one sentence earlier. The committee needs reasons tied to criteria, not judgments of people.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeBut honestly, anyone who wants a book removed is just trying to control what other people read.
AfterBut the criteria ask about the whole work, and that scene is part of how the story shows the character’s isolation.
The revision keeps the disagreement about the book, where the criteria apply, instead of about the parent, which the committee cannot weigh.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write input to the review committee using the published selection criteria.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Find your library’s reconsideration policy.
Case 8
Is it a recommendation or an ad?
If a creator got the product free, do viewers need to know?
Much of what students see online is shaped by relationships between creators and brands, and many students are creators too. Knowing what a clear disclosure looks like helps them judge recommendations and post honestly, whether they have fifty followers or fifty thousand.
In the real world
- NBC News, 2023Influencers warned by FTC over ‘inadequate’ disclosures of artificial sweetener promotions
- ABC News, 2019Popular YouTuber chimes in on federal product disclosure guide for influencers
- You’ll make
- Script (60–90 seconds) plus 100-word note
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
CaioCalma, the cut is good. Watch it once like a stranger with the sound off. Can they tell the book was free?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Publisher email offering a review copy, sent two weeks before posting
“Hi Gia, we love your book reviews! We’d be glad to send you a free copy of our spring novel for review. There’s no obligation to post, but if you do, we’d appreciate a tag. Best, the publicity team”
- 2Fictional case material
Gia’s review video, first cut, Friday evening (script and caption)
Spoken: “Okay, you guys, I have to tell you about this book because I literally could not put it down!” On-screen text: none. Caption, below the video: “@publisher #booktok”
- 3Fictional case material
Watch once as a stranger, phone on mute. 0:00–0:03: does anything say free copy? Caption sits below the video; most people won’t open it. Tag = brand name, not relationship.
Caio’s edit notes, Saturday 1:30 p.m. - 4Fictional case material
Viewer comment on a similar review by another creator (illustrative)
“wait was this sponsored?? kind of feels like an ad now”
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether Gia has any other relationship with the publisher, what label the platform itself would show, how many of her viewers watch without sound, and whether the review’s strongest claims are supported beyond her own reading.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceFederal Trade Commission, Disclosures 101 for Social Media InfluencersSummary, not a quotation: FTC staff guidance says to disclose any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a brand, including free or discounted products; to place the disclosure where it is hard to miss, with the endorsement; and, in a video, to put the disclosure in the video itself, ideally in both audio and on-screen text, not only in the description.
Real sourceFederal Trade Commission, FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are AskingSummary, not a quotation: the FTC’s question-and-answer guide explains how the agency applies its Endorsement Guides, which interpret the FTC Act’s prohibition on deceptive practices, to reviews, social media posts and other endorsements.
articleInfluencers warned by FTC over ‘inadequate’ disclosures of artificial sweetener promotionsNBC News, 2023-11-15Real creators were warned for not clearly saying they were paid, the exact question this case asks.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
If this, then what?
Follow both choices forward. Which consequences can Gia control, which depend on viewers, and what test tells her the disclosure worked?
Post the first cut with only a brand tag in the caption
Sound-off viewers never learn the book was free
Disclose aloud and on screen in the first seconds
Viewers weigh the recommendation knowing the relationship
Some viewers may discount the review as an ad
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a revised script and caption and a short note on why a tag alone isn’t enough.
Revised script: At 0:00, spoken and on screen: “Heads up, the publisher sent me this book for free1.” Then: “Okay, you guys, I could not put this down. The sisters felt so real, and the ending wrecked me. I finished it in two nights.” Caption: Publisher sent me a free copy for review. @publisher #booktok Note: A tag alone isn’t enough because a lot of people watch with the sound off and never open the caption3, and a tag just names the brand without saying the book was free2. Now the disclosure is spoken and on screen in the first seconds. Honestly the disclosure is just a formality, because my opinion is real either way.4
- 1Plain words that name the relationship, placed at 0:00 where every viewer meets it.
- 2Precise reasoning that matches the case: a tag identifies a brand, not the relationship.
- 3Good audience thinking: the writer considers how viewers actually watch.
- 4Revise: an honest opinion and a disclosed relationship answer different questions. Viewers need the relationship to decide how much weight to give the opinion, so it is not a formality.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeHonestly the disclosure is just a formality, because my opinion is real either way.
AfterMy opinion is honest, but viewers still deserve to know the book was free so they can decide how much to trust it.
The revision separates the two ideas the task asks about: whether the opinion is sincere, and whether viewers know the relationship that could shape it.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a revised script and caption and a short note on why a tag alone isn’t enough.
- Frame 1
What we see and hear
- Frame 2
What we see and hear
- Frame 3
What we see and hear
- Frame 4
What we see and hear
Why this order works What does the viewer know by the last frame that they didn’t at the first?
Take it off the page
Check the relationship before you trust the review.
Case 9
Your ballot is more local than your feed.
What’s actually on your ballot, and where do you find out?
National races dominate feeds, but many decisions that shape students’ lives, like school boards, judges and local measures, appear lower on the ballot. Knowing how to find your own official ballot and deadlines matters whether you’re voting soon or learning how the system works before you can.
In the real world
- NPR, 2023Some states are trying to boost youth voter registration. Here's what they're doing
- Ballotpedia News, 2025Most states allow teenagers to pre-register to vote before turning 18, and some let them vote in primaries
- You’ll make
- Explainer, 250–350 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
MateoDec doesn’t need us picking for him. He needs his own ballot and a registration check before November. Honestly, so do I.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Illustrative sample ballot, November general election
Federal: U.S. Representative. State: State Senator; Superior Court judge (retention). Local: Board of Education, District 3 (vote for two); City Council, Ward 5. Measures: Measure T, transit improvements bond.
- 2Fictional case material
Creator’s voter guide, posted three weeks before the election
“Everything you need for November!! Registration closes the 14th. School board: vote Candidate B, the only one who actually cares about students. Measure T: yes, obviously.”
- 3Fictional case material
Gia’s group-chat reminder draft, Sunday 6:30 p.m.
“Check your registration and your own sample ballot at vote.gov. Deadlines depend on your state. Please don’t post your address here.”
- 4Fictional case material
“I turn 18 in October. I don’t need someone picking for me. I need to know what’s on my ballot and whether I’m registered in time for November.”
Dec, 17, theater crew - 5Fictional case material
“Dec’s feed is all the big race. Then you flip the sample ballot: school board, city council, a transit bond. Nobody’s posting about Measure T.”
Mateo, 22, moved from New Bedford for college
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Dec’s own state, registration status and deadline, the actual sample ballot for his address, what each local office is responsible for where he lives, and who wrote and funds the creator’s guide.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceVote.gov, Preparing to vote: age 18 and underSummary, not a quotation: Vote.gov explains that in most states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories people can preregister before turning 18, that you must be 18 to vote, that several states let 17-year-olds vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election, and that each person should check their own state’s rules.
Real sourceU.S. Constitution, Twenty-Sixth Amendment, Section 1 (text as published by the National Constitution Center)“The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.”
articleSome states are trying to boost youth voter registration. Here's what they're doingNPR, 2023-08-06Explains preregistration and other state steps that let teens sign up before they turn 18.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Separate the two questions Dec has: what is on his ballot, and can he vote. Which rules and offices answer each, and which source should he check first?
Which contests and measures appear on Dec’s ballot
His address and district lines, drawn through redistricting
Whether Dec can register and vote in November
Twenty-Sixth Amendment: the vote at 18 cannot be denied on account of age
State rules on preregistration, deadlines and 17-year-old primary voting
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a nonpartisan explainer on one local contest: what the office does, what’s on the ballot and where to verify it. Compare how two guides describe the race.
School Board, District 3 What the office does: The school board sets the district budget, hires the superintendent and approves policies like the school calendar. It doesn’t run individual classrooms.1 What’s on the ballot: Two seats are open, with four candidates. There’s also a transit measure, but that’s a city question, not a school board one2. Where to verify: Look up your own sample ballot through vote.gov, which sends you to your state’s election office. The creator guide says Candidate B is the only one who cares about students, so you should probably vote for her3. Comparing guides: The county guide prints each candidate’s statement in their own words.4 The creator guide adds opinions about who is best.
- 1Good: saying what the office does not control keeps readers from asking it for the wrong things.
- 2Strong jurisdiction thinking: the writer separates two contests on the same ballot.
- 3Revise: an explainer must stay nonpartisan. Report what the guide claims as the guide’s opinion and leave the choice to the reader.
- 4Good comparison: the writer identifies how the two guides differ in purpose.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe creator guide says Candidate B is the only one who cares about students, so you should probably vote for her.
AfterOne creator guide recommends a candidate; that is the guide’s opinion, so check each candidate’s own statement in the county guide.
The revision keeps the explainer nonpartisan while still teaching readers to tell a recommendation from a fact.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a nonpartisan explainer on one local contest: what the office does, what’s on the ballot, and where to verify.
Version A What it says or shows
Version B Same moment, told differently
The difference that matters What does one version leave out, add or frame differently?
Who would react differently, and why
Take it off the page
Find your official election information.
Case 10
A city you can actually reach
If the usual route is blocked, whose job is it to make the trip work?
Getting to school, a library or a city program depends on sidewalks, ramps, buses and information, and when one piece fails, someone’s day falls apart. Knowing which law applies and which office to ask turns frustration into a request that can get a route fixed.
In the real world
- HISTORY, 2020When the ‘Capitol Crawl’ Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities Act
- THE CITY, 2025North Bronx Subway Station to Get Elevators, Nearly a Decade After ADA Lawsuit
- You’ll make
- Report, 120–170 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
SamiI don’t need a viral video, Mateo. I need to know if there’s a route that gets me to the bus in twelve minutes.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Construction detour sign at the corner, posted Monday, photographed Tuesday 4:05 p.m.
“SIDEWALK CLOSED AHEAD. PEDESTRIAN DETOUR →” The arrow points to a path that begins with a flight of stairs.
- 2Fictional case material
Route map, home to the city workshop, drawn by Sami and Mateo
1. Home to the corner of Elm Street and 4th Avenue: sidewalk clear. 2. Northeast curb ramp: blocked by construction fencing. 3. Bus stop: next bus in 12 minutes. 4. Bus to the parks department building. 5. Workshop entrance and room: not yet checked.
- 3Fictional case material
City workshop flyer posted by the parks department
“Free Community Workshop Series. Tuesdays, 5–7 p.m., Parks Department Annex. All welcome! Questions? Call the front desk.” The flyer gives no information about accessible entrances or how to request access.
- 4Fictional case material
“The sign says detour. The detour starts with stairs. So, no. Twelve minutes.”
Sami, 23 - 5Fictional case material
“I had the sign on video before I even thought about it. Sami asked if that gets her on the bus. Fair. Camera down.”
Mateo, 22, already filmed the sign
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether an accessible detour exists and how it is marked, how long the ramp will be blocked, whether the workshop entrance and room are accessible, and who the city’s ADA coordinator is and how complaints are handled.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Justice, ADA Update: The ADA and City GovernmentsSummary, not a quotation: under Title II, city programs, services and activities must be accessible, but program access generally does not require making every facility accessible; a city can, for example, move a service to an accessible place. The guide also covers curb ramps during street and sidewalk work and the city’s duty to communicate effectively.
articleWhen the ‘Capitol Crawl’ Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities ActHISTORY, 2020-07-24A throwback to March 12, 1990, when activists climbed the Capitol steps to show what stairs do to access. The ADA was signed that July.
articleNorth Bronx Subway Station to Get Elevators, Nearly a Decade After ADA LawsuitTHE CITY, 2025-10-03A lawsuit pushed a transit agency to add elevators, showing how the ADA makes access a public duty.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Sort what the evidence supports. Which claim can you make today, which one needs more facts, and who can supply them?
| Evidence | Claim 1The city is breaking the ADA. | Claim 2On Tuesday, the posted detour did not work for a wheelchair user. |
|---|---|---|
| 1Photo: the northeast curb ramp blocked by fencing on Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. | ||
| 2Detour sign points to a path that starts with stairs | ||
| 3DOJ: Title II requires program access, not every facility to be accessible |
Still open
- Is there another accessible route to the bus and the workshop? Ask the ADA coordinator.
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write an access report to the city’s ADA coordinator about the blocked route, with one sentence explaining why you ask rather than claim a violation.
To the City ADA Coordinator, I’m writing about the construction at Elm Street and 4th Avenue, next to the bus stop. On Tuesday at about 4:05 p.m., the curb ramp on the northeast corner was blocked by construction fencing1, and the detour sign pointed to a route with stairs. My friend Sami, who uses a wheelchair and said I could mention her2, couldn’t reach the bus stop that way. The city is clearly violating the ADA by blocking the ramp.3 Could you tell us whether there is an accessible detour, how it is marked and how long the ramp will be blocked? We would also like to know how to report this if it happens again. Why I asked instead of claimed: I only saw one corner at one time4.
- 1Precise location, time and observation: the details an office needs to find the problem.
- 2Good: the writer checked with Sami before including her.
- 3Revise: one observation cannot establish a violation, and the sentence contradicts the writer’s own rationale. Program access concerns the whole program, so ask about the detour instead.
- 4An honest statement of the evidence’s limit, which is exactly why a question fits better than a claim.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe city is clearly violating the ADA by blocking the ramp.
AfterBecause the city runs the workshop and maintains the sidewalk, we understand ADA Title II may apply, so we wanted to ask you directly.
The revision names the relevant law as the reason for contacting this office without declaring a violation the evidence cannot support.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write an access report to the city’s ADA coordinator about the blocked route.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Find your city’s ADA contact.
Case 11
Same work. Different pay. Why?
Jordy and Gia worked the same event. Why are their rates different, and how do you ask?
Pay gaps can come from fair criteria, mistakes or discrimination, and workers usually can’t tell which from a paycheck alone. Knowing what the law protects, including the right most private-sector workers have to talk about pay, helps young workers ask without guessing or getting silenced.
In the real world
- NPR, 2022The U.S. national women's soccer team wins $24 million in equal pay settlement
- NPR, 2020Federal Judge Dismisses U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s Equal Pay Claim
- You’ll make
- Sheet plus a message of 80–120 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
JordyWe were both there till close. I want to know why the numbers differ. Not my statement in a post before we’ve even asked.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Jordy’s pay statement (illustrative), Saturday event, paid the following Friday
Event crew, Saturday. Hours: 8.0 at $16.50. Gross pay for the event: $132.00.
- 2Fictional case material
Event crew schedule with job titles, posted the Wednesday before
Saturday event, 3:00–11:00 p.m. Crew: Gia (shift lead), Jordy and two other crew members. Setup, 3:00–5:00: all crew. Caption and audio check: Jordy. Closing, 10:00–11:00: all crew.
- 3Fictional case material
Jordy and Gia comparing notes, Sunday 1:15 p.m.
Gia: I’m fine with you knowing my rate. I just don’t want my statement posted anywhere.
Jordy: Got it. Did you do anything different as shift lead?
Gia: I opened up and handled one guest issue. Honestly, I don’t know if that’s why. We have a question, not a finding.
- 4Fictional case material
“We were both there till close. I want to know why the numbers differ. Not my statement in a post before we’ve even asked.”
Jordy, 20, event crew and caption editor
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What the shift-lead role officially involves and how rates are set, whether Gia’s higher rate reflects experience or other criteria, how other crew members are paid, and whether the company has any written pay policy.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Youth@Work: Pay DiscriminationSummary, not a quotation: the EEOC explains that the Equal Pay Act requires men and women to be paid equally for the same work at the same workplace, that other laws it enforces bar pay discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age (40 or older) or genetic information, that compensation includes wages, overtime, bonuses and benefits, and that retaliation for complaining is prohibited.
Real sourceNational Labor Relations Board, Your Right to Discuss WagesSummary, not a quotation: the NLRB says that for employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act, employers may not have rules banning wage discussions or requiring permission for them, and may not punish, question, threaten or monitor employees for such discussions, whether or not they have a union.
articleThe U.S. national women's soccer team wins $24 million in equal pay settlementNPR, 2022-02-22A real ‘same work, different pay’ dispute that ended in a settlement and a promise of equal rates.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Same moment, different accounts
Line up the accounts. Where do they agree, where do they differ, and which difference could be a legitimate factor? What would you need to find out before calling it unfair?
Jordy’s record: 8 hours, setup, caption and audio check, closing, $16.50
Gia’s account: same hours, setup and closing, opened up and handled one guest issue, $18.00
The schedule: Gia listed as shift lead, with no description of the role
Where they agree
Where they differ
Check: Ask the supervisor how rates are set and what the shift-lead role requires
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Build a private comparison sheet and draft Jordy’s message to the supervisor.
Comparison sheet: Jordy worked the Saturday event, 3 to 11 p.m.: setup, the caption and audio check, and closing, at $16.50 an hour. Gia worked the same event and hours, setup and closing, at $18.00. The schedule lists Gia as “shift lead.” Message: Hi Dana, I have a question about my rate for Saturday’s event. I worked 3 to 11 p.m., did setup and closing, and ran the caption and audio check1. My statement shows $16.50 an hour2, and I know Gia was paid $18.00 for the same shift3. Could you explain how rates are set for event crew, and what the shift-lead role involves4? Thanks, Jordy
- 1Precise hours and duties: the facts the supervisor needs to compare roles.
- 2Good: Jordy states their own record, which is theirs to share.
- 3Revise: this names a coworker and her pay without her permission. Jordy can raise the question without exposing Gia’s information.
- 4Strong: the question targets the one legitimate factor that might explain the difference.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeMy statement shows $16.50 an hour, and I know Gia was paid $18.00 for the same shift.
AfterMy statement shows $16.50 an hour, and I understand another worker on the same shift was paid a higher rate.
The revision keeps the question specific while respecting that Gia’s pay is hers to share, which also keeps the conversation about criteria rather than about a coworker.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Build a private comparison sheet and draft Jordy’s message to the supervisor.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Know how pay decisions are made where you work.
Case 12
A protest is not one legal question
When does a school get to limit what students say?
Students speak up at school through shirts, posters, walkouts and posts, and they often hear either “you have free speech” or “you have no rights here.” Both are too simple, and knowing how precedent really works helps students speak effectively without walking into avoidable trouble.
In the real world
- PBS NewsHour, 2021Student free speech makes it to the Supreme Court in former high school cheerleader's case
- PBS NewsHour (Associated Press), 2021Supreme Court rules in favor of cheerleader who published critical social media post in First Amendment case
- You’ll make
- Brief, 300–400 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
AnikaThe feeling is real. But “free speech, end of story” isn’t a fact pattern. What did the poster say, where did it go up, and under whose rule?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Anika’s poster, first version, printed Tuesday 3:15 p.m.
“KEEP OUR LIBRARY OPEN AT LUNCH. Wear blue Thursday.” A photo of the school’s sign and logo runs across the top. No student name or group appears anywhere on the poster.
- 2Fictional case material
§ Student handbook, posting policy, p. 14 (illustrative excerpt)
Students may post materials on the student bulletin boards outside the cafeteria and the library. Materials must be approved by the main office and must show the name of the student or group responsible.
- 3Fictional case material
Group chat suggesting a walkout, Wednesday 9:02 p.m.
“If they take the poster down we walk out Thursday. Tinker says they can’t touch us.”
Reply: “Wait, wear blue AND walk out??”
- 4Fictional case material
“I put the school sign across the top because it looked good. Now it reads like the school is announcing it. It isn’t.”
Mateo, 22, did the photo and layout
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What the attendance policy says about leaving class, whether the school has objected to the poster or only might, whether the people shown in the photo agreed to its use, and what process the school follows before any discipline.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Courts, Facts and Case Summary: Tinker v. Des MoinesSummary, not a quotation: public-school students were suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled for the students, reasoning that a school could not restrict their expression because of a mere fear of disruption.
Real sourceTinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969), majority opinion“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” … “But, in our system, undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression.”
videoStudent free speech makes it to the Supreme Court in former high school cheerleader's casePBS NewsHour, 2021-04-28Explains the Snapchat case the Court used to ask when a school can punish off-campus student speech.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Test the slogan against the facts. Which evidence supports each claim, which challenges it, and which fact would you still need?
| Evidence | Claim 1Tinker means nobody can face consequences for walking out. | Claim 2The wear-blue plan closely matches Tinker’s facts. | Claim 3The poster should carry a student byline instead of the school logo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tinker’s facts: silent armbands, no substantial disruption, a public school | |||
| 2A walkout means leaving class, which falls under the attendance rule | |||
| 3The logo photo makes the poster look like school-sponsored speech |
Still open
- What does the attendance policy say, and what process follows?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a fact-pattern brief comparing Tinker with the wear-blue plan and the walkout.
Facts: In Tinker (1969), public-school students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended. Rule: The Supreme Court said students keep free-speech rights at school unless their expression would substantially disrupt school or invade others’ rights1. Application: Anika’s wear-blue Thursday plan is a lot like the armbands. It is silent and doesn’t stop class, so Tinker probably protects it.2 The walkout is also protected because it is a protest just like Tinker.3 Open questions: We don’t know what the attendance policy says4 or whether the school would count a walkout as a disruption. We also need to know whether the school has any rule about clothing.
- 1Accurate rule, including the limit most first drafts leave out.
- 2Good application: the writer matches specific facts and says “probably” instead of promising a legal outcome.
- 3Revise: leaving class is conduct under an attendance rule, which Tinker does not settle. Calling both “protest” hides the fact that changes the question.
- 4Strong open question: it names the exact missing fact that would decide the walkout issue.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe walkout is also protected because it is a protest just like Tinker.
AfterThe walkout is different: the message may be similar, but leaving class is conduct covered by the attendance policy, so Tinker alone doesn’t answer it.
The revision separates the message from the action, which is the distinction the case turns on.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a fact-pattern brief comparing Tinker with the wear-blue plan and the walkout.
Version A What it says or shows
Version B Same moment, told differently
The difference that matters What does one version leave out, add or frame differently?
Who would react differently, and why
Take it off the page
Read your school’s expression policy before you print.
Case 13
Before it reaches the bin
Could the crew make less waste before anyone reaches the recycling bin?
Cities spend public money collecting and managing waste, and the costs of landfills and pollution don’t land evenly on every neighborhood. Students who look upstream at what gets bought and reused can make real changes at school events and ask better questions of their local government.
In the real world
- NPR, 2018Starbucks To Eliminate Plastic Straws In Its Stores By 2020
- NPR, 2018Why People With Disabilities Want Bans On Plastic Straws To Be More Flexible
- You’ll make
- Proposal, 250–350 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
DecHalf this box is packaging around tiny parts. Before we redo the recycling sign, can we just order smarter?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Screening supply list, last Friday’s event
Single-use cups (plastic-lined paper, labeled “recyclable”): about 120. Paper plates: 80. Printed flyers: 150. Paper straws, on request: 40. Folding chairs: borrowed from the bookshop.
- 2Fictional case material
Parts order with packaging, delivered Tuesday to the theater shop
Three separate orders of small LED connectors and switches, placed over one week and delivered together: one full box, about half of it plastic air pillows and foam around tiny parts.
- 3Fictional case material
§ City accepted-materials list, current sanitation guide (illustrative)
Accepted in recycling: metal cans, glass bottles and jars, rigid plastic bottles and containers, flattened cardboard. Not accepted: plastic-lined paper cups, plastic bags and film, foam, items labeled compostable.
- 4Fictional case material
“Half this box is packaging around tiny parts. Before we redo the recycling sign, can we just order smarter?”
Dec, 17, theater crew - 5Fictional case material
“Before anyone says this saves money or energy, what are we counting? Washing takes water and time too.”
Anika, 16, theater tech crew
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
How many cups washable reuse would actually replace, what washing costs in water and volunteer time, whether the bookshop can lend cups every time, and where the city’s trash and recycling actually go.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Materials Management: Non-Hazardous Materials and Waste Management HierarchySummary, not a quotation: EPA ranks approaches from most to least environmentally preferred as source reduction and reuse, then recycling and composting, then energy recovery, then treatment and disposal, while noting that no single approach suits all materials and circumstances.
articleStarbucks To Eliminate Plastic Straws In Its Stores By 2020NPR, 2018-07-09A throwback to a company cutting waste at the counter, before anything reached a bin.
articleWhy People With Disabilities Want Bans On Plastic Straws To Be More FlexibleNPR, 2018-07-11The access problem a waste rule can create, and an exemption advocates said few people seemed to know about.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
If this, then what?
Follow each choice to its consequences, including new costs. Which consequence would you measure first, and what would count as success?
Keep buying “recyclable” single-use cups
About 120 cups go to the trash because the city does not accept them
Borrow washable cups and run a wash station
Fewer cups in the trash, if people use the washable ones
Check: Count cups and bags after the next event and compare with last timeNew costs: water, washing time and volunteers
Check: Count cups and bags after the next event and compare with last time
Combine parts orders into one shipment
Less packaging arrives before anything reaches a bin
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a proposal to the event organizers for one purchasing change, with a measurement plan.
Proposal: Replace most single-use cups at the next screening. Last Friday we used about 120 single-use cups2, and the city’s accepted-materials list doesn’t take that kind of cup1, so they all went to the trash even though they say “recyclable.” We propose borrowing 60 washable cups from the bookshop and running a wash station. We’ll keep compostable cups available for anyone who needs a disposable one3, like people who can’t use a heavy cup. This change will definitely save money and cut our waste in half.4 To measure it, we’ll count the cups used and thrown away after the event and compare with last time.
- 1Strong: the writer checks the local rule instead of trusting the label.
- 2Good use of a count as the baseline for the proposal.
- 3Good: the access concern is built into the plan rather than added as an afterthought.
- 4Revise: nothing has been measured yet, and washing has costs of its own. Say what you expect and let the count after the event decide.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThis change will definitely save money and cut our waste in half.
AfterWe expect fewer cups in the trash, but we won’t claim savings until we compare the counts and the cost of running the wash station.
The revision matches the claim to the evidence and names a cost the original sentence ignored, which makes the proposal more credible to organizers.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a proposal to the event organizers for one purchasing change, with a measurement plan.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Change one thing before the next event.
Case 14
Credit is not the whole copyright answer
If you credit the artist, can you use their track in your film?
Students remix music, clips and images every day, and many believe credit or “only ten seconds” makes any use okay. Understanding how U.S. copyright and fair use actually work lets creators share their projects without getting taken down, and respect other creators too.
In the real world
- CrashCourse (YouTube), 2015Copyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3
- NPR, 2023Supreme Court sides against Andy Warhol Foundation in copyright infringement case
- You’ll make
- Analysis, 300–400 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
CaioCalma, Mateo. The sample makes the scene, I know. But “we credited them” isn’t a reason I can explain. Let’s check the license first.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Caio’s rough cut, Friday 9:40 p.m. (edit timeline)
0:00–0:18 crew footage, no music. 0:18–0:38 sampled track, pitched up slightly, under the setup montage. 0:38–1:52 crew footage and interviews. 1:40–1:46 a 6-second clip downloaded from a stitched TikTok post.
- 2Fictional case material
Mateo in the crew chat, Friday 10:02 p.m.
“We’ll credit them in the caption. Post tonight?”
- 3Fictional case material
“Calma, Mateo. The sample makes the scene, I know. But “we credited them” isn’t a reason I can explain. Let’s check the license first.”
Caio, 24, editor and film-night organizer - 4Fictional case material
Rights log template, started Saturday morning
Columns: element, who made it, where it came from, permission or license and date. Row 1: setup-montage music, the recording artist, a streaming download, permission unknown. Row 2: 6-second clip, a TikTok creator, downloaded from TikTok, permission unknown.
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether the track has any license that covers this use, which part of the song the 20 seconds come from, where the film will be shown, and what the TikTok creator agreed to when the clip was posted.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Copyright Office, Fair Use Index overview pageSummary, not a quotation: the Copyright Office explains that fair use is decided case by case with four factors (purpose and character of the use, nature of the copyrighted work, amount and substantiality of the portion used, and effect on the potential market), that no formula guarantees a set amount may be used without permission, and that even a small portion can weigh against fair use if it is the heart of the work.
Real sourceU.S. Copyright Office, Fair Use Index summary of Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith (2023)Summary, not a quotation: the Supreme Court held that the first factor did not favor fair use for the specific licensing use at issue, because that use shared substantially the same purpose as the original photograph and was commercial; a new look or meaning alone did not settle the question.
videoCopyright, Exceptions, and Fair Use: Crash Course Intellectual Property #3CrashCourse (YouTube), 2015-05-07Explains why giving credit is not the same as permission, and how fair use is weighed.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Test the crew’s two assumptions against the sources. Which evidence knocks each one down, and what single check could still make the plan work?
| Evidence | Claim 1Crediting the artist makes the use okay. | Claim 2Twenty seconds is short enough to be fair use. |
|---|---|---|
| 1Credit names the creator but grants no permission | ||
| 2Copyright Office: no formula makes a set amount safe; the heart of a work matters | ||
| 3The sample is background mood, not commentary on the song | ||
| 4Stitch permission applies inside TikTok, not to a downloaded clip in another film |
Still open
- Does any license cover this use? Check before posting.
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a four-factor analysis of the crew’s planned use and recommend a path.
Factor 1, purpose: We’re using about 20 seconds of the song as background mood for our recap, not to comment on the song, so this factor probably weighs against fair use1. Factor 2, nature of the work: The song is a creative recording, which also weighs against us. Factor 3, amount: 20 seconds is a small part, so this factor is fine because anything under 30 seconds is allowed2. Factor 4, market effect: Using it for free as background music could replace a license the artist might sell3. Recommendation: Credit doesn’t equal permission, and Stitch only works inside TikTok4, so we should swap in a licensed track or record our own before posting.
- 1Accurate reading of purpose, with an honest “probably” instead of a verdict.
- 2Revise: there is no safe number of seconds. The Copyright Office says no formula guarantees that a set amount may be used, and even a small portion can count against fair use if it is the heart of the work.
- 3Strong: the writer connects market effect to how artists actually earn from music.
- 4Good: platform permission is correctly limited to the platform.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeFactor 3, amount: 20 seconds is a small part, so this factor is fine because anything under 30 seconds is allowed.
AfterFactor 3, amount: 20 seconds is a small part of the song, but the factor also weighs which part is used, and if it is the song’s most recognizable hook, that could count against us.
The revision replaces a myth with the actual factor, which weighs both how much and which part is used.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a four-factor analysis of the crew’s planned use and recommend a path.
Option 1 What would it do?
Option 2 And this one?
My call One sentence.
Because the evidence shows Point to a numbered item in the case file.
Who pays for this choice
What would change my mind
Take it off the page
Start a rights log for your next project.
Case 15
Internship, or someone’s unpaid job?
When is an unpaid internship really a job that should be paid?
Internships open doors, but unpaid ones favor people who can afford to work for free, and some “internships” are just unpaid jobs. Knowing the questions the law asks helps students ages 16–24 evaluate an offer before they give it a summer.
In the real world
- PBS NewsHour (YouTube), 2023Why unpaid internships still exist despite hardships for young workers
- NPR, 2013Internships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?
- You’ll make
- Questions sheet plus 150-word summary
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
RafaSige, I want the experience. I also work at the shop. So what would I actually learn, and who’s teaching me?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Studio internship listing, posted on the campus job board in April
“Summer Editing Intern (unpaid). Join our fast-paced studio! You’ll run the customer inbox all summer, help with client files and get great exposure to the industry. College credit available.”
- 2Fictional case material
Studio reply to Rafa, Tuesday 11:20 a.m.
“Thanks for your interest, Rafa! Since interns get college credit, it’s totally legal for us not to pay. We’d love for you to start right after finals.”
- 3Fictional case material
Gia and Rafa talking it through, Tuesday lunch
Gia: Didn’t they pay someone to do the inbox last year?
Rafa: Yeah, their assistant.
Gia: And it’s your summer, not theirs. What about your shifts at the shop?
- 4Fictional case material
“Sige, I want the experience. I also work at the shop. So what would I actually learn, and who’s teaching me?”
Rafa, 18, first-year commuter who works at his family’s shop
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What training and supervision the studio actually provides, how many hours a week the role takes, whether Rafa’s school will grant credit, and how many paid shifts at the family shop Rafa would give up.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards ActSummary, not a quotation: for-profit employers use the “primary beneficiary test” to decide whether an intern is an employee who must be paid under the FLSA. The fact sheet lists seven factors, including whether the internship is tied to formal education or academic credit and whether the intern’s work complements rather than displaces paid employees, and says the test is flexible with no single factor determinative.
videoWhy unpaid internships still exist despite hardships for young workersPBS NewsHour (YouTube), 2023-08-26Reports that nearly half of U.S. interns were unpaid in 2022 and who can afford to take those jobs.
articleInternships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?NPR, 2013-05-18Explains when an unpaid internship can break wage law, using the ‘Black Swan’ intern lawsuit.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Test the studio’s claim against the factor list. Which evidence points toward training, which toward a job, and what is still unknown?
| Evidence | Claim 1College credit makes the unpaid internship legal. | Claim 2The role looks more like a job than training. |
|---|---|---|
| 1DOL: credit is one of seven factors, and no single factor decides | ||
| 2The listing: Rafa runs the customer inbox all summer | ||
| 3A paid assistant ran the inbox last year | ||
| 4The role is openly unpaid and offers credit (factors 1 and 3) |
Still open
- Is there a learning plan, and who supervises?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Turn the seven DOL factors into an internship questions sheet, fill it in with the studio’s answers and write a 150-word summary.
Summary: Using the seven factors, Rafa’s internship looks more like a job than training. The studio says it’s unpaid and gives college credit, so factors 1 and 3 point toward an internship1. But the listing says Rafa would run the customer inbox all summer, and a paid assistant did that job last year, so factor 6 points toward a job2 because he would be replacing a worker. We don’t know about training or supervision because the studio didn’t answer that question.3 Since the studio says credit makes it legal, and credit is one of the factors, the internship is probably legal.4 Rafa should ask for a written learning plan and the weekly hours before he decides.
- 1Accurate and fair: the writer credits the evidence that cuts the other way instead of ignoring it.
- 2Strong: specific evidence tied to the displacement factor.
- 3Good: unknowns are marked as unknown rather than guessed.
- 4Revise: this repeats the studio’s claim and contradicts the summary’s own reasoning. No single factor decides the test, and the displacement evidence points the other way.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeSince the studio says credit makes it legal, and credit is one of the factors, the internship is probably legal.
AfterCredit is only one factor, and no single factor decides the test, so the studio’s answer doesn’t settle it.
The revision matches the conclusion to the flexible test and to the writer’s own evidence instead of adopting the employer’s claim.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Turn the seven DOL factors into an internship questions sheet and fill it in with the studio’s answers.
Item 1: what it shows, and what it doesn’t
Item 2: what it shows, and what it doesn’t
Item 3: what it shows, and what it doesn’t
What I can actually claim
Take it off the page
Ask what the work is before you accept it.
Case 16
“It’s our policy” is not the end
When a new building rule appears, who wrote it and who does it affect?
Housing rules decide whether people can work, gather and get in and out of their own homes, and renters often have less power than whoever posts the notice. Asking who issued a rule and how it lands on different residents is how neighbors protect each other without spreading rumors.
In the real world
- Gothamist, 2019Brooklyn Landlord Does An About Face On Facial Recognition Plan
- HUD (YouTube), 2014The Federal Fair Housing Act and Reasonable Accommodations
- You’ll make
- Message, 90–130 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
SamiI’m not canceling my workshop over an unsigned notice. I’m also not ignoring it. Who wrote it, and how do I get in after eight?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Unsigned notice beside the common-room door, found Monday morning
“NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS. Effective immediately, the rear door will be locked at 8:00 p.m. nightly. The common room is for resident social use only. NO BUSINESS USE.” No issuer, date or contact appears on the page.
- 2Fictional case material
§ Building house rules, last year’s version, distributed at lease signing (illustrative excerpt)
“Residents may reserve the common room for gatherings, classes and resident-run workshops. Reservations are made through the building office.”
- 3Fictional case material
Building entrance plan from the lobby directory
Front entrance: four steps, no ramp. Rear door: step-free, opens to the elevator hallway. Side door: service use only.
- 4Fictional case material
“Rear door locked at 8. That’s the only door I can get through. My workshop runs later. So, questions. Plural.”
Sami, 23, lives in 3B and runs a workshop in the common room - 5Fictional case material
“All caps, bold, no name, no date. That’s a design choice. It isn’t authority.”
Caio, 24, reading last year’s house rules beside the notice
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Who issued the notice and why, whether it replaces or adds to the house rules, what Sami’s lease says, whether there has been a security problem at the rear door, and how the building handles accommodation requests.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Housing Act overviewSummary, not a quotation: HUD’s overview lists the characteristics the Fair Housing Act protects (race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability) and says housing discrimination is illegal in nearly all housing, including private, public and federally funded housing.
articleBrooklyn Landlord Does An About Face On Facial Recognition PlanGothamist, 2019-11-21A throwback about a door rule: the landlord needed state permission to change how tenants got in, and tenants used that process to object.
videoThe Federal Fair Housing Act and Reasonable AccommodationsHUD (YouTube), 2014-01-31HUD explains how a person with a disability can ask for an exception to a building rule.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Map who made this rule, which rules it has to fit, who it affects and where residents can take a question. Which box is still empty?
Lock the rear door at 8 p.m. and ban business use of the common room
Unknown issuer: the owner, the manager or someone else?
Last year’s house rules allowed resident-run workshops
Fair Housing Act: disability is a protected characteristic
Sami and other residents who need the only step-free entrance
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write Sami’s message to the building manager asking about the rule and requesting access after 8 p.m.
Hi, I’m Sami in 3B. On Monday I saw a new notice by the common-room door. It says the rear door will be locked after 8 p.m. and that business use of the room is banned.1 I use a wheelchair, and the rear door is the building’s only step-free entrance2. If it’s locked, I can’t get into my own building at night. This notice is illegal under the Fair Housing Act, so please take it down.3 Also, who issued the notice, and does it replace last year’s house rules, which allowed resident workshops?4 Thank you, Sami
- 1Accurate summary of the notice, so the manager can see exactly which parts Sami means.
- 2Strong: a concrete, checkable fact about access, taken from the entrance plan.
- 3Revise: the facts don’t establish a violation yet, and removing the notice wouldn’t guarantee Sami’s access. Ask for an accommodation instead.
- 4Good question about authority: it points to a specific document the manager can check.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThis notice is illegal under the Fair Housing Act, so please take it down.
AfterI’d like to request an accommodation so I can get in after 8, such as a key fob for the rear door.
A specific accommodation request is something the manager can say yes to, and it keeps the legal question open instead of declaring an answer.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write Sami’s message to the building manager asking about the rule and requesting access after 8 p.m.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Ask who wrote the rule before you argue about it.
Case 17
A good choice for whom?
Ten free seats, thirty people who want one. How should the crew decide?
Clubs, schools and governments constantly decide who gets limited seats, money or time, and every method helps some people and costs others. Students who can name the trade-off out loud make fairer decisions and can challenge unfair ones without pretending there’s a perfect answer.
In the real world
- NPR, 2020The Ethics Of Who Gets The COVID-19 Vaccine And When
- Scientific American, 2020How to Decide Who Should Get a COVID-19 Vaccine First
- You’ll make
- Decision note, 150 words
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
AnikaI’m not asking the plan to revolve around me. I’m asking you to count the cost instead of saying nobody loses.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Workshop sign-up sheet, opened Monday 9 a.m.
“Free workshop: 10 seats. Add your name to show interest. How seats will be chosen: to be announced.” Thirty names by Wednesday; the first 22 were added before 10 a.m. on Monday.
- 2Fictional case material
Crew dinner debate thread, Sunday 8:30 p.m.
Gia: first come is easiest to run, we just take the top ten.
Anika: I’m at rehearsal most days, I’d see it after it’s full.
Mateo: lottery?
Gia: then we need a sign-up window and someone to run the drawing.
- 3Fictional case material
Three selection options on the whiteboard, Sunday night
A. First come, first served: fast to run; favors whoever sees it first. B. Lottery after a three-day sign-up: equal chance for everyone; needs a sign-up window and a drawing. C. Needs-based rubric: prioritizes people who can’t afford the paid version; needs personal information and someone to judge it.
- 4Fictional case material
“No. I want the group to count the effect instead of saying nobody loses. Then we can look for an adjustment.”
Anika, 16, balancing rehearsal and getting home
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
How many of the thirty applicants have the greatest need, whether a second session is possible, who would see personal information under a needs-based rubric, and how the twenty people without seats would like to be told.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceMarkkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, A Framework for Ethical Decision MakingSummary, not a quotation: the framework suggests examining a decision through several ethical lenses, such as its consequences, the rights it respects, whether it treats people justly, the common good, virtue and care, and notes that the lenses can point in different directions.
articleThe Ethics Of Who Gets The COVID-19 Vaccine And WhenNPR, 2020-12-20A bioethicist explains how leaders chose who went first when there wasn’t enough for everyone.
articleHow to Decide Who Should Get a COVID-19 Vaccine FirstScientific American, 2020-09-03Lays out competing criteria such as risk, fairness and benefit, the same lenses the crew uses.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
If this, then what?
Follow each method to its consequences. Who carries the cost under each one, and what makes the chosen process legitimate to the twenty who lose?
First come, first served
The ten fastest responders get seats; people at rehearsal or work see the sign-up late
Lottery after a three-day sign-up
Each of the thirty has the same chance, and need is not considered
Needs-based rubric
Those with the greatest need are prioritized; applicants must share personal information
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a 150-word decision note defending one option, its strongest objection and one revision, using two ethical lenses.
We should use a lottery after a three-day sign-up. Looking at fairness, a lottery gives all thirty people the same chance1, while first-come, first-served rewards whoever sees the message first, which is unfair to people like Anika who can’t check their phones during rehearsal2. Looking at consequences, a lottery also makes the most people happy, because everyone will feel they had a fair shot3. The strongest objection is that a lottery ignores need: someone who can’t afford the paid version of the workshop has the same chance as someone who can4. To reduce that cost, we will run a second free session for the twenty people who don’t get in. We would rethink this if we can’t actually run a second session.
- 1Accurate use of the fairness lens: it names exactly what the method treats equally.
- 2Strong: a concrete cost of the alternative, tied to a person in the case.
- 3Revise: this guesses at feelings. Under the consequences lens, a lottery still leaves twenty people without seats, so name the outcomes it actually produces.
- 4Good: the writer states the strongest objection at full strength instead of a weak version.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeLooking at consequences, a lottery also makes the most people happy, because everyone will feel they had a fair shot.
AfterLooking at consequences, every method seats exactly ten people, so the real difference is which ten; a lottery spreads the chance evenly but does nothing extra for those with the greatest need.
The revision applies the consequences lens to actual outcomes rather than predicted feelings, and it sets up the objection that follows.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write a 150-word decision note defending one option, its strongest objection and one revision.
Option 1 What would it do?
Option 2 And this one?
My call One sentence.
Because the evidence shows Point to a numbered item in the case file.
Who pays for this choice
What would change my mind
Take it off the page
Ask how your school decides who gets limited spots.
Case 18
Follow the school money
The district budget is huge. Why is the theater curtain still falling apart?
School budgets decide which rooms get repaired, which programs survive and how many adults are in the building, and students are rarely told where to ask. Learning to read a budget’s year, stage and units turns “where did the money go?” into a question a school board can actually answer.
In the real world
- NPR, 2016Why America's Schools Have A Money Problem
- Chalkbeat, 2026A financial reckoning is hitting America’s public schools
- You’ll make
- Correction post (80–120 words) plus worked calculation
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
MariAy, bendito, that curtain. Okay, before we get mad at the big number, which line is supposed to fix it?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
District proposed budget, facilities excerpt, posted in spring for next school year
PROPOSED BUDGET, NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. Total proposed budget: $48,000,000. Projected enrollment: 3,200 students. Facilities, building repairs (all schools): $310,000. Note: figures are proposed and may change before the board adopts the budget.
- 2Fictional case material
Social post comparing two districts, shared Tuesday 6:10 p.m.
“Our district: $48 MILLION. Westbrook: $21,000 per student. And they can’t fix ONE curtain?? Where is the money going?”
- 3Fictional case material
Facilities repair quote issued to the theater advisor
Stage curtain replacement, main auditorium: remove the torn curtain, supply and install a flame-retardant replacement. Total: $6,800.
- 4Fictional case material
“Forty-eight million dollars, and the curtain still won’t close. Ay, bendito. I want to ask about that without pretending the total answers it.”
Mari, 19, helping younger neighbors prepare a budget question - 5Fictional case material
“I pull that curtain every show. It doesn’t close all the way anymore. That part I can show you.”
Dec, 17, theater crew, pulls the curtain every show
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether stage equipment falls under the building-repairs line or another one, how the district ranks repair requests, Westbrook’s budget year and stage, and what the board finally adopts after public comment.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceNational Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education: Public School Revenue SourcesSummary, not a quotation: NCES reports public school revenue by federal, state and local source, and its data show that the mix of sources differs from state to state.
articleWhy America's Schools Have A Money ProblemNPR, 2016-04-18Explains how local property taxes make school budgets very different from one district to the next.
articleA financial reckoning is hitting America’s public schoolsChalkbeat, 2026-05-28Big districts are making cuts, showing how a huge budget can still leave little for extras like a stage curtain.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Trace the curtain request from the photo to the vote. Who ranks it, who adopts the budget, which rules limit them, and where can students speak?
Fund the $6,800 curtain replacement next year
The elected local school board, which adopts the budget
The facilities office, which ranks repair requests (how is still unknown)
State and federal rules and funding streams set limits on district budgets
Proposed building-repairs line: $310,000 for all schools
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Correct a misleading social post that compares mismatched budget figures, then write a better comparison with a worked calculation.
Correction: A post going around says our district has $48 million and Westbrook spends $21,000 per student, so we’re being shortchanged. Those numbers can’t be compared.1 The $48 million is our district’s total proposed budget for next year, and the Westbrook number is per student. To compare fairly, divide our total by our projected enrollment: $48,000,000 ÷ 3,200 students = $15,000 per student2. So our district spends less per student, which proves we are underfunded3. We also need to check that both numbers are for the same year and the same stage4, proposed or adopted. Source: district proposed budget, next school year.
- 1Clear diagnosis stated up front, before any math.
- 2Correct calculation that turns the total into a comparable unit, with the work shown.
- 3Revise: per-pupil figures cannot settle adequacy on their own. Costs, student needs and budget categories differ between districts, and a proposed budget is not spending.
- 4Strong: the writer names the remaining conditions for a fair comparison.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeSo our district spends less per student, which proves we are underfunded.
AfterSo our district’s proposed budget works out to less per student than Westbrook’s figure, but that alone can’t tell us whether either district has enough for its students’ needs.
The revision keeps the useful comparison while separating what the numbers show from a conclusion about adequacy they cannot support.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Correct a misleading social post that compares mismatched budget figures, then write a better comparison.
Version A What it says or shows
Version B Same moment, told differently
The difference that matters What does one version leave out, add or frame differently?
Who would react differently, and why
Take it off the page
Find one line in your school’s budget.
Case 19
Give your comment a destination
How do you make a public comment that actually lands?
City councils, school boards and agencies make decisions about parks, buses and schools in meetings anyone can attend, but most people never find the agenda. A short, specific comment in the right place can be one of the most direct ways a young person, including one too young to vote, takes part in local government.
In the real world
- Chalkbeat Philadelphia, 2026‘Not what democracy is all about’: Philly students slam school leaders’ approach to school closures
- Chalkbeat Newark, 2025How a Newark student coalition is using its own research to press for change in schools
- You’ll make
- 90-second comment plus a 100-word cutting note
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
GiaI wrote three pages. The limit is two minutes. Okay: item four, what I saw, why it matters, what I’m asking. Time me.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Parks committee agenda, Tuesday 6 p.m., item 4
Item 4. Evening court hours. Proposal to turn off the court lights and close the lighted courts at 8:00 p.m. Background: complaints about evening noise from nearby residents. Action: committee recommendation to the full council.
- 2Fictional case material
§ Public comment instructions posted with the agenda
Sign up to speak by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Each speaker has 2 minutes. Written comments may be submitted before the meeting. Comments and speakers’ names become part of the public record.
- 3Fictional case material
Gia’s three-page draft, Monday night (excerpt)
“The park is really important to everyone and closing it is a terrible idea. I go there all the time with my friends… You guys never listen to young people. Please don’t close the park.”
- 4Fictional case material
“The courts are good for the neighborhood, but the noise late in the evening carries into our apartment. We have kids with school in the morning.”
Written comment from a nearby resident, submitted before the meeting (illustrative) - 5Fictional case material
“What is the one thing you want them to answer?”
Mateo, 22, helping Gia prepare
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
How many residents have complained and when the noise occurs, whether any compromise hours were considered, how the full council usually treats committee recommendations, and the views of court users who cannot attend a 6 p.m. meeting.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceSeattle City Council, Public CommentSummary, not a quotation: the page describes hybrid comment in person or by phone, registration before the meeting, up to 2 minutes per speaker, written comments by email, and comment on items on the agenda and within the committee’s purview.
article‘Not what democracy is all about’: Philly students slam school leaders’ approach to school closuresChalkbeat Philadelphia, 2026-04-03Students testified at board meetings and used district data, real public comment with a clear destination.
articleHow a Newark student coalition is using its own research to press for change in schoolsChalkbeat Newark, 2025-11-26Teens brought evidence and specific requests to their school board, the formula this case teaches.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Follow a comment from the speaker to the final decision. Which body hears it, which body decides, and whose concerns reach the room?
Turn off the court lights at 8 p.m.?
Full council: takes the final action
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Cut Gia’s long draft into a 90-second comment, then write a note explaining what you cut and why.
Comment: Good evening. I’m Gia, and I live two blocks from the park. I’m here about item 4, the proposal to turn off the court lights at 8 p.m.1 On weekday evenings I’ve counted twenty to thirty people on the courts between 8 and 92. My friend works late and is going through a lot at home3, so this is her only time to play. Please keep the lights on until 9 on weekdays this summer. Thank you. Cutting note: I cut the part about the committee never listening to young people, because it didn’t ask them for anything4. I cut the long history of the park so the comment fits in two minutes.
- 1A precise destination: the item number and the exact proposal tell the committee what the comment is about.
- 2Strong evidence: a specific, first-hand observation tied to the hours in question.
- 3Revise: this is someone else’s private story, and it would stay in the public record. Keep the point that people work late without the personal detail.
- 4Good reasoning in the note: the cut is justified by purpose, not only by length.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeMy friend works late and is going through a lot at home, so this is her only time to play.
AfterMany of us work until evening, so after 8 is the only time we can play.
The revision keeps the reason that matters to the committee while protecting a friend’s privacy in a permanent record.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Cut Gia’s long draft into a 90-second comment, then write a note explaining what you cut and why.
Item 1: what it shows, and what it doesn’t
Item 2: what it shows, and what it doesn’t
Item 3: what it shows, and what it doesn’t
What I can actually claim
Take it off the page
Find your next local agenda.
Case 20
Looks real. What proves it?
A realistic image says the courtyard flooded today. What would it take to post that as true?
Generated and recycled images now move through group chats as fast as real ones, and organizations that repost them lose trust quickly. Students who can write an honest verification note, including “we can’t confirm this yet,” protect their audience and their own credibility.
In the real world
- NPR, 2023Fake viral images of an explosion at the Pentagon were probably created by AI
- CNN, 2023‘Verified’ Twitter accounts share fake image of ‘explosion’ near Pentagon, causing confusion
- You’ll make
- Note (50–80 words) plus 120-word rationale
- Time
- About 50 minutes
- Level
- Grades 9–10
JordyI wanted a clean yes or no for the recap. “We can’t verify it yet” is less fun. It’s also what’s true.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Courtyard flood image with caption, shared Wednesday 2:48 p.m.
Image, described: a photo-like view of the campus courtyard with water over the paving and benches; a person in the foreground holds up a phone.
Caption: “Courtyard flooded today, stay away.” No link, no date on the image and no original poster named.
- 2Fictional case material
Sami’s zoom-in of the hand, crew chat, Wednesday 3:02 p.m.
Zoomed screenshot of the foreground hand: the fingers seem to merge at the knuckles.
Sami: “The hand is weird. But who posted this first? That’s what I want to know.”
- 3Fictional case material
Reply in the crew chat, Wednesday 3:05 p.m.
“My roommate’s friend said she saw water near the library earlier.”
- 4Fictional case material
Result from a free online image detector (illustrative)
“12% likely AI-generated.”
- 5Fictional case material
Campus facilities alerts page, checked Wednesday 3:10 p.m.
“No active alerts. Last update: Monday, 9:15 a.m. Scheduled elevator maintenance in Science Hall, completed.”
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Who first posted the image and when, whether it shows this courtyard on this day, whether anyone with a dated photo saw water, and how quickly the facilities page would report a same-day flood.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceNational Institute of Standards and Technology, Reducing Risks Posed by Synthetic Content: An Overview of Technical Approaches to Digital Content TransparencySummary, not a quotation: NIST describes approaches such as provenance data, labeling, watermarking and detection for synthetic content, and explains that each has technical limitations, so no single approach settles on its own whether content is synthetic.
articleFake viral images of an explosion at the Pentagon were probably created by AINPR, 2023-05-22A realistic fake image spread fast and briefly moved markets before officials confirmed nothing happened.
article‘Verified’ Twitter accounts share fake image of ‘explosion’ near Pentagon, causing confusionCNN, 2023-05-22A blue check was not proof: accounts that looked trustworthy still shared an image with no real source.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Two claims are in play: the flood and the image. Sort each piece of evidence under the claim it actually bears on. What would settle either one?
| Evidence | Claim 1The courtyard flooded today. | Claim 2The image was generated by AI. |
|---|---|---|
| 1The image shows water in a courtyard, with no date or source | ||
| 2Facilities alerts page at 3:10 p.m.: no active alerts | ||
| 3Secondhand report of water near the library | ||
| 4An odd hand and a 12% detector score |
Still open
- The image’s earliest source and date
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write the verification note Jordy posts instead of the image, plus a short explanation of your choices.
Verification note: We’ve seen the courtyard flood picture going around. We checked the campus facilities alerts page at 3:10 and it shows no flooding today1, and we couldn’t find who posted the image first2. The picture is fake, so please ignore it.3 Check the official alerts page before you change plans. Why I wrote it this way: I didn’t repost the image because people would share it without reading the note. I listed what we checked so followers can check it too. The hand in the picture also looks weird, which shows it was made with AI4.
- 1Strong: a named source and a time, so followers can check it themselves.
- 2Honest about a gap in provenance, which is part of what was checked.
- 3Revise: the evidence shows the flood is unconfirmed, not that the image is fake. It could be a real photo from another day or place.
- 4Revise: an odd detail is a reason to look closer, not proof. Visual clues and detectors both have error rates.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe picture is fake, so please ignore it.
AfterWe can’t confirm the flood, so we’re not sharing the image as news, and we’ll update here by 6 p.m.
The revision reports exactly what the evidence supports and gives followers a time to check back, instead of a verdict the crew can’t defend.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
Grades 9–10
Write the verification note Jordy posts instead of the image, plus a one-paragraph explanation of your choices.
To A real role
How it gets there Email, comment, letter, DM
Opening Who you are and why you’re writing
The ask One clear request
Your evidence Two specifics beat five adjectives
Close What happens next
Take it off the page
Pause before you share an image as news.
A first take I changed What made you change it?
The evidence that moved me most
Something I want to do off the page Who would you talk to?
A question I still have
Use it in your tools
Take it into class.
Share it, schedule it or edit it in the apps your school already uses.