Writing Rubric for Grade 9

Reading Literature Units Writing rubric for Grade 9

4 3 2 1 Focus Fully sustained Adequately Somewhat Related to topic and consistently sustained and sustained and may but may provide focused. generally focused. have minor drift in little or no focus. Thesis statement Thesis statement focus. Thesis may Thesis missing or correctly placed may be brief, be written as a fact unrecognizable as and written as missing academic rather than a claim. guiding claim. provable claim, not language, or merely statement placed less of fact. effectively. Organization Topic sentences Minor flaws may Inconsistent or Little or no drive body exist in topic flawed discernible paragraphs. sentences. organizational structure. Effective Transitions structure. Few transitional transitions clarify adequately Inconsistent use of strategies exist. relationship among progress between transitions or Frequent ideas. ideas but may not sentence variety. extraneous ideas Conclusion and reinforce claim. Weak connection may intrude. introductions are Conclusions and among ideas. appropriate. introduction may be brief or summarize only. Evidence Concrete details Concrete details Details weakly Includes little or no are significant are adequate but integrated or details. quotes and may be less merely summarize. Use of evidence is relevant to claims significant Quotes “float” incorrect or of essay. compared to claim. disconnected from irrelevant. Quotations are Quotes exist but flow and claim or Citations do not integrated for flow may detract from may be too long exist or and do not detract flow or missing and confusing. unrecognizable as from the claim. lead in/context. Citations have MLA format. (ie Citations follow Minor errors in multiple errors. uses URL rather MLA format rules. MLA citation than author). rules. Commentary Insightful analysis Analysis is Analysis achieves Analysis missing links concrete adequate but little depth or or incorrect. detail to claim and lacking depth or serves to merely May refer to own achieves originality. Writer summarize. opinion rather than substantial depth. uses “this means” Neglects to claim of thesis. Analysis is not or is not objective. connect to merely restating of May restate quote controlling idea or details. or summarize, not claim. analyze. Language Clearly and Expresses ideas Expresses ideas Ideas are vague or effectively uses with a mix of with a mix of confusing. precise language precise and general precise and general Lack of command for purpose. Few, language. Some language. Some of conventions. if any, errors are errors in usage errors in usage Frequent and present in usage may exist but not may exist but not severe errors and conventions. systematic. systematic. obscure meaning. Adequate use of Adequate use of conventions. conventions.