Many teachers choose Shattered precisely because it helps students understand people whose lives look very different from their own. A teenager who might have walked past a man on a street corner comes to see him as someone with a history and an inner life. Teachers hope that experience will translate into students who read, and live, with more understanding.

The difficulty is that empathy is a feeling, and feelings should not be graded. A student who writes a heartfelt paragraph is not necessarily demonstrating a skill, and a student who writes cautiously may understand just as deeply. Grading sincerity invites performance, which defeats the purpose of the assignment.

What teachers can assess is perspective-taking, the observable ability to explain how and why someone else thinks and acts as they do. This skill shows up in writing as accurate, specific descriptions of a character's motives and as acknowledgment that different people can interpret the same events differently. Defining the skill in terms of what appears on the page makes assessment fair.

Observable features of perspective-taking

A student demonstrating perspective-taking will explain a character's choices using evidence from the novel rather than projecting assumptions. They will notice what the character wants, fears, and avoids, and connect those elements to the character's history. They may also show awareness of how their own background shapes their reading.

• Explains a character's actions by referring to motives supported in the text
• Distinguishes between what a character says and what the character may feel
• Acknowledges more than one reasonable interpretation of a scene
• Avoids stereotypes and generalizations about groups of people
• Reflects on how a first impression changed as more information emerged

Writing tasks that elicit perspective-taking

Certain assignments naturally invite this skill. A paired response asks students to write about the same scene from two characters' viewpoints, noting where their understandings differ. A reflective essay might ask how a character's first impression of another person shifted, supported by specific moments from the book.

Teachers can make the task more rigorous by requiring evidence for every claim about a character's inner life. This keeps responses grounded and prevents vague statements such as "he must have felt sad." Students learn that understanding someone requires attention to details, not just sympathy.

Scoring and feedback

A rubric row for perspective-taking can use descriptors tied to the features above. At the highest level, a response offers a nuanced, evidence-based explanation of a character's viewpoint and acknowledges complexity. At lower levels, responses may rely on assumptions or describe feelings without support.

Feedback should encourage students to deepen their analysis rather than to display more emotion. A comment such as "Which moment in the text shows you that he is afraid of being judged?" directs attention to evidence. This keeps the focus on understanding, which is the real goal.

Keeping the classroom environment safe

Students will only write honestly if they trust that their views will be treated respectfully. Establish norms for discussion and writing that value thoughtful disagreement. Remind students that they are being assessed on their reasoning and clarity, not on whether their opinions match the teacher's.

Over time, classrooms that treat perspective-taking as a skill produce writers who can approach complex issues with care. That skill is valuable far beyond English class, in civic life, workplaces, and relationships. A novel like Shattered offers a meaningful place to start practicing it.