Christmas Children’s Story
Your children’s Christmas story should have the theme of the “Spirit of Christmas.”
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Complete a story map to help you to create the main ideas of the story.
An initial draft of the story will be written – the story needs to have a beginning, middle,
and end
You must have dialogue in your story (with quotations)
It should be no longer than one page since it will be written over a series of pages like a
proper picture book.
The draft will then need to edited and revised (see checklists provided)
The final good copy of the story will be put into a picture book format that Mrs. Hughes will
provide the paper for when she sees your edited work.
All pages of the story, including the cover, need to be illustrated
There should be a proper book cover with pictures and information about the author section
at the back of the book
The outside back cover should have a short summary of the book
We will be reading these stories to students throughout the school on the last day before the
Christmas holidays.
First Draft: December 3rd
Edited Draft: December 10th
Final Copy: December 13th
Rubric
Categories
Reasoning
-complexity of ideas and
connection to story line
Level 1
-uses only a very few simple
ideas that have little or no
connection to the story line
Level 2
- uses simple ideas that are
connected to the story line
Level 3
- uses developed ideas that
are connected to the story
line
Level 4
-uses well-developed
interesting ideas that
advance the story line
-number and relevance of
supporting facts and details
-uses very few supporting
details
-uses some supporting
details
-uses sufficient supporting
details to clarify the point of
the story
-uses imaginative details
that develop the story line
Communication
-Purpose: to write a story
about the spirit of Christmas
-the purpose of the writing is
unclear to the reader
-the purpose of the writing is
somewhat clear to the reader
-the purpose of the writing is
clear to the reader
-the purpose of the writing is
clear and engages the reader
-the vocabulary is limited or
used inappropriately, with
few descriptive words
-a limited variety of
vocabulary is used
appropriately but with
limited effect
-a wide variety of
vocabulary is used
appropriately to add
descriptive detail to the story
-the extensive vocabulary
creates images or pictures
for the reader
-has no clear beginning,
middle or end
-shows some evidence of a
beginning, middle, and an
end
-has a clear beginning, a
middle, and a logical end
-contains ideas and details
that are unconnected and has
no paragraph structure
-includes ideas and details
that are somewhat connected
within paragraphs
-has sentences that are
linked together in
paragraphs
-flow smoothly, progressing
logically from the beginning
to the middle to the end
-has sentences that are
clearly organized in
paragraphs to develop the
story line
-uses very few of the
conventions studied
correctly
-uses some of the
conventions studied
correctly
-uses most of the
conventions studied
correctly
-uses all or almost all of the
conventions studied
correctly
-produces a visual
presentation that is not clear
-produces a visual
presentation that is basically
clear
-produces a clear visual
presentation
-produces a clear and
effective visual presentation
that enhances the story
-word use and vocabulary
Organization
-overall structure
(beginning, middle, and end)
-paragraph structure
Conventions
-grammar, spelling,
punctuation
-visual presentation (e.g.,
indentations, spacing,
margins, title)
__________________’s
Story Map
Topic: The Spirit of Christmas
Story Title
What will you call your story?____________________________________________________
Characters
Who is the main character of your story?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
Are there other important characters in your story?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
Events
What are the major events that occur in the story?
What are the problems or challenges the main character faces?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Setting
Where will your story take place?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
Conclusion/Story Ending
How are the problems solved?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________
Name:_____________________
Revising Checklist
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My story has a title
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I made sure that the order of all of my sentences and paragraphs make sense.
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I have character(s), setting(s), a problem, events and a resolution in my story (all the challenges or problems are
solved).
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I made sure my story had a beginning, middle and end.
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I made sure that there are no extra or repetitive words or sentences in my story.
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My story fits the purpose intended (A story about the spirit of Christmas)
Self-Editing Checklist
Paragraphs
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Did I start a new paragraph each time …
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a new character spoke in my story
the location changed
a new event occurred
there was a new idea introduced
Did I indent for every new paragraph?
Sentence Structure and Word Choice
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Did I write clear and complete sentences?
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Did I use interesting and descriptive words?
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Did I use the right word? (for example, to – too – two)
Punctuation and Capitalization
 Did I end each sentence with a punctuation mark?
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Did I use quotation marks correctly?
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Did I start all my sentences with a capital letter?
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Did I capitalize nouns that name specific people, places, and things?