Overview
Write an inverted pyramid style story using the fact box below. Be careful with AP style ….
- 52-pound tarpon caught
- Woman caught it was Natalie Meeks.
- Meeks is 31; lives in DeLand
- About 50 people gathered as woman was fighting the fish.
- Meeks stands 5-foot-4 and weighs 110 pounds.
- Fish caught on the beach in Ponce Inlet, about 75 yards north of Ponce de Leon Inlet.
- Bait was live finger mullet.
- Fight lasted three hours.
- Took a few minutes to observe fish before releasing it.
- Fish made about a three dramatic leaps.
- Women was fishing with a 11-ft. surf rod and 30-lb test line.
- Happened Sunday afternoon.
- Woman was fishing with husband, Ron Meeks.
- Couple started fishing about 11 in the morning.
- At about 11 forty-five, Mrs. Meeks felt a huge strike beyond the first sandbar and the fish immediately began taking her line out to sea.
- Dateline is Ponce Inlet, Fla.
- She reeled the line whenever fish stopped running.
- Fish’s movements forced her to walk up and down the beach.
- The gathering crowd walked with her.
- Her husband stood beside her the entire way in case she needed relief.
- Finally landed fish at about 2 forty-five.
- The Meeks go fishing about once every two or three months.
- Before, the biggest fish she ever caught in surf was a four-pound pompino.
- Tarpon are not edible.
- PARAPHRASE from Jacob Green, owner of Port Orange Bait & Tackle: He said it’s unusual, but not unheard of, for a tarpon to be hooked in the surf near Ponce Inlet because so many bait fish are swimming in the area.
- QUOTE from Green – The unusual part the woman actually landed the fish, especially a someone of that stature. Usually the fish is so strong it breaks the line or the angler doesn’t have the patience necessary to let the fish tire itself out.
- QUOTE from Allen Gunthier, a nearby fisherman – It’s possible the fish had been hooked by a boat earlier in the day and was tired. Usually you see more of those dramatic leaps than you saw with this one, but the shallow water could have been a factor in that.
- QUOTE from Mrs. Meeks – I don’t know how much I could have held out. Having that big crowd around helped. It gave me a little added adrenalin knowing so many people were watching. That fish was strong and determined and I’m sure I’m gonna feel it tomorrow. What a blast, though.
- PARAPHRASE from Mrs. Meeks – She said the experience might make her fish more frequently, but she’s smart enough to realize that might have been a once-in-a-lifetime event.
| Some Rubric (1) (3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts |
| Organization | 25 pts Excellent 21 pts Above Average 19 pts Average 16 pts Below average | / 25 pts |
AP style | 25 pts Excellent 21 pts Above Average 19 pts Average 16 pts Below average | / 25 pts |
Quote style | 25 pts Excellent 21 pts Above Average 19 pts Average 16 pts Below average | / 25 pts |
Writing correctness | 10 pts Excellent 8.4 pts Above Average 7.6 pts Average 6.4 pts Below Average | / 10 pts |
Lead and dateline | 15 pts Excellent 12.6 pts Above Average 11.4 pts Average 9.6 pts Below average | / 15 pts |