Introduction In this course, you will study and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts that relate to a range of topics. While reading these texts, remember to actively think about the main points that the texts are making. Try to predict how these main points could affect the rest of the text or even other texts that you read. Making predictions will help you with comprehension and analysis of different nonfiction texts that you encounter.


Directions and Analysis
Task 1: The Declaration of Independence
The importance of the Declaration of Independence cannot be overstated. In just over 1,300 words, it altered the course of US history. Written in 1776, it has become one of the most profound documents in the history of the United States. The themes and ideas of the declaration have served as inspiration for many important social movements.

In this task, you will analyze themes of the Declaration of Independence and predict how these themes might have helped shape later writings and movements.

a. A theme is a central or recurring idea that is explored in a piece of writing. A theme can also be described as a message that makes the reader think about life, human nature, or the world. A few themes from the Declaration of Independence are listed in the table. Describe each theme as it is discussed in the declaration. Make sure to support your answer with evidence from the text. Each description you write should be a couple of short sentences long.

Type your response here:
Theme Description
equality
liberty
individual or inalienable rights
collective right of people to reform government

b. Many great thinkers and important social movements would later be inspired by the themes and principles of the Declaration of Independence, including the women’s suffrage movement that grew throughout the 1800s. In the space provided, write a short essay that predicts how at least two of the themes that you described in the chart might have been used by people writing in support of women’s suffrage in the 1800s.

Type your response here:

Fifteen-year-old kwan sat on a large boulder on the rocky shore and watched her seven-year-old brother, min, race along the beach close to the water’s edge. the handmade kite, streaming high in the air behind him, created a striking image against the vivid blue sky. occasionally, min called out, “kwan, look at me! i’m flying! i’m flying! ” she beamed and waved at him, urging him on in his glee. she recalled the day her parents first brought home the little bundle from the hospital, the first boy in the family, making her the happiest big sister ever. the family had had a new baby to care for and cherish, and she had a precious little brother to shower with love and attention. min brought joy and delight to the whole household, and his presence completed the family.kwan smiled again as she watched him run along, and she felt great contentment at the pleasure he took in flying the kite they had made together. ever since father had taken min to the korean kite festival, he had begged for a kite of his own. the multicolored dragons, birds, and box kites with their colorful tails and plumes appeared to enchant min as he watched them soar and race in the clear blue sky. he stood mesmerized by the panoply of colors. “someday, i will race a kite in the festival! ” min stated with determination. when min made up his mind that a kite would be the perfect summer project for him and kwan, she was surprised. “i don’t want a kite-making kit,” he informed their father. “i want to build it myself—with kwan’s .” kwan initially wondered why min included her in his quest for a kite, but she quickly realized that her clever brother had correctly surmised that their father would more likely approve the request if min’s big sister were there to him. how could kwan refuse? kwan gazed out at her brother and heard his shrieks of delight as he tried to direct their marvelous flying creation. she watched it wheel, spin, and dive—a wild, colorful bird putting on an aerial display. its gold and red crepe-paper wings fluttered in the air, mimicking the flight of a predatory bird surveying the landscape for prey. it swooped and dived, perhaps discovering a possible meal, and then went airborne again to avoid the rocky terrain below. min was the falconer, guiding his bird on its path through the sky, not yet ready to call it back to the ground. but kwan grew concerned when she looked out at the dark, threatening clouds beginning to roll in off the water. when she saw the streaks of lightning within the cloud formation, she pointed to the distant storm and called out to her little brother to bring in the kite. min nodded and rolled in the kite string, bringing his bird home. “let’s go,” kwan told her brother and put her arm around him to fold him safely under her wing as they both held onto the kite. “it’s time to go home.”how does the author best develop the theme that with determination, one can achieve a goal? a-the author uses an extended metaphor to show how min successfully builds a kite that flies like a colorful bird. b-the author uses a metaphor to compare kwan to a mother bird, protecting her young one from the thunderstorm.c-the author uses imagery to show how the kite mimics a predatory bird under min's careful direction. d-the author uses personification to show how min's kite swoops and dives in the air to avoid the rocks below it.