Everyday English 3 Midterm-Short Story
As part of your midterm, you will be submitting a Medieval Romance Narrative (aka a short story that
follows the ideas, values, themes, and concepts of Medieval Romance). You should work on this outside of
class; however, we will work on this in class on Monday as well as during our scheduled exam time after
finishing the Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension portion of the exam (see Midterm Exam Review for
additional information).
Any work that you do outside of class MUST BE INDEPENDENT, since this is graded as part of your
Midterm Exam. You may ask a parent/adult to help clarify directions for you, but all ideas and writing must
be your own! Failure to comply is considered academic dishonesty (see school handbook).
You will receive all necessary handouts and a copy of the rubric in class on Monday, but you can get started at
home:
Each of the texts covered in class throughout the Medieval Romance unit along with the movie A Knight’s Tale
and A&E’s Biography of King Arthur contain detailed examples of medieval romance:
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Near-perfect knight who follows the code of chivalry
An evil enemy
Female figures (damsels in distress or temptresses)
Supernatural elements
A test of the hero (the quest or the journey)
Medieval Romance Themes:
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Honor vs. Loyalty
Good vs. Evil
Greed can be a destructive force.
-Pre-write to plan your writing (you will turn in your pre-writing with the final copy)
-Write a short story that that follows the ideas, values, themes, and concepts of Medieval Romance. The setting
can either be during the Middle Ages OR present day. If you choose to write a modern story, then adapt the
concepts to today. Example: we no longer have knights, but chivalry still exists. What does being a
gentleman mean in today’s society? Another example: dragons are no longer our society’s biggest
supernatural fear. What supernatural elements are seen in today’s pop culture?
-There is no specific length. You must write enough paragraphs so that you can address all components of the
plot curve (exposition, narrative hook, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution). This can be done in 3
paragraphs or more.
-Try to include dialogue to help the flow of the plot and add characterization.
-While you may include “I”, “you”, and some contractions/slang within dialogue, keep in mind this is still a
formal essay. You should be doing your best writing! Use appropriate vocabulary, avoid fragments and runons, and try to vary your sentences!
Have fun with this! This is your chance to be creative!