Name: __________________

Date: ___________________
Class: __________________
Period: _________________
Unit Paper: Coming of Age Short Story

Due Date: October 19th, 2017

Points Possible: 100 (Rubric Below)
Turn this in with your final draft

IMPORTANT: Include every peer review sheet and draft when you turn in the final paper!

Purpose: Writing allows people to not only find their voice, but use it with authority and confidence. Finding a
voice can be difficult amongst the challenges, confusion, and transitions associated with being a young adult.
Coming of age is about the loss of innocence and the journey into adulthood. As a writer, you have a chance to
explore that journey and experiment with your voice. Narrative writing is a chance for you to better understand
yourself and in doing so, you provide others with a chance to ask some of lifes most important questions.

Writing is a fundamental component of literacy. Writing is a means of critical inquiry; it promotes problem
solving and mastering new concepts. Adept writers can work through various ideas while producing
informational, persuasive, and narrative or literary texts. In other words, writing can be used as a medium for
reasoning and making intellectual connections. As students arrange ideas to persuade, describe, and inform, they
engage in logical critique, and they are likely to gain new insights and a deeper understanding of concepts and
content (Colorado Department of Education).

Instructions: You will write a short story about coming of age that uses the narrative elements listed below.
Weve practiced these elements in class, so you have many resources to use, which will also be listed. The story
is to be fictional, but should incorporate your own experiences and views of life that you are comfortable
sharing. Multiple themes can be used, but the main ideas should not be confusing and should still center around
coming of age. You will have workshopping time before the final due date, but each draft you workshop should
be as complete as possible.

Elements to Include:
Clear point of view (1st or 3rd)
Adheres to narrative arc (Plot Structure)
Uses dialogue between characters
Uses sensory language to show, rather than tell
o Metaphor, Simile, etc.
Word choice
o Imagery
o Tone
o Theme
Theme: Coming of Age
Characterization
o Protagonist is round or dynamic

Worksheets to Reference:
Point of View Identification
Skeleton Notes
 Narrative Arc Practice
Practicing Sensory Language: Force of Nature Poems
Reading T.C. Boyles Greasy Lake for Characterization
Closely Reading for Word Choice and Applying Patterns/Insights into Narrative Writing

Format Checklist:
Length: 4-6 Pages
Heading
o Name
o Date
o Class
o Period
Title
MLA Format
Double Spaced
1 Inch Margins
12 Point Font
Black text
Last name and page number in top right corner
Works cited page if necessary

Grading Rubric:

A+ / A- B+ / B- C+ / C- D/F
100-90 89-80 79-70 60 or Below
Organization Story follows a Story follows a Story follows a
narrative arc that is narrative arc that is narrative arc that is
Story follows a mostly identifiable. somewhat hardly or not
narrative arc that is identifiable. identifiable.
readily identifiable.
(Exposition, rising (Exposition, rising
(Exposition, rising (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, climax, falling
action, climax, falling action, climax, falling action, and action, and
action, and action, and resolution) resolution)
resolution) resolution)
__/20
Narrative Setting, plot, Setting, plot, Setting, plot,
Development character, conflict, character, conflict, character, conflict,
and theme theme are and theme theme are and theme theme are
Setting, plot, mostly developed. somewhat not developed.
character, conflict, developed.
and theme theme are Dialogue is used to Dialogue is not
well developed. show, rather than tell Dialogue is used to present
often show, rather than tell
Dialogue is used to at times
show, rather than tell
___/40

Detail and Clarity Point of view is clear Point of view is Point of view
mostly clear changes without
Point of view is clear Word choice mostly purpose or is hard to
establishes tone, Word choice partially
Word choice identify
imagery, and theme establishes tone,
establishes tone, imagery, and theme Word choice does
imagery, and theme Sensory language is not establish tone,
used in order to Sensory language is
Sensory language is imagery, and theme
show, rather than tell used in order to
used in order to often show, rather than tell Sensory language is
show, rather than tell at times not present
___/20

Format Most portions of the Some portions of the Format checklist is

format checklist are format checklist are missing most
Every portion of the complete and adhere complete and adhere elements and does
format checklist is to MLA format. to MLA format. not follow MLA format
complete and
adheres to MLA
format.
___/10

Conventions Spelling, grammar, Spelling, grammar, Spelling, grammar,

and punctuation are and punctuation are and punctuation are
Spelling, grammar, free of errors and free of errors and free of errors and
and punctuation are adhere to Standard adhere to Standard adhere to Standard
free of errors and English. English. English.
adhere to Standard
English. Often Sometimes Rarely or not at all
___/10
Final Score ___/35