Student Work
Be honest. Writing is hard for everyone. Students need to be challenged to think and be able to put their thoughts on paper coherently.
Here you will find student writing examples from various writing tasks in my classroom.
You have read Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, about a teenage girl treated as an outcast because no one knows her secret. In an essay, explain how the differences in the points of view between Melinda and the reader create dramatic irony. Be sure to include evidence from the text to support your response.
You have read “The Landlady” a short story about a man named Billy Weaver who finds himself in the company of an unusual hostess yet feels compelled to stay. Write an essay explaining the word “dotty” as it is used in the passage and how it impacts the plot of the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “Examination Day” a short story about a twelve-year-old boy named Richard “Dickie” Jordan who takes a government intelligence exam to see how smart he is. Write an essay identifying specific word choices and how those words impact the tone and give hints to what may happen in the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “Father’s Eyes,” a short story about the relationship between a father and his son. Write an essay identifying the main conflict and how the author develops the conflict throughout the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read Robert Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee” about a man fulfilling his friend’s dying wish. Write an essay identifying the tone of the passage and how it is established through the author’s word choice. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read the short story “The Landlady” a short story about a man named Billy Weaver who finds himself in the company of an unusual hostess yet feels compelled to stay. Write an essay explaining the word “dotty” as it is used on the first page and how it impacts the plot of the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “Examination Day” a short story about a twelve-year-old boy named Richard “Dickie” Jordan who takes a government intelligence exam to see how smart he is. Write an essay describing a characteristic of the government and how it is revealed throughout the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” where he gives the reader advice on how to be a better person. Write an essay explaining how the structure of the poem affects the mood of the audience. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read the short story “Tell-Tale Heart.” Write an essay describing a characteristic of the main character and how it propels the action to the conclusion of the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert Service. In both passages, the authors use tone to establish mood. Write an essay identifying the mood of both passages and how it is established through the authors’ word choice. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “The Monkey’s Paw,” a short story about a family that is granted three wishes, but after receiving their wishes, suffer unexpected consequences. Write an essay explaining how the story’s point of view creates suspense. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “The Right to the Streets of Memphis,” a short story about the relationship between a mother and her son. Write an essay describing a characteristic of the boy and how it is developed in the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read the novel The Call of the Wild about a kidnapped dog learning to adapt to his new surroundings far away from his original home. Write an essay explaining the meaning of the phrase “the call of the wild” as it is used throughout the novel. Be sure to include details from the novel to support your response.
You have read “The Monkey’s Paw,” a short story about a family that is granted three wishes, but after receiving their wishes, suffer unexpected consequences. Write an essay identifying a theme and how it is developed over the course of the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read the short story “The Landlady” written by Roald Dahl about a young, aspiring businessman discovering a bed and breakfast with a mysterious landlady. Write an essay explaining the word “dotty” from page 174 and how it impacts the plot of the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read The Call of the Wild which tells the story of a dog named Buck who is stolen from his home in order to later be trained as a sled dog. During the story, Buck gets involved in a power struggle with another dog named Spitz. Buck later wins the fight to become the lead dog. Write an essay analyzing how these differences in points of view create tension in the novel.
You have read the short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain. A story about a man named Jim Smiley who was swindled into losing a bet involving his trained frog. In an essay, explain how the differences in points of view between the audience and Jim Smiley creates humor for the reader. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
You have read “Father’s Eyes,” a short story about the relationship between a father and his son. Write an essay describing a characteristic of the main character and how it helps propel the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
– Jodi Picoult