Year 7 English - Dreamcatcher Assignment (Star of the Sea)
Many thanks to John Whitehouse and his team for allowing me to share this great assignment.
Instructions
Students must complete activities to the value of at least 7 points from the list below.
Activities
1. The dreamcatcher is an important image in the novel. Make your own dreamcatcher. *
2. Draw up a family tree that sets out the relationships between the various characters. *
3. Imagine that Dreamcatcher is being made into a film. Who would you choose to play
the leading roles? Explain your choices. (150 words) *
4. Write a brief reflection on a dream or a nightmare. (100 words) *
5. Pretend that you are a member of the Green Guerillas. Design a pamphlet persuading
your reader to protect the environment by banning sealing or the Comcor plant. (100 words) **
6. Imagine that you are Tess. Write a letter to your father in which you reflect on the
ways in which your relationship has changed. (250 words) **
7. Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter. Write a feature article about the Green
Guerillas and their capture at the Comcor plant. (250 words) **
8. Place yourself in the role of a reporter. Role-play an interview with Michael Robertson
after the arrest of his daughter. You may record the interview on audio or video tape. **
9. Families are important to our sense of identity. How does the Robertson family
compare with your own? (150 words) **
10. What does it mean to be a good father? Take on the role of Michael Robertson and
attempt to answer this question in a series of diary entries. (250 words) ***
11. Place a photograph of your father in the middle of a page. Surround the photograph
with drawings of items that are meaningful to him. Write a short paragraph on each item.
12. Research an environmental issue. You may wish to explore problems such as
deforestation or whaling. Present your research as a poster that you discuss with the class. Your poster should present the issue in considerable detail. ***
13. 'Dreamcatcher explores the destructive effects of ambition, but it also presents a
message of hope.' Do you agree? Write an essay on this topic. (300 words) ***
14. Select your favourite chapter from the novel and present it as a play. You may prefer
to tape the performance at home and then play the video at school. ***
15. Write an additional chapter for Dreamcatcher set five years after the end of the novel. ***
Assessment Criteria
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VH
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H
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M
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L
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1.
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Understanding of the text
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O
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O
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O
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O
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2.
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Exploration of ideas
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O
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O
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O
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O
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3.
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Organisation of writing
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O
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O
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O
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O
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4.
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Appropriate and effective use of language
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O
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O
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O
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O
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5.
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Quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar
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O
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O
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O
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O
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|
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Comments:
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Level of Performance:
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