Name: _____________________

Literary Paragraph: Characterization in “Stray”

Points: 50 Time: 30-45 minutes
Task: Write a literary paragraph a topic sentence, at least two supporting sentences, and a clincher
sentence (see handout about literary paragraphs) describing the character Doris in “Stray.”
Steps:
1) Review the graphic organizer you made in class about Doris and pick two of her personality traits that you want to describe
in your paragraph.
2) Use the pre-writing outline below to organize your ideas before you draft your paragraph:
a) Draft a topic sentence for your paragraph in the space below that states the main idea of your paragraph. It should be
something like this, In “Stray” by Cynthis Rylant, Doris is a...” and then describe Doris using the two personality traits you
chose in step 1.
b) Pick one example from the story that shows that Doris has the personality traits you mentioned in your topic sentence and
write them in the space provided in the pre-writing outline below.
c) Draft a clincher sentence to wrap up your paragraph. It should restate your main idea.
3) Draft your paragraph in paragraph form using the pre-writing outline as a guide.
4) Edit your draft. Use the rubric below as a guide to see what is expected of you.
5) Publish your draft on lined paper. Skip lines and use blue or black pen.

Pre-Writing Outline:
I. (Topic Sentence: answer the question briefly) _______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

A. (Example #1: give an example from the story you that shows that Doris has the first personality trait you mentioned in
your topic sentence )

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

B. B. (Example #2: give an example from the story you that shows that Doris has the second personality trait you
mentioned in your topic sentence )

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

D. (Clincher Sentence) ________________________________________________________________________________

Grading Rubric
Possible Teacher
Criteria Points Assessment
Did the student complete the outline? 5
Did the student write a clear topic sentence that includes the title and author of the story? 5
Did the student give two relevant examples from the story to support the main idea? 10
Did the student write a clincher sentence that restates his or her main idea? 5
Did the student demonstrate an understanding of the character? 5
Are the sentences clear in meaning and form with appropriate word choice? 5
Did the student use correct capitalization? 5
Did the student avoid fragments, run-ons, and stringy sentences? 5
Did the student use the present tense to talk about the story? 1
Did the student avoid using the pronouns “I”, “me”, “my”, “we”, “our”, “you”, “your”? 1
Did the student avoid using informal language and abbreviations? 1
Did the student use correct spelling? 1
Is the student’s work neat: handwriting is neat, student started journal on the front side of the 1
page for English, name and date are on the top left of the page, title is on the top center of the
page, student skipped lines?
TOTAL 50