A Day at School – Krystal, Grade 8
This creative assignment – changing the mood – is done by one of my grade 8 students. He has used the appropriate word choice as well as literary devices to describe a day at school.
My Basketball Boo-Boos – Dylan, Grade 4
This personal narrative is written by one of my grade 4 students. He has successfully sequenced the events leading to the climax, which is descriptively depicted, helping readers to vividly imagine the scene. He has used some of the elements of fiction, such as dialogue to make the narrative an interesting piece to read. He has also used a number of literary devices, such as simile and imagery, to help readers imagine the events in the plot. Finally, he has presented his thesis clearly at the end of the story.
A Close Resemblance – Annie, Grade 10
This literary essay is written by one of my grade 10 students. She has presented a very debatable thesis statement, claiming that the line between reality and appearance is very fragile. In her thesis statement, she has clearly stated two reasons, both of which are backed up by quotes from the …
“Lather and Nothing More” – Alan, Grade 10
This short haiku and the accompanying commentary are written by one of my grade 10 students based on the short story “Lather and Nothing More.” He clearly explains the devices he has applied in order to convey the message in the short story.
Time to Change – Tina, Grade 10
This argumentative essay is written by one of my grade 10 students. She persuasively argues that all drugs need to be decriminalized and points to some of the successful models from around the world as proof. She has included many facts, examples, and statistics, which make her piece a very …
Getting to Know the Tyrant – Ethan, Grade 9 IB
This literary essay is written by one of my grade 9 IB students. In his thesis, he has clearly stated the reasons why Napoleon can be classified as a tyrant. He has included very clear quotes from the novel and provided accurate explanations and conclusions. Finally, he makes a connection to the real world in his concluding paragraph.
Animal Farm New Words – William, Grade 9
Ignorant of One’s Ignorance Guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words from context is a strategy that is often misused by students. The strategy should only be applied to facilitate and speed up the reading process during the first reading of any paragraph. However, once students have applied the strategy as …
Literary Essays: Students’ Pathway to Wisdom
While students who have not fully grasped the reason behind writing a literary essay tend to loathe such an essay, the ones who are aware of its goal pride themselves in delving deeper in the story and writing an essay that, like a gem of wisdom, can enlighten the readers. …
Hidden & Hideous – Stanley, Grade 9
This literary essay is written by one of my grade 9 summer students. He has critically read the story and has extracted three convincing reasons to prove that the unnamed character in the story “The Tell-Tale Heart” is insane. Using quotes from the story, he has provided persuasive support for …
Fatal Misconceptions – Gavin, Grade 10
This literary essay is written by one of my grade 10 students. He has critically read the story and has extracted three convincing reasons for the tragic ending of the story. Using quotes from the story, he has provided persuasive support for his three reasons. Finally, he makes a very …