Central Bucks School District



Name: Date:Summer Reading Assessment—Personal Choice (30 points) English 8/CanfieldPurpose: to identify the types of imprints characters make and the degree of intensity of those imprintsAudience: teens and adults; others who might be interested in reading the bookStructure: nonfiction Technique: precise writing; vocabulary words used in contextPrompt: What kind of imprint/s did the protagonist of the book make on another characters AND you as the reader. Were his/her imprints positive, negative, or a combination? If an imprint is positive, who would you share it with and why? If an imprint is negative, what advice would you give the protagonist and why? Prewriting Activity: Incident/characters involved+ or - imprintImprint and adviceWriting Activity:Personal, Friendly Letter: Each protagonist has the potential to make additional imprints upon others and upon himself/herself. Write a friendly letter to the author complimenting him/her about the protagonist’s positive impacts, identifying another positive imprint he/she could make, and how the protagonist or overall writing of the book impacted you. Rubric: 1 2 3Prewriting NotesPrewriting notes are general, vague, missing, or inaccurate Accurate overall; a few ideas may be vague or generalPrecise and accurate; reflected clearly in letter___ x 3 =Letter FormMore than 2 elements are missingOne or two elements are missingAll elements of letter are included as indicated in example___ x 4 =Writing QualityMore than 5 errors in sentence structure; more than 7 for proofreadingSome fragments, run-ons; several errors with proofreadingFull sentences; organized; proofread___ x 3 = Comments: Total: _________/30Examples from “Stop the Sun”Prewriting Activity:Incident/Person+ or - Terry confronts his dad about what happened in Vietnam.+=pos.Although Mr. Erickson is angry at first, he is able to describe the horror of his Vietnam experience. Mr. Erickson expresses his anguish. Terry recognizes how intense his father’s feelings are yet acknowledges that he can’t ever understand his father’s experience, fears, or feelings since he has never been in combat.Terry is persistent; “When something bothered him, he liked to stay with it until he understood it, ….” This statement about his character influences the reader.+=pos.Terry is naturally curious and compassionate. He wants to understand his father better so that he can help more. As a reader, I am glad he is trying to be sensitive and is working to solve his problem in various ways. Even when his dad reveals the horror, Terry says he’d never truly understand it all, ‘but it was a start’ to developing more empathy towards his dad.Writing Activity: (Letter format indicated in parenthesis; have each part as indicated on rubric)(Greeting) Dear Gary Paulsen: (Introduction sentence) I enjoyed reading “Stop the Sun” as part of our class study of how people and characters make imprints on others. (Protagonist’s imprint on another character) As a 13 year old, Terry wanted to make positive impacts but does not know how to go about doing that. First, he asks his mom about why his dad’s eyes ‘go away.’ She feels as if Terry is rude and intruding upon his father’s privacy. When Terry can’t get answers to his questions from his mother, teacher, or history books, he speaks as kindly as possible to his dad. Although Mr. Erickson’s reaction is highly emotional, his honest explanation allows Terry to develop some understanding of his dad. So, Terry has made a positive impression even though the outcome at first does not seem that way. Mr. Erickson does realize that Terry cares. (Another imprint protagonist could have made) If you were to add another chapter to this story or turn it into a book, you could have Terry learn more about PTSD by attending a family support group through the Veterans’ Administration. That group would be able to help Terry both understand some of the ‘triggers’ that set off his dad and some techniques to help reassure his dad during those intense, dark moments. Even though his friend Billy’s dad had shown no problems, Billy might find these meetings helpful just in case PTSD does happen to his dad. PTSD has no specific timeline for when it occurs or the length of time it lasts or how intense each episode is. Terry could make another imprint by getting involved with others. (Imprint on reader) For me as the reader, I really liked how Terry was persistent yet thoughtful. I especially like the line “When something bothered him, he liked to stay with it until he understood it.” I think that idea is important for me to remember. Sometimes, I might not get an answer immediately. I have to problem solve and figure it out as best as I can. (Closing sentence) Thanks for a very interesting and intense story, Gary. (Signature block) Your loyal reader, Lisa Canfield ................
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