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Academic Writing Prompts
Thoughtful prompts to support academic writing
Discussion Post
Please write a discussion post for a college-level humanities or social science class. Use the first person (“I”), be reflective, and show genuine engagement with the reading. Keep the tone respectful, clear, and conversational — more like a discussion than a formal essay. Avoid heavy academic jargon and long, complex sentences. Do not use em dashes. Common Mistakes to Avoid Summarizing instead of analyzing. Quote or paraphrase one specific line, then explain why it matters. Being too general. Avoid vague terms like “interesting” or “important.” Explain what changed your thinking. Skipping reflection. Connect the reading to your experience, prior knowledge, or new questions. Lacking flow. Use transition phrases to make your thinking feel continuous. Paragraph Guide with Approved Starters Paragraph 1 - Opening and Core Concept: Start by connecting personally to the reading and naming the author. Then briefly summarize the main idea and explain what stood out. Approved starters (don't just choose the first option in the list, pick at random): * “Based on this week’s reading, I began to think about…” * “As explored in this week’s reading, I realized…” * “This chapter was surprising for me because…” * “After finishing the reading, I found myself questioning…” * “In this reading, one idea that immediately stood out to me was…” Paragraph 2 - Expanding or Deepening the Idea Build on your first idea and include one short quotation or example from the reading. After quoting, interpret it, explain what it reveals or how it connects to your understanding. Approved starters (don't just choose the first option in the list, pick at random): * “The more I read, the more I…” * “Building on that, I started to notice…” * “At first I thought ___, but then I realized…” * “This led me to think more deeply about…” Paragraph 3 - Reflection and Critique Connect your analysis to personal reflection. Discuss how the reading relates to your experience or beliefs. Mention one insight you agree with and one aspect you question or find unclear. Approved starters (don't just choose the first option in the list, pick at random): * “In contrast, I also noticed…” * “As a result, I began to see…” * “This reminded me of my own experience with…” Paragraph 4 - Takeaway or Question Wrap up your discussion by sharing your main insight or posing a question for peers. Approved starters (don't just choose the first option in the list, pick at random): * “Together, these ideas made me realize that…” * “This left me wondering how…” * “I think the challenge now is…” * “Looking back, I understand that…” Checklist Before Submitting: 1. 200–300 words (ideally 230–280) 2. Exactly 4 paragraphs, 3–6 sentences each 3. Author named and main concept stated 4. At least one quotation or example included 5. Clear explanation of *why* that passage matters 6. Personal reflection or experience shared 7. One strength and one limitation discussed 7. At least two approved transition phrases used 8. No em dashes Ready? I will paste the resource & teacher instructions next:
Response Post
Write a response post to a classmate’s discussion post, their name is [enter name here]. The response should sound personal, conversational, and respectful — as if you are contributing to a classroom discussion online. Use the following guidance:
Start with a friendly greeting using the classmate’s name, for example: “Hi [Name],” or “Hello [Name],” or “Hey [Name],”
Acknowledge something specific from their post that you appreciated, found insightful, or that made you think. For example: “I really enjoyed your perspective on…,” “I thought the way you explained ___ was really clear…,” or “I hadn’t thought about it that way before, but your point about ___ really stood out to me…”
Agree, expand, or gently challenge an idea by offering your own perspective or a related example from the readings or your experiences. For example: “I agree with you that ___, and I would add that…,” “I see where you’re coming from, but I wondered if…,” or “Reading Mingus made me think about what you said about ___…”
Ask at least one open-ended question to invite further discussion. Keep it curious and respectful, for example: “What do you think about ___ in relation to what you said?” “Do you think this idea still applies today, or has it changed?” “I’d love to know your thoughts on ___.”
Keep the tone warm and collegial — avoid being overly formal or critical. Aim for two or three short paragraphs (about 100–150 words). Don't use em-dashes. Use simple punctuation and natural transitions.
Reference the readings briefly by naming the author or quoting a short phrase when relevant.
End with a friendly sign-off or a note of appreciation, for example: “Thanks for sharing your thoughts,” “Looking forward to hearing more from you,” or “Great job on your post!”
Ready? I will paste the peer response post next.
Flashcard Creation Prompts
Ready-to-use prompts for creating effective flashcards
Step 1. Derive Testable Concepts
I will give you a resource in text form (lecture notes, textbook excerpt, article, story, biography, or other written work).
Your task is to:
Extract all unique "testable concepts" (TC) from the resource. A testable concept is a distinct fact, term, relationship, formula, exception, process, cause-effect, application scenario, important date, important person, specific example question, OR, in the case of narrative works, the main idea, character actions or decisions, beliefs or motivations, misunderstandings or conflicts, feelings, and plot-related cause-and-effect events that could reasonably appear on an exam.
Count every distinct piece of information as a separate TC. For example, "the cause of a phenomenon" and "the effect of a phenomenon" must be counted as two separate concepts, even if closely related.
Adhere strictly to the word count for each concept – every concept must be a concise, scannable phrase between 5 and 15 words.
Ignore fluff, filler sentences, or generic advice unless tied to a specific, testable idea.
Err on the side of slightly overcounting rather than undercounting to ensure no testable points are missed.
Present them as a numbered list. Provide the TC Score – the total number of unique testable concepts. If multiple concepts can be grouped under one broader idea, group them together but still count each subpoint separately for the TC Score.
Output Format
Testable Concepts:
[Concept 1]
[Concept 2]
…
TC Score: [Number]
Ready? I will paste the resource next.
Step 2. Exam Questions
You are an expert test creator specializing in [subject/topic]. Your task is to generate 1 flashcard per Testable Concept practice exam question based strictly on the provided [file(s)/document(s)/flashcard set].
Principles for Questions
Atomic – One idea per question.
✅ Good: “What does Kepler’s Third Law state about the ratio of orbital period and distance?”
❎ Bad: “Explain all three of Kepler’s Laws.”
Holistic – Integrate context or associations.
✅ Good: “Why does cue overload make vague flashcards less effective? (Hint: think of the ‘white objects in your bedroom’ example.)”
❎ Bad: “What is cue overload?”
Future-Proof – Clear enough for your future self.
✅ Good: “According to the article, why is ‘What does Kepler say?’ a poor question compared to specifying ‘Kepler’s Third Law ratio’?”
❎ Bad: “What does Kepler say?”
Question Requirements
Types & Distribution:
20% scenario-based multiple-choice (4 options, A–D)
40% short answer (≤7-word model answers)
40% fill-in-the-blank (use ____ for blanks)
Scenario Requirement:
Every multiple-choice question must start with a short (1–2 sentence) scenario involving a named person (e.g., “Marisol”) connected to the content, testing application, analysis, or synthesis of concepts. Names should vary and be culturally neutral.
Content Source:
Only use material from the provided source. Do not generalize or invent beyond it.
Formatting
Number questions sequentially.
Multiple-choice questions: provide 4 options (A–D) and mark the correct answer directly below under Answer:.
Short answer and fill-in-the-blank: provide concise model answers.
Keep style, tone, and length consistent across all questions.
Answer Key:
Include a clean, numbered answer key at the end (format: 1. C, 2. A, 3. B…).
Step 3. Exam to Anki Conversion
You are an expert in preparing flashcards for Anki bulk import. Follow these rules exactly every time.
INPUT: I will give you exam practice questions in any format (lists, markdown tables, text, images converted to text, etc.).
OUTPUT FORMAT (strict):
Produce plain text only (no explanations, no commentary, no headers, no code fences).
Each line = one flashcard.
Each line must contain exactly two fields separated by a single ; (space-semicolon-space).
Field 1 (Front) = Question text + Question Choices (if any).
Field 2 (Back) = Correct Answer(s).
Do not add extra semicolons anywhere, if the source contains semicolons, replace them with commas before output.
FRONT rules:
If the source has choices, list them directly after the question in the same order as the source, formatted like: A. Choice1 B. Choice2 C. Choice3 with a single space between choices.
If choices use numbers (1., 2., …), convert them to letters in-order (A., B., C., …).
If no choices exist, the front is just the question text (no appended "Answer:" text or other tags).
Trim leading/trailing whitespace, preserve the original wording and capitalization otherwise.
BACK rules (exact):
If the correct answer is one of the choices, the back must be the exact choice text including its letter prefix (e.g., A. Groups).
If multiple answers are correct, list them in the order they appear on the front, separated by commas and a space (e.g., A. Red, C. Blue).
For fill-in-the-blank(s), list the correct word/phrase(s) separated by commas in the natural order they appear in the question (e.g., mitosis, meiosis).
If the correct answer cannot be determined from the source, put UNSURE as the back.
PRESERVE MEANING: Do not change the meaning of any question or answer, do not invent information. Only normalize formatting as required above (whitespace, converting numeric choices to letters, replacing semicolons with commas).
SPECIAL CHARACTERS & SAFETY:
Replace any semicolons in question text or choices with commas before emitting output.
Do not output HTML or markup.
Do not include metadata, timestamps, line numbers, bullets, or numbering – only one flashcard per line.
EXAMPLES (exact output lines – nothing else): What defines clusters in statistics? A. Columns B. Groups C. Areas D. None of the above ; A. Groups Complete the sentence: The capital of France is _____. ; Paris
FINAL: Output only the final txt lines (one flashcard per line), nothing else.