Writing Your Religious Narrative

Now that you have researched and read narratives from a major world religion, you are ready to begin an outline for your story. You need to consider and brainstorm ideas about the following elements. It is extremely important that the religious moral you are promoting is the basis of your narrative. You may print out the description of these elements and the guide by clicking on Religious Narrative Outline. Please complete this outline and show your teacher.

** Before you begin writing, read "Writing and Revising your Story" and the Criteria Ruberic for guidelines and assessment criteria (see below).

Aspects to Consider:

1. Setting:

The time, place, and mood of the story. Set the story in a region of the world that practices this religion.

2. Religious Moral:

Have a religious message that promotes a fundamental belief or practice of your researched religion. e.g. Suffering can be overcome by emptying yourself of all desire OR Muslims must say prayers five times a day while facing Mecca.

3. Facts:

Incorporate 10 facts about your religion into your story. E.g. Vishnu is one of the chief gods of Hinduism that has been reincarnated on earth nine times OR Lao Tzu was the founder of Taoism.

4. Characters:

Develop your characters' personalities through their dialogues and actions. They should reflect the beliefs/values of your religion. Your main character should help illustrate your religious moral through his/her actions.

5. Point of View:

You may take the point of view of one of the characters or of a narrator.

6. Plot: Use the plot outline sheet to develop your story.

a) Condition: the opening situation -- how the story starts.

b) Complication: the problem that upsets the condition.

c) Conflict: the struggle/fight between characters or the internal conflict (related to the religious moral).

d) Climax: The most exciting point of the story and the resolution of the conflict. Highlights the religious moral of the story.

e) Conclusion: The ending. Reiterates the importance of the religious moral.

7. Writer's Craft:

Use powerful and descriptive language in your story. Incorporate literary devices such as similes and metaphors to make your descriptions more vivid. Use dialogue in this story as it makes it much more interesting.

Writing and Revising your Story:

After you have completed your outline and had it checked by your teacher,

1. Write the rough draft of your story either on paper or on a word processor.

2. Read over your story checking to see that you have met the above requirements. It is really important that your narrative promotes a religious moral, contains 10 religious facts, and follows the typical plot profile (as above).

3. Underline the religious facts in your story so that so that readers focus on this information.

4. Add more powerful words and descriptions to improve the quality of your story.

5. Proofread and edit your work to make sure you have correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing.

6. Have a peer editor complete steps #2-5 for you.

7. Have your teacher read over your story.

 

Criteria Ruberic for Religious Narrative:

 

Category
Exemplary
Accomplished
Developing
Beginning
Meaning
 An excellent story with some originality and creative development. Details, characters, and events show some sophistication and complexity. A good story with some sense of individuality or originality. Generally straightforward, but may include some complexity in characters or events. Predictable; may be closely modeled on another work. Straightforward; tends to "tell about" rather than reveal characters, events, ideas. Very simplistic and predictable--few details.
Style
 Language is very descriptive, and effectively incorporates figurative language. Dialogue is convincing and adds to the understanding of character. Language is descriptive, and incorporates some figurative language. Dialogue is appropriate and easy to follow. Language is simple with few sensory details. Dialogue is sometimes confusing. Language is simple with little or no description. Dialogue is confusing or not present.
Form
 Features an engaging plot with a condition, complication, conflict, climax, and conclusion. Plot flows very smoothly. Character traits are revealed through actions/dialogue. Includes a condition, complication, conflict, climax, and conclusion. Plot flows smoothly. Characters are mostly described, but actions/dialogue reveal some traits. Includes a beginning, middle, and end. Somewhat difficult to follow plot. Characters are developed mostly through direct description. Attempts to tell a story, but missing a beginning, middle, or end. Difficult to follow plot. Characters are not described.
Conventions Consistently follows standard rules with very few if any errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing. Appears to have been carefully proofread and edited. Follows standard rules with few errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing. Appears to have been proofread and edited with most surface errors corrected. Follows standard rules with some errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing. Appears to have been proofread and edited, although not with a high degree of precision. Significant errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing. Does not appear to have been proofread and edited.

Content

This category is weighted heavier

Contains a minimum of ten facts about a world religion with excellent explanations. Very effectively promotes a fundamental belief or practice of a world religion in the moral. Contains ten facts about a world religion with good explanations. Effectively promotes a fundamental belief or practice of a world religion in the moral. Contains several facts about a world religion with some explanation. Somewhat promotes a fundamental belief or practice of a world religion in the moral. Contains few facts about a world religion with little explanation. Does not clearly promote a fundamental belief or practice of a world religion in the moral.

This criteria ruberic was based largely on BC Ministry of Education's Writing Reference Set.

 

You are now ready to begin the HyperStudio presentation of your story!

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