Prescribed Theme: Connecting a Personal Response to a Text
A class has studied a prescribed theme on 'identity and belonging' through short texts. An exam question asks students to respond to the statement: 'השייכות נקבעת על ידי אחרים ולא על ידי האדם עצמו' (Belonging is determined by others, not by the person themselves). A student writes a response that agrees completely, using only one example from a text about a new immigrant who is rejected by neighbours. The student ignores a second text in which a character chooses to join a community group. The rubric rewards 'engagement with the statement', 'use of more than one text', and 'consideration of different perspectives'. The student's response is fluent and well organised but one-sided.
1. Explain why the response is limited despite fluent writing, and what the student should add.
Read the worked answer
The response is fluent but treats the statement as simply true. The rubric rewards engagement, which means testing the statement rather than restating it. By using only the rejection text, the student shows one mechanism of belonging, externally imposed exclusion, but ignores the second text where a character actively chooses to join a group. That second text supports the opposite view: belonging can be self-determined. A stronger response would acknowledge that others' perceptions shape belonging but argue that individual agency also matters, using both texts. The student should also qualify the statement rather than accept or reject it wholesale. This is a judgement about how evidence maps onto a claim, not a memory test.
2. Draft two or three sentences that integrate the second text to complicate the argument.
Read the worked answer
Model sentences: 'לעומת הדמות מהטקסט הראשון, הגיבורה בטקסט השני בוחרת להצטרף לקבוצה קהילתית ולכן השייכות שלה אינה נקבעת רק על ידי אחרים. עם זאת, גם היא נתקלת בהתנגדות בהתחלה, מה שמראה שהשייכות היא תוצאה של משא ומתן בין האדם לבין החברה. מכאן שההצהרה נכונה חלקית: אחרים משפיעים, אך הבחירה האישית אינה נעדרת.' This integrates the second text, contrasts it with the first, and qualifies the statement. The student should then tie both examples back to the theme explicitly. The key move is contrast plus qualification, which demonstrates engagement rather than agreement.