8th Grade Final Exam, Salina, Kansas, 1895

Prewriting

For 5 minutes, write on one or more of the following:

1.) What do you think of the argument that "education has been 'dumbed down' over the years"? Do your experiences support this or not?

2.) What do you think of the argument that "college just repeats what was taught in high school"? Do your experiences support this or not?

3.) What should colleges be teaching students? How is that different from what should be taught to students in the high schools?

4.) How should colleges be teaching students? How is that different from how students should be taught in the high schools?

5.) Does today's "popular culture" -- especially cell phones, text messages, instant messaging, email, the internet -- and perhaps the emphasis on the "visual" text rather than the "written" text -- require a different kind of education than the "book-based education" of the past? Or, is the book-based education still valuable?