You will get TWO grades. Language grade and a Writing grade. (look below for a BIG tip!)
Grammar Summative is tomorrow: I am telling you EXACTLY what you need to do for tomorrow's writing grammar summative. How will you use this information? It is an open book and open notes assessment!!!
These are mentor samples of answers: Part to Whole
1) Notice how the argument is structured using transitions
2) Notice how the author's use analogical thinking
Sample 1
The entire theme of the story is portrayed beautifully on page 249. Sumiko is thinking about Jiichan and the unfair prejudices he’s been through, and how he is still brave and happy. The author writes, “And yet Jiichan had found a type of success. She realized suddenly that he had been a happy man. And a brave one. She spotted a weed and jumped up and pulled it out. Then she saw another one and yanked that out.” Although the sudden transition between contemplating Jiichan’s life journey and pulling out weeds may seem abrupt and irrelevant, it is actually an extremely clever move on the author’s part. In the scene, Sumiko was thinking about how Jiichan has faced many wrongs on his journey of life, but he’s still happy and brave. This angers her, as she feels the way Jiichan and countless others are treated is unfair and prejudiced. In her anger, she pulls out a weed. Then, she spotted another weed. She pulls this out as well. The weeds symbolize the problems and prejudice society has in our world. The fact that there were more weeds, represents how no matter how much we try to solve problems, there will always be more. It also conveys that the victims of the evils of the world can’t fix the wrongs alone, and it is up to us to stand up for them and help right the wrongs in this world that is corruption and prejudice. It is amazing to think that in the beginning of the book, Sumiko wouldn’t have even known about half the wrongdoings of the war and the world, let alone try and fix them, but now, she is trying to help make the world a better place, and inspire others, such as when she pulls the weeds out, helps Mr. Moto with his garden, protects Frank, etc. In the beginning of the book, when Sumiko saw something wrong, she wouldn’t have interfered at all, but rather, kept away and hid her emotions inside. For example, when she was rejected from Marsha’s party, although she was more angry than sad, she didn’t do anything, just walked away. She hid the events, and pretended they never happened, not telling anyone else about being “uninvited” (pg 36). Whereas now, she is willing to be an upstander for people like Frank, when he is being beat by other boys for no apparent reason. By being upstanders, and pulling out the weeds that is the diseased evil of our garden, the world, you are not only making space for other, better flowers to grow, you are also reducing the contagious aspects of prejudice in the world. Only when we pull out the weeds, face evil and stand up for others, like flowers growing in a garden, can our world flourish.
Sample 2
Suzy Swanson’s way of coping with change and loss was clearly shown on pg. 17 when Suzy’s mom told her about Franny’s death, saying, “Some things just happen.” This scene was vital in expressing what Ali Benjamin the author of “The Thing About Jellyfish” was trying to say; “Like poison hidden in wine, the things hurting us the most are the ones we can’t see.” Usually when things happen without an explanation, we would just focus on moving on. However, Suzy desperately tries to find a reason to explain Franny's death instead of just accepting it.This can be shown when her life starts to revolve around finding a cause for her friend’s death. “... everyone else had just given up.” She was so determined to figure out what happened that she considered traveling to a different continent without her parents. Although it was written all over the text, Suzy didn’t realize that sometimes relationships fizzle out. This was represented most importantly by melting of the pee disks Suzy made. This resembles the relationship between Suzy and Franny and one of the greater themes. As the pee disks started to melt, it symbolises their relationship starting to melt, fizzle out, and tear apart. It also symbolizes the two of them slowly drifting away from each other, until their relationship is no more. The end of Suzy and Franny’s friendship shows that change is inescapable but vital. In addition to that, Franny’s death show is definitely one of the most pivotal moments in the story, but how her death was unexplained shows that change is vital but there isn’t always a reason behind it. Change is a one way street that you have to drive down and there’s no turning back. Just as change is inevitable, so is death. And similar to change, you never know when it’s going to happen and sometimes (like in Franny’s death) why it happens. Dealing with loss and change is difficult; sometimes they are unexplained, but have to be accepted. The events in this story show that, life is like an ocean, you can’t control which way the current flows, but you have to follow the flow.
