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Work Sample & Commentary: Dinner at Irene's

The task
In social studies class, students were asked to create historical fiction using a minimum of five resources. This was a culminating activity following a unit on the French Revolution. This work is an excerpt from a twelve-page short story.

Circumstances of performance
This sample of student work was produced under the following conditions:
alone in a group
in class as homework
with teacher feedback with peer feedback
timed opportunity for revision

What the work shows
c Reading: The student reads and comprehends informational materials to develop understanding and expertise and produces written or oral work that:
• restates or summarizes information;
• relates new information to prior knowledge and experience;
• extends ideas;
• makes connections to related topics or information.

The student read information from nine different sources as research for this piece of historical fiction. The student then restated and summarized that information in a manner appropriate for the purpose of the work. The use of footnotes allows the reader to refer easily back to the sources.

The student incorporated into the narrative prior knowledge about the protocol and customs for such functions as formal dinner parties.

The student also extended the research on the participants of the dinner party and imagined how such diverse people might interact.

The work skillfully draws together information about the diverse opinions of all the guests and interweaves it in a way that does not overwhelm the narrative.


This work sample illustrates a standard-setting performance for the following parts of the standards:
c Reading: Read and comprehend informational materials.
b Literature: Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre.


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b Literature: The student produces work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre.

The work demonstrates the student’s understanding of the style associated with historical fiction. The work follows the conventions of combining historical fact with a fictional setting to advance a story line through characterization, plot, setting, and theme.

The first person narrator is introduced in the very first sentence which engages the reader while setting the scene.
The narrator’s anxiety while preparing for the dinner alerts the reader to the importance of the occasion and the significance of the guests. This initial tension sets the tone for the narrative.
The student developed the narrative as historical fiction by introducing several famous figures who lived during the French Revolution. The first person narrator, and particularly the small observations made about the guests, adds authenticity and credibility to the narrative.
The student included details of period dress to enhance the narrative and create for the reader a vivid impression of the scene on the night of the dinner party.
The description of the ill feelings among members of the dinner party builds tension which maintains reader interest while developing the characters.

The student deftly employed language to convey a large amount of information in a concise manner. However, there are occasional lapses, for example, the run-on sentence in the middle of the second page. These punctuation and usage errors do not interfere with the telling of the story.

Additionally, the work has some errors in the use of footnotes to document the research. In this style, footnotes should appear on the same page as the citation.