Sample Summative Assessment Prompts—Grade 10 Literary Analysis You have read two passages, one from Jacey Choy’s “Red Cranes” and one from Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s “The Firefly Hunt.” Though Mie and Schiko, the main characters in the passages, have certain similarities, the author’s develop their characters in different ways. Write an essay in which you analyze the different approaches the author’s take to develop these characters. In your essay, be sure to discuss how each author makes use of such elements as the main characters’ interactions with other characters, the presentation of the main characters’ thoughts, and the strong feelings each character experiences at the end of each passage. Use specific evidence from both passages to support your analysis. Use what you have learned from reading "​
Daedalus and Icarus"​
by Ovid and ​
"To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph"​
by Anne Sexton to write an essay that provides an analysis of how Sexton transforms ​
Daedalus and Icarus.​
As a starting point, you may want to consider what is emphasized, absent, or different in the two texts, but feel free to develop your own focus for analysis. Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English. Use what you have learned from reading “ Daedalus and Icarus ” by Ovid and “ To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph ” by Anne Sexton to write an essay that analyzes how Icarus’s experience of flying is portrayed differently in the two texts. Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts. Be sure to follow the conventions of standard English. ● will assess their ability to use the text to prove what they know about literary elements like characterization, theme, point of view ● the best way to prepare them for the content is to make sure they know HOW authors characterize, HOW authors show theme, and HOW authors use point of view ○ for example, theme is shown through character, actions, symbols, motifs, text structure, authorial voice, and dialogue, so if the kids have this list at their disposal when they’re taking the exam, they’ll be more likely to be able to use it to structure their essay ● in social studies, use the same elements with non­fiction texts—historical people are characterized by writers, themes are entirely evident, and point of view is crucial in understanding historical text (or text about historical events) Narrative After discovering that his wife has gone missing from the bicycle they were sharing, Mr. Harris returns “to where the road broke into four” and seems unable to remember where he has come from. Using what you know about Mr. Harris, write a narrative story that describes how he chooses which road to take and the experiences he has on his return journey. Be sure to use details from the passage in developing your narrative. ● will assess their ability to use details from the story to write a convincing continuation of the story OR the same story from a different point of view, hitting the major events of the story ● the best way to prepare them for this is to make sure they know enough about narrative that they’re able to successfully continue a story without completely veering away from the original’s style, characterization, point of view, and/or tone ● in social studies, consider using narrative text; have the kids write extensions using the information gathered from the original Informational Text/Research Writing You have just read or listened to three sources discussing the Supreme Court case of Tinker vs. Des Moines: the United States Supreme Court majority opinion by Chief Justice Abe Fortas, the United States Supreme Court dissenting opinion by Justice Hugo Black, and an audio clip of an interview with law professor Catherine Ross. Consider the points made by each source about the case. Write an essay analyzing the arguments of those who believe certain kinds of speech should be prohibited within an educational setting and those who believe the opposite. Base the analysis on the specifics of the Tinker vs Des Moines case and the arguments and principles put forth in the three sources. The essay should consider at least TWO of the sources. ● will assess their ability to point out commonalities and differences between non­fiction texts (and one video) on a common topic, discussing the pieces’ information, argument, or purpose ● the best way to prepare them for this is to look at several pieces of non­fiction on the same topic with different purposes and/or arguments ● in social studies, since you’re already doing this, consider focusing on asking the students to identify, for each piece, the author’s purpose and/or argument