It is the first line constructed, and includes the things I expect most students to be able to achieve, based on my instruction and class discussion. Students are rated, and sometimes rate themselves, on each category. I sometimes weight the categories differently, again, based on a common understanding with the students before the paper is written. The grade for the paper is an average of the scores from all the categories. The beauty of this system is that it takes most of the mystery out of grading, because students know what is expected ahead of time.
Teachers can grade quickly and consistently.
This was the maiden voyage of the unit for me. I would have liked to have the students learn their own stories as well, but I felt that many of them had had enough of memorizing for a while. The most desirable direction for this to go next is into personal writing and story telling. I want our children to see the importance of story, not only in traditional cultures, but in their own culture as well. I have found that nine to twelve year olds are more often drawn to stories about good vs. evil, fantasy and blood.