Task Cards: Prompt Decoding — WHY vs. HOW

In this task card game, students practice figuring out what a prompt is really asking before they start writing. Each card challenges students to decide whether the thinking job is WHY or HOW, spot key signal words, and write one strong thesis sentence that matches the prompt. Some cards guide students to use words like because, by, or through to help shape their thinking. The goal is to slow down, decode the prompt, and build thesis statements that actually answer the question.