Note: We invite any English-language-learner student 13 years or older to post comments in response to the writing prompts in this post.
First, look at the slideshow “Hopes for Diversity at a Brooklyn School” and use it to figure out what the words “diverse” and “diversity” mean.
Second, read this passage from the Op-Ed essay “Diversity Makes You Brighter” and then answer the questions:
Diversity improves the way people think. By disrupting conformity, racial and ethnic diversity prompts people to scrutinize facts, think more deeply and develop their own opinions. Our findings show that such diversity actually benefits everyone, minorities and majority alike. To study the effects of ethnic and racial diversity, we conducted a series of experiments in which participants competed in groups to find accurate answers to problems.
… When participants were in diverse company, their answers were 58 percent more accurate. … As they spent time interacting in diverse groups, their performance improved.
In homogeneous groups, whether in the United States or in Asia, the opposite happened. When surrounded by others of the same ethnicity or race, participants were more likely to copy others, in the wrong direction. Mistakes spread as participants seemingly put undue trust in others’ answers, mindlessly imitating them. In the diverse groups, across ethnicities and locales, participants were more likely to distinguish between wrong and accurate answers.
When you paraphrase, you put all or most of a text into your own words, often using a similar number of words as the original. This is called a paraphrase.
When you summarize, you give the main idea of a text in a few words. This is called a summary.
Third, answer the following writing prompt and question and, if you are 13 or older, post your answers to our blog.
1. I knew what the words “diverse” and “homogeneous” mean because _________.
2. What do the writers of the Op-Ed essay say about diversity? Do you agree with them? To support your position, be sure to include specific examples from your personal experience, your observations of others or anything you have read, including the essay.
You can answer this prompt using this model to express What They Say (what does the writer say?), What I Say (what is my opinion of what he or she said?) and Why I Said It (what is evidence for my opinion?)
Find many more Ideas for English Language Learners.