Graded Assignment

“Rip Van Winkle” and the Emergence of an American Mythology

This document provides an overview of the tasks and time line for completing this assignment.

Assignment Instructions

As you have learned, the stories that make up a nation’s mythology share several characteristics:

• They are set in the past, often in remote or exciting places and times.
• They are filled with remarkable, strange, or exaggerated characters.
• They feature incredible, heroic, impressive, magical, or mysterious events and their consequences.
• They convey a positive message about a nation or its people.

After reading Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” consider it as a story that helped create an American mythology. Then answer the following question in the form of a short essay. Your essay should consist of at least five paragraphs: an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.

How does Irving incorporate at least three of the above characteristics into “Rip Van Winkle”? What is the impact of these characteristics on the story or on the reader’s experience of the story?

Be sure to cite specific examples from the text in your response.

Process

You should always use a process for your writing that includes planning and drafting. To complete this assignment, you will do the following:

• Review the assignment instructions and grading criteria thoroughly. The writing assignment you complete in this unit will be graded against a rubric that assesses the essay in a number of categories. These categories focus both on the essay’s contents and its clarity.
• Read the rubric on the last page of this document. Keep the criteria listed on the rubric in mind as you complete the writing assignment.
• Remember to write in standard formal English and use the third person (no personal opinions) and the present tense.
• Read and study “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving. As you study the work, you will gather information and start to plan your approach to the essay.
• Complete a plan for your essay.
• Begin drafting your paper, using your plan as a guide.
• Review and revise your first draft. You should try to have another person read your work and give you feedback as part of your revision process.
• Write the final draft of your project. Be sure to follow these requirements and recommendations when completing your draft:
• Open a new document. Type your name, your teacher’s name, your school name, and the date at the top of your document. To help your teacher know from whom the project came, save the file as: doc
  Example: ENG303X_04_01_Rip_Van_Winkle_Essay_M_Smith.doc Type your project in the document you create.

Time Line

You will complete this project over the course of eight lessons.

Task	Start	Complete
Print and review assignment instructions.	Lesson: Creating an American Mythology	Lesson: Creating an American Mythology
Read and study “Rip Van Winkle.”	Lesson: Creating an American Mythology	Lesson: Analyze “Rip Van Winkle”
Complete a plan for your essay.	Lesson: Analyze “Rip Van Winkle”	Lesson: “Old Ironsides”
Draft and revise your essay. Confer with your teacher if necessary.	Lesson: Drafting an Essay	Lesson: Creating an American Mythology Unit Review
Submit final draft for a grade.		Lesson: Creating an American Mythology Unit Test

 

Grading/Point Values

Assignment Point Value: 100

Required Final Draft Length

Pages: 1–2

Word Count: 300–500