Ender’s Game Essay Assignment
You will write a five-paragraph essay about Ender’s Game
Prompt Options:
- Is Ender’s isolation – created by Graff – important to Ender’s training or not?
- The twelve intellectual indicators are supposed to comprise successful individuals. Do you think Ender’s success is derived from one or more of these indicators?
- You are Graff. You are in charge of deciding whether Ender is ready to go to battle or not. Review his file and justify whether or not he is ready to be a commander. Use the intellectual indicators to help you justify your thoughts.
- What sets Ender apart as “the chosen one” as opposed to his peers in Battle School? Use the intellectual indicators to help you form your argument.
- Was the battle school built for one particular type of soldier, like Ender? Or was the school meant to develop all types of soldiers?
- Using the intellectual indicators, why were the Wiggin siblings – Peter and Valentine – not accepted into the Battle School?
- If there are soldiers who are arguably similar to Peter and Valentine Wiggin, why were Peter and Valentine not invited to the school?
- How is Ender different from Valentine and Peter?
- How is the main character of Flight of the Navigator, David, similar to/different from Ender in regards to Intellectual Indicators? Consider how both characters solve problems in life using these indicators.
Each skill will be assessed with this assignment:
Thesis and Development: You should have a complex thesis and should embed at least three quotes from Ender’s Game. You should attribute three other quotes. You should have a total of six quotes within your body paragraphs.
Documentation: Each quote should have the page number noted in parentheses after it is over.
Title, Hook, Conclusion: The title should be an independent clause. You should have a hook that is either a question or a metaphor that your readers can connect with. It should be brought back in the conclusion.
Topic Sentences and Transitions: Each topic sentence should be argumentative. You should use at least one transition/transition word in each paragraph to show the connection between quote 1 and quote 2. Boldface these transition words.
Varied Sentences: The essay should include examples of simple, compound, complex, and compound complex sentences. Put one of each in bold. You also will be expected to turn in a rough draft that on which you have used the revision guidelines (see below).
Grammar: The essay should include one example of a colon that is used to amplify an independent clause and one semi-colon in place of a FANBOYS conjunction. You also should italicize three prepositional phrases that you used to begin a sentence and followed with a comma.
Speaking: Each student will give a one-minute speech explaining the argument one used in this essay. A visual aid will be required to accompany your speech.
Main Idea: Students will be given a “Main Idea” grade based on one’s understanding of the novel demonstrated in the opening paragraph (2-3 summarization sentences) and throughout the essay.
Vocabulary: Students should use and underline ten vocabulary words from this semester.
Student Success Skills: Students should put the following heading on the upper left hand side of the essay:
First Last (Name)
English I
Mr. Mabie/Mrs. Schweiss
5 December 2011
Essay final draft should be submitted to turnitin.com
No reflection will be expected for this essay.
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Mr. Mabie’s English Class
Fabulous Five Revision Guidelines
1. Circle the “to be” verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). Eliminate half of these words.
2. Underline every sentence. Break the line at the end of each sentence. It helps to use two colors.
An average-sized sentence is 16-20 words. Make sure approximately 25% of your sentences are more and approximately 25% of your sentences are less.
3. Put brackets on sentence beginnings (the first word or phrase). Don’t use the same beginning inthe same paragraph.
4. Put a square around conjunctions (FANBOYS). Make sure the conjunction is preceded by a comma, if an independent clause is on the other side of it. It should never have a comma after it! Could any of these be replaced by a semi-colon or colon if it has independent clauses on both sides?
5. Mark with an “X”vague words such as “you,” and egocentric words such as “I” and “me.” Use Control F to find these words and see if they’re really needed.