Rubric Understanding

Mrs. Dobie

Edited by Ms. Landon

Focus

Addresses all aspects of prompt appropriately maintains a strongly developed focus.

A B C D

Focus

Addresses all aspects of prompt appropriately

maintains a strongly developed focus.

Look for:

*Thesis statement gives a basic answer to the question in the prompt

*Every part of the paper is supporting some part of the thesis

Controlling Idea

• Establishes a strong controlling idea with a clear purpose maintained throughout the response.

Look For: *Has a strong thesis statement. *Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence that connects to the thesis. *Each example and each piece of commentary supports the thesis in some way. (textual evidence that shows how the storytelling element reveals a common truth about life).

Reading/ Research

• Accurately presents information relevant to all parts of the prompt with effective selection of sources and details from reading materials.

• Look For: • Each example helps answer the prompt. (textual

evidence). • Each example is accurate and unique (it actually shows

the common truth about life, and you don’t use the same example over and over again in every paragraph)

• There is enough textual evidence to strongly support your point.{ 3 to 4 pieces (direct or indirect quotes) per paragraph}

Rubric Understanding Reading/Research

Scoring

Element 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Reading/

Research

to

reference reading

materials to

develop response,

but

to the

purpose of the

prompt.

information from

reading materials

relevant to the

purpose of the

prompt with

.

presents details

from reading

materials relevant

to the purpose of

the prompt to

develop argument

or claim.

presents

details from

reading materials to

develop argument or

claim.

How does the student transfer relevant content from the reading materials to the writing product?

Development

• Presents thorough and detailed information to strongly support the focus and controlling idea.

• Look For:

• Each example is followed by enough commentary to explain how that example helps answer the thesis. (1-2 sentences of commentary after every example)

Rubric Understanding Development

Scoring Element 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Development

to

provide details in

response to the

prompt, but

to the

purpose of the

prompt.

(L3) Makes no

connections or a

connection that is

irrelevant to

argument or claim.

Presents

to support and

develop the focus,

controlling idea, or

claim, with

,

examples, or

explanations.

(L3) Makes a

connection with a weak

or unclear relationship

to argument or claim.

Presents

to

support and develop the

focus, controlling idea,

or claim.

(L3) Makes a relevant

connection to clarify

argument or claim.

Presents

support and

develop the focus,

controlling idea, or claim.

(L3) Makes a clarifying

connection(s) that

illuminates argument and

adds depth to reasoning.

How thoroughly does the student provide and explain details in support of the controlling idea?

Organization

• Maintains an organizational structure that intentionally and effectively enhances the presentation of information as required by the specific prompt.

• Look For: • Paper is organized into paragraphs • Thesis Statement that is correctly formatted and is in the

last sentence of the first paragraph. • Topic sentences at the beginning of each body paragraph. • Transitions between the body paragraphs. • Transitions between pieces of textual evidence within a

paragraph. • Order of the paragraphs match order of thesis. • Transitions used highlights the purpose of the prompt

Organization

Transition words:

• Comparison/contrast order. Words used in expository writing to signal similarities and differences.

• Ex. (for similarities) also, additionally, just as, as if, as though, like, and similarly; and (for differences) but, yet, only, although, whereas, in contrast, conversely, however, on the other hand, rather, instead, in spite of, and nevertheless.

Conventions

• Demonstrates and maintains a well-developed command of standard English conventions and cohesion, with few errors.

• Look For: • No capitalization errors. • No fragmented sentences. • No run-on sentences. • Commas, semi colons, and colons are used correctly. • Quotes are properly embedded. • No spelling errors.

Conventions

• Response includes language and tone consistently appropriate to the audience, purpose, and specific requirements of the prompt.

• Look for:

• Keep your tone unbiased and objective.

• Use third person.

• Engage your audience! Make them want to keep reading.

Conventions

• Consistently cites sources using an appropriate format.

• Look for:

• Uses in-text citations (Collins 11) after every piece of textual evidence or info from an outside source.

• Includes a bibliography page that follows the MLA format.

Content Understanding

• Integrates relevant and accurate disciplinary content with thorough explanations that demonstrate in-depth understanding.

• Look for: • Examples are accurate. • Your explanations show that you really get how the

examples support the main idea. • You use appropriate formatting techniques for an

essay in MLA format. • You have used film and print sources.

An Excellent Paper: 12 Steps

Dr. Devin Brown

Edited by Ms. Landon

1. An excellent paper must have a proper heading.

• must be typed and have a heading (name, class, teacher, date) — no title page

• must be all double-spaced and must have one inch margins.

2. An excellent paper punctuates titles correctly.

• -Underline or italicize titles of Long Works — books, journals, magazines, films, work that stand alone.

• -Put quotes around titles of “Short Works” — chapters in books, articles in journals, works part of something else.

• -No underline or quotes around your essay title — punctuate internal items. No bold or large font — use 10 or 12 pt.

Titles Continued

• Which Bullets are correct?

• “I am Legend”

• “By the Waters of Babylon”

• The Giver

3. An excellent paper uses commas correctly.

1. Sentence, and/but sentence. –Students today are always tired, and/but they still go to bed quite late. 2. Subordinate clause, main clause. – If/When/As/Because students go without sleep, their grades suffer. 3. A, B, and C. -Don’t forget the final comma in a list of three items. -Do NOT use a comma with a list of two: A and B

4. An excellent paper uses pronouns correctly.

Which bullet is correct?

• One difficulty I/you find in studying Chaucer

• One difficulty readers find…

• In this paper, I will show… / I think… /In my opinion… /I believe…

4. Continued

• Do NOT use they or their with single nouns: the reader, a person, someone. Do use his or her or his — not his/her.

Which bullet is correct?

• The reader can compare their experiences…

• Readers can compare their experiences…

5. NO contractions! (too informal).

Which bullet is correct?

• Frodo isn’t the only one who’s afraid.

• Frodo is not the only one who is afraid.

6. An excellent paper refers to authors correctly.

• — first and last name, then last name — never just first name.

• stays in present tense (shifting only when needed) — When Gulliver wakes up in Lilliput… Earlier he sailed…

• and does not confuse the author of a work with the speaker — The narrator / speaker in the poem states…

7. An excellent paper quotes correctly.

• Frankenstein tells his creature, “You are a monster” (Shelley 96). *no “p.” just the number.

• Every quotation must be introduced with an intro phrase. *never just the quote as a sentence by itself!

• If your quote is longer than 4 lines make a block quote = no quotation marks, indent 1 inch, (page) AFTER the period.

8. Use a centered title that clearly reflects the topic and adds interest.

Which bullet is better?

• “Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels”

• “Weak Vision in Gulliver’s Travels

9. Begin with an introduction that catches the reader’s attention.

• perhaps a question, quotation, fact, story, or background information.

• No dictionary definitions—too boring!

• Tell the title and author of your work early in the introduction.

• Do not say, “In this story…” before you tell us the title.

10. Use a clearly stated thesis statement with your main points.

• The thesis statement is the claim or argument you are making. Avoid: This paper will argue that … Just say it!

11. Develop all main points evenly and clearly with lots of specific details.

• Good (B) papers present class material in a way that is clear, complete, correct, smoothly written, and organized.

• Excellent (A) papers do this and also show original thought. Excellent papers give examples and ideas not mentioned in class.

12. End with a clear conclusion that reviews or summarizes your main

points without just repeating them.

• Make your conclusion connect with your introduction to give your paper a sense of unity.

• Add a “clincher” at the end to give your reader something to ponder.