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Ms. Hayes and Ms. Cornacchia's Class

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Literary Essay

  • Lead (1-2 sentences)
  • Title and Author + Brief Summary (main character, problem) (1-2 sentences)
  • Thesis (1 sentence)
  • Reasons (1 sentence)
  • Write your thesis + reason as your topic sentence .
  • One reason/ way/ character  that shows (thesis) is (reason).
  • Give a quick summary/ background information to set up the quote.
  • In this part…(1-2 sentence summary)
  • In the beginning/ end (1-2 sentence summary)
  • Add the quote .
  • The author writes, “...”
  • The text says, “...”
  • (The character) says, “...”
  • Unpack and elaborate your quote, connecting it to your reason and thesis.
  • Tell what this part shows and how it proves your reason and thesis.
  • This shows readers that ________.
  • This is important because ________.
  • In this part we see ________.
  • (Optional)  Discuss author’s craft technique in this part.
  • The author used (craft) to ______.
  • Ex: In this part, Cynthia Rylant uses revealing actions to show how
  • If you have more than one quote, sometimes you might decide to elaborate
  • Restate the broader theme or thesis.
  • Make a connection to:
  • Your thesis and tell why your claim matters
  • A life lesson you learned
  • An issue in the world
  • A song or quote that ties into your claim
  • Optional- Suggest a further way of acting, of thinking, or a new question.
  • “From now on…”

Unit 1: Poetry Anthologies

literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

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Shells by Cynthia Rylant Comprehension Questions and Activities

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Description

This packet supports the ReadyGen curriculum and asks students to do deep thinking about the characters and events in the story Shells by Cynthia Rylant. They key idea of this text is how characters develop and change over time.

Questions & Answers

Speeding to reading.

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IMAGES

  1. Assessment for Literary Analysis Essay with Rubric

    literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

  2. Teaching Pack for "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant by Lisa Pagano

    literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

  3. Shells: by Cynthia Rylant

    literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

  4. Assessment for Literary Analysis Essay with Rubric

    literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

  5. Shells by Cynthia Rylant

    literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

  6. Assessment for Literary Analysis Essay with Rubric

    literary essay on shells by cynthia rylant

VIDEO

  1. Shells by Cynthia Rylant

  2. Cynthia Rylant Author Study Julia Pincus

  3. Shells by Cynthia Rylant

  4. STORYTIME DAY AND NIGHT 🌃

  5. The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant

  6. the problem with booktube and booktok: overconsumption in the book community + role of influencers

COMMENTS

  1. PDF Change is the Answer to a Better Tomorrow By Mrs. Hoehlein

    How you deal with those hard times is what makes all the difference. In the short story "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant, Michael has hard times because his parents recently died and he has to move in with his Aunt Esther, who doesn't seem to care about him at first. The story "Shells" teaches that things can get better if you change.

  2. Shells by Cynthia Rylant

    1. sliding his milk glass back and forth on the table. "I don't hate it here.". Esther removed the last pan from the dishwasher and hung it above the oven. [5] "You hate it here," she said, "and you hate me.". "I don't!". Michael yelled. "It's not you!". The woman turned to face him in the kitchen.

  3. Shells By Cynthia Rylant Analysis

    Shells By Cynthia Rylant Analysis. 485 Words2 Pages. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic short story about a teenage boy who learns to live with his prejudiced aunt and the fact that his parents are deceased. In the beginning, Michael moves in with his aunt and they don't have a connection. He hates living there and she doesn't ...

  4. Shells By Cynthia Rylant Essay

    Shells By Cynthia Rylant is a realistic fiction about an aunt named Aunt Esther, and a 14 year old kid named Michael. Michael's parents are dead and his aunt chose to take care of him. Things are not working out so well for them. They constantly fight or talk about each other in bad ways. In the end they learn something about each other.

  5. Shells By Cynthia Rylant Analysis

    Shells By Cynthia Rylant Essay. Michael struggles making friends. one way he does is in paragraph 21-28 it says Michael hadn't made any friends the teachers barely notice him. This is probably because his parents dead and he is being quiet in class. But one day Michael went to the pet store looking for something small and living and hermit ...

  6. Shells By Cynthia Rylant Essay

    558 Words. 3 Pages. Open Document. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic short story about a fourteen year old boy who must learn to live with his aunt while struggling with grief after his parents just passed. In the beginning, Michael and Aunt Esther get in a fight. They don't understand each other's lives.

  7. Shells By Cynthia Rylant Essay

    Shells By Cynthia Rylant Essay. 276 Words2 Pages. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic short story about a teenage boy named Michael who moved in with his Aunt Esther who is rich, mean, and crabby because his parents pass away. One way Aunt Esther accused Michael is when she told him he hated her and that he didn't like living there.

  8. Change In The Short Story 'Shells' By Cynthia Rylant

    704 Words3 Pages. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a short story that is realistic fiction about a boy named Michael, who lives with his Aunt Esther after the death of his parents. In the beginning, Michael and Aunt Esther fight with one another. Soon, Michael brought home a hermit crab named Sluggo. Michael and Aunt Esther start to make a ...

  9. PDF Shells by Cynthia Rylant

    As you read the selection below, ask yourself exactly what the conflict is. Try to see both characters' viewpoints. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant. "You hate living here.". Michael looked at the woman speaking to him. "No, Aunt Esther. I don't.". He said it dully, sliding his milk glass back and forth on the table. "I don't hate ...

  10. Shells by Cynthia Rylant

    In Shells by Cynthia Rylant, a recently orphaned boy named Michael is having problems adjusting to living with his aunt Esther. She has never had children, and is very set in her ways. Michael feels alone in the world. He misses his parents, and goes to a new school where he has no friends. Desperate for company, Michael looks in a pet store ...

  11. Summary Of Shells By Cynthia Rylant

    Open Document. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic story about a 14-year-old boy who faces challenges and is forced to live with his aunt after his parents death.In the beginning Michael is living with his Aunt Esther and they don't get along well.Soon,Michael gets along with his aunt and learns to cope with the death of his parents ...

  12. A Literary Analysis Of Shells By Cynthia Rylant

    A Literary Analysis Of Shells By Cynthia Rylant. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a Realistic fiction about a boy who lost his parents 6 months ago and now is living with an aunt who he dose not know at all he struggles with getting back on his feet.In the beginning Micheal is yelling at his aunt about how much he hates it living with her.

  13. Shells by Cynthia Rylant

    409 books789 followers. Follow. An author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults as well as an author and author/illustrator of picture books for children, Cynthia Rylant is recognized as a gifted writer who has contributed memorably to several genres of juvenile literature. A prolific author who often bases her works ...

  14. Short Story 'Shells' By Cynthia Rylant

    Open Document. Coming Out "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic fictional short story about a 14 year old boy who moves into a new home after his parents passed away. In the beginning Michael and his Aunt Esther don't have the best relationship. Later on they get along a little better when Michael brings home a hermit crab named Sluggo.

  15. Assessment for Literary Analysis Essay with Rubric

    This essay assessment was created to be used with "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant, an engaging short story that middle school students love. However, it can very easily be adapted for use with literally any short story! This resource includes: Clear, detailed instructions. Scaffolded essay planning: two options for literary essay with thesis ...

  16. PDF Lucy Calkins: Literary Essays

    by Cynthia Rylant It was evening and people sat outside, talking quietly among themselves. On the stoop of a tall building of crumbling bricks and rotting wood sat a boy. His name was Gabriel and he wished for some company. Gabriel was thinking about things. He remembered being the only boy in class with the right answer that

  17. PDF Microsoft Word

    Shells by Cynthia Rylant. The claim is in a complete sentence and includes the title of the story. Each support restates the claim and tells one way that the claim is true. I will prove my claim through the three characters. The story "Shells" teaches that things can get better if you change. (CLAIM)

  18. PDF Shells Cynthia Rylant

    Shells -Cynthia Rylant. "You hate living here.". Michael looked at the woman speaking to him. "No, Aunt Esther. I don't.". He said it dully, sliding his milk glass back and forth on the table. "I don't hate it here.". Esther removed the last pan from the dishwasher and hung it above the oven.

  19. Shells By Cynthia Rylant Summary

    Shells By Cynthia Rylant Summary. The story of a boy And his crab "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant, realistic short story.about a boy named michael, and in the beginning he lived with his aunt esther, he doesn't like living there. They always get in fights with each other and it's been "going on for six months and haven't even got along ...

  20. Ms. Hayes and Ms. Cornacchia's Class : Writing

    In literature, authors write a lot about characters who face particularly tough times. What's fascinating to see is that characters respond to these problems in different ways. "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is filled with characters who change gradually when they encounter problems. "Shells" teaches that things can get better if you change.

  21. PDF Lucy Calkins: Literary Essays

    by Cynthia Rylant It was evening and people sat outside, talking quietly among themselves. On the stoop of a tall building of crumbling bricks and rotting wood sat a boy. His name was Gabriel and he wished for some company. Gabriel was thinking about things. He remembered being the only boy in class with the right answer that

  22. Shells by Cynthia Rylant Comprehension Questions and Activities

    Writing-essays. ELA test prep. High school ELA. Literature. Informational text. Writing. Creative writing. Writing-essays. ELA test prep. Math. Math by grade. ... supports the ReadyGen curriculum and asks students to do deep thinking about the characters and events in the story Shells by Cynthia Rylant. They key idea of this text is how ...

  23. A Literary Analysis Of Shells By Lia Rylant

    "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic fiction short story about a fourteen year old boy, Michael, whose parents have died and is trying to get used to living with his Aunt Esther. In order to do that he has to stop fighting with her. In the beginning, they fight and Michael storms out the door.