SLO: Analyze and evaluate a variety of texts; Draft, revise, and edit essays demonstrating independence and self-awareness, including the use of proofreading skills
CO: Understand how readers’ experiences influence the reading of texts; Develop ideas coherently in writing through the drafting process; Write thesis statements, topic sentences, and ideas in an organized way in multi-page essays.
160551359911/15/202011:59pm
Rubric
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74943
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Exemplary: Engaging opening introduces the essay’s general topic and inspires thinking about that topic; logically proceeds to thesis; thesis is an easily identifiable, well-phrased argument that addresses theme; the idea offered in the thesis reflects sound critical, analytical thinking; title and author of work are appropriately referenced
Good: Generally engaging opening; areas to be strengthened may include: presentation of general topic; development of transition between general opening and specific thesis statement; thesis statement is phrased as an argument but may be strengthened through clarification of the main idea being offered
Adequate: Opening is functional but too brief and/or simplistic; essay’s topic is apparent but needs to be developed to engage the reader; abrupt transition from first sentences to thesis statement; paragraph may be incoherent, jumping from one point to the next without developing a smooth progression of ideas; thesis may be too general, vague, or imprecisely phrased; thesis may not directly address the prompt (though still an argument that assesses the text)
Unsatisfactory: Opening is ineffective, poorly organized, and undeveloped (inappropriately brief); thesis may summarize plot point rather than present argument about text; thesis may not address the prompt at all; author and/or title of text may not be referenced properly (i.e. only author's last name, title incorrectly formatted)
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Exemplary:Writing reflects a critical, analytical understanding of the text; writer draws sophisticated, insightful inferences from concrete details to support the thesis; inferences are developed so that all claims and points made are well-supported and persuasive; analysis focuses on both thematic and stylistic elements of the text; appropriate balance of quotes & writer's analysis; writer is clearly engaged with and moved by his/her thinking process
Good:Writing generally reflects a critical, analytical understanding of the text but is uneven; inferences demonstrate interpretive ability but could be developed further to better explain significance of detail and support thesis; some claims may be vague, generalized, or lacking in support; analysis could be stronger through focus on stylistic elements that create thematic meaning; some imbalance of quotes and writer's analysis
Adequate:Writing demonstrates basic comprehension of the text but not a critical, analytical understanding, as reflected by one or more of the following: lack of focused, developed idea guiding essay; interpretive analysis inconsistent or unsubstantiated; frequent summary of plot details that retell the story; writer restates the content of cited concrete details rather than draws significant inferences about sub-textual meaning; little or no analysis of how stylistic elements of the text create meaning. Writing marked and weakened by frequent generalizations, unsupported claims, assumptions, vague statements.
Unsatisfactory: Writing demonstrates some awareness of text details but not a critical, analytical understanding of the text; points made are vague and unsubstantiated; essay lacks focus; no literary analysis present
1410_6397
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Exemplary: Each topic sentence clearly connects to the thesis and offers an identifiable, well-phrased idea to be proven in the paragraph; concrete details are wellchosen and incorporated; paragraphs are well-organized to create a coherent, carefully developed and supported argument; transitions between ideas are logical and each idea builds on the preceding; writer maintains focus and control of argument so that the point of each paragraph is always clear
Good:Each topic sentence generally connects to the thesis but the main idea may need to be clarified; concrete details are generally well-chosen though some may be irrelevant or insufficient as evidence to effectively support the thesis; paragraphs are generally wellorganized, although some transitions may be awkward and there may be gaps in the development of ideas; focus and control of argument may need improvement because the point of a paragraph may not always be clear
Adequate:Topic sentences are present but more than one is weak in the following areas: main idea not discernible; a fact about the text is summarized; unclear connection to thesis. Concrete details are present but weak because they provide insufficient evidence to support thesis. Lack of coherent organization of ideas within individual paragraphs or from one paragraph to the next; abrupt transitions impede smooth flow of ideas; essay lacks consistent focus and control of argument; paragraph(s) may lack clear point(s); content of paragraphs does not consistently support or connect with thesis
Unsatisfactory:Topic sentences absent or consistently lack focused ideas, either offering general, irrelevant comments or stating facts about the text; there is no discernible argument or point guiding essay; concrete details are absent or ineffective/ insufficient; consistent lack of coherent organization of ideas within paragraphs and from one paragraph to the next; points of paragraphs are unclear
1410_5888
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Exemplary: Writing is academic in tone, demonstrating a clear sense of purpose and audience; vocabulary and phrasing are academically appropriate. Essay includes a variety of sentences marked by varying opening words and structure; effective syntax and grammar demonstrate a mastery of writing conventions and serve the author’s purpose; consistent adherence to MLA guidelines; accurate Work Cited page; absence of misspellings, punctuation errors
Good:Writing is generally academic in tone; vocabulary in some places may be simplistic or ineffective. Essay’s sentences generally effective but may lack appropriate variety; syntax and grammar may be awkward in places; a few misspellings; consistent adherence to MLA guidelines; accurate Work Cited page
Adequate: Writing tends to be mechanical in tone; vocabulary tends to be simplistic, marked by instances of informal or imprecise diction. Essay sentences lack variety; awkward syntax and grammar confuse writer’s point and distract reader; misspellings, contractions, fragments, diminish academic nature of the writing and distract reader; inconsistent adherence to MLA guidelines; Work Cited page may contain inaccuracies
Unsatisfactory:Writing is mechanical in tone; vocabulary is simplistic and/or inappropriate. Frequent syntax, grammar, misspelling errors that distract the reader; lack of adherence to MLA guidelines undermines integrity of essay; inaccurate Work Cited page compromises integrity of essay
1410_1509
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