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Module I: Identity Ela 7: Name: - Period
Module I: Identity Ela 7: Name: - Period
Module I: Identity
ELA 7
Name: ______________
Period: ____
Do Now:
Describe a time when you were embarrassed by or ashamed of your family. Do you have a
strange/unique family tradition? Does your family have a strange quirkiness? Is there any custom
your family has that you wouldn’t want other people to know about? EXPLAIN your answer in
complete sentences:
Read and annotate the following excerpt called “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan. Answer the
questions that follow on the lines provided. Annotations will be graded on QUALITY!
Annotation Review:
write in the margins (lit terms, questions, connections, reactions)
circle words you don’t know
underline, star, or highlight important lines/phrases
summarize each page in a phrase/sentence at the bottom of the page
I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as
white as Mary in the manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim
When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve
dinner, I cried. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of
our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment
would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?
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On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She
was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling
mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of
hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. A bowl soaking dried
fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled
bicycle tires.
And then they arrived – the minister's family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and
rumpled Christmas packages. Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.
Dinner threw me deeper into despair. My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and
reached across the table, dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food. Robert and his family
waited patiently for platters to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my
mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert grimaced. Then my father poked his chopsticks
just below the fish eye and plucked out the soft meat. "Amy, your favorite," he said, offering me the
At the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her
fine cooking. "It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied," explained my father to our
astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddened face. The minister managed
to muster up a quiet burp. I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.
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After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, "You want to be the same as American girls
on the outside." She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt in beige tweed. "But inside you must
always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame."
And even though I didn't agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had
suffered during the evening's dinner. It wasn't until many years later – long after I had gotten over my
crush on Robert – that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our
particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods.
______1. What occurred during Christmas Eve dinner that caused Amy’s despair?
A. The minister belched.
B. Robert’s family misbehaved.
C. Amy’s family observed Chinese customs.
D. Amy’s mother did not cook enough food.
______2. What does the “beige tweed miniskirt” that Amy Tan’s mother gave her for Christmas
symbolize in the passage?
A. American culture B. Chinese culture
C. Amy’s modesty D. Amy’s frustration
______3. What did Tan’s mother mean when she said to Amy, “Your only shame is to have shame”?
A. Her mother is attempting to point out that Amy should not be embarrassed about her
culture.
B. Amy’s actions at dinner were embarrassing to her mother.
C. Amy embarrassed the entire family by taking the fish cheeks.
D. Amy’s mother felt Amy should not attempt to be American in any way.
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______5. Most descriptions of food in “Fish Cheeks” produce mental images that are:
A. ordinary
B. delightful
C. unusual
D. confusing
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“Fish Cheeks”
MAJOR ASSIGNMENT:
Write a well-developed 5- paragraph essay in which you
make a claim
about identity. Support your claim with evidence from:
“Mask” film, “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto, & “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan.
:::OUTLINE:::
Introduction:
State your claim: DO NOT use 1st person (“I think/believe”/ “In my opinion…”)
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Explain how this evidence supports your identity claim:
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R: What did this make you REALIZE about identity/the story? OR How can you REASON your claim
is true?
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Body Paragraph 3: “Fish Cheeks”
Cl: Introduce that this story supports your claim about identity:
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E: Evidence of identity claim (CITE p#):
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Explain how this evidence supports your identity claim:
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E: Evidence #2 of identity claim (CITE p#):
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Explain how this evidence supports your identity claim:
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R: What did this make you REALIZE about identity/the story? OR How can you REASON your claim
is true?
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Conclusion Paragraph:
Restate your identity claim (using different words but keeping with the meaning):
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Summarize each body paragraph in one sentence (reminding the reader how each story
supports your identity claim):
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Concluding sentence about the claim (a realization you came to/thought provoking statement
about the heart of your essay):
You should feel like “dropping the mic” after this statement!
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Now, take your outline and write/type each page into one paragraph (5 paragraphs total)
This means you should INDENT 5 times; no more, no less.
DO NOT use first person.
"I”
“In my opinion”
“me”
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