Printable version
 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
N |
Score |
Ideas and Content |
My paper brings the time & place my character lived alive; vividly describes her/his experiences and values; refers to relevant, historically accurate details. |
My paper reveals the time and place my character lived; describes a day in her/his life; most or all details are historically accurate. |
The time & place my character lived in is clear, but his/her experiences are more like a list than a letter or diary entry; some detilas may be historically inaccurate. |
I tell the reader when and where my story is set but make no attempt to include historically accurate facts or details. |
The setting of my story is murky and the characters' experences and/or values are often nistorically inaccurate. |
I didn't write enough to judge my own ideas and content. |
|
Organization |
My letter/diary has a strong lead, a developed middle, and a satisfying ending, all in an order that makes sense, flows and hangs together. |
I have either a strong lead, devloped middle or satisfying ending but not all three. |
I have a beginning, middle and end in logical order but without flair. |
My organization is rough but workable. My writing may drag its feet then race ahead; my ending may stop suddenly. |
My writing is aimless and disorganized; it is probably confusing to a reader. |
I didn't write enough to judge. |
|
Paragraphs |
I indent the beginnings of all paragraphs and have one topic per paragraph. I wrote a least 5 paragraphs. |
I indent the beginnings of all paragraphs, have one topic per paragraph, and I wrote 5 paragraphs. |
Some of my paragraphs are too long, too short, or not indented. I wrote at least 5 paragraphs. |
I have several problems with paragraphs and/or I wrote less than 5 paragraphs. |
I use incorrect paragraph format and/or I wrote less than 5 paragraphs. |
I didn't write enough to judge. |
|
Voice and Tone |
I use 1st person. My voice sounds like a real person. My paper has personality and shows how my character thinks and feels. |
I sound like I care about the topic. My writing voice is engaging but my fade in and out. |
My tone is OK but my paper could have been written by anyone. I need to reveal more about how I think and feel about the topic. |
My writing is bland, mechanical or pretentious. It sounds like I have not found my own way to say things. I used 2nd or 3rd person. |
My writing is too formal or inappropriately informal. There may be no hints of a real person in it. It may sound like I don't like the topic. |
I didn't write enough to judge. |
|
Word Choice |
The words I use are striking but natural, e.g., "wondered" instead of "thought." I use powerful verbs & historically accurate words, phrases and slang from the period. |
My paper has some fine word choices and generally good language. Some parts may be routine. |
The words I use are acceptable but ordinary. I should try to use more expressive words. |
My word choice is uninspired colorless and dull, or sounds like I am trying too hard to impress. Some words may be used incorrectly. |
The same words are repeated over and over and over and over. Some words may be confusing to a reader. |
I had better get busy... |
|
Sentence Fluency |
My sentences are clear; they begin in different ways; some are longer than others; no fragments; my paper is a delight to read out loud. |
My sentences are mostly well-constructed, some minor errors. My essay marches along but doesn’t dance. |
I have a few problems with fragments or awkward sentences that I should fix. |
My sentences are often awkward or mechanical; little variety in length; may have many sentences that begin with the same word. |
My paper is tough to read because almost all of my sentences are incomplete, run-ons, and/or awkward. |
I didn’t write enough to judge |
|
Conventions |
I use the correct grammar, capitals, spelling, and punctuation. |
I made some errors, perhaps by taking risks and using interesting words or sentences. |
My spelling is correct on common words. Some errors in grammar and punctuation. I need to check it again. |
Frequent errors are distracting but do not interfere with the meaning of my paper. |
Many errors in grammar, capitalization, spelling & punctuation make my paper hard to read. |
I didn’t write enough to judge. |
|