Growing Up Around the World Assessment

Demonstrate your understanding of bildungsroman to your teacher. Fill in the graphic organizer
with information from the short story you read. Remember, the short stories you could
choose from are:

 "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan

 "The Jacket" by Gary Soto
 "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" by W.D. Wetherell
 "American History" by Judith Ortiz Cofer

You can find any of these short stories online.

There are 4 steps to this assignment:

Step 1: Identify Elements of Bildungsroman. Identify two elements of a coming-of-age story

that are found in your story. Include evidence from the text (direct quotations) to support your
identification and explain how your direct quotation illustrates the element. As a reminder, some
elements of bildungsroman include:

 a young/teenage protagonist who goes through a change

 a canon event that begins or propels the journey
 a conflict that challenges the protagonist to reflect on their beliefs or understanding of
their wants, needs, or situation
 an outlook or held belief that is changed by the end of the story

American History by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Title of short story
Element 1: President Kennedy is shot and killed. Not only did it
Identify an element of affect Elena but also everyone that lived in EL building.
bildungsroman and the
event in which it appears
in the story.

Example:

Canon Event: Caline meets

the young man from the
train.

Evidence: Copy/paste a At almost any hour of the day, ESL building was like a
direct quotation from the monstrous juice box, blasting out salsas from open
story that illustrates the windows as the residents, mostly new immigrants just up

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 element you’ve identified. in the island, try to drown out whatever they were
currently enduring with loud music. But the day
Example: One of the men–a President Kennedy was shot there was a profound silence
pleasant-faced youngster– in EL building; even the abusive tongues of viragoes, the
drew a sketch book from his cursing of the unemployed, and the screeching of small
pocket and began to make a children had been somehow muted.
picture of the girl. She
stayed motionless, her hands
behind her, and her wide
eyes fixed earnestly upon
him.

Explanation of The quote shows an element of a canon event because it

Evidence: How does this describes the death of someone that was truly looked up
quote illustrate Element to. President Kennedy’s death was a turning point in
1? Answer in 1-2 Elena’s and all the tenants from El Building as he was
complete sentences. considered a saint in their eyes.

Example: This quote shows

a canon event because it
marks a moment that
changes Caline’s life. It is
because of this moment she
decides she want to leave
home and go to the city.

Element 2: Canon Event

Identify an element of Elena goes to Eugene’s house to study the same day of
bildungsroman and the the death of President Kennedy. When she gets to his
event in which it appears house and his mother opens the door, she is made to feel
in the story. like someone of no importance because of her race

She looked intently at me for a couple of heartbeats, then

said as if to herself, “I don’t know how you people do it.”
Then directly to me: “Listen. Honey. Eugene doesn’t
want to study with you. He is a smart boy. Doesn’t need
Evidence: Copy/paste a
help. You understand me. I am truly sorry if he told you,
direct quotation from the
you could come over. He cannot study with you. It’s
story that illustrates the
nothing personal. You understand? We won’t be in this
element you’ve identified.
place much longer, no need for him to get close to people
— it’ll just make it harder for him later. Run back home
now.”

Explanation of The quote shows an element of navigating a devastating

Evidence: How does this change because it makes her to reevaluate everything that
quote illustrate Element is important in her life at that moment. It is a big turning
2? Answer in 1-2 point for her because it gives her a chance to reflect on
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 complete sentences. her own feelings.

Step 2: Identify Universal Themes. Identify two universal themes you found in your story.
*Remember, a theme is a one-sentence statement with a lesson or a message we the
reader can take away from the story. What can we learn about our own lives from the
protagonist’s experiences? *

Include direct quotations from the text to support your identification.

Cultural differences and racism

Universal Theme 1
(1 sentence)

Example: Be careful what

you wish for.

Explain what happened Elena comes from a Puerto Rican family and goes to a
in the story that led to public school, where she is treated negatively by her
Universal Theme 1 peers and is called skinny bones. She is constantly
Example: After seeing the abused and has to deal with the consequences that comes
glamorous city folks on the with racism.
train, Caline imagined
another life for herself
outside of her small town.
However, when she got to
the city and lived in it, she
realized it wasn't what she
thought it would be.

Copy/paste a direct “The other girls picked up the “pork chop” and made it
quotation from the story into a refrain: “pork chop, pork chop, did you eat your
that clued you in to your pork chop?” They entered the double ropes in pairs and
identified universal exited without tripping or missing a beat. I felt a burning
theme. on my cheeks and then my glasses fogged up so that I
could not manage to coordinate the jump rope with Gail.
Example: "For she knew The chill was doing to me what it always did; entering
now that it was not the great my bones, making me cry, humiliating me. I hated the
city and its crowds of people city, especially in winter. I hated Public School Number
she had so eagerly sought; 13. I hated my skinny flat-chested body, and I envied the
but the pleasant-faced boy,
black girls who could jump rope so fast that their legs
who had made her picture
that day under the mulberry
became a blur. They always seemed to be warm while I
tree." froze.”

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 Universal Theme 2 Facing a personal tragedy
(1 sentence)
Explain what happened President Kennedy was shot and killed. It had a huge
in the story that led to effect on everybody. Mourning the loss of someone that
Universal Theme 1 was considered a saint and living with that loss as if he
Example: After seeing the was part of their family. While all this is happening,
glamorous city folks on the Elena tries to mourn for his loss but instead cries because
train, Caline imagined of the hurt she is feeling of losing Eugene
another life for herself
outside of her small town.
However, when she got to
the city and lived in it, she
realized it wasn't what she
thought it would be.
“For the next few days, we would observe luto in our
apartment; that is, we would practice restraint and silence
—no loud music or laughter. Some of the women of El
Building would wear black for weeks. That night, I lay in
my bed trying to feel the right thing for our dead
Copy/paste a direct President. But the tears that came up from a deep source
quotation from the story inside me were strictly for me. When my mother came to
that clued you in to your the door, I pretended to be sleeping. Sometime during the
identified universal night, I saw from my bed the streetlight come on. It had a
theme. pink halo around it. I went to my window and pressed
my face to the cool glass. Looking up at the light I could
see the white snow falling like a lace veil over its face. I
did not look down to see it turning gray as it touched the
ground below.”

Step 3: Identify Conflicting Perspectives. In complete sentences, identify two conflicting

perspectives in your story. Include direct quotations from the text to support your
identification.

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 Conflicting Perspectives: Elena and her classmates from Public School Number 13.
Whose perspectives are She tries to be better at the jump rope, but the girls are
conflicting in this story? belittling her by using negative remarks.
Respond in 1-2
sentences.

Example: Caline and the

girls she meets on the train
have conflicting
perspectives. Caline thinks
the world is small; the girls
understand the world to be
much larger.

Copy/paste at least one “Hey, Skinny Bones, pump it, girl. Ain’t you got no
direct quotation from energy today?” Gail, the biggest of the black girls had the
the story that shows the other end of the rope, yelled, “Didn’t you eat your rice
conflicting perspectives and beans and pork chops for breakfast today?”
in the story.

Example: They tried to talk

to Caline, but could not
understand the French
patois with which she
answered them.

Step 4: Find a Symbol. In a complete sentence, identify at least one symbol in your short story.
Include a direct quotation from the text to support your reasoning and write 2-3 sentences
explaining the meaning of the symbol and how it affects the story or enhances a theme of
the story.

Symbol The green door from Eugene’s house

Example: One symbol found

in Caline is the train.

Copy/paste a direct “The door was painted a deep green: verde, the color of
quotation from the story hope, I had heard my mother say it: Verde-Esperanza. I
that shows where we see knocked softly. A few suspenseful moments later the
the symbol in the story. door opened just a crack.”

Example: She looked with

new and strange interest
upon the trains of cars that
passed so swiftly back and
forth across her vision…

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 The symbol of the green door means hope. It shows how
Elena is following through with being with Eugene and
Meaning. How does this
by knocking on the door it gives her that opportunity.
symbol affect the story
Instead of obtaining a positive outcome she is faced with
or enhance a theme of
a negative outcome instead. At the end of the story she
the story?
has lost all hope.

Growing Up Around the World Rubric

On Target Almost There Needs Improvement

10-8 points 7-6 points 5-0 points

 The student correctly  The student identifies  The student does not
identifies two one element of correctly identify two
elements of bildungsroman. elements of
bildungsroman.  The student includes bildungsroman.
 The student includes some relevant  No evidence is
Elements
at least one direct evidence from the text. included.
(10 points)
quotation for each  The student partially  No explanations are
element. explains how the included.
 The student evidence illustrates the
thoroughly explains element they’ve
how their evidence identified.
illustrates the element
they’ve identified.
Universal 10-8 points 7-6 points 5-0 points
Themes
(10 points)  The student  The student  The student does not
accurately identifies accurately identifies accurately identify
two universal themes one universal theme two universal themes
from the short story in from the short story from the short story.
sentence form. or identifies topics  The student does not
 The student clearly instead of themes. explain events from
explains events from  The student mostly the story that led them
the story that led them explains events from to each universal
to each universal the story that led them theme statement.
theme statement. to each universal  No evidence is
 The student provides theme statement. included.
one direct quotation  Evidence is included

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 for each universal but is not relevant to
theme that illustrates one theme.
the theme as seen in
the story.
10-8 points 7-6 points 5-0 points

 The student accurately  The student partially  The student does not
identifies conflicting identifies conflicting identify conflicting
perspectives in the perspectives in the perspectives in the
Perspectives story. story. story.
(10 points)  The student includes  Evidence is included  No evidence is
one or more direct but is not relevant to included.
quotations from the the perspectives
text to illustrate the identified.
conflicting
perspectives.
10-8 points 7-6 points 5-0 points
 The student
 The student accurately inaccurately identifies  The student does not
identifies a symbol in a symbol in the short accurately identify a
the short story. story. symbol.
 The student includes a  Evidence is included,  No evidence is
Symbol
direct quotation from but may not illustrate included.
(10 points)
the text that illustrates where the symbol is
the symbol's presence found in the story
and importance in the  The student partially
story. explains the meaning
 The student correctly of the symbol.
explains the meaning
of the symbol.
5-4 points 3-2 points 1-0 points
Grammar,
Usage, and  There are virtually no  There are a few  There are several
Mechanics spelling, punctuation, spelling, punctuation, spelling, punctuation,
(5 points) or grammatical errors. or grammatical errors. or grammatical errors.

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