Period+7+Friendship

Period 7 Group - Friendship Novel - // Gathering Blue //

Your group writes two to three paragraphs on the theme of friendship in Gathering Blue. You should briefly quote at least two parts of the novel that have to do with friendship (does not have to be spoken or thought dialogue) and include the page(s) on which you find these examples. Do answer the questions on the handout, but let them be a guide as your group works together to write these paragraphs. NO FIRST PERSON HERE - You are the EXPERT! See FDIE for more on "first person."

= I see excellent writing here: = = P1 - great intro, but too much narrative (story re-telling). I see that Kira's caring for many is the main idea, but then I find too much retelling of the story. = = P2 -here is a more focused P - Thomas and Kira and friendship. = = P3 - Kira and Jo and friendship, but also too much narrative here = = P4 - good conclusion about friendship in general = = I do realize that we took time in learning how to use wikis, how to save, how to edit, etc. Since we will use wikis not only in this class but also in other classes (and in life), I think it is a useful skill. I appreciate the work all of you put into this. As I will tell the class - I am asking that most groups focus on three revision ideas. However, your revision has to do with each paragraph, so you only have two revision ideas. = = *revision 1 = each paragraph should have one underlined topic sentence about which all sentences in the paragraph focus; no telling of the story; all expository (explains, does not retell) writing= = *revision 2 = work for more vivid language by replacing "thing" and "very" with more specific nouns (thing) and adverbs (very) in your revision.= = See bottom! = = Some good work here - but still too much narrative, re-telling of story. However, I can tell from your history that you did make some significant revisions. 48/50 revised grade. =

"When you care about someone and give them something special. Something that they treasure. That's a gift." (p. 79) __In //Gathering Blue //, Kira cared deeply about many people.__ She cared about her mother who passed away, her father who she barely remembers, and also Thomas, Matt, and Jo."Some things I took before the burning, for you to have iffen they let you stay." (p.57) This was Matt speaking to Kira, after her mother had died. He had saved some of her favorite items, most of which were very valuable, at least to Kira. He was a huge help in that sense. She had always thought that Matt had been a sweet boy, but influenced by wild people. Kira was always kind in return. She was trying to teach Matt about friendship, kindness, and gifts, a gesture of friendship. At Matt's home in the Fen he knew nothing of gifts or kindness. The people never helped each other, and they required payment to do even the simplest of tasks. It was incredibly different from where Kira lived before moving into the Council Edifice, even though she lived in the same community. Matt quickly learned how people were treated outside of the Fen and found it much more pleasant. As time passed, Matt considered Thomas and Kira to be his friends. Matt liked Kira because she was always kind to him and his dog Branch. Kira's crippled leg made her different from the rest of the people. This is why by the end of the novel, Matt decided to get Kira a gift like Kira's father did for Kira's mother. Just because Kira took the time to teach Matt about friendship and gifts, he gave her a gift that would change her whole life.

__One special friendship in //Gathering Blue // was between Thomas and Kira.__ When Kira first arrived, she felt quite out of place. Between her fancy new room, her extremely important job, and her mother who passed away, everything was strange and unfamiliar to her. This was where Thomas was critical. He was Kira's first friend around her age and also in her new home. He lived across from her in Council Edifice and would eat his meals with her. He became almost like a brother for her. Thomas was the Carver and was just as talented with a piece of wood as Kira was with her cloths. Kira and Thomas shared an amazing gift of knowledge, the only difference between them was that Kira made weavings and he made carvings. He works on the Singer’s Staff, and Kira works on the Singer’s Robe. The knowledge is like a magic that they can feel every time they hold their special item. Both had made their special piece of art before they had moved to Council Edifice. Thomas and Kira also told each other everything and would trust the other with their life. They became crucial to the other's survival. Without each other, Kira and Thomas would have been alone and in their difficult, mostly isolated life. It would be unbelievably hard if they had no one to trust. This friendship started because there were two people in need of a friend but it grew into something much more.

__Kira also held a special bond with Jo, the little orphaned tyke that was the future Singer__. When Jo lived in the Fen with her mother she used to sing all of the time just for fun. But her mother was gone. Her parents had been taken away from her, just like Thomas's, and Kira's. All of the people needed for the future have had their parents taken away probably because the Council needed them.  Jo became the Singer like how Kira became the Weaver and how Thomas became the Carver. They were all forced to do these jobs and by the end of the novel Kira saw that the Singer was literally chained to his job. At first, when Jo met Thomas and Kira, she was scared, but soon she trusted them completely. They talked to her, comforted her about the difficult job that she had to do, and even gave her a way to communicate with them. From then on they could talk to Jo and they too became friends. At the singing ceremony, Jo sat with Kira and Thomas and felt at home. Though nothing can replace a true family, Kira and Thomas were just about as close to a family that she could get.   __Ultimately, friendship is a key topic in //Gathering Blue //.__ It is a swinging bridge that can keep two completely different causes together. Throughout //Gathering Blue //, Kira makes some valuable friendships. Thomas helps Jo along with Kira as well. Without Thomas, life would have been much harder for Kira. She could not have helped Jo by herself or even survived. Kindness is such an important element in friendship because it is what binds people together, like many strings all braided into a rope of faith. Kindness is a part of everyone's everyday lives. It can help the young and old, the short and the tall. It gives a boost of happiness and confidence not only to the one that receives the kindness, but also the giver of the kindness.

**Grade now without these revisions for all: 43/50 Possible grade with revisions completed by end of class on Tuesday, September 29: 50/50**