Bamboo People​ Summative Writing Task

Task:​​ ​You will write four separate TEPAC paragraphs on different topics for this
assessment.​ ​The first three paragraphs have an assigned topic, and the fourth one you
may choose the topic you want to write about. Each paragraph should be around 250
words. You will have class time on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next
week to complete this task.

● Be sure to use specific examples and quotations from the novel as evidence in
your answer.
● After you finish ​ALL ​of your writing, please answer the following questions:
○ Which paragraph do you think shows your best Analyzing?
■
○ Which paragraph do you think shows your best Organizing?
■
○ Which paragraph do you think shows your best Using Language?
■

Paragraph #1

Explain the ways that Chiko and Tu Reh are similar or different. You may consider their
personalities, their family or social surroundings, or the events that happen to each of
them in the book. Use examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Paragraph #2

Choose one of the passages linked below. Explain what the ​tone​ is in the passage and
analyze what techniques (diction, imagery, or figurative language) the author uses to
create that tone. Use specific examples from the passage to support your idea.

Passage 1 Passage 2
Paragraph #3

Consider the statement of inquiry for our unit:

“Whatever hardships we endure, our connections to other
are what help us survive.”
Based on your reading of ​Bamboo People,​ do you think that this statement is true? Use
examples of hardships experienced by characters in the novel to support your idea.

Paragraph #4

Choose ​ONE​​ of the following questions to answer. Use specific examples from the book
to support your ideas. Make sure to indicate which question you are answering.

1) Consider the following quotation:

“Go get some rest, Tu Reh,” the president says. “We’ll question your soldier
tomorrow, and I want you there.” (201)
Throughout the second part of the book, the people in the refugee camp keep
calling Chiko “​Tu Reh’s​ soldier” or “​your​ soldier” (talking to Tu Reh). Why does
this upset Tu Reh? Do you think Tu Reh regrets saving Chiko’s life?

2) Consider the following quotation:

Before I leave that afternoon, I quietly approach the teacher. I know I can trust
him. He used to scold Sa Reh and me about the way we hated the Burmese.
“Revenge makes you a prisoner,” he’d tell us, and we’d nod, but afterward, we’d
joke about how he probably lost his manhood along with his leg. (231)
 Throughout the novel Mitali Perkins introduces characters that are more
open-minded than others. Tu Reh’s teacher is one of these characters. Use an
example of another character who is open-minded to explain the message Mitali
Perkins is trying to teach us about open-mindedness.

3) Consider the following quotation:

This council meeting is my last chance to prove that I’m still a Karenni fighter. I
have to show them all that I’m the same Tu Reh I was before I left on the mission.
But am I? That night, as Chiko talks about his home, family, and dreams for the
future, I can hardly believe this is me, Tu Reh, listening to a Burmese soldier. Am
I forgetting? I close my eyes to picture the soldiers who threw the burning torch
on our house and bamboo grove. Sadness comes winging back like an arrow. I’d
still do anything to get our village back--anything to keep my people alive. But
somehow this boy isn’t a part of that anymore. (236-237)
Tu Reh can be described as a dynamic character (a character who changes).
How has he changed, and what has caused the change in his thinking?

4) Consider the following passage:

“Sa Reh hands me half a banana. “Is she okay?” he asks.
“I hope so. I think so. She never talked about what happened. Not until now.”
She . . . she doesn’t hate them.”
“I know.”
“She saved that soldier’s life.”
I pop the last piece of banana into my mouth, relishing the sensation of Sa Reh’s
easy company--something I thought I’d lost forever. “She called him ‘my
brother’”
“I like her,” he says. “I--I wish I were half as good as she is.” (255)
What is Sa Reh beginning to understand? What theme in ​Bamboo People​ does
Tu Reh and Sa Reh’s relationship help show?

5) Consider the following quotation:

“Great doctors must understand human nature in order to heal.” (5)
What does Mitali Perkins mean by this statement? Explain how we can
understand this statement as a theme in ​Bamboo People​, using quotations from
the novel as evidence.

6) Consider the following passage:

​“A man full of hatred is like a gun, my son,” Peh says. “He can be used for only
one purpose--to kill”
 I know. That’s what I want to do, what I’ve dreamed of constantly since we
escaped--making the Burmese pay.
Peh hands the rifle to me. Then, with a swift flick of his wrist, he tosses the
bamboo pole high in the air. It’s light, so it rises easily and arcs and falls without
a sound.
………….
Peh releases his end of the pole, and it lands on the ground with a thud. “I won’t
command you, my son. A Karenni man must decide for himself. Leave him for
the animals. End his life now. Or carry him to the healer. It’s your choice.”
(148-149)
In her notes, Perkins tells us that the Karenni people she met during her travels
in Thailand led her to think of the bamboo plant as “an excellent symbol for the
peoples of that region.” This thought is explored in the passage above. Using
quotations from the novel as evidence, explain why bamboo is a good symbol for
the Karenni people as they are presented in ​Bamboo People​.
  
  
Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed on the following criteria:

Criteria A - Analyzing
i. identify and comment upon significant aspects of texts
ii. identify and comment upon the creator’s choices
iii. justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations and terminology
iv. identify similarities and differences in features within the text.

Criteria B - Organizing
i. employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention
ii. organize opinions and ideas in a logical manner
iii. use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the
context and intention.

Criteria D - Using Language

i. use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures and forms of expression
ii. write in an appropriate register and style
iii. use correct grammar, syntax and punctuation
iv. spell with accuracy