1. Write your own original piece following the style of one piece we read. You could craft your own religious allegory using the American church or rewrite the General Prologue in Modern English.  Possibly you would like to write your own Soldier's Tale or Mother's Tale.  Creativity is key here.  2. Recast one of the works in another form.  For example, turn the "Miller's Tale" into a script for a popular sitcom (using those sitcom characters as stand-ins for Chaucer's characters), or rewrite one of the pieces we've read as a play. Be creative--just be sure to submit ideas for approval before WEDNESDAY of week seven, so that we have a chance to discuss it.  3. Select any piece we've read and modernize it for a new generation. Note that this assignment should include an author's note at the beginning to explain what the project actually is. Also, all MLA rules should be followed to include quoting when appropriate with in-text citations and a works cited section.  LITR210 Essay Rubric EXEMPLARY LEVEL A 18-20 10 ACCOMPLISHED LEVEL B 16-17 8-9 DEVELOPING LEVEL C 14-15 6-7 BEGINNING LEVEL D 13 or below 5 or below Argument: Letter Grade (/80) Purpose and Audience /20 The writing engages the reader with an original approach to the subject. It may encompass conflicting ideas and inspires the reader to contemplate the relationship of complex ideas. The writer has used all required elements of MLA format. The writing clearly goes beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment. It attempts to engage the reader through originality and presentation of complex ideas. The writer has used most of the required elements of MLA formatting, but may be missing one. The writing meets the minimum requirements of the assignment. It offers insight into the subject through basic logic and the presentation of ideas based on some evidence. The writer has used some of the required elements of MLA formatting, but may be missing a significant number (two or more). The writing fails to meet the minimum requirements of the assignment. It offers little insight into the subject and has serious flaws in logic and omissions in evidence. The writer has used few or no elements of MLA formatting. Thesis and Support /20 The writing has a clearly articulated original thesis and key points supported by relevant evidence from the text and/or original research. In addition, all evidence has been clearly and thoroughly interpreted for readers. The writing shows an accurate understanding of the events of the text and identifies all characters and their relationships to each other and the events of the text accurately. The essay discusses specific interpretations of the text and is able to associate those interpretations with specific events and characters in the text through well-explained close reading of quotations. The writing has a clearly articulated thesis and key points supported by appropriate, well-interpreted evidence and sound logic, thou.

1. 1. Write your own original piece following the style of one
piece we read. You could craft your own religious allegory
using the American church or rewrite the General Prologue in
Modern English. Possibly you would like to write your own
Soldier's Tale or Mother's Tale. Creativity is key here.
2. Recast one of the works in another form. For example, turn
the "Miller's Tale" into a script for a popular sitcom (using
those sitcom characters as stand-ins for Chaucer's characters),
or rewrite one of the pieces we've read as a play. Be creative--
just be sure to submit ideas for approval before WEDNESDAY
of week seven, so that we have a chance to discuss it.
3. Select any piece we've read and modernize it for a new
generation.
Note that this assignment should include an author's note at the
beginning to explain what the project actually is. Also, all MLA
rules should be followed to include quoting when appropriate
with in-text citations and a works cited section.
LITR210 Essay Rubric
EXEMPLARY
LEVEL
A
18-20
10
ACCOMPLISHED
LEVEL
B
16-17
8-9
DEVELOPING
LEVEL

2. C
14-15
6-7
BEGINNING
LEVEL
D
13 or below
5 or below
Argument: Letter Grade (/80)
Purpose and Audience
/20
The writing engages the reader with an original approach to the
subject.
It may encompass conflicting ideas and inspires the reader to
contemplate the relationship of complex ideas.
The writer has used all required elements of MLA format.
The writing clearly goes beyond the minimum requirements of
the assignment.
It attempts to engage the reader through originality and
presentation of complex ideas.
The writer has used most of the required elements of MLA
formatting, but may be missing one.
The writing meets the minimum requirements of the assignment.
It offers insight into the subject through basic logic and the

3. presentation of ideas based on some evidence.
The writer has used some of the required elements of MLA
formatting, but may be missing a significant number (two or
more).
The writing fails to meet the minimum requirements of the
assignment.
It offers little insight into the subject and has serious flaws in
logic and omissions in evidence.
The writer has used few or no elements of MLA formatting.
Thesis and Support
/20
The writing has a clearly articulated original thesis and key
points supported by relevant evidence from the text and/or
original research. In addition, all evidence has been clearly and
thoroughly interpreted for readers. The writing shows an
accurate understanding of the events of the text and identifies
all characters and their relationships to each other and the
events of the text accurately. The essay discusses specific
interpretations of the text and is able to associate those
interpretations with specific events and characters in the text
through well-explained close reading of quotations.
The writing has a clearly articulated thesis and key points

4. supported by appropriate, well-interpreted evidence and sound
logic, though minor gaps in logic and argument may appear. The
essay shows an accurate understanding of the events of the text
and identifies all characters and their relationships to each other
and the events of the text accurately. The writing discusses
specific interpretations of the text, but may not make the
connection between the evidence from the text and the
interpretations completely clear. Quotations used may be a bit
longer and less precisely used, and may need more clear close
reading in order to be fully accessible to readers.
The writing has a thesis and related key points supported by
evidence.
Logical arguments may be one-sided or incomplete, and
evidence may not be clearly or thoroughly interpreted. The
essay may show some confusion concerning the events and
characters of the text and the relationships between characters
and events. The writing discusses specific interpretations of the
text, but refers to those interpretation generally, rather than
associating them with specific events and characters. The writer
did not use quotations in a focused way, but instead relied on
general references to the text or summaries and/or large chunks
of quotation from the text.
The writing may need a more clearly articulated thesis and/or
appropriate key points.
Fuzzy logic may be evident and adequate supporting evidence is
lacking. The essay shows some notable confusion concerning
the events and characters of the text, and the relationships
between characters and events, or the references to the text may
be so general that it's impossible to determine how well the
writer understood the text. Though the essay may give some
interpretations of the text, the case made for those
interpretations uses inaccurate or incorrect readings of the text.
No quotations have been used and summaries/textual references

5. are unclear or inaccurate.
Organization
/20
The essay flows smoothly and logically from a well-defined
thesis.
It contains an effective introduction and conclusion, smooth
transitions, and well-constructed, coherent paragraphs.
The essay is organized logically.
An introduction and conclusion are evident, though they may be
missing one or more elements of a strong introduction or
conclusion. Transitions could be smoother both between and
within paragraphs.
The essay demonstrates rudimentary organization and logical
structure, but paragraph construction may be lacking important
elements such as clear focus, topic sentences, or internal and
external transitions. An identifiable introduction and conclusion
may be present, but do not give readers the expected
information.
The essay is noticeably lacking in organization.
There is no clear introduction or conclusion and paragraphs lack
clear structure. The logic ordering the ideas in the essay is not
clear, and it may also be visually confusing.
Style
/20

6. The writing engages the reader through an original prose style
appropriate to the subject.
Language is precise.
Sentences are varied but not noticeably so.
Active voice is apparent, and the writer uses the correct voicing
(first or third person) as specified by the assignment.
The writing keeps the reader’s attention through a carefully
crafted prose style.
Language chosen is appropriate to the subject, but may call
attention to itself in minor ways. The writer uses the correct
voicing (first or third person) as specified by the assignment but
may have other voicing creeping in from time to time.
The writing is clear but the style used is not entirely appropriate
to the subject.
It may require a more complete explanation of some terms used.
For the most part the writer uses the correct voicing (first or
third person) as specified by the assignment, but may have other
voicing creeping in from time to time.
The writing lacks clarity and is sometimes confusing.
The language chosen is not appropriate to the subject nor the
assignment. The writer has not used the correct voicing (first or
third person) as specified by the assignment.
Comments
Citation
/10
MLA In-text Citations and Works Cited List
The writer has correctly formatted parenthetical citations, and

7. smoothly integrated informative and clear signal phrases.
Quotations are clearly marked and formatted correctly, and
paraphrases clearly distinguished as paraphrases. No questions
are left as to what material is from sources and what material is
from the writer him- or herself.
The writer has correctly formatted and arranged the works cited
list following MLA guidelines.
The writer has correctly formatted most parenthetical citations
and integrated signal phrases. Quotations are clearly marked
(though long quotations may not be formatted correctly) and
paraphrases are clearly distinguished from the writer's own
material. There may be a some minor questions as to exactly
where material from sources ends and material from the writer
begins, but for the most part these distinctions are clear.
For the most part, the works cited list is correctly formatted and
arranged, but the writer has mis-formatted or mis-arranged a
few items.
The writer has attempted to use citations, but has had some
trouble with formatting. There is some indication of what
material is a quotation or paraphrase, but the formatting may
somewhat confusing. Many questions are left as to what is
source material and what is material from the writer, but it is
clear that the writer has been trying to cite his or her sources.
The works cited list has some correct formatting/arrangement,
but has significant amounts of missing information or incorrect
formatting/arrangement.
There are no in-text citations at all, or only a very few that are
impossible to connect to any of the sources in the works cited
list. Material from the source blends into material from the
writer, so that it is impossible to sort out one from the other.
The works cited list is incorrectly formatted with almost no use
of MLA works cited style requirements, or there is no works

8. cited list at all.
OR
Citations are in a different formatting style such as APA or
Chicago.
Comments
Detail-level Structure
/10
Grammar, Syntax, and Mechanics
The writing is free of grammatical, proofreading, and
punctuation errors.
S
entences are complete and grammatically correct, and free of
confusion and ambiguity.
The writing may exhibit a few minor errors in grammar,
punctuation, or usage, but they do not impair the flow of the
reading. Some sentences are not complete or are phrased in a
way that causes confusion for readers.
The writing shows errors that go beyond a need for
proofreading, and indicate that the writer needs to review rules
of grammar and punctuation. There are a significant number of
sentence fragments or run-on sentences, and
sentences are often phrased in a way that causes confusion for
readers.

9. The writing exhibits substantial errors in grammar and style to
the point that basic ideas are lost. The writer seems to be
unfamiliar with important elements of English grammar and
punctuation, and is having trouble writing syntactically correct
sentences.
Engagement with primary materials
/50
Style and Creative Presentation
/30
Formal Presentation
(Grammar/Formatting/Citation)
/20
Total
/100