Name_____________________________________ Class Period________ Final Grade________

“A Poison Tree” by William Blake

Task: How does the conclusion of the poem impact the poem’s theme?

Success Criteria:
1. Explanation of the ending of the story is accurate.
2. Evidence chosen to explain the ending is accurate.
3. Explanation of the theme of the story is accurate.
4. Explanation as to how the ending impacts the poem’s theme is accurate.
5. Evidence chosen to show how the ending impacts the theme is accurate.
6. Explanation as to why the ending impacting the theme is significant (the “so what?”) - what do you want to
say to your reader that will answer “so what?”
7. Analysis NOT summary (not a retelling of the story, but an analysis)

Requirements for all writings:

 All work must be typed: Times New Roman 12 (including the title)
 Do not write a plot summary!
 Use formal writing only; do not use informal language (not: "she freaked out", "jumping for joy", "had a blast", etc.).
 All writings must have an original title. Your title cannot be “The Gift of the Magi”.
 Do not refer to "I", "you", “your”, "we", “us”, “me”, "the reader", “one”, “the student”, “the audience”, etc., unless you
are quoting directly from a text.
 Use only third person point of view.
 Proofread your responses for correct grammatical conventions and usage. (fragments, run-ons, contractions, comma
usage, etc.)
 Do not us “a lot”, "a lot of", "lots", "a bunch of", "tons of", "mess around", "messing around", “stuff”, “things”, “cool”,
“stick with”, “kids”, “people”, etc.
 Do not write “the reader”
 No words with backslashes: army/war, 50/50, him/her, etc.
 Do not use clichés, idiomatic language, slang, or texting language.
 Do not write “quote”, “this quote proves”, etc.
 All quotes must be embedded.

1. Explanation of the ending of the story is accurate.

Yes No
2. Evidence chosen to explain the ending is accurate.

3. Explanation of the theme of the story is accurate.

Yes No
4. Explanation as to how the ending impacts the poem’s theme is accurate.
Yes No
5. Evidence chosen to show how the ending impacts the theme is accurate.
Yes No
6. Explanation as to why the ending impacting the theme is significant (the “so
what?”) - what do you want to say to your reader that will answer “so what?” Yes No
7. Analysis NOT summary (not a retelling of the story, but an analysis)
Yes No

Exceeds Expectations- Meets Expectations- Approaching Does Not Meet

All 7 success criteria met Only 6 success criteria Expectations- Expectations-
met Only 4 or 5 success Has 3 or less success
criteria met criteria met