Name _______________________________________________ Date ________________________ Grade 8 ELA/Unit 1 Performance Task As a teenager of the 21st century, you have learned many lessons and been through events in your life which may have caused you to realize that you are growing up. Some of these may include lessons about friendship or relationships, trust, perseverance, change, leadership, courage, and more. Imagine that a teen online magazine, Teen Ink, is hosting a coming-of-age personal narrative contest. You want to enter your own submission. This is an opportunity to share a personal story in which you realized you were growing up, or "coming of age". Your Goal: To craft a personal narrative Your Role: You are YOU! You will be writing a story about your own life! Your Audience: Teenage magazine readers Your Situation: The contest requires that teens write a personal narrative in which you establish strong character and point-of-view, strong central idea and theme, and reflect upon your growth or "coming of age" within the conclusion. Your Product: A one-to-two-page personal narrative that reflects an important event that sparked a change or period of growth for you. Some suggestions for Personal Narrative Topics: • Identify an event or lesson in your life that caused you to realize you were growing up. Some to consider: ▪ Struggles with your parents ▪ Loss of a friend or family member ▪ Finding out someone you trusted betrayed you ▪ Entering a new school ▪ Moving to a new place ▪ Taking responsibility for a sibling ▪ Influence of peer pressure ▪ Making a change ▪ Taking a leadership role Performance Task Assessment Rubric Grade 8 Unit 1 Standard Not Met (1) Approaching (2) Met (3) Exemplary (4) W 8.3 A I have not met the criteria in Approaching I can create a narrator, characters and a series of events in my narrative. Meets all criteria in Approaching and: I can use appropriate methods and story structure as well as details from given resources to draw the reader in and clarify what is happening and who is involved. I have not met the criteria in Approaching I can use dialogue and description in my writing. Meets all criteria in Approaching and: I can use a variety of narrative techniques in my writing that add to the development of characters and events. I have not met the criteria in Approaching I used a variety of words and phrases in my writing. Meets all criteria in Approaching and: I used a variety of words that evoke a full range of sensory details and emotions. I have not met the criteria in Approaching I can give the story an ending. Meets all criteria in Approaching and: I can give the story an ending that makes sense in light of all that came before it. Meets all criteria in Met and: I can provide details that allow characters and events to unfold naturally and logically. I can support these details with relative information from the provided sources. Meets all criteria in Met and: I can include relevant information from provided sources to enhance my descriptions and help to develop the events/characters in my writing. Meets all criteria in Met and: I can choose words that convey sensory details and emotions that are needed to convey the action and events being described. Meets all criteria in Met and: I can provide the narrative a satisfying ending that includes details that help achieve my purpose. I have not met the criteria in Approaching I can write clearly and establish a purpose for my writing Meets all criteria in Approaching and: I can use language and style that is appropriate to my audience. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. W 8.3 B Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, and reflection to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. W 8.3 D Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. W 8.3 E Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events W 8.4 Produce Clear, coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. Meets all criteria in Met and: I can develop and organize my ideas and provide examples, information, and quotations that are appropriate to task, purpose and audience of my writing.
