Storybook Points

When I send you back the email with comments about your Storybook project, I will record the points in the Gradebook, along with a little note in the "Progress" area to let you know what Storybook assignment you need to turn in next. If I forget to record the points for you, please let me know! Sometimes I forget to press the update button which reveals the score I record so that it is visible in the student view.

Here are some of the reasons why a Storybook assignment might not receive the full 10 points. If you do not get the full 10 points, please read my email to find out what the problem(s) were. The most common problems people run into are as follows:

1. Late Assignment. If you turn your assignment in on Monday after noon, you can receive up to 8 points of credit (assuming there are no other problems); on Tuesday, up to 7 points; on Wednesday, up to 6 points, and on Thursday morning before noon, up to 5 points. (No Storybook assignments are accepted after noon on Thursday.) To be eligible for full credit, make sure you turn in your assignment on time, by Monday noon.

2. Incomplete Assignment. If you turn in the assignment on time but the assignment was incomplete (i.e. the author's note is less than the minimum length, the bibliography is missing, etc.), the assignment is not considered "turned in" until you have fixed that and turned in a complete assignment, so that the answer to the questions really is yes. To avoid this problem, please make sure you read the questions carefully when you turn in the assignment the first time.

3. Failure to Proofread. I am glad to help people to improve their writing, but it is essential that you also proofread your work carefully before you turn it in. If you turn in something that has serious errors that you would have caught by proofreading your work out loud (missing words, extra words, repeated words), you will lose points - in fact, it is likely that you will receive no credit for the assignment at all if there are multiple proofreading errors. Your writing is not finished until you proofread it. 

4. Failure to Spellcheck. I am glad to help people with English spelling because there are lots of spelling errors that a spellchecker cannot find for you. That being said, it is up to you to learn to use the spellchecker and to make sure you spellcheck your Storybook before you turn it in. If there are spelling errors that the spellchecker would have detected, you will lose points. If you want to receive full credit on the assignment, you need to make sure you do the spellcheck!

5. Source Error. Each of your Storybook assignments is based on your re-telling of a traditional story. Someone who reads your version of the story, together with your author's note, should have a good understanding of the original source you are using. If you make incorrect statements about your source story that show you did not understand your source, you may lose points for the assignment. If this happens repeatedly, you may in fact receive no points at all for the assignment. Please contact me before you turn in the assignment if you are having trouble understanding your source, and I will be glad to help.

6. Incomplete Revisions. Each time you receive a Storybook email from me, there will be a general comment from me at the top, along with specific comments marked with ==> throughout the email. It is your responsibility to read those comments and to make the necessary revisions. I am not a perfect proofreader, so there is no guarantee that I have found everything you need to correct, but if I have found something that needs revising, it is your responsibility to get that taken care of by the time you turn in your next Storybook assignment. If you turn in your next Storybook assignment without having completed the pending revisions, you will lose points. If this happens repeatedly and/or if there are a large number of revisions you did not complete, you may in fact receive no points at all for the assignment. If you are not sure about how to do the revision, you need to contact me before the assignment is due so that I can give you the additional information you want.

7. Plagiarism. If any part whatsoever of your Storybook assignment is plagiarized, you will receive no points. If this happens a second time, you will receive no points, and it will result in an Academic Misconduct Admonition. So, please make sure you review the Plagiarism assignment from Week 1 of the semester if you have any doubts about just what it means to retell the story in your own words. If you have any questions about this, make sure you contact me before you turn in the assignment.