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Reading Assignment: Please read chapters 4-7, pp.42-83 in Kira-Kira

Writing Assignment: On page, 13, Katie says that her parent think hitting someone, stealing, and lying are the three worst things you can do in the world. Please write a paragraph on a similar but somewhat narrower topic. Explain what you think is the worst thing one friend can do to another.

 

Please remember to link your description to the book, something like this "In Kira-Kira,  author Cynthia Kadohata has her central character, KatieTakeshima describe the three worst things in the world a person can do.  However, when it comes to friendship, Katie would need to add to that list _____________"

(That's if you write about a characteristic different from the ones Katie describes). If you pick one that she mentions, then you  need to say something like this "In Kira-Kira, author Cynthia Kadohata has her central character, KatieTakeshima describe the three worst things in the world a person can do.  What Katie says about ____________is particularly true of friendship because ______________________is one of the worst things you can do to a friend."

If you are really busy, consider this alternative, or other possible assignment for the writing assignment. You know the kinds of questions I ask. So if you can't complete the assignment, then pick out a passage to two and pose some questions you think a reader should be able to answer after reading it. Here's an example:

In Chapter 4, Katie says she "forgot to think nonsense words. That’s why my mother was able to read my mind and know I felt guilty. She pulled me to her and hugged me.“It’s not your fault!' she said."

What do nonsense words have to do with Katie's mother knowing her thoughts? In your own words, why does Katie feel guilty? Why does her mother tell her "It's not your fault"?

Using quotation marks within quotation marks can be tricky sometimes. Don't worry about them for this assignment. If you need to quote from the text for your question--and you probably do-- just do the best you can.

This second requirement would require you to copy some portions of the text. For a second language learner that's a good thing. It's also recommended for native speakers who want to become better writers, so go ahead and type up some sentences from the book and pose questions about them. Then send both questions and quotes to me via e-mail.

Please send me your questions the night before class, so I can insert (put) them into the file I open for class. Then we will answer them in class.

Last edited by Laraine
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I think the worst thing a friend can do to another is doing nothing to save him or her when he or she is in a big trouble. Friends should help each other during a hard time. When one of my friends didn't know how to do his homework and I helped him and he was so happy just like a very hungry man gets lots of food to keep him alive because the teacher in school is very fiendish. So I felt happy too. When a big and strong dog was chasing me and I was very terrified at that time (I fear dogs very much when I was 6~9 years old). Just then, my best friend came and kicked the dog and the dog went away. I was so thankful to him and I thought if he gets in trouble, I will do everything to help him, even if I will get in a bigger trouble. And if I am in a big trouble and no one come and help me, I'll be very unhappy and may be mad at the friend which was near me at that time. I don't want my friends feel bad and I don't want to feel bad. So I think the worst thing a friend can do to another is doing nothing to save him or her when he or she is in a big trouble.

Once again, this is just lovely. I will send you some comments via e mail, but they are very small corrections. This is a great piece of work, and among the many things you have mastered as a writer, one of the most striking is your ability to select what I call a vivid detail to illustrate your point. Vivid means colorful, interesting, exciting and above all specific.  I loved your examples, particularly the one about the dog. Your friend is very brave and I am glad you have him for a best friend. See you in class. 

  Friendship is built on trust. I think the worst thing that one friend can do to another is secret betrayal. If my best friend told someone else my secret, I’d be very angry and disappointed. After that, our friendship would end instantly, and I wouldn’t trust anyone easily in the future. In Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, a girl lived with a violent father, her father usually hit her. That was her biggest secret, and she only told two friends. The next day she went to school, everyone knew about that secret because her friends had betrayed her and didn’t keep the secret. The girl felt really sad, her friends hurt her deeply. That was a nightmare. Fortunately, I didn’t experience this kind of tragedy. From now on, I wouldn’t trust anyone so easily. If I wanted to share my secrets, I would only tell my best friend who was trustable. Also, if my friend shared a secret with me, I would be the last man to betray my friend.

What a lovely piece of writing! And what a great conclusion. It was also very smart to include such a specific example from a literary work, and I'm happy to see so much more sentence variety.

Really great work. I will send you some additional comments via e-mail, but this was an excellent piece of writing that shows real development in your style and voice. 

I think the worst thing a friend can do to another is lying. I think lie may hurt someone a lot. When you trust someone for a long time, but suddenly he lies to you. If I undergo this, I may break the friendship. Because that you’re really care about him, but he doesn’t care about what your feel. That’s hurt a lot. And I think the other point worse than the lie one is betrayal. When best friend become betrayal, that’s mean your friendship is gone.

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