Writing Rubrics

1
Writing Rubrics

• A Workshop on Assessment of Student Written Work

2
Writing Rubrics

• Overview of workshop
• Talk about writing problems, use of handbook
• Discussion of use of rubrics
• Practice grading papers with a rubric

3
Editing Symbols and Abbreviations

• abbr Problem with an abbreviation. (42a)
• Ex. The score in the game of the Tigers vs.
  the Lions was 43-19.
• agr Problem with subject-verb or
  pronoun-antecedent agreement. (22, 27)
• Ex. Should we put someone to death just
  because they have asked for it?
• Ex. There is almost 60,000 individuals that
  are behind bars because of using marijuana.
• apos Apostrophe is missing or misused.
• Ex. Its a long way home. (25b)
• awk Awkward. Sentence reads poorly, but problem
  is difficult to identify. (16f-i, 17a-c )
• cap Capitalization problemeither capitalize or
  use lower case. (41b)
• Ex. Unfortunately, Abstinence-based sex
  education courses have suffered . . . .

4
Editing Symbols and Abbreviations (continued)

• Clarity Reword sentence to achieve more clarity.
• coh Coherence. (12a-b)
• Ex. The DEA was able to make an impact on
  drug enforcement increased dramatically
  throughout the 1980s.
• comma sp Comma splice. (35c)
• (cs) Ex. Children have enough pressures and
  battles to deal with, this should not be one of
  them.
• doesnt Logical connection is lost.
• follow
• fragment Not a complete sentence (independent
  clause). (35a)
• Ex. Which is a good reason that it is
  illegal for drunk drivers to operate a
  vehicle.
• fused sent. Fused sentencetwo independent
  clauses with no punctuation. (35d)
• Ex. I am not trying to bring about the fire
  and damnation sermons I am stating the reality
  of the dilemma we find ourselves in.

5
Editing Symbols and Abbreviations (continued)

• dang mod. Modifier problem (no subject for the
  modifier to modify). (30a)
• Ex. Carved from solid oak, the angry mother
  could not break down the door.
• ital. Italics needed or misused. (41a)
• Ex. Marijuana is the name of the Indian hemp
  plant, cannabis sativa.
• lc Use a lower case letter. (41b)
• Ex. Columbus is the Capital of Ohio.
• mod. Modifier problem (modifier is modifying
  incorrect subject). (30a)
• Ex. Without being fraudulent, numbers can be
  manipulated by statisticians to produce desired
  outcomes.
• num. Problem with the use of numbers. (42b)
• Ex. I want 4 pancakes for breakfast.
• OKSorry! I erred when marking your paper I
  apologize.
• pl Plural form is faulty. (25a)
• Ex. Sheeps are spoken of often in the Bible.
• par struc. Parallel structure problem. (19h,
  16d, 16h, 23c)
• Ex. He was a hard worker, a good student, and
  wrote for the newspaper.

6
Editing Symbols and Abbreviations (continued)

• pass. voice Passive verb is used ineffectively.
  (17a, 23e)
• Ex. She was given a lecture by her father.
• pronoun case Use a different case (objective,
  subjective, or possessive). (26-28)
• punc. Punctuation problem. (32, 34-38)
• Ex. Drug use is a personal thing and I feel
  that people who do not cause problems to
  society should not be arrested for drug charges.
• redundant Youve already said this no need to
  repeat. (17c)
• Ex. Make sure parents are informed on what
  is going on in the classroom. This is
  necessary so that parents know what is going on.
  . . .
• ref. Not clear what a pronoun refers to. (26)
• rep. Word or phrase is repeated ineffectively.
  (17c)
• run-on Run-on sentence. (35d)
• sexist lang. A word or phrase is potentially
  offensive because of sexism. (15d)
• Ex. God loves all of mankind.

7
Editing Symbols and Abbreviations (continued)

• sp A word is misspelled. (5b)
• Ex. I recieved a good grade on my test.
• trans. Weak transition add transition word or
  phrase. (14)
• uc Use an upper case letter. (41b)
• Ex. The capital of Ohio is columbus.
• unclear Make writing more clear.
• verb form Youve chosen the wrong form of the
  verb
• Ex. We had ate earlier in the morning.
• wordy A sentence is wordy. (17c)
• wrong word This is not the correct word. (15)
• Ex. There should be some kind of therapy
  treatment for patients . . . before they make
  that final diction.
• vague Vague constructionbe more specific
• Ex. The legalizing of homosexual marriage is
  an indecent act that requires no consideration

8
Editing Symbols and Abbreviations (continued)

• Delete Ex. the the cow jumped over the moon.
• Reverse order Ex. three little fat pigs
• Close up a space Ex. be fore
• Separatemake a space between two oldshoes hung
  on the car
• Insert Ex. a piece cake
• ? I dont know what you mean. Do you mean this?
• (?) I think this is what you mean (I will add
  what I think you mean when using this symbol).
• Paragraph. (15)
• No paragraph. (15)

9
Rubric for Essays

• Possible Points Earned Points
• Purpose 15
  ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Thesis and conclusion are clear and engage
  readers interest purpose is addressed
  consistently throughout essay.
• Competent 12-13
• Thesis and conclusion are clear and fairly
  interesting
• purpose is addressed in most of the essay.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Thesis and conclusion are present but difficult
  to pinpoint
• writer strays from purpose frequently.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Thesis and/or conclusion are not discernible or
  are inappropriate or unworkable writer
  frequently wanders from point of essay.

10
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Organization and Development 15
  ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• All parts of essay flow logically in sequence
  transitions are clear and
• appropriate essay is a united and interesting
  entity.
• Competent 12-13
• Most parts of essay flow logically in sequence
  transitions are usually clear
• and appropriate for the most part, essay is
  not disjointed.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Parts of essay are apparent but not well
  sequenced transitions are sometimes
• missing or inadequate essay is disjointed in
  several areas.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Parts of essay are missing or so ill-sequenced
  that reading is difficult transitions
• not used and/or are inadequate essay is a
  jumble of ideas with little organization.

11
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Content/Quality of Ideas 40 ______
• Exemplary 36-40
• Paper addresses writing assignment engagingly,
  using interesting and appropriate details and
  examples.
• Competent 32-35
• Paper addresses prompt, but with uneven
  supportive detail and examples.
• Acceptable 28-31
• In most instances, paper addresses prompt, but
  support detail and examples are sometimes
  inadequate.
• Unacceptable 0-27
• Paper does not address prompt and/or shows
  little or no supportive detail and examples.

12
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Thought and Style 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Quality of ideas and evidence is excellent and
  sometimes original vocabulary is appropriate
  and diverse tone is appropriate.
• Competent 12-13
• Quality of ideas and evidence is very good
  vocabulary is appropriate and usually diverse
  tone is appropriate.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Quality of ideas and evidence is mediocre
  vocabulary is sometimes repetitive and/or
  inappropriate tone is sometimes inappropriate.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Ideas and evidence are passé or incomplete
  vocabulary is repetitive and/or lacking in
  academic appropriateness tone is often
  inappropriate.

13
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Mechanics, Usage, and Format 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Few if any errors in mechanics, grammar, and/or
  usage. Format is adhered to exactly.
• Competent 12-13
• Some errors in mechanics, grammar, and/or
  usage. Format is usually adhered to.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Errors are systematic and detract from the
  sense of the essay. Format incorrect.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Errors occur almost sentence by sentence.
  Format is incorrect in numerous instances.

14
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Audience 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Vocabulary and examples reflect a thorough
  knowledge of audience.
• Competent 12-13
• Vocabulary and examples usually reflect an
  adequate knowledge of audience.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Inconsistent use of language level and examples
  for audience.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Inconsistent use of language level and examples
  reflects little or no
• knowledge of audience.

15
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Objectivity 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Evidence is presented without bias or
  inappropriate emotion in every circumstance.
• Competent 12-13 Evidence is usually
  presented without bias or inappropriate emotion.
• Acceptable 10-11
• In three or more instances, evidence is
  presented with bias or inappropriate emotion.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Evidence is consistently presented in a biased
  or inappropriately emotional tone.

16
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Process 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Assigned process is followed exactly.
• Competent 12-13 Assigned process is followed
  as prescribed with just one or two deviations.
• Acceptable 10-11 Assigned process is followed
  as prescribed in three to four deviations.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Deviation from assigned process occurs
  consistently.

17
Journal 2 Introduction to LiteratureDue Date
Monday, January 21

• Choose one of the following poems and explicate
  it in a paper of 500-750 words. Include a title
  page, a typed copy of the poem, your explication
  (with your own title), the text of your paper,
  and a works cited page. The 500-750 words
  required are not to include the words in the poem
  or the words on the works cited page. Print a
  word count at the end of the text of your paper.
  If you are caught plagiarizing on this paper, you
  will receive a 0 for the assignment.
• George Herbert. The Pulley, pp. 884-85
• Yeats, William Butler. The Wild Swans at
  Coole, p. 1023
• Hardy, Thomas. The Darkling Thrush, pp. 969-70
• Edwin Arlington Robinson. Richard Cory, p. 996
• George Herbert. Redemption. (Not in your
  textI will supply a copy if you wish to review
  it)
• John Donne. Death, be not proud, p. 892
• John Crowe Ransom. Bells for John Whitesides
  Daughter, p. 990

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Journal 2 Introduction to Literature (continued)

• Read the poem several times. Pick out words and
  phrases that you are unfamiliar with and look
  them up. You may be able to find the information
  you need in a dictionary, but you may have to go
  to an encyclopedia or the Oxford English
  Dictionary. Consider etymology as well as
  meaning. Also, remember the meaning of a word
  may have been different in the historical period
  in which the poem was written.
• It will help you to paraphrase the poem before
  you start writing about it so you have a good
  grasp of what is happening in the poem.
• In class we talked about imagery and figurative
  language. Think about these elements of poetry
  and how they work in the poem of your choice if
  they are of importance in the poem. Include this
  information in your paper.
• Read about the author to see whether his or her
  life may have some significance in the poem.
  Remember, though, that poetry is usually not
  autobiographical, so you may find no apparent
  relationship between the poem and the authors
  life. If you include biographical information in
  the paper, use it only briefly and only to shed
  further light on a particular part of the poem.
  Do not make it a major part of your paper.
• You may use critical sources if you wish, but you
  are not required to. If you choose to do this,
  you must properly document your materials. Use
  MLA style.

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Journal 2 Introduction to Literature (continued)

• Here are some other things you can do to help
  understand the poem you have chosen.
• Pay close attention to the title. Often the
  title is a key to the meaning of the poem.
• Select striking images that seem crucial to the
  sense of the poem. Categorize them and try to
  analyze why they are important. Notice
  repetitions.
• Notice dramatic conflict or the relationship
  between contradictory ideas, characters, moods,
  images.
• Focus on points in the poem that intimate
  character transformation, change of attitude,
  different moods. Analyze the process leading up
  to a transformation and explain the reason for
  the change.
• Notice contradictions, juxtaposition of opposites
  (characters, images, moods), areas of tension,
  differing sounds.

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Journal 2 Introduction to Literature (continued)

• Some things to remember
• Use present tense as you discuss incidents in a
  piece of literature.
• When citing poetry, indent and put in poetry form
  if the quote is over three lines long. If it is
  fewer than three lines long, quote the poetry
  within your text use a space, a slash, and
  another space to show where lines begin and end,
  e.g., Ive eaten a bag of green apples, /
  Boarded the train theres no getting off.
• Include a title (not in all caps, not in italics,
  not underlined). The title should be your title
  do not use the authors title, although you may
  incorporate the authors title into your title if
  you wish, e.g., An Explication of The Road Not
  Taken (try to be more creative than that,
  though).
• When referring to the title of a short poem,
  place it inside quotation marks (see my usage in
  the list of choices of poems) longer works such
  as books are italicized.
• Rules for capitalization of titles follow 1)
  Capitalize the first letter of the first and last
  words 2) Capitalize the first letter of all
  other words except articles (a, an, the),
  prepositions, the to in infinitives, and
  coordinating conjunctionsunless they are the
  first or last words (Scott Foresman Handbook
  593-94).
• It is wise to refer to the title of the poem you
  are discussing in the first or second sentence of
  your paperdont assume that your reader knows
  the poem or your purpose.

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Journal 2 Introduction to Literature (continued)

• Chapter I in your text discusses writing the
  literary paper. You may need to read the
  chapter, or portions of it, in preparation for
  writing your paper. Portions that are especially
  apropos to your needs are pages 7-16. If you
  have forgotten how to use quotations or summaries
  within a paper, pages 16-23 will help you with
  that problem.
• Your journal must be typed. Simply staple the
  paper and turn it in with no binder or covering.
  Use 1-inch margins on the sides, top, and bottom
  of the paper. Double-space. Do not justify
  margins on the right side. Use MLA style for
  documentation.
• The third page of your syllabus shows pictures of
  what the paper should look like. If you do not
  use outside sources, the only entry on your works
  cited page will be the poem you are discussing.
  Following is a sample of the entry form to use
  for the entries from an anthology
• Donne, John. A Valediction Forbidding
  Mourning. Perrines Literature Structure,
  Sound, and Sense. 9th edition. Eds. Thomas R.
  Arp and Greg Johnson. Boston Thomson, 2006.
  729-30.

22
Death, be not proudby John Donne

• Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
• Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so
• For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow
• Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
• From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
• Much pleasure then from thee much more must
  flow
• And soonest our best men with thee do go,
  readiest
• Rest of their bones and souls delivery.
• Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and
  desperate men,
• And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell
• And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well,
• And better than thy stroke. Why swellst thou
  then?
• One short sleep passed, we wake eternally,
• And death shall be no more death, thou shalt die.

23
Rubric for Essays

• Possible Points Earned Points
• Purpose 15
  ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Thesis and conclusion are clear and engage
  readers __ref to poems title interest
  purpose is addressed consistently and author
  in intro
• throughout essay.
• Competent 12-13
• Thesis and conclusion are clear and fairly
  interesting
• purpose is addressed in most of the essay.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Thesis and conclusion are present but difficult
  to pinpoint
• writer strays from purpose frequently.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Thesis and/or conclusion are not discernible or
  are inappropriate or unworkable writer
  frequently wanders from point of essay.

24
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Organization and Development 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• All parts of essay flow logically in sequence
  __explication follows
• transitions are clear and appropriate
  logical order
• essay is a united and interesting entity.
• Competent 12-13
• Most parts of essay flow logically in sequence
  transitions are usually clear
• and appropriate for the most part, essay is
  not disjointed.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Parts of essay are apparent but not well
  sequenced transitions are sometimes
• missing or inadequate essay is disjointed in
  several areas.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Parts of essay are missing or so ill-sequenced
  that reading is difficult transitions
• not used and/or are inadequate essay is a
  jumble of ideas with little organization.

25
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Content/Quality of Ideas 40 ______
• Exemplary 36-40
• Paper addresses writing assignment
  __identification of apostrophe
• engagingly, using interesting and
  __identification of personification
• appropriate details and examples. __explication
  is thorough
• Competent 32-35
• Paper addresses prompt, but with uneven
• supportive detail and examples.
• Acceptable 28-31
• In most instances, paper addresses prompt, but
  support detail and examples are sometimes
  inadequate.
• Unacceptable 0-27
• Paper does not address prompt and/or shows
  little or no supportive detail and examples.

26
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Thought and Style 15 ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Quality of ideas and evidence is excellent and
  sometimes original vocabulary is appropriate
  and diverse tone is appropriate.
• Competent 12-13
• Quality of ideas and evidence is very good
  vocabulary is appropriate and usually diverse
  tone is appropriate.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Quality of ideas and evidence is mediocre
  vocabulary is sometimes repetitive and/or
  inappropriate tone is sometimes inappropriate.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Ideas and evidence are passé or incomplete
  vocabulary is repetitive and/or lacking in
  academic appropriateness tone is often
  inappropriate.

27
Rubric for Essays (continued)

• Mechanics, Usage, and Format 15
  ______
• Exemplary 14-15
• Few if any errors in mechanics, __use of
  documentation if needed
• grammar, and/or usage. __title is used and
  is interesting
• Format is adhered to exactly. __word count is
  adequate
• __present tense used when referring to
• incidents in poem
• Competent 12-13
• Some errors in mechanics, grammar,
• and/or usage. Format
• is usually adhered to.
• Acceptable 10-11
• Errors are systematic and detract from the
  sense of the essay. Format incorrect.
• Unacceptable 0-9
• Errors occur almost sentence by sentence.
  Format is incorrect in numerous instances.