Opportunity Day - Humans of New York Analysis

They’re back from the dead! - why are we returning to our ‘Humans of
New York Analyses?
● Students were working super hard on them, and I saw some great
thinking going on.
● This isn’t practice anymore - this will now be an academic grade for
analysis!
Opportunity Day - Humans of New York Analysis
Go back to your ‘Humans of New York’ Analysis on Google Classroom (they’ve been returned to you)

Remember:
Using the process of analysis (What, How, Why), you’re analyzing a person from ‘Humans of New York’, and
analyzing how an aspect of their person’s interview affects their overall message. You will:

1. Choose a person from Humans of New York to analyze (click on the blue links on your worksheet).

2. Choose an aspect to analyze about them (the green box on your worksheet).

3. Fill out your analysis worksheet for your chosen person (the orange box on your worksheet).

4. Write 1-paragraph analyzing the aspect you’re observing about your chosen person. What is their
overall message? How does this aspect affect that message? Give 2-3 direct examples from the
text/visuals.

5. Submit your full analysis worksheet on Google Classroom.

Student Example - Meets

In the story “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, she uses repetition to constantly express
how Rachel, the main character, feels about the red sweater. When Mrs Price asks if
the sweater is hers Rachel stutters, but makes out an apparent “Not mine”, however
she still is given the sweater. After receiving it, Cisneros repeats the words “Not
mine” in multiple paragraphs to express Rachel’s feelings about receiving the
sweater. In doing so, Cisneros also uses this two-worded phrase to set in stone
Rachel’s age. By using “Not mine” we can imagine a young child saying that phrase,
unlike a more adult-like phrase being ‘That is not mine’. Through the eyes of a
reader, they can very well understand that Rachel does not want to sweater.
Sandra Cisneros uses the repetition of the phrase “Not mine” in “Eleven” to express
the main character's feelings towards the red sweater.
Rubrics - The Scariest thing of All…
Student Example - Exceeds
In the story, “Eleven,” Sandra Cisneros chose several descriptions of the red sweater to support and
develop the theme that something ugly can ruin a special day. On Rachel’s birthday, the teacher gave
the main character a red sweater that was found, because she thought it belonged to her. Rachel knew
that this wasn’t her sweater and described that the red sweater was “an ugly sweater with red plastic
buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like you could use it for a jump rope. It’s maybe a
thousand years old.” The writer wanted the reader to know that the sweater which was unattractive
and was not new, was wrongly given to Rachel on her special day, when she wanted to feel attractive
and turning eleven was new to her, which ruined the experience for her. Another example how the
sweater was described was when Rachel was forced to put the sweater on and said that it “smells like
cottage cheese” (para 17). The writer wanted us to know that when Rachel put the sweater on, she
didn’t feel good because of the smell. The unpleasant odor ruined the feel of a special day. The last
example how the writer described the sweater was when Rachel had the sweater on “with [her] arms
apart like if the sweater hurts [her] and it does, all itchy and full of germs that aren’t even [hers]” (para
17). On her birthday, Rachel had to wear a sweater that was uncomfortable and felt dirty which is
exactly the opposite of what she wanted to wear and feel on that day. Because of the descriptions of
the red sweater that the writer chose, the reader was able to see how a special day such as a birthday
could be interfered by something displeasing.
Rubrics - The Scariest thing of All…
For Students who Finish…
1. Return to writing your ‘Humans of Loveland High’ Narrative Story!

2. Once you have your whole story plotted out, slowly turn each of those bullet points
into a full sentence as you craft each of your paragraphs.

3. As you plan your story, think about the two writing goals your set for yourself. How can
you include them in your narrative?
a. Elaborate Descriptions - Am I providing extra detail for what things look like, what
sounds there are, smells, etc?
b. ‘Snapshot’ Memories - Do my characters suddenly remember something in my
narrative? Can I provide a short ‘snapshot’ memory within the story itself?
c. Dialogue - What interactions do I have between characters? Am I using dialogue?
Is there a scene with no dialogue where some could be included?
d. Vivid Verbs - Can I go back to what I’ve written and look for the verbs? For the ones
I’ve underlined, can I used a different word to make it sound more interesting?
When is this Due?

You’ll have the rest of the class period to work on this.

Resubmit it when you are finished.

The final due date for this will be this Friday, November 4th!