The task
Students were asked to write a story for submission to the Ezra Jack
Keats Children’s Book Contest. The students were instructed to
create a character, develop it fully, and include the elements of
a 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
Writing: The student produces a narrative
account (fictional or autobiographical) that: |
| • |
engages the reader by establishing
a context, creating a point of view, and otherwise developing reader
interest; |
| • |
establishes a situation, plot, point
of view, setting, and conflict (and for autobiography, the significance
of events and of conclusions that can be drawn from those events); |
| • |
creates an organizing structure; |
| • |
includes sensory details and concrete
language to develop plot and character; |
| • |
excludes extraneous details
and inconsistencies; |
| • |
develops complex characters; |
| • |
uses a range of appropriate strategies,
such as dialogue, tension or suspense, naming, and specific narrative
action, e.g., movement, gestures, expressions; |
| • |
provides a sense of closure
to the writing. |
|
|
The student used a simple, traditional plot sequence to tell the
story which is organized around the protagonist’s problem and
its solution.
The student assumed an omniscient point of view and maintained this
perspective effectively throughout the story.
|
The title “The Magic Rose” and the words “Once upon
a time...” are used to engage the reader’s interest and
establish the context of the story as a fairy tale. The student
used foreshadowing to draw the reader into the story and to establish
the plot.
 The student
introduced the conflict relatively late in the story. Like many
fairy tales, the protagonist is helped by a magical character, usually
an animal or an inanimate object, which is given human qualities.
In this story, Crystal develops self-confidence with the help of
a rose.
 The student
included sensory details to develop the main character and describe
the changes in appearance and attitude she experiences.
The student effectively used dialogue to develop the character
of Crystal and to move the action of the plot forward.
 The climax
of the story occurs when the Magic Rose dies and Crystal must rely
on herself. The conflict, which has been established as internal,
is resolved when Crystal begins to live the lessons of the Magic
Rose.
 a
Conventions, Grammar, and Usage of the English Language:
The student demonstrates an understanding of the rules
of the English language in written and oral work, and
selects the structures and features of language appropriate
to the purpose, audience, and context of the work. The
student demonstrates control of: |
| • |
grammar; |
| • |
paragraph structure; |
| • |
punctuation; |
| • |
sentence construction; |
| • |
spelling; |
| • |
usage. |
|
|
|
|
The student managed the conventions, grammar,
and usage of English so that they aid rather than interfere
with reading. Noteworthy are the student’s use of paragraphs
and quotation punctuation.
The student used “place” instead of “placed”
at one point in the narrative. This is most likely a typographical
error rather than a grammatical error since the student managed
past tense markers throughout the work.
 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 ability
to manage the elements of a short story and produce a literary
work in the fairy tale genre. The student employed all of the
elements associated with fairy tale—the introductory words
“Once upon a time…,” the heroine, the elements
of magic, and the customary happy ending. |
|
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