Creative Writing Rubric

General Writer’s Workshop Rubric

Score  ( /10)	Writing Traits
	CLEAR, WELL-ORGANIZED, WELL-DEVELOPED IDEAS The writer’s purpose is clear. Transitions are used to connect paragraphs. Introduction, body, and conclusion provide logical sequencing of ideas. Narrative shows a sense of story/plot arc (remember conflict moves action)
	SENTENCE VARIATION IN PARAGRAPHS Lead sentence captures the reader's attention. Sentence lengths and structures are varied: At least one successful compound sentence with either comma/conjunction or semicolon structure. At least one successful opening adjective sentence At least one successful delayed adjective sentence
	WORD CHOICE and STYLE Utilizes vivid, lively verbs. Avoids vague, overused, repetitive language (a lot, great, very, really, there is, there are, super, like . . .). Word choice and phrasing gives the writer a personality or "voice".
	GRAMMAR, USAGE, MECHANICS No run-on sentences or fragments - READ YOUR PIECE ALOUD TO LISTEN FOR RUN-ONS. FIX AS NEEDED. Subject/verb agreement Consistent verb tense Pronoun/antecedent agreement Correct punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
	EXPLODING A MOMENT Clearly demonstrates the writer knows how to “explode a moment” using either a snapshot, a thoughtshot, or baby steps to draw the reader’s attention.
____/50	________/ 100

10- Excellent   

8 - Good   

6 - Fair

4 - Needs Work

2 - Unacceptable

Middle School English - First Trimester Happenings

Middle School English has taken on a different look this year. Class is based on a Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop model. During Reader’s Workshop this trimester, students have been selecting their own titles, allowing them to follow their own interests and read at an individualized level and pace. Through one-on-one work with us, class mini-lessons, and partner shares, students have been developing the stamina and skills to understand and enjoy longer, more complex titles. We encourage our students to read a variety of genres; they have set personal reading goals and tracked their progress throughout the trimester in their Reader’s Notebooks.  To showcase their understanding of their independent titles, students write letter essays about their reading. Topics covered include understanding character, making inferences, and supporting ideas using textual details. Students have also presented book commercials to each other, persuading their peers read similar titles. The excitement in the room was palpable as they discussed why their books were worth selecting.

Since September in addition to their letter essays, students have been writing

expository, narrative, and descriptive pieces. Using their Writer’s Notebooks as a seed bed for ideas, students have been practicing different types of writing skills from how to hook a reader and write a thesis statement to varying sentence structure by playing with adjectives. They even spent a class observing the outdoors and then turned those observations into a poem that focused on sensory details and rich vocabulary. They practiced telling a story with very few words.

Students are able to additionally practice their grammar (compound sentences, compound-complex sentences, complex sentences beginning with subordinate clauses, opening adjectives and delayed adjectives) when they craft their original sentences for their weekly Word Voyage lessons based on  classic Latin and Greek roots.

This has been a busy trimester, and we continue to develop the skills that make our students lifelong readers and writers. We are looking forward to building on the foundation we’ve laid in the first trimester as we head into the winter term. Second trimester highlights will include book clubs - again self-selected but with more than one student reading the same book at the same time to allow for rich discussion - and a study of poetry culminating in The Country School’s longest and most celebrated tradition, The MacLane Poetry Recitation.

Collecting Images for Fall Poetry

Val Wilmer/Redferns, via Getty Images

Bob Dylan Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

By BEN SISARIO, ALEXANDRA ALTER and SEWELL CHANOCT. 13, 2016

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Bob Dylan, the poet laureate of the rock era, whose body of work has influenced generations of songwriters and been densely analyzed by fans, critics and academics, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday.

It is the first time the honor has gone to a musician. In its citation, the Swedish Academy credited Mr. Dylan with “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

The choice of Mr. Dylan for the world’s top literary honor came as something of a surprise and was widely viewed as an expansion of the academy’s traditional notions of art. Mr. Dylan, 75, joins a pantheon that includes T. S. Eliot, Gabriel García Márquez, Samuel Beckett and Toni Morrison — the last American to claim the award, in 1993.

Read the entire article.

Bananagrams as a springboard to discussion about Stargirl

Summer Reading Selfies! Welcome Back!

For All Middle School English Students

Summer Reading Selfie Instructions:

In framing your selfie, focus on the book’s cover.  It is up to you how much of your face you want to show, but please let us all see the book clearly!

For easy printing from any computer, upload your photo to Google Drive. If the JPG is larger than 4x6 (or roughly a quarter of the page), insert it into a Google Doc and size it down. We want to keep the images on the small side so everyone’s will fit on the board.

Have fun!

2016 Middle School Summer Reading

Incoming Grade 6

Choose any TWO Newbery titles plus the required novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

• We will discuss and assess Stargirl in September.
• Respond to a prompt for each Newbery book.
• Check out this link for suggested Newbery titles: http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/21-newbery-medal

Each prompt:

• has the date and the topic of your letter on the first lines.
• is error-free (proofread before submitting).
• contains at least one quote and/or specifics from the text to support what you write (tell and show).  
• is thoughtfully written and reflects deep thinking.

• must be 1.5 spacing, typed, and at least one page in length.
• Please do not repeat the same topic.
• Be mindful that these entries are not summaries of what you read.  You will not receive credit for summaries or retellings.  I look forward to learning more about you through your independent reading selections and entries.

1. Something that surprised you or that you found interesting and why
2. What you like or dislike about the book and why
3. An interesting or important character and why
4. How the main character changes throughout the novel
5. Parts of the novel that puzzle you or that make you ask questions - what are your questions?
6. Your thoughts about the theme of the novel
7. What you notice about the characters, such as what makes them act as they do
8. Why you think the author chose this title and why
9. Your predictions and whether they are right - you may need to revisit this in two entries
10. How the information in the novel fits with what you already know - be specific
11. How the book reminds you of yourself, people you know, or of something that happened in your life
12. The ending and your feelings about it - be specific
13. The language the author uses and whether or not it is effective - provide examples
14. What you like or dislike about the author’s writing and why
15. Whether you would recommend this novel and why
16. What you would change about this novel, if anything, and why
17. Whether the book is easy, just right, or challenging for you and how you know
18. How the setting affects characters
19. How the author builds suspense
20. What you want to remember about this novel and why

Incoming Grade 7

Choose any TWO Newbery titles plus the required novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

• We will discuss and assess The Outsiders in September.
• Respond to a prompt for each Newbery book.
• Check out this link for suggested Newbery titles: http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/21-newbery-medal

Each prompt:

• has the date and the topic of your letter on the first lines.
• is error-free (proofread before submitting).
• contains at least one quote and/or specifics from the text to support what you write (tell and show).  
• is thoughtfully written and reflects deep thinking.

• must be 1.5 spacing, typed, and at least one page in length.
• Please do not repeat the same topic.
• Be mindful that these entries are not summaries of what you read.  You will not receive credit for summaries or retellings.  I look forward to learning more about you through your independent reading selections and entries.

1. Something that surprised you or that you found interesting and why
2. What you like or dislike about the book and why
3. An interesting or important character and why
4. How the main character changes throughout the novel
5. Parts of the novel that puzzle you or that make you ask questions - what are your questions?
6. Your thoughts about the theme of the novel
7. What you notice about the characters, such as what makes them act as they do
8. Why you think the author chose this title and why
9. Your predictions and whether they are right - you may need to revisit this in two entries
10. How the information in the novel fits with what you already know - be specific
11. How the book reminds you of yourself, people you know, or of something that happened in your life
12. The ending and your feelings about it - be specific
13. The language the author uses and whether or not it is effective - provide examples
14. What you like or dislike about the author’s writing and why
15. Whether you would recommend this novel and why
16. What you would change about this novel, if anything, and why
17. Whether the book is easy, just right, or challenging for you and how you know
18. How the setting affects characters
19. How the author builds suspense
20. What you want to remember about this novel and why

Incoming Grade 8 - TWO Parts

Part 1: Independent Reading

Choose THREE Newbery titles. There is no assigned title this summer.

• Respond to a prompt for each Newbery book.
• Check out this link for suggested Newbery titles: http://www.goodreads.com/award/show/21-newbery-medal

Each prompt:

• has the date and the topic of your letter on the first lines.
• is error-free (proofread before submitting).
• contains at least one quote and/or specifics from the text to support what you write (tell and show).  
• is thoughtfully written and reflects deep thinking.

• must be 1.5 spacing, typed, and at least one page in length.
• Please do not repeat the same topic.
• Be mindful that these entries are not summaries of what you read.  You will not receive credit for summaries or retellings.  I look forward to learning more about you through your independent reading selections and entries.

1. Something that surprised you or that you found interesting and why
2. What you like or dislike about the book and why
3. An interesting or important character and why
4. How the main character changes throughout the novel
5. Parts of the novel that puzzle you or that make you ask questions - what are your questions?
6. Your thoughts about the theme of the novel
7. What you notice about the characters, such as what makes them act as they do
8. Why you think the author chose this title and why
9. Your predictions and whether they are right - you may need to revisit this in two entries
10. How the information in the novel fits with what you already know - be specific
11. How the book reminds you of yourself, people you know, or of something that happened in your life
12. The ending and your feelings about it - be specific
13. The language the author uses and whether or not it is effective - provide examples
14. What you like or dislike about the author’s writing and why
15. Whether you would recommend this novel and why
16. What you would change about this novel, if anything, and why
17. Whether the book is easy, just right, or challenging for you and how you know
18. How the setting affects characters
19. How the author builds suspense
20. What you want to remember about this novel and why

Part 2: Secondary School Essays

Most schools require an  essay of between 200-250 words. These prompts were taken from actual secondary school applications. While specific topics vary over the years, essentially the schools try to get a better idea of you are. They always ask that you write HONESTLY. To better prepare you for this task of self-examination, we are asking you to begin thinking and writing about these topics early.

• type and 1.5 spacing
• Include the prompt at the beginning of your essay.
• If you prefer, some schools have a sample application online.  You may substitute that prompt for one of the following.  If you do so, please indicate the school from which you downloaded the prompt.

1. Please describe your involvement in activities both in and out of school.  These may include clubs, hobbies, committees, teams, performing arts, student government or community service.

2. Describe something you have done that makes you proud, an important decision that you have made, or a challenging situation you had to manage. Why is this experience significant to you?

3. You can change the world; what is the first thing you will do and why?

4. Learning experiences come in many forms. Describe an experience in your life that had a profound effect.  What did you learn from that experience?

5. Describe your neighborhood and/or upbringing and explain how it shaped you.

6. Imagine that it is a rainy weekend day. Describe what you would do and why you would choose these activities.

7. Describe a favorite place in your home; explain how this area reflects you.

8. Imagine it is 20 years from now. Write a letter to a teacher, coach, mentor or other influential a person in your current life and describe how he or she has impacted your future.

9. Consider a recent political or social event that is important to you. Describe the event and why it is meaningful to you or how it has changed you.

10. What is your favorite book?  Write a review and convince your audience to read the book.

11. Describe a person you admire a great deal.

12. What makes you the interesting person that you are? Be sure you include the qualities that you like best about yourself.

13. Discuss a critical problem that faces today’s society and how you would solve it.

14. What is the best advice you have ever received?  Describe a time when this advice came in handy.

15. Describe an important experience/event that has helped shape your life.

16. Describe the personal goals you have set for yourself.  Discuss how you plan to achieve them.

17. You have the opportunity to speak with any person living, dead, or fictional.  Who would it be and why?

18. Pretend you are overhearing the admission committee discussing your application.  What does the conversation sound like?

19. Choose three words that best describe you and explain why they do.

20. When are you the most successful?  Explain.

21. When are you most excited about learning?  Explain.

22. What is your proudest accomplishment to date?  Explain.