4/4 Open-ended rubric and response

Please keep in mind that your responses are being compared to these types of responses.  This is a stellar example.

4 point responses …

 

• use intro and conclusion sentences
• use sophisticated details from the material (2+)
• make deeper connections and extends the text beyond what is simply said
• uses accurate details

 Topic: On pages 27 through 30, Francis describes how he endures haunting dreams and memories of the war each night as he attempts to sleep. Why do you think this happens to Francis? What do these recurring dreams tell you about his subconscious mind?

Sample:

Francis has many horrible, haunting dreams about his past when he fought in the war. I think these haunting memories keep coming back to him because he’s afraid of his past of the war and what it did to him. A grenade blew apart his face. Instead of ears, he has dangling pieces of flesh. Instead of a nose, he has two holes in the middle of his face, like two little caves he has to breathe out of. The skin of his cheeks was torn off so Francis needed to get a skin graph for his cheeks from his thighs. All his teeth were lost so he needs to use dentures that barely fit his mouth until he can have better fitting ones once his gums stop shrinking. Francis’s throat was also damaged so his voice, from now on, always comes out raspy, like he has an eternal cold. This is an unforgettable past. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have to live with myself, with my past. It would definitely haunt me in my dreams, where I’m vulnerable and unable to control my thoughts. These recurring dreams tell me that Francis subconsciously has a hard time dealing with his past and his physical self. When he’s conscious, he tries to ignore the stares that people give him and just push them out of his mind. The stares must come back subconsciously where he cannot just simply push them a side. Realistically, Francis is self conscious about his appearance and is self conscious about all the stares. These thoughts and images seem to come back to Francis in unconscious self while he’s sleeping where his mind is clear and is free to think of what is really scaring him, which is his past in the war.