The task
Students were asked to read Brothers of the Heart by Joan
Blos and then produce five pieces: a character list along with a brief
annotation about each character; a summary of the story; a recounting
of the book’s various themes; a book review; and a Venn diagram
showing the relationships among several of the main characters. Only
the book review is included here.
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Circumstances of performance
This sample of student work was produced under the following conditions: |
| alone |
in a group |
| in class |
as homework |
| with teacher feedback |
with peer feedback |
| timed |
opportunity for revision |
What the work shows
 b
Writing: The student produces a response
to literature that: |
| • |
engages the reader by
establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing
reader interest; |
| • |
advances a judgment that
is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective; |
| • |
supports judgment through
references to the text, references to other works, authors,
or non-print media, or references to personal knowledge; |
| • |
demonstrates an understanding
of the literary work; |
| • |
provides a sense of closure
to the writing. |
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The book report gets the reader’s attention in the first sentence
by highlighting the general idea of the story. The report retains
the reader’s interest by keeping the writing focused and to the
point. 
The report connects Shem’s experiences with a theme common to
many books, biographies and movies: people in search of their purpose
and/or destiny.
The writer supports her judgments by making connections between relationships
described in the book and those common to real life experiences.
The report ends on a personal note, providing the reader with the
understanding that the book has personal significance for the student.
The implication is that the book may have significance for others
as well.