Overall Assignment For this feature assignment, you will be putting together a feature package about one of your classmates. The package will include a personality sketch/human interest story as well as one sidebar that provides a biographical sketch. The main article will be between 350-400 words in length. There will be several steps involved in writing the story. Each is explained below:
Step One-Friday Write your own Defining Moment paragraph. (Assignment explained on a separate sheet)-20 pts.
Step Two-Monday With your assigned partner, exchange Defining Moments paragraphs and read them. Clarify the DM in your mind by asking your partner questions necessary to make sure you understand what happened to cause the DM.
Step Three-Monday Brainstorm on notebook paper at least 20 questions to use in an interview with your partner. These questions should help you get additional information about his/her defining moment and quotes as well as information about the DM, so that you can tell the DM story through the quotes you get. Some of the questions may seem repetitious of the essay because you have to get the info in quotes. You CANNOT use the information straight from the essay in your feature story. Perhaps your question can be “You said in your essay . . . Tell me what you meant.” Or “Tell me more about . . .” Your last two questions should be:
“Is there anything else you would like to add?”
“May I call you if I need to clarify anything?” (Then get the number)-10 pts.
Step Four-Wednesday Spend one class hour interviewing one another. Be sure to ask the questions for your main story and the two sidebars.
Step Five-Friday Write and type the personality sketch using the information obtained from your interview. A grading scale is below. -60 pts. This must be completed by the end of the hour on Friday, Oct. 10
Grading Scale
________/10 pts. Lead/Conclusion (grabs attention, creative)
________/10 pts. Use of quotes (min. 5, attribution, punctuation, placement interspersed, insightful & significant)
________/10 pts. Style
________/10 pts. Organization (coherence & flow, unity, sentences all clearly related to DM, logical, transitions evident)
________/10 pts. Development (concrete, specific details, excellent info gathering evident, add’l sources used)
________/5 pts. Overall Writing (paragraphs short & succinct, word choice simple & accurate) & Correctness (spelling, word usage, grammar, punctuation)
________/5 pts. Sidebar (some sort of biographical sketch)
Step Two-Monday With your assigned partner, exchange Defining Moments paragraphs and read them. Clarify the DM in your mind by asking your partner questions necessary to make sure you understand what happened to cause the DM.
Step Three-Monday Brainstorm on notebook paper at least 20 questions to use in an interview with your partner. These questions should help you get additional information about his/her defining moment and quotes as well as information about the DM, so that you can tell the DM story through the quotes you get. Some of the questions may seem repetitious of the essay because you have to get the info in quotes. You CANNOT use the information straight from the essay in your feature story. Perhaps your question can be “You said in your essay . . . Tell me what you meant.” Or “Tell me more about . . .” Your last two questions should be:
“Is there anything else you would like to add?”
“May I call you if I need to clarify anything?” (Then get the number)-10 pts.
Step Four-Wednesday Spend one class hour interviewing one another. Be sure to ask the questions for your main story and the two sidebars.
Step Five-Friday Write and type the personality sketch using the information obtained from your interview. A grading scale is below. -60 pts. This must be completed by the end of the hour on Friday, Oct. 10
Grading Scale
________/10 pts. Lead/Conclusion (grabs attention, creative)
________/10 pts. Use of quotes (min. 5, attribution, punctuation, placement interspersed, insightful & significant)
________/10 pts. Style
________/10 pts. Organization (coherence & flow, unity, sentences all clearly related to DM, logical, transitions evident)
________/10 pts. Development (concrete, specific details, excellent info gathering evident, add’l sources used)
________/5 pts. Overall Writing (paragraphs short & succinct, word choice simple & accurate) & Correctness (spelling, word usage, grammar, punctuation)
________/5 pts. Sidebar (some sort of biographical sketch)