Name___________________________ CP_____ Title of Novel____________________________

ACELA Summer Reading Example and Self-Assessment

Example (from Eleven by Sandra Cisneros):
1.
What was the theme or central idea of the story?
The theme of Eleven by Sandra Cisneros is that growing up is difficult. This theme is demonstrated
in the story by Rachels reaction to her teacher and her peers on her eleventh birthday. Rachel gets
mad at Sylvia for lying about the sweater being Rachels but she is unable to adequately defend
herself. When her teacher, Mrs. Price, makes her take the sweater, Rachel mumbles her defense so
softly that the teacher thinks Rachel is lying. Eventually, Rachel feels like she is three sobbing in front
of the class. On what is supposed to be her special day, her birthday, Rachel feels vulnerable and
scared and like she is all her previous ages, but she really does not feel eleven. This shows how
growing up is difficult.
2. How does the title relate to the story?
In the short story Eleven by Sandra Cisneros, the title is significant because the story is all about
Rachels eleventh birthday, a special day to celebrate. On this day, Rachel expects to feel eleven, but
she doesnt. On this day, instead, Rachel realizes that sometimes she feels anything but the age she
is. She also reflects on how her mother when sad and crying feels like she is three. She compares
ages to the rings of the tree trunk and to coins in a tin boxall the ages are present and a part of who
people are.
3. How did the storys plot unfold? How did the character(s) respond or change as the plot
moved towards a resolution?
For this question, you may draw a plot diagram, or you may summarize the story and include the
relevant elements of a plot. With the resolution of the novel, you should also mention how the
character changes in the novel. Use the example of the plot diagram we made from Eleven as a
guide.
Hint: All the characters in your novels changed. Rachel just responded. She did not change.

Self-Assessment Checklist:
Theme
___I included and underlined (or
italicized if typed) the title of the
novel.
___I included the authors name
in my answer.
___I answered the question by
stating the theme of the novel (a
universal truth/THE-MEssage)
without mentioning the
characters name in that
answer.
___I provided evidence from the
text with the characters name
and details to show how this is a
theme in the novel, elaborating
enough to show I have read the
book.

Title
___I included and underlined (or
italicized if typed) the title of the
novel.
___I included the authors name
in my answer.
___I answered the question by
explaining how the title is
relevant to the novel.
___I provided evidence from the
text to answer this question,
elaborating enough to show I
have read the book.

Plot
___I have included and
underlined (or italicized if typed)
the title of the novel.
___I included the authors name
in my answer.
___I answered the question by
writing a summary that includes
the elements of the plot,
showing how the character
changes, or I have drawn a plot
diagram that clearly shows how
the character changes.
___My answer clearly shows
that I have read the entire novel
(beginning, middle, and end)