Qualities of Fiction/Short Stories:

Ideas and Content:

• Is the character described in ways that cover appearance, motivation, fears, joys, etc.? Do we really get to know the character?
• Is there a setting and how is it described?
• Is there a plot with a conflict and how is it developed?
• Does the character have a “Burning Question” that drives the plot?

Voice:

• Who is the writer addressing? (Audience)
• Is the writing style appropriate for the audience?
• The writer’s voice is uniquely memorable

Organization:

• Is there a beginning, rising action, climax and resolution?

Word Choice:

• Are there strong verbs and specific adjectives?
• Are interesting words used correctly and in ways that stretch the reader’s vocabulary?

Sentence Fluency:

• Do the sentences vary in length?
• Do sentences begin with different words or are they all similar?

Conventions:

• Are sentences capitalized?
• Are words spelled correctly?
• Is internal punctuation used correctly? (commas, semicolons, etc.)
• If dialogue is used, is there correct punctuation? (Quotation marks, commas, indenting every time a new person speaks, etc.)
• Are paragraphs indented correctly?

Qualities of Poetry

• Poems have a meaning that the poet understands (at least the poet should know what the poem is about!)
• The poem leaves the reader thinking
• The poet took a risk and stretched to describe things in unique ways
• Poem contains chose colorful words, especially verbs
• Poem has devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, repetition, alliteration used in fresh ways
• Poem paints a picture in the reader’s mind and contains strong images
• Poem contains sensory images (sights, sounds, smells, touches, tastes)
• If it rhymes, it’s not forced and doesn’t turn into silliness just for the sake of the rhyme
• Poem contains thoughtful line breaks that enhance the poem’s meaning.

Qualities of Reviews

• Review starts with a hook
• Review gives a short and sweet summary of what’s being reviewed
• Review highlights important elements of what’s being reviewed
• Movie (acting, writing, visual effects, cinematography, musical score)
• Book (main character, plot, author’s style)
• CD (most popular songs, who else they sound like, vocals, instruments, lyrics)
• Restaurant (atmosphere, wait staff, various dishes, overall vibe of the place)
• Sports Reviews (quotes, retells gist of game without too much detail, gives who, what, where, when and why)
• Review gives a recommendation, good or bad
• Review contains chose colorful words, especially verbs
• When appropriate (food), review contains sensory images (sights, sounds, smells, touches, tastes)
• Review contains information important to what’s being reviewed (price, location, author, hours of operation, etc.)
• Catchy title!

Qualities of How-To Books

· Starts with fun-to-read introduction

· Directions are clear and easy to follow

· Contains pictures with captions

· Has blurbs about what you’re doing and why you should do it

· Contains a glossary of terms that people might not know

· Has a Table of Contents

· Is organized and divided into sections that make sense

· Covers main points of the subject. Doesn’t have to cover everything, but should cover the main points.

· Follows logical how-to steps that make sense to reader

· Uses titles, subtitles and bold face type

· Gives examples

Qualities of Cookbooks

· Starts with fun-to-read introduction

· Has a theme (family desserts, winter-time traditions, 4^th of July recipes, Birthday party food, etc.)

· Gives some interesting history about the recipes or the main food ingredients. Where they came from (ie. tortillas originated in Mexico…etc.)

· Should include pictures of final products

· Step-by-step directions and clear and easy to follow. You’ve tried them and they work!

· Diagrams when necessary.

· Measurements are accurate.

· The book is colorful!

· Contains glossary of unknown terms