Short Story Project
This is your chance to help the class do well on literature quizzes. You will present the short story
assigned to you in a meaningful way. Please make sure that you cover the basic plot, theme, setting,
characters, conflict, climax, and resolution.
When you are assigned the story, please make sure that you do the following:
 Read the story silently as a group.
 Make sure you can:
 Answer all the questions.
 In writing, clearly identify the plot, theme, setting, characters, conflict, climax,
and resolution.
 Think about an activity that would effectively reinforce the main points of the
story.
 When you meet with your group, do the following:
o On binder paper to turn in on the day of your presentation:
 Answer all study questions in writing or typed.
 Identify the plot, theme, setting, main characters, conflict, climax, and resolution
in writing or typed. Each element must be written or typed with no more than
half page each element.
o Make a creative presentation that reviews the plot, theme, setting, characters, conflict,
climax, and resolution of your story. This should include the activity that will help the
class better understand the story. (You can use PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and/or
whatever works for you.) Avoid wordy PowerPoint presentation.
o Give a homework assignment. This could be a crossword puzzle, a poem, a song, or
whatever creative work that your group thinks of. It will be presented or corrected in
class the day following your presentation. Your group must come up with a grading sheet
so that Mrs. Reyes can give each student a grade for your assignment. (Each assignment
is worth 5 pts.)
o BE CREATIVE AND DIFFERENT! FEEL FREE TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION
WHEN CREATING YOUR ASSIGNMENTS.
 GROUP PRESENTATION – DUE ________To be assigned________________.
o The night before your presentation day, the class will be assigned to read the story so
they have a general idea about the content of the story.
o Your group needs to create a PowerPoint presentation that presents the story in a creative
way so that the class will be sure to understand the plot, theme, setting, characters,
conflict, climax, and resolution.
o Explain the written activity. Give the class time to work on it. If it is something that
needs specific materials or worksheets, please give them to Mrs. Reyes at least one week
before your presentation.
o The class will also take a quiz on the story either the day after the presentation day or
when Mrs. Reyes has it scheduled.
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Names: ___________________________________________________
Story Request Form
Literature
Rate your top three choices. Mrs. Reyes will try to give you one of these choices. If too many groups want
to present the same story, Mrs. Reyes will randomly assign the groups to a project.
________ A Retrived Reformation
________ The Finish of Patsy Barnes
________ The White Umbrella
________ Gentleman of Rio en Medio
________ Raymond’s Run
________ A Canary’s Ideas
________ The Day I got Lost
________ The Land and the Water
________ Tears of the Sea
________ Crime on Mars
________ The Tell-Tale Heart
________ The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
________ The Smallest Dragon Boy
________ The Six Rows of Pompons
Dates are subject to change, but your presentation will not be before the assigned date. All PowerPoint
presentation slides are due on __October 23, 2015______.
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How to write the elements of literature paragraph.
State the title and author of your story project.
Identify the major (main) character and his/her qualities and character traits.
Clearly explain the character’s motivation, thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech that
makes him/her believable.
Identify the minor character and his/her qualities.
Clearly describe the when and where the story takes place.
Describe and include details such as the season, the time of day, the place, the language,
the neighborhood, the community, the customs, the clothing, and/or mode of
transportation.
Include a logical sequence of events in the story and include details that will lead to the
conflict of the story, climax, and the resolution of the story.
Clearly identify the central message of the story (stated or implied theme).
Find details from the story that will support your opinion about the theme.
Clearly identify the conflict of the story (internal and/or external). Give sufficient details
that will lead to the conflict in the story.
Clearly identify the climax of the story.
Give details that will lead to the turning point in the story
Identify the resolution in the story.
Give logical details that lead to the resolution.
For more information, check pp. 777-792 of your literature textbook.
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Project Meeting Report
Date: _______________ Story/Author: __________________________________
Team members (present): _____________________________
Team members (absent): ______________________________
Focus of the meeting:
Summary of the meeting:
Progress towards goals:
Questions that need to be addressed by Mrs. Reyes
Steps that need to be accomplished by the next session
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Name: _________________________________________________________________
This component is the final paper you will write on the short story project. Reflect on your
learning experience in the classroom. This paper should contain narrative statements describing
what you learned from working on the short story project. This should include reflection on what
you learned about the process of working in a group and discuss how this affected your learning.
Finally, the reflection should address how you would approach the project and class activity
differently if you were to do it again.
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Binder Order
Cover
1.
Name
2.
Presentation Date
3.
Story Title
4.
Author
5.
Page Number
Elements of literature
1.
Setting
2.
Characters
3.
Plot
4.
Theme
5.
Conflict
6.
Climax
7.
Resolution
Response to the Selection questions
PowerPoint Presentation
Activity
Reflection on the assignment
Grade Criteria
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Project timeline:
10/23; F
Group Project PowerPoint slides and binder due.
10/22; Th
Computer lab (1:30-2:30) Finalize your PowerPoint and typing your
paragraphs.
10/20; T
Work on your paragraph (see criteria) I will call on group(s) to conference
about the project.
10/19; M
Computer lab (2:15-2:45) Use lab time wisely.
10/16; F
Computer work (Surfaces) 2:15-2:45. Use your time wisely
10/15; Th
Computer lab (1:30-2:30) Use lab time wisely.
10/13; T
Work on your paragraph (see criteria) I will call on group(s) to conference
about the project.
10/12; M
Computer lab (1:30-2:30) Use lab time wisely.
10/9; F
Discuss and outline the elements of literature for your story project. Use
criteria on How to write the elements of literature. Work on your
paragraph (see criteria) I will call group to conference about the project.
10/8; Th
Read story and discuss, plan (who’s doing what), Response to Selection
questions from each student (This is an individual work) due by Monday.
Do not procrastinate!
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Presentation Dates: To be determined.
Student Name(s)
Story
Presentation Date
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
Monday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Thursday
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Paper:
State the title and author of your story project.
/2 pts
Identify the major (main) character and his/her qualities and character traits.
Clearly explain the character’s motivation, thoughts, feelings, actions, or
speech that makes him/her believable.
/3 pts
Identify the minor character and his/her qualities.
/1 pts
/1 pt
Clearly describe the when and where the story takes place.
/2 pts
Describe and include details such as the season, the time of day, the place, the language, the
neighborhood, the community, the customs, the clothing, and/or mode of transportation.
/3 pts
Include a logical sequence of events in the story and include details that will lead to the conflict
of the
story, climax, and the resolution of the story.
/5 pts
Clearly identify the central message of the story (stated or implied theme).
Find details from the story that will support your opinion about the theme.
/1 pt
/4 pt
Clearly identify the conflict of the story (internal and/or external). Give sufficient details that will
lead to
the conflict in the story.
/5 pts
Clearly identify the climax of the story.
/2 pts
Give details that will lead to the turning point in the story
Identify the resolution in the story.
Give logical details that lead to the resolution.
/3 pts
/2 pts
/3 pts
PowerPoint:
8-9 slides without C.U.P.S. errors
Elements of literature are clearly identified
Each element slide is clearly defined
Story is presented through pictures only.
Miscellaneous:
Story map
Meeting reports
Project Criteria
Binder cover
Activity
Total points earned:
/1 pt
/1 pt
/1 pt
/5 pts
/1 pt
/1 pt
/1 pt
/1 pt
/1 pt
__________/50 points
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Name:__________________________________________________Date:____________
Short Story title: _______________________________________ Author :___________
Presentation Date: _____________________________________ Partner: ____________
Objective: To reflect on a task for self-improvement.
This reflection counts as a writing grade.
Scoring Criteria:
1-2 pages
Must begin with the title of the short story and its author
Must include narrative statements describing what you
learned from working on the story project.
Must include reflection on what you learned about
the process of working in a group/partner.
Discuss how this project affected your learning.
The reflection should address how you would approach
the project an class activity differently if you were to do it again.
______/1
______/3
______/5
______/5
______/5
_______/5
Conventions and mechanics
_______/5
Word Processing:
Double spaced
Times Roman (10-12)
Align Text Left
Complete heading
_______/5
Scoring criteria
_________/1
Total points earned
________35 points
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