| 091/98 |
Below Standard |
At Standard |
Above Standard |
| Focus |
There is no clear thesis
about why people are judged or why and how a community uses language or being in the
middle. The writer’s message may be unclear, or the writer might indicate a focus,
but the essay doesn’t clearly support this focus. The focus of the essay might be
overly simplistic or obvious so that it is hard for the reader to feel engaged. |
The essay is focused
around a message/thesis about why people are judged or why a community uses language in a
certain way or being in the middle. In one place the essay might wander away from this
focus, but the overall message is clearly there. A few places in the essay may need more
development in order to enhance the focus. |
The essay is clearly
focused around an interesting thesis about why people are judged or why a community uses
language in a certain way or being in the middle. The body paragraphs develop this focus
in a vivid, interesting manner. Everything in the essay contributes to the focus. The
writer develops the thesis with different kinds of thinking paragraphs: description,
narration, comparison, cause, effect. |
| Support |
Details that would
support the point the writer is making are vague or missing. In key places, the writer has
not effectively shown the writer what he/she means. Almost all points remain abstract or
general. Supporting details or examples might be unnecessary or distracting. |
There are supporting
details for many of the points, though one place in the essay may be overly general and
vague. In one place, support might be unnecessary or distracting (doesn’t clearly
support the thesis). In one or two places, the use of support could be strengthened with
more specific detail and/or further explanation. |
There is a variety of
support (anecdotes, quotes, description, examples, conversation from personal experience,
observation, reading, film). The support is vivid, concrete, and develops the message of
the essay in a complex, convincing and engaging manner. The writer "shows" and
doesn’t just "tell" the reader what she/he means. |
| Organization |
Introduction and/or
conclusion might be missing or don’t effectively structure the essay. There might be
a clear middle, beginning and end content-wise, but paragraph breaks don’t make sense
or are missing. Overall organization of points might be confusing and/or jumpy. |
There is a clear
introduction, body and conclusion, but they need some work. Several places in the paper
need more work with paragraph breaks. One or two paragraphs may need to be rearranged.
Individual paragraph organization may be confusing in one or two places: Either a
paragraph needs a clearer controlling idea or support |
There is a well-organized
introduction, body and conclusion. Individual paragraphs are well organized and well
developed. In one place, the paper may need work with paragraph breaks or more effective
transitions. |
| Clarity & Grammar |
Complex sentence
structures might be attempted, but there are several grammar patterns that hinder
understanding (ie. Confusing run-ons, Word forms, awkward syntax, fused sentences, missing
words, frequent spelling errors, verb tense confusion, preposition use.) Exact word choice
might be off in five or more places. Sentence structure might be choppy, simplistic and
repetitive. |
The essay is generally
clear, but sentence structure may be simplistic and/or slightly repetitive in certain
places. There are several grammar error patterns but nothing that seriously interferes
with meaning—some fragments, comma splices, missing or misused articles, or perhaps
subject-verb agreement errors. Word choice might be confusing in three or four places. |
The essay is clear with
attempts at complex sentence structures. There may be a minor grammar problem such as a
couple missing or mis-used punctuation marks in certain places, but the rest demonstrates
a mastery of conventional grammar. Word choice (vocabulary or part of speech choice) might
be off in one or two places. |
Self-Assesment Checklist
Revising:
Focus
___ Are you answering the prompt question (see pink sheet)?
___ Does this answer, your thesis, appear in the intro?
___ Does each paragraph relate to the thesis?
Organization
___ Do you have one controlling idea in each body paragraph?
___ Intro: have you created a hook that leads into your thesis?
___ Conclusion: do you conclude with a summary of your thesis and a good example or
story that pulls it all together?
Support
___ Does each body paragraph contain a good example or story that illustrates/supports
the controlling idea?
___ Do you use supporting examples from your own experience, the reading and the video?
___ Are your examples specific and interesting? Do you use relevant quotes and sensory
details to show what you mean?
Editing:
___ read the essay out loud and check for places where the wording or sentence
structure is awkward.
___ check for sentence problems: runons and fragments
___ check for choppy sentences and alter sentence rhythm if you need to
___ check for comma placement
___ check for correct punctuation around quotes
___ have you tried to use a semicolon correctly?
___ spellcheck and then check with your own eyes for usage errors