Brittany Myers-LeClear Fall 2021

A Long Walk to Water - Creative Writing Assessment

For the last few weeks, we have been reading A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park. We have discussed
things like:

● Perspective - Main character vs. Minor Character

● POV (Point of View) - How does this perspective affect the way we understand the story?
○ 1st Person (I, me, my) vs. 3rd Person (he, she, they)
● Story Elements and how they affect each other
○ (Setting, Characters, Plot, POV, Theme)
● Author Techniques
○ (Flashback/Flashforward, inner thinking, dialogue, multiple plot lines, etc.)

Now, it’s time to put all of those elements together to create your own writing piece. You will have two
options to choose from:

OPTION 1: Rewrite a scene from the perspective of a minor character

Choose one minor character that really stuck out to you while reading and rewrite that scene from that
character's perspective. For example, you could rewrite the scene between Salva and the old woman just
after Salva was ditched by the other group at the beginning of the novel. How do you think the woman
felt to see Salva that day? What do you think was going through her head at that moment? How would
you have changed the dialogue if this were her story?

OPTION 2: Rewrite a scene with a change to at least one story element

Choose a scene from the novel that you really liked. Once you have your scene, choose at least one
story element to change. If you don’t know which element to do, you can spin a wheel and let the wheel
decide for you. For example, I could change the setting of this story. How would this story change if it
were happening in a different part of the world, or even in a different time period? How would the
setting then affect the rest of the story, like the characters personalities or names, or even the plot
of the story itself?

The goal of this assignment is to create a new scene that could fit into the novel. To do that we must
remember what types of author techniques Linda Sue Park uses, what the central theme of this text is, and
how each of these elements creates a larger story.

Requirements:

● Typed, double spaced, 12 point font

● At least 1½-2 pages
● A title for your scene
 Brittany Myers-LeClear Fall 2021

A Long Walk to Water - Creative Writing Rubric

Name:__________________________________________________________ Option #____________

Skill/Standard 1 2 3 4 Feedback

I can craft a new scene for this novel by using it’s theme or
central idea as a guide when writing my own. .

Standard:
Use key ideas and details to determine a theme or central idea of
a text and analyze its development over the course of the text;
(CCSS: RL.7.1)

I can show how story elements interact with each other and how
those elements affect the overall story/scene by manipulating
one or more story elements in my version of a scene.

Standard:
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (for
example: how setting shapes the characters or plot). (CCSS: RL.7.3)

I can incorporate narrative techniques into my scene by using

the original author’s writing techniques as a guide for my scene.

Standard:
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and
description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
(CCSS: W.7.3b)

I can write a scene for this novel that holds true to it’s theme or
central idea and is accessible for a middle school audience.

Standard:
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience. (CCSS: W.7.4)

1 = standard not met; 2 = standard partially met; 3 = standard met; 4 = exceeds expectations