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Writing Assignment
Life Choices- Controlling Idea Essay
Nicole Wood
Larger Context
This assignment is part of a larger genre study of poetry being taught to a 10 th grade English class.
Throughout the study, students have read poems by different author’s, examined their commonalities and
studied various literary elements used by writers to make their writing more interesting, intriguing, and
likeable. Some of the elements include simile, metaphor, tone, characterization, mood, and theme. The
students’ ability to analyze literature for understanding and critical analysis exemplifies NYS standards 1
and 3. After guided practice and scaffolding by the teacher, students will compose their own piece of
literature which will be reviewed by a peer and shared with fellow classmates (Standard 4). The classes
will be publishing their poems on a class blog, and each class will receive an anthology containing all of the
poems the students have written. The students will also be producing a comparison/contrast paper using
the controlling idea of life choices. They will be writing about the types of choices made by the speakers in
the poems and comparing what the poems have in common and how they are different. They will write in
their journals about their feelings after hearing the two poems I chose. After completing their essays, they
will compose their own poems using the theme of life choices. The poems can be about a personal choice
they have made in their own lives or they can choose to write the poems about another person who has
made an important life choice.
Immediate Context
In my English class, we have begun to look at the theme of life choices. I will start by reading two
poems: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Life Is Fine” by Langston Hughes. After giving
background information to the students about both authors, I will read each poem out loud at a steady
pace. After the first reading of each poem, I will ask students to free write in their journals for about three
minutes. This writing will not be a graded activity. It will give them an opportunity to react using written
expression with their own thoughts about each of the poems. We will then discuss the speaker’s voice in
the poem. Both poems are first person narrative, which is something we have discussed in class
previously.
I will then read the poems a second time, thinking aloud about parts or words that students may
have difficulty understanding. For example, in Frost’s poem, line 8, “Because it was grassy and wanted
wear” or line 12, “In leaves no step had trodden black,” or In Hughes’ poem, line 25, “I’ll be dogged, sweet
baby.” Thinking aloud while reading I will model my thought process and demonstrate critical reading
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habits. The poems will be read a third time. After the third reading, students will be given five minutes to
respond in their journals again adding more detail to their initial response. I will also instruct them to write
more personally about the poems, providing the following prompts: How did the poem make you feel? Did
it remind you of something? Is there a choice you have made that was important to your life now?
Appropriate sentence starters that I would suggest to them would be: I once had to decide…, I chose to…,
My Mom had to make a tough choice about…. They can also choose to answer a question. I will have
questions written on the board. Questions posed would be: What choice have you made that changed
you? Do you know anyone who has had to make a difficult choice?
I would then ask volunteers to share responses about the choices they have written about. I would
begin with my journal entry first. My response would be:
“The two poems, remind me of a difficult choice I had to make at a young age. When I was in third grade, I
was flown to Iowa to visit my sick little brother. When I got there, I went with my parents to talk with
doctors. They told me that I would be tested to see what type of bone marrow I had and to see if it
matched by brothers. I was very confused. Why? I asked. They explained that my brother was extremely
sick from his cancer, and my bone marrow might save his life. If I was a close enough match, I would have
to decide if I wanted to donate my marrow to my brother. After the test, they found that I was a close
enough match, so then I had to choose whether to donate or not. Since I was only about eight years old, I
was scared! Of course I said yes because I didn’t want my brother to be sick anymore and if my bone
marrow would keep him alive, it was a good choice to make. My brother lived eleven years longer after my
donation. The choice was a good one that changed not only my life, but gave my brother life too.”
I would then ask for student volunteers to share their entries. After the students shared, I would remind
them that just as in their lives and mine, the authors of the poems make choices that were important and
affected them directly.
Students would then get into two groups, with each group being responsible for one of the poems.
Together they would analyze the poem, picking out literary elements the authors use to portray the type of
choice they had to make and to express how they felt. They would also pick out poetic elements that add
to the poem’s mood and delivery. I would have them locate elements I have already taught them like tone,
metaphor, simile, and theme. Students would be familiar with this type of group work because we would
have done this with previous units. We would then as a class put together a list of literary elements and
examples from the poem that portray the speaker’s feelings about the choices made. We would also find
the differences between the types of choices made in the poems.
I would then distribute the assignment for the compare/contrast essay along with a *sample essay
for them to refer to:
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Your Task:
After reading the poems, write an essay about the types of choices made by the speaker. In your essay,
use ideas from both of the poems to establish a controlling idea about life choices. Using evidence from
each poem to support your controlling idea, offer an in depth analysis of the kinds of choices each author
made and how they affected the author’s life according to the information provided by the poems. Also,
discuss at least one poetic device that we have discussed in class. Suggestions would be tone or mood.
Purpose and Audience:
Imagine you are writing this essay for someone who doesn’t understand what the two poems’ meanings
are. They want to know what types of choices the speaker is making in each of the poems. They also
want to know if the choices in both poems are the same or different. You want to show this reader that
although the poems are about the same idea- life choices- they are different as well.
Format:
In order for you to complete your task, your paper will need to be two to three pages long. Be sure to use
12 point, Times New Roman font, and have your lines double spaced. Margins should be one inch all
the way around.
Writers Checklist:
It is important to make sure you have included all of the necessary elements in your essay. This checklist
will help you determine if you have met all of the criteria needed for proper completion of your task. Also,
refer to the rubric to see what elements you may need to work on to improve your grade. Your first draft
will be reviewed by a peer. You will make any necessary changes and then hand it to me. I will review it
further to suggest any other changes you may need. You will then finalize your paper and hand it in. Your
grade will be based on how well you completed your task in the essay. *Use the Rubric*
o
Did I state the controlling idea of life choices in my first paragraph?
o
Did I include title, author, and genre (TAG) in my introductory paragraph?
o
Did I punctuate the titles of the poems correctly using quotation marks?
o
Did I refer to the different/similar choices the speakers made in the poems?
o
Did I cite parts of the poems in my paragraphs to support my ideas?
o
Did I use good transition statements between the different sections of my essay?
o
Did I discuss at least one poetic device found in each of the poems?
o
Is my essay organized and is the language understandable and fluent?
o
Did I use more difficult vocabulary correctly?
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o
Did I check my paper for typos, spelling errors, or anything else that would make it difficult to read?
Schedule:
Begin the first draft of your essay today in class. (Monday)
Your first draft is due to your peer reviewer on Wednesday.
My peer reviewer is: _________________________________________________.
Peer reviews will take place in class on Wednesday.
Revise your paper using your peer’s suggestions and hand to Mrs. Wood on Thursday.
Mrs. Wood will review your paper, make any further suggestions, and had it back to you Monday.
Your final draft is due Wednesday.**
**If you hand in your final draft on Tuesday, you have an opportunity for 5 extra credit points.
*Please see Appendix A for the poems the students will be using for their essays. Please see
Appendix B for the sample essay and Appendix C for the poems I used to create the sample essay.
The rubric for this assignment can be found in Appendix D*
The students will use the lists we created together and their journal entries to begin brainstorming ideas of
what they would like to include in their own essays to support their controlling idea about life choices. In
class, they will begin writing a first draft which will be shared with a peer for review the next class meeting.
I will model for them how to begin their essays, giving a mini lesson on the components of an essay. I will
also model how to use my brainstorming ideas to begin my essay with a thoughtful thesis that I will build
the rest of my essay upon. NYS standards 3 and 4 will be covered in the peer review process since
students will be analyzing their peers’ essay and discussing their suggestions with one another through
interaction and a peer review sheet.
Once their first draft is completed the students would complete the peer review. After the students are
finished with the reviews I will give a lesson on revising, for example: distinguishing between summary and
commentary using color coding to model for the students the difference between the two. Students will
revise their essay using their peer’s suggestions and ideas from the lesson. After the revision is complete,
students will submit the draft to me. I will respond to their draft with further suggestions on making the
essay better and return the drafts to the students. Once the drafts are returned, I will give an editing
lesson, for example: how to punctuate lines taken from poems. Using my suggestions and ideas from the
lesson students will edit their paper once more and submit the final draft to me to be graded.
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In terms of the NYS ELA standards this assignment mainly addresses the following standards:
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression. Listening to
the poems being read; responding in their journals; sharing with fellow classmates.
Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. Evaluating each
of the poems meanings; composing lists for each poem of elements found; writing the essay.
Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction. Peer review/editing session.
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Appendix A: Poems for Student Essay Assignment
The Road Not Taken
By: Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, and just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Life Is Fine
By: Langston Hughes
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.
I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.
But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!
I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.
I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.
But it was High up there! It was high!
So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love-But for livin' I was born
Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry-I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.
Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!
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Appendix B: Sample Essay to be distributed for Student Reference
Nicole Wood
Sample Essay for Writing Assignment
ENG 504
20 November 2008
Discrimination is a word that has many negative connotations. Discrimination isn’t even
a word people like saying. It reminds us of struggle, of being treated unfairly, and being
misjudged or misunderstood. Discrimination is a subject many authors write about and have
experienced. In the poems “I, Too” by Langston Hughes and “Our Nation” by Dwayne Bailey,
the poets write about discrimination. Although both poems share the common theme of
inequality, they portray different sides and aspects of discrimination. The tones of the poems are
different as well.
In Hughes’ poem, the speaker asserts that he has the right to sing about America because,
like his white brothers, he, too, is America. When faced with discrimination, his tone is one of
defiance. The poem addresses how African Americans were perceived when living in a home
with White Americans. In stanza two the speaker says: “They send me to eat in the kitchen
when company comes.” This portrays an element of inequality between the speaker and the
other “people” in the house. He suggests that one day this division of color will no longer exist.
This becomes apparent in the third and forth stanzas when he says: “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the
table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me ‘eat in the kitchen’ then.”
In the second poem by Bailey, different aspects of discrimination and inequality are
addressed. The speaker asks questions to the reader about things that could be used by one
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person to cast judgment on another person. He questions religion, skin color, and material things
such as the car one drives. His response is not so much one of defiance as Hughes’ is, but one of
anger. This becomes apparent in stanza four when he says: “Something is wrong with our nation
today/ we seem to have lost all common sense.” He also suggests that discrimination is a
defense for lack of unity. He suggests an answer to the questions he poses in the last stanza. He
says: “Let’s put an end to the hatred/ let’s put discrimination in the past/ Let us restore our nation
to greatness/ with a greatness that will surely last.”
The tone the speaker takes in each poem is another difference between them. As I have
suggested above, Hughes’ response is in a tone of defiance. His poem predicts a change in how
white and black Americans co-exist together. He wants the reader to know that “I, too, am
America.” Baileys’ tone is much harsher and filled with more anger. His response indicates that
we need to get back to being one nation that stands together instead of one divided by
discrimination and inequality.
In conclusion, both of these poems address a negative look into what discrimination and
inequality consist of. Both authors address a different aspect of discrimination and offer
different tones to support their feelings.
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Appendix C: Poems used for Sample Essay
I, Too
By: Langston Hughes
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamedI, too, am America
Our Nation
By: Dwayne Bailey
Does it really matter what your religion is;
Or the color of your skin?
What church you attend on sunday,
or the neighborhood you live in?
Is the car you drive really important?
Does it make the man or woman inside?
Does any thing in this world truely matter?
Can you take it to the other side?
Something is wrong with our nation today,
we seem to have lost all common sense.
We no longer stand united,
we use discrimination as our defense.
We try to exhault our selves higher,
then everyone else we see;
We try to prove we are better inside,
but our selves we can not decieve.
Let us put an end to the hatred,
lets' put discrimination in the past;
Let us restore our nation to greatness,
with a greatness that will surely last.
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Appendix D: Rubric for Student Essay Assignment
6
5
4
3
2
1
Meaning
You chose excellent
points for comparison.
You provide an
insightful examination
of differences and
similarities. You
determine literary
elements that support
your comparison fully.
You chose few or
unimportant points for
comparison. You give
inaccurate or
inconsistent
similarities and
differences. You state
a literary element that
does not support your
comparison.
You provide minimal
analysis of each point
or subject for
comparison. You
provide minimal
support of your claims.
You failed to identify
points for comparison.
You failed to identify
similarities and
differences.
You failed to include
any literary elements.
You fully analyze each
point for comparison.
You support all claims
with well-chosen
details, references,
and quotes.
You do not analyze
each point or subject
for comparison. You
provide insignificant or
no support of your
claims. Any textual
references are vague.
You do not identify or
analyze any points or
subjects for
comparison. You
provide no support for
your claims.
Organization
You develop ideas in a
point- point or subjectsubject form. You
include smooth
transitions, a fully
developed
introduction, and
insightful conclusion.
You use a very
sophisticated
vocabulary that is
above your grade
level. Your use all of
these words
effectively. Your
writing suggests a
You chose acceptable
points for comparison,
but missed some of
the most important
ones. You
demonstrate an ability
to identify similarities
and differences. You
state a literary element
in your comparison.
You give some
analysis of each point
or subject for
comparison. You
support most of your
claims with good
details, references,
and quotes.
You use a point-point
or subject-subject form
but arrangement is
confusing at points.
You include an
introduction and
conclusion.
You select
unimportant points for
your comparison. You
did not identify
similarities and
differences. You did
not identify any literary
elements.
Development
You chose appropriate
points for comparison.
You demonstrate an
ability to examine
major similarities and
differences. You
mention literary
elements that are
related to your
comparison.
You successfully
analyze each point or
subject for
comparison. You
support almost all
claims with good
details, references,
and quotes.
You arrange ideas in a
point-point or subjectsubject form. You
include transitions and
have a developed
introduction and a
conclusion.
You do not follow the
form for a comparison
essay. You include a
minimal or no
introduction and
conclusion.
You do not follow the
form for a comparison
essay. You have no
introduction or
conclusion. Your
essay needs a focus.
You effectively use a
vocabulary expected
of your grade level.
You use a few more
difficult words but
usage is minimal or
might be incorrect.
You understand that
You effectively use a
vocabulary expected
of your grade level
with few or no errors in
usage. You show
some attentiveness to
purpose and
audience. Some
You attempt to use a
point-point or subjectsubject form but could
not develop it
successfully. You
include a minimal
introduction and
conclusion.
You effectively use a
vocabulary expected
of your grade level
with some errors in
usage. You show
minimal attentiveness
to the purpose and
audience for your
You use a vocabulary
below the
expectations of your
grade level, with some
errors in usage. You
seem unclear of the
purpose and audience
for your essay. Little or
Your essay does not
make sense or is
incomplete.
Language Use
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Conventions
(Punctuation and
Grammar)
specific purpose and
audience. Sentence
length and structure is
varied for effect.
there is a specific
audience and purpose
for your essay.
Sentence length and
structure is varied for
effect.
variation in paragraph
length and structure.
essay. Little or no
sentence variation.
no sentence variation.
You have no errors.
You have minimal
errors.
You have some errors.
You have many errors,
but essay is still
comprehensible.
You have many errors
which make the essay
difficult to understand.
Your essay is illegible
or incomprehensible.
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