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Choose Your Own Adventure Writing Assignment
Have you ever read a story before and shouted at the main character for making a terrible choice
while you read the story only to be gawked at by your classmates as you interrupt silent reading
time by voicing your extreme displeasure aloud? In a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA)
story, a reader is presented with choices as they take the role of the storys main character. As a
fictional form of writing, CYOA writing allows the author to create a storyline and let the reader
participate in the story. The more choices that a writer provides a reader, the more complex the
story gets, so a writer must carefully construct the choices they offer and the consequences of
those choices.
Assignment Instructions:
1. You will create a fictional story and present your reader with choices that create multiple endings.
a. To get started, try to think about
i. SETTING Where and when do you want your story to take place?
ii. CHARACTERS - Who will be the main character? Will there be other important
characters in the story?
iii. CONFLICT - What will be the main problem/conflict that your main character is trying to
overcome throughout the story?
iv. RESOLUTION How will your story end? A CYOA must have multiple endings. The
conflict should be wrapped up in your ending(s). and they dont all have to be happy
endings.
2. Complete the chart for necessary CYOA story elements.
3. Once youve set up the brainstorming of your story then you will begin to create a storyboard outline
of the plot. You must think about what major events do you want to take place in your story.
4. After your storyboard is complete, start writing! You may find that as you write you change your story
with different or better ideas. Thats ok as long as you dont get too complicated in the choices you
offer a reader.
5. Using Powerpoint, you will transfer your completed CYOA story to slides and create hyperlinks that
allow a reader to participate in your story by clicking those links and transferring them to the correct
slide based on the choice they made.
6. Deliver a presentation where you will read your story to your classmates!

Step One: Brainstorming The Parts of Your Fictional Story

Use the graphic organizer below to brainstorm what you want your story to be about. Remember, it is
a fictional story and you want to create something that a Grade 7/8 audience would be interested in.

Parts of the Description

Story
Setting

Characters

Main Conflict
Possible
Resolutions

Step Two: CYOA Story Elements

After your group brainstorming session and making the class anchor chart record the elements that your CYOA
story should have in the chart below:

CYOA Elements My Story Should Have:

Step Three: Storyboard Outline

Given to you is a sample Storyboard that will help you create your CYOA story. Think of the story as
tree-diagram from math probability units. The more choices you present a reader the more branches
your tree will have. Use the Storyboard as a minimum requirement for the choices and events that you
must create in your writing. You are free to make your story more complex but dont go overboard. If
you create too many choices then your story can get very long, very quickly. Some CYOA stories are
upwards of 2000 pages in length. Start with the storyboard and change it from there if you wish.
See additional handout Storyboard Outline.
Sample story map:

Introduce setting
and characters.

First event with

choices for reader.

Choice #1. Second Choice #2. Alternate

event with choices. second event with choices.

Choice #3. Choice #4. Choice #5. Choice #6.

Third event Alternate Alternate Alternate third
with choices. third event third event event with
with choices. with choices. choices.
Ending
Endin Endin Endin Endin Endin Endin Endin
#1 g #2 g #3 g #4 g #5 g #6 g #7 g #8
Step Four: Expanded Story
Begin to create the writing for each portion of your rough storyboard. You will be adding all the details
necessary to keep a reader interested and build up to the choices that you have presented. Remember,
a good CYOA offers details in the text to help a reader make the right/correct choice at each point in
the story.

Sample Story Introduction Excerpt from Mystery of the Maya (CYOA Novel by R.A. Montgomery)

Your best friend Tom goes missing on assignment in Mexico. You have to help find him. Will it require
you to take a potion that sends you back in time to the world of the mysterious Mayan civilization? Or is Tom
still here in the present day? Can you trust Manuel? Depending on your choices, YOU may become a great
Mayan ruler or a double agent fighting a modern revolution. The wrong choice could turn you into a human
sacrifice on a bloody altar.

Step Five: PowerPoint Story With Hyperlinks

NOTE You will not be allowed on a school computer until you have completed
all the previous steps and checked in with your teacher.

Using PowerPoint, you will write your

story on individual slides and then
hyperlink each choice you offer a
reader to the correct slide later on in
your PowerPoint
Your whole story should be typed
into individual slides before you
attempt to hyperlink the choices.
Please add illustrations that relate to
your story in the slides to make the
story more entertaining.
To submit your assignment you must
email your completed PowerPoint file
as an attachment to your teacher.

Step Six: Dramatic Story Reading

You will present your story to the class as a dramatic reading. The class will participate in your storys
choices and give you a mark based on the entertainment value of BOTH your story and your re-telling.

Finding and Using Photos for Your Story:

1. You can use photos of your own! BEWARE: Do not just copy and
2. If you want to use photos from the internet, here are paste photos from the internet. If
some reliable sites to try for finding FREE photos: they are not FREE, you must copy
a. http://www.dreamstime.com/ and paste the website onto the
b. http://www.morguefile.com/ bottom of the photo to show its
source. Like this
 c. http://www.flickr.com/ http://pslawnet.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/booksandapple.gif

d. http://www.istockphoto.com/
CYOA Writing Rubric
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Knowledge/Understanding of CYOA Elements
Demonstrates Beginning is very Beginning is ok. It Beginning is Beginning is very
knowledge of fictional confusing and could have been more effective. It explains effective. It explains the
CYOA writing form. missing many effective as it was the setting and main setting, main
Beginning requirements. missing some characters of the characters, and
introduces setting, requirements. story. introduces the conflict of
characters, and the story.
conflict of the story The choices are very The choices fit well
confusing and do not The choices are ok. with the story. The The choices offered are
Each choice that is relate to the story. They could have been writing before them excellent. They generate
offered to a reader OR the choices are better or the writing effectively explains a lot of interest in the
fits well with the not well explained in that explains them each choice. story and the writing
plot of the story. the writing before could have been more that leads up to each
they are offered detailed. choice is very effective.

The endings do not The endings are The endings are very
Multiple effective fit well with the The endings are good. There are eight well written. Eight or
endings are created choices that lead to adequate. There is a well written endings more very well written
that fit well with them. The story ends little confusion as not that match up well endings match the
the choices a unresolved all details of the story with the choices a choices a reader makes
reader makes and are wrapped up. OR reader makes and and wrap up all
the plot of the story Multiple endings are resolves the elements of the plot.
very similar. elements of the plot.

Communication
Spelling, Many spelling Some spelling Few spelling No spelling mistakes.
Conventions, Word mistakes. mistakes. mistakes. Conventions,
Choice and Fluency Conventions, Conventions, Conventions, vocabulary, fluency and
vocabulary, fluency vocabulary, fluency vocabulary, fluency terminology are used
and terminology are and terminology are and terminology are with a high degree of
used with limited used with some used with effectiveness
effectiveness. effectiveness considerable
effectiveness
Quotations are not Quotations are used Quotations are used
Quotations use with the correct correctly occasionally Quotations are used correctly all the time.
conventions. correctly most of the
time.
There are multiple There are some errors There are no errors in
Writing tense (Past, errors in writing in writing tense There are few errors writing tense in the
present, future) tense throughout the throughout the story. in writing tense story.
story. throughout the story.
Application
PowerPoint Story Few/none of the Some of the conditions Most conditions are All conditions are met
created with readable conditions are met. are met OR all are met met OR all are met with a high degree of
font, appropriate with some with effectiveness effectiveness.
pictures, and effectiveness.
generates reader
interest.
Media Mark:
Application
PowerPoint Story Hyperlinks are not Hyperlinks incorrectly There are only one Hyperlinks are use with
Created with working used in the used in the PowerPoint or two incorrect complete correctness in
hyperlinks PowerPoint OR a in some spots. They hyperlinks used in the PowerPoint. There
PowerPoint version of take a reader to an the PowerPoint. are no errors at all.
the story is not incorrect slide more
created than once.
Presentation Mark:
Dramatic Reading Poor OK Good Excellent
Teacher 1 2 3 4
Students 1 2 3 4

Audience Engagement
Teacher 1 2 3 4
Students 1 2 3 4