ELA 9Name: ______

Date: ______

Short Story Final Assessment

You will be writing a narrative story based on the events in your journal. Your story may begin at any point during the events of Life as We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone. It must be told from your perspective and be based in your group's region. Bonus points will be awarded to correctly punctuated dialogue.

Your story must be at least 1,000 words to receive credit. There is a 2,000 word limit.

Remember your story needs to have:

  • Character/Setting/Point of View
  • Plot/Conflict
  • Grammar/Punctuation
  • Relevance to Novels

Review of Terms

Questions to Ask While Writing:

  • Character:
  • Who is at the centre of the action (protagonist)? Do I know anyone like this character? Is this character going to change? What is the main character’s problem or conflict?
  • Setting:
  • When and where will the action happen? Is the setting important? Do I know enough about the time and place?
  • Point of View:
  • Limited first person: One of the characters in the story is speaking from their own point of view. You use “I and “me” and your knowledge is limited to what the character would know. For example,
  • It looked to me like the ancient house was deserted, but as we got closer, the hair on the back of my neck being to stand on end.
  • Limited third person: Told from the point of view of a character in the story. The speaker uses “he/she/they” and is limited to what that character would know. For example,
  • Jennifer knew she had to focus on the race but she kept wondering why Kurt was so angry.
  • Conflict:
  • Conflict is a struggle that may involve people, ideas, or other forces. Choose a type:
  • External Conflict – are struggles between a character and forces outside the character. This means it is something that the character cannot control

Man vs. Man / = / Character vs. Character
Man vs. Nature/Environment / = / Character vs. Storm, lost in wilderness, battle against time, ailment
Man Vs. Society / = / Character vs. the government, social standard
  • Internal Conflict – are struggles between a character and forces within the character.

Man vs. Himself / = / Character vs. personality flaw, tough moral decision
  • Plot:
  • What starts the action rolling? What happens in the story? Does the conflict build to a climax? How do the characters resolve the conflict?
  • Your story should have a beginning, middle, and an end:

Beginning / Middle / End
Setting
Introduce characters
Set up problem or conflict / Show struggle to solve problem and how characters change as a result.
Action builds to a climax or turning point. / Resolve the problem (or not) fairly quickly.
  • Relevance to Novels:
  • What happens in the books after the moon is struck by the asteroid and moved closer to the Earth?
  • Tsunamis (giant tides/waves), earthquakes, volcanoes, super storms, tornados
  • Tie your story into the events in the novels.
  • Do the characters react to the changing conditions of the world?

Go to it and show your stuff! I am really looking forward to reading your work!

Rubric

CATEGORY / Excellent
4 / Proficient
3 / Progressing
2 / Limited
1 / Incomplete
0 / Weight
Character/ Setting/Point of View / The character and setting are described vividly. A point of view has been chosen and is clear throughout narrative and enriches the experience of the story. / The character and setting are described well. A point of view has been chosen and is clear throughout narrative. / The character and setting are described vaguely. A point of view has been chosen and is clear through most of the narrative. / The character and setting are not described in any detail. A point of view has not been chosen or changes throughout narrative. / There is no character for the audience to follow. The setting is unknown. Point of view is not considered at all. / 2x
/8
Conflict/Plot
  • Beginning: conflict introduced
  • Middle: struggle with conflict
  • End: conflict resolved
/ The character clearly faces BOTH internal conflict and external conflict. The plot is easy to understand and is logical. There are no loose ends. / The character clearly faces either internal conflict or a more sophisticated external conflict. The plot is easy to understand and is somewhat logical. / The character clearly faces a simple external conflict. The plot is a little hard to understand or may not be logical. / There is no conflict. The plot is impossible to understand or is not logical. / I have no idea what’s going on. / 2x
/8
Spelling and Punctuation / There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout. / There are a couple of spelling or punctuation error in the final draft. / There are a number (~5-10) spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft. / There are many (~10-30) spelling and punctuation errors. / There are more than 30 spelling and punctuation errors. / 1x
/4
Relevance to Novels / Shows a thorough understanding of the events in the novels and imaginatively react to the changing conditions of the world. / Shows an understanding of the events in the novels and reacts to the changing conditions of the world. / Shows a partial understanding of the events in the novels and may or may not react to the changing conditions of the world. / Shows a very limited understanding of the events of the novel and may or may not react to the changing conditions of the world. / Does not acknowledge that the moon has been struck by an asteroid and nothing in the world changes. / 4x
/16

Total Marks: ______/36