Name: __________________________________________________________
Date: _________
Short Story Unit “The Lady or the Tiger?” Writing Piece
As you know, we were left hanging at the climax. Does he open the door to the
tiger or the lady? What happens after that?
Directions: Write the ending to this short story.

3 page minimum (on the front sides; double spaced)

Typed or neatly handwritten final copy.

Begin you story with the following paragraph (pg. 36):
“He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across
the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath
was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man.
Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right
and opened it.”

You MUST have either the tiger or the lady come out of the
opened door, AND the appropriate scene must follow (be
eaten or married).

Explain what happens to the following characters and how they
feel after the door opens:
 The King
 The Princess
 The young man
 The lady behind the door

You MUST actually have an ending – no leaving the reader
hanging!

Be descriptive! Be sure to use story-like language. Don’t write
this like an essay.

Follow the writing process.

Turn in pre-write, rough draft with revision and edit, and final
copy.
Due Date: __________________________________
“The Lady or the Tiger” Creative Writing Assignment
Grading Rubric
Evidence of Writing
Process
Content of story
Detail
Excellent
The student has
demonstrated that
he/she understood and
utilized the writing
process. There is
evidence of a pre-write
that is detailed, a
rough draft that
demonstrates a
complete revision and
edit, and a neat final
copy. Essentially the
student has made use
of the process to make
a well-written story.
The student has gone
above and beyond with
a creative story and
ending. He/she has
stayed true to the
original story Stockton
has written, picking
either life or death for
the man. The story
also includes
information about how
the princess, the king,
the man, and the lady
feel.
The student’s story
has incorporated detail
as a means of
explaining exactly what
happens in the story.
The detail, vocabulary
used, and/or
description and storylike language is a cut
above giving an almost
animated, quality to
the story. Just superb!
Getting There
The student has
incorporated all parts
of the writing process
in his/her project, but
has not utilized them
to their fullest. This
student demonstrates
that he/she
understands the
process, but not how it
can create a wellwritten work. In this
case, the pre-write
might be skimpy in that
it doesn’t include
detail, and/or the
rough draft, revision,
and edit stages have
not been utilized for
making the story
clearer.
The content of the
story may be
interesting, but lacks a
true ending,
consistency with the
original story, and/or
following directions to
pick either life or death
for the man. The story
may or may not
include information
about how the
princess, the king, the
man, and the lady feel.
The student’s story
has incorporated some
detail as a means of
explaining exactly
what happens in the
story, but may need a
bit more to make
certain parts of the
story more clear. A
lack of story-like
language could also
be making the story
unclear to the reader.
Whoa, needs work!
The student has not
incorporated all parts
of the writing process
in the final project. It is
also possible that the
student has turned in
paperwork, but that it
doesn’t represent a
true pre-write or rough
draft with revision and
editing. The final copy
may then reflect the
student’s lack in
utilizing the writing
process for a wellwritten story.
The content of the
story lacks interest due
to an incomplete
ending, inconsistency
with the original story,
and/or not following
directions in picking
either life or death for
the man. The story
may or may not
include information
about how the
princess, the king, the
man, and the lady feel.
The student’s story
has very little detail
and story-like
language as a means
of explaining exactly
what happens in the
story. The student
needs to consider how
he/she will
communicate the
suspense in the story
through his/her words.
Pre-Write
Climax:
Falling Action:
Resolution: