Name
per
date
ASSIGNMENT SHEET: The Coffin Quilt Newspaper
Upon Roseanna’s death, Fanny says, “All the newspapers carried news of her death. They
played it up, all the things we’d rather forget. How Roseanna McCoy was the one who caused
the feud between the two families, how a war had been fought over her. Like Helen of Troy!”
(217).
The Assignment: Pretend that you are writing one of those newspaper articles that “played it up,
all the things [they’d] rather forget” about the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys.
Newspaper Article Requirements:
The ARTICLE must meet the following requirements:
1.
The article is primarily about the major events of the feud that eventually ended
with the death of Roseanna McCoy. The article is centered on Roseanna and the
role she played in the feud.
2.
The article should try to give both sides of the issue of whether Roseanna was really
the cause of the entire feud. Decide whether your reporter is from West Virginia or
Kentucky because that point of view might slant the facts one way or another.
2.
The article should be specific and accurate with people’s names, places, and quotes.
5.
The article must be written in third person point of view. Never use “I” or “We at
the newspaper. . .”
6.
Your article must follow the organization of a newspaper article, NOT a three-part
essay or a narrative. Refer to the outline and notes for more information and
requirements on this.
7.
All language used in the article must be formal language—no slang, no “sorta,” no
“kinda,” etc.
8.
Newspaper language should be VERY CONCISE (i.e. to the point and clear)
9.
Every paragraph must be no more than five (5) sentences long.
10. The article must use at least TWO (2) DIRECT QUOTES from characters in the
book. Be sure to have one quote from each side of the controversy. These quotes
must be completed correctly just as we do for an essay: give context, quote
accurately, and cite page even though you are writing a newspaper.
11. Although there is no minimum requirement, the article must be complete in
detailing and reporting the situation.
Newspaper Layout Requirements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The article about Roseanna and the feud will be the headline story in a newspaper layout
that you create.
The design of the newspaper will be consistent with the setting of The Coffin Quilt.
The newspaper will have one picture (with caption) to go with the story of Roseanna. It
should be a picture or sketch that reporters would likely be able to get.
The overall appearance of the newspaper should be consistent with the time period.
The newspaper should have the “flavor” of The Coffin Quilt in that it should refer to places,
characters, incidents, and situations from the novel.
Create a name for the newspaper that ties in with the novel.
Obviously, the article will be formatted into columns.
Please do not use tiny print. You should, however, single-space the article.
The newspaper CAN include other articles to give the newspaper a more complete look:
a) advertisements
d) local news or announcements
b) other news-worthy articles
e) obituaries
c) weather report
OUTLINE OF The Coffin Quilt NEWSPAPER
1.
The article should start with a lead paragraph that tells, IN 40 WORDS OR
FEWER, the most important facts about this story.
(**Nota Bene: Proper nouns of people, places, events, things; dates; and numbers count as ONE
word.)
2.
All other paragraphs must have no more than five sentences.
3.
This article is basically going to concisely summarize the major events in the book that lead
to the Ro’s death.
4.
Paragraphs in the article generally focus on ONE MAIN FACT or IDEA.
5.
TWO quotes were used to support facts given in the article. One for each side of issue
should be included.
6.
Quotes from the literature MUST BE copied EXACTLY as they appear in print. Cite the
pages numbers.
What events should be included in this article?
Name(s)
per
date
The Coffin Quilt Newspaper
Grading Rubric
This project is worth 100 points. The following requirements will be used to determine
your grade.
The Article:
1.
The article is focused on the important events of the book.
2.
Lead Paragraph is informative and concise.
3.
The article is specific and accurate with people’s names, places, actions, and quotes.
4.
The article is mostly OBJECTIVE.
5.
The article is written in third person point of view. Never use “I” or “We at the
newspaper. . .”
7.
All language in the article is formal language—no slang, no “sorta,” no “kinda,”
etc.
8.
Language of the newspaper is VERY CONCISE (i.e. to the point and clear)
9.
The writer(s) of the article attempted to use complex sentences by utilizing adverb
and adjective clauses.
10. Paragraphs are no longer than five (5) sentences.
11. The article uses at least TWO (2) DIRECT QUOTES from characters in the book:
one quote from each side of the controversy.
12. The quotes help the article present an important aspect of the story.
13. These quotes are punctuated correctly.
14. Article is formatted into columns correctly.
The Layout of the Newspaper:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The project looks like a bona fide newspaper from 1890’s.
An appropriate picture is used.
Specific elements like the title, date, etc go with the book The Coffin Quilt.
Project is neat and creative, not messy with cut-and-paste feel.