Name: ___________________________________
Quarter 2 Narrative Writing
Your Task: You will be writing your own version of the “La Bamba” story. You will be choosing a character from the story and re-telling a moment
from the story. To be clear, you will not be re-telling the WHOLE story, just one moment that you think you can do a good job of re-telling. You
may choose any character that you think you could tell the best story through.
Did you complete everything assigned to you for this project?
Use this handy dandy checklist to see:
______Choose a character. You will write through their point of view. Remember to also let their voice come out through your writing.
______Write about a moment in the story. Do not re-write the whole story.
______You started with an attention grabbing lead. This could be either through action, reaction, or dialogue.
______Make sure that you used AT LEAST three transitions (see blue transitions sheet) in your writing to make it flow.
***Underline them in RED colored pencil on your final paper
______I used MANY details to give my teacher a good understanding of what is happening in the story.
______By using figurative language I was able to add details to my writing to help my teacher understand the story. I used AT LEAST three
different types in my writing.
***Underline these sentences in GREEN colored pencil on your final paper. Also, label the sentences with which type of figurative
language you used (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or personification)
______I was able to use sensory language in my writing so the teacher could picture the setting, character, and plot. I used AT LEAST three
different types in my writing.
***Underline these sentences in BLUE colored pencil on your final paper.
______I wrapped up my story with an ending that included a sense of closure. This may be similar to how you started your writing.
______Is the paper error-free? Did you re-read it, use spell-check, then re-read it again to make sure nothing was missed????
Student ID # _____________
Score
Narrative Writing Rubric (Grades 6-8)
Narrative Focus
***Graded***
Organization
***Graded***
The narrative, real or
imagined, is clearly focused
and maintained throughout:
The narrative, real or imagined, has
an effective plot helping create
unity and completeness:

4
Effectively establishes a
setting, narrator and/or
characters, and point of view



The narrative, real or
imagined, is adequately
focused and generally
maintained throughout:

3
Adequately establishes a
setting, narrator and/or
characters, and point of view
The narrative, real or imagined, has
an evident plot helping create a
sense of unity and completeness,
though there may be minor flaws
and some ideas may be loosely
connected:



The narrative, real or
imagined, is somewhat
maintained and may have a
minor drift in focus:
2

Inconsistently establishes a
setting, narrator and/or
characters, and point of view



1



May be very brief
May have a major drift
Focus may be confusing or
ambiguous
Inconsistent use of basic transitional
strategies with little variety
Uneven progression of ideas from
beginning to end
Opening and closure, if present, are
weak
Weak connection among ideas
The narrative, real or imagined, has
little or no discernible plot:


The narrative, real or imagined,
provides thorough and effective
elaboration using details,
dialogue, and description:

Few or no transitional strategies are
evident
Frequent extraneous ideas may
intrude
Effective use of a variety of narrative
techniques that advance the story or
illustrate the experience
The narrative, real or imagined,
provides adequate elaboration
using details, dialogue, and
description:

Adequate use of a variety of
transitional strategies
Adequate sequence of events from
beginning to end
Adequate opening and closure for
audience and purpose
The narrative, real or imagined, has
an inconsistent plot, and flaws are
evident:

The narrative, real or
imagined, may be
maintained butmay provide
little or no focus:
Effective, consistent use of a variety
of transitional strategies
Logical sequence of events from
beginning to end
Effective opening and closure for
audience and purpose
Elaboration of Narrative
***NOT graded***
Adequate use of a variety of
narrative techniques that generally
advance the story or illustrate the
experience
The narrative, real or imagined,
provides uneven, cursory
elaboration using partial and
uneven details, dialogue, and
description:

The narrative, real or
imagined, clearly and
effectively expresses
experiences or events:

Use of narrative techniques is
minimal, absent, in error, or
irrelevant
Guideline: 20-18 (Advanced-4), 17-13 (Proficient-3), 12-8 (Basic-2), 7-5 (Minimal-1)
Effective use of sensory,
concrete, and figurative
language clearly advance the
purpose
The narrative, real or
imagined, adequately
expresses experiences or
events:

Adequate us or sensory,
concrete, and figurative
language generally advance
the purpose
The narrative, real or
imagined, unevenly
expresses experiences or
events:

Narrative techniques, if present, are
uneven and inconsistent
The narrative, real or imagined,
provides minimal elaboration
using little or no details, dialogue,
and description:

Language and
Vocabulary
***Graded***
Partial or weak use of
sensory, concrete, and
figurative language that may
not advance the purpose
The narrative, real or
imagined, expression of
ideas is vague, lacks clarity,
or is confusing:


Uses limited language
May have little sense of
purpose
Conventions
***Graded***
The narrative, real or
imagined, demonstrates a
strong command of
conventions:


Few, if any, errors are
present in usage and
sentence formation
Effective and consistent use
of punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling
The narrative, real or
imagined, demonstrates an
adequate command of
conventions:


Some errors in usage and
sentence formation may be
present, but no systematic
pattern of errors is displayed
Adequate use of punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling
The narrative, real or
imagined, demonstrates a
partial command of
conventions:


Frequent errors in usage may
obscure meaning
Inconsistent use of
punctuation, capitalization,
and spelling
The narrative, real or
imagined, demonstrates a
lack of command of
conventions:


Errors are frequent and
severe
Meaning is often obscure
Overall Score (4,3,2, or 1) ______