Overcoming Obstacles
Sherman Alexie describes the obstacles he faced as a young man growing up on an Indian reservation. We are
going to spend some time discussing the different kinds of conflicts Alexie encountered—both those he
directly describes and those we can infer by reading his essay—and discussing how these conflicts created
obstacles to his success.
Assignment: You will write an essay with three group members. Together, you will brainstorm ideas, assign
individual topics, and compose an introduction and a conclusion. Individually, you will write a body paragraph
which focuses on one obstacle Sherman Alexie faced and elaborates on how this obstacle created conflict in his
life.
Group Graded Material:
FCA
Organization:
Introduction The
introductory paragraph begins
with a creative attention getter
that leads into a clear thesis
statement and establishes an
ordered plan of development.
o
o
o
Perfect 5
10
Points Awarded:
FCA
Organization: Conclusion
The essay ends with a
conclusion that restates the
thesis, summarizes the main
points of the essay, and gives
closure to the main ideas.
Points Awarded:
Skills needed to meet this FCA
The essay includes an engaging and creative 3-5 sentence attention getter that is focused on a universal
situation or concern
A two or three point plan of development statement is into integrated into the thesis and previews the
talking points of the essay
A clear thesis statement is given that directly answers all elements of the essay prompt. This thesis may
be a direct rewording of the topic question
o
o
5
9.5
4
8.5
3
7.5
2
6.5
1
5.0
Skills needed to meet this FCA
The conclusion provides a brief summary of the talking points mentioned and restates the thesis
statement clearly.
The conclusion uses elements of the introductory attention getter to create closure for the essay or
provide a call to action
Perfect 5
10
5
9.5
4
8.5
3
7.5
2
6.5
1
5.0
Ranks
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Overall Rank:
Ranks
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Overall Rank:
Individual Group Member: _____________________________________
FCA
Organization: Body
Paragraphs begin with a clear
topic sentence; it utilizes
fluency building transitions,
contains unified information,
and closes with a creative
clinching sentence.
Points Awarded:
Ideas and Content: The
essay is clear, focused, and uses
the most relevant and logical
example to establish, enrich
and support a clear position
Points Awarded:
Skills needed to meet this FCA
Organization:
o
The body paragraph begins with a focused topic sentence that specifically relates to the essay
question
o
The body paragraph contains unified details. The body paragraphs do not stray off topic
o
The body paragraph ends with a creative, summarizing clinching sentence
Perfect 5
5
4
3
2
1
9.5
8.5
7.5
6.5
5.0
10
Content:
o
The paragraph contains a brief summary of how the identified lesson is illustrated in the story.
o
The paragraph contains 2-3 well developed examples of how this advice would be helpful to high
school students.
Perfect 5
10
5
9.5
4
8.5
3
7.5
2
6.5
1
5.0
Ranks
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Rank:
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Rank:
Individual Group Member: _____________________________________
FCA
Organization: Body
Paragraphs begin with a clear
topic sentence; it utilizes
fluency building transitions,
contains unified information,
and closes with a creative
clinching sentence.
Points Awarded:
Ideas and Content: The
essay is clear, focused, and uses
the most relevant and logical
example to establish, enrich
and support a clear position
Points Awarded:
Skills needed to meet this FCA
Organization:
o
The body paragraph begins with a focused topic sentence that specifically relates to the essay
question
o
The body paragraph contains unified details. The body paragraphs do not stray off topic
o
The body paragraph ends with a creative, summarizing clinching sentence
Perfect 5
5
4
3
2
1
9.5
8.5
7.5
6.5
5.0
10
Content:
o
The paragraph contains a brief summary of how the identified lesson is illustrated in the story.
o
The paragraph contains 2-3 well developed examples of how this advice would be helpful to high
school students.
Perfect 5
10
Ranks
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Rank:
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
1
5.0
Rank:
Skills needed to meet this FCA
Organization:
o
The body paragraph begins with a focused topic sentence that specifically relates to the essay
question
o
The body paragraph contains unified details. The body paragraphs do not stray off topic
o
The body paragraph ends with a creative, summarizing clinching sentence
Ranks
5
9.5
4
8.5
3
7.5
2
6.5
Individual Group Member: _____________________________________
FCA
Organization: Body
Paragraphs begin with a clear
topic sentence; it utilizes
fluency building transitions,
contains unified information,
and closes with a creative
clinching sentence.
Points Awarded:
Ideas and Content: The
essay is clear, focused, and uses
the most relevant and logical
example to establish, enrich
and support a clear position
Points Awarded:
Perfect 5
5
4
3
2
1
9.5
8.5
7.5
6.5
5.0
10
Content:
o
The paragraph contains a brief summary of how the identified lesson is illustrated in the story.
o
The paragraph contains 2-3 well developed examples of how this advice would be helpful to high
school students.
Perfect 5
10
5
9.5
4
8.5
3
7.5
2
6.5
1
5.0
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Rank:
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Rank: