English 8 – Short Story Literacy Project

TASK: Using a brand-new text, and a variety of text features, you will design a layout that
teaches your reader what you know about short story elements and vocabulary.

Text Features:

- Photographs, images, drawings, - Highlighted/ Bolded words

diagrams - Icons
- Captions - Bullet points or lists
- Maps - Glossary
- Charts, tables, graphs - Index
- Timelines - Key/ Legend
- Titles, headings, subheadings

Your layout must include:

£ Short story text, title, author

£ Understanding of the DEFINITIONS of CONFLICT, CLIMAX, INCITING INCIDENT,

PROTAGONIST, CHARACTER TRAIT, SYMBOL, SETTING, and THEME as well as clear, correct
evidence of these concepts in the story.

£ At least FOUR different text features (used multiple times if needed) to help show the
above information.

§ How will you use the above text features to teach your reader the different
elements of a short story, AND help them to see examples in the story you
have chosen?

£ Definitions to at least THREE vocabulary words from the story, with an ORIGINAL sentence
for each word as an example (each sentence must use the word in a way that clearly shows
understanding of meaning, and provides enough clues to help the reader guess the
meaning of the word).

ABOVE ALL, your layout must be NEAT and CLEAR. Color and
creativity in your design can help, but shouldn’t distract or confuse.

Due: ____________________
English 8 – Short Story Literacy Project RUBRIC

Required Elements Checklist:

£ Story Title £ Story Author £ Story Text

£ Short Story definitions and evidence from the story as examples
£ At least three vocabulary words
£ At least FOUR text features
(Write in the space below the features that you used)

Criteria Approaching Meeting Expectations Fully Meeting/

Expectations Exceeding Expectations
- Some - All definitions for the - All definitions for
definitions are required terms are the required terms
missing. included are included.
Understanding - Significant - Most terms have sufficient - All terms have
of Short Story number of and correct examples as correct (possibly
Elements terms do not proof from the text. multiple) examples
have proof Terms: CONFLICT, CLIMAX, INCITING as proof.
from the text, or INCIDENT, PROTAGONIST, CHARACTER
TRAIT, SYMBOL, SETTING, and THEME
have incorrect
proof.
- Vocabulary - Vocabulary words have - Vocabulary words
words may not correct definitions. have correct
have correct definitions.
definitions - Sample sentences contain - Sample sentences
included. sufficient detail to contain effective
Vocabulary - Sample understand the meaning and/ or
sentences do of the word. sophisticated detail
not contain to understand the
sufficient detail meaning of the
to understand words.
the meaning of - More words than
the words are required may
be included
- Insufficient - Required number (4) of - More than the
number of text text features correctly required number of
features (<4) utilized. text features (5+)
Text Features/ utilized. - Presentation of project is utilized.
Presentation - Presentation of acceptably neat, clear, - Presentation of the
project may be and efficient, with minimal project is neat,
lacking in distractions, and few clear, and efficient,
neatness, mechanical errors like with effective use
clarity, or spelling, capitalization, of color and
adequate punctuation, and creativity.
proofreading sentence errors - Very few
- Large or - White space around the mechanical errors.
obvious gaps in text is utilized evenly and - Effective use of
white space consistently for the most white space
around the text part. around the text.
is evident.