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 / Skills needed to meet this FCA / Ranks
Organization: IntroductionThe introductory paragraph begins with a creative attention getter that leads into a clear thesis statement and establishes an ordered plan of development. /
  • The essay includes an engaging and creative 3-5 sentence attention getter that is focused on a universal situation or concern
/ 5 4 3 2 1
  • A two or three point plan of development statement is into integrated into the thesis and previews the talking points of the essay
/ 5 4 3 2 1
  • 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
/ 5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Overall Rank:
FCA / Skills needed to meet this FCA / Ranks
Organization: ConclusionThe essay ends with a conclusion that restates the thesis, summarizes the main points of the essay, and gives closure to the main ideas. /
  • The conclusion provides a brief summary of the talking points mentioned and restates the thesis statement clearly.
/ 5 4 3 2 1
  • The conclusion uses elements of the introductory attention getter to create closure for the essay or provide a call to action
/ 5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Overall Rank:

Individual Group Member: ______

FCA / Skills needed to meet this FCA / Ranks
Organization: Body
Paragraphs begin with a clear topic sentence; it utilizes fluency building transitions, contains unified information, and closes with a creative clinching sentence. / Organization:
  • The body paragraph begins with a focused topic sentence that specifically relates to the essay question
  • The body paragraph contains unified details. The body paragraphs do not stray off topic
  • The body paragraph ends with a creative, summarizing clinching sentence
/ 5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Rank:
Ideas and Content: The essay is clear, focused, and uses the most relevant and logical example to establish, enrich and support a clear position / Content:
  • The paragraph contains 2-3 well developed examples of how Sherman Alexie faces that particular obstacle.
/ 5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Rank:

Individual Group Member: ______

FCA / Skills needed to meet this FCA / Ranks
Organization: Body
Paragraphs begin with a clear topic sentence; it utilizes fluency building transitions, contains unified information, and closes with a creative clinching sentence. / Organization:
  • The body paragraph begins with a focused topic sentence that specifically relates to the essay question
  • The body paragraph contains unified details. The body paragraphs do not stray off topic
  • The body paragraph ends with a creative, summarizing clinching sentence
/ 5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Rank:
Ideas and Content:The essay is clear, focused, and uses the most relevant and logical example to establish, enrich and support a clear position / Content:
  • The paragraph contains 2-3 well developed examples of how Sherman Alexie faces that particular obstacle.
/ 5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Rank:

Individual Group Member: ______

FCA / Skills needed to meet this FCA / Ranks
Organization: Body
Paragraphs begin with a clear topic sentence; it utilizes fluency building transitions, contains unified information, and closes with a creative clinching sentence. / Organization:
  • The body paragraph begins with a focused topic sentence that specifically relates to the essay question
  • The body paragraph contains unified details. The body paragraphs do not stray off topic
  • The body paragraph ends with a creative, summarizing clinching sentence
/ 5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Rank:
Ideas and Content:The essay is clear, focused, and uses the most relevant and logical example to establish, enrich and support a clear position / Content:
  • The paragraph contains 2-3 well developed examples of how Sherman Alexie faces that particular obstacle.
/ 5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
Points Awarded: / Perfect 5
10 / 5
9.5 / 4
8.5 / 3
7.5 / 2
6.5 / 1
5.0 / Rank: