AIMS Six Point Writing Rubric
IDEAS/CONTENT / ORGANIZATION / VOICE / WORD CHOICE / SENTENCE FLUENCY / CONVENTIONS1 / The writing lacks a central idea or focus. / The writing is haphazard and disjointed. The reader remains confused. / The writing lacks a sense of involvement and tends to be flat and lifeless. There is no sense of writing to be read. / The writing shows an extremely limited vocabulary. Misused words obscure meaning. / The writing is difficult to follow or to read aloud. Sentences tend to be incomplete, rambling, or very awkward. / The writing contains numerous errors in usage, spelling, etc. The severity and frequency of the errors overwhelm the reader.
2 / Main ideas and purposes are somewhat unclear, minimal attempt at development. / No clear organizational structure exists. Either the writing is difficult to follow and must be reread or is too short to demonstrate skills. / The writing provides little sense of commitment. Voice may be informal or personal. There is no sense of “writing to be read.” / Monotonous and/or misused language detracts from meaning. / Choppy or rambling sentences force the reader to slow down or reread. / Frequent, significant errors impede readability.
3 / Main ideas are broad/simplistic. Support is limited, insubstantial, general, or slightly off-topic. The reader can understand the main idea. / The writing has inconsistent overall structure; unclear sequencing “My topic is…”. / Commitment to topic seems inconsistent. Voice is either inappropriately personal or impersonal. / Ordinary language, lacking interest, precision and variety (possibly inappropriate to audience and purpose) is used. / The writing is mechanical rather than fluid. Occasional awkward sentences force the reader to slow down or reread. / Limited control of conventions is demonstrated. Errors begin to impede readability.
4 / The writing is clear and focused. The main idea is understandable and has limited or general support. / The writing has clear and coherent organization that may seem formulaic. / A voice is present and there is a sense of “writing to be read.” The writing is expressive, engaging or sincere in places. / Words effectively convey the intended message. The writing employs a variety of functional words appropriate to audience and purpose. / The writing flows; however, connections between sentences and/or phrases may be less than fluid. Sentence variety is evident. / Control of conventions is demonstrated. Minor errors do not impede readability.
5 / The writing is clear and focused and holds the reader’s attention. Main ideas stand out and are developed by details suitable to audience and purpose. / Organization enhances the central idea. Strong order and structure help move the reader through the text. / An appropriate voice is used. The writer seems committed to the topic and it has come to life. There is a sense of “writing to be read.” / Words effectively convey the intended message in an interesting, precise and natural way appropriate to audience and purpose. / The writing has easy flow and rhythm. Carefully crafted sentences with strong and varied structure make reading easy and enjoyable. / Strong control of conventions is demonstrated. Errors are few and minor and do not impede readability.
6 / The writing, clear and focused, holds the reader’s attention throughout. Main ideas stand out and are developed by rich details suitable to the writer’s audience and purpose. / Organization enhances the central idea. Compelling order and structure move through the text. / An appropriate voice is used. The writer seems deeply committed to the topic. There is an exceptionally strong sense of audience and distance and of “writing to be read.” / A rich, broad range of words, carefully chosen for impact, conveys the message in an interesting, precise and appropriate manner. / The writing has an effective flow and rhythm. A high degree of craftsmanship (strong and varied structure) makes oral reading easy and enjoyable. / Exceptionally strong control of conventions exists. Errors are few and minor, not obvious unless searched for.
AIMS Writing Skill Expectations
Students address ideas and content in their writing by:
· Providing a clear and easily identifiable purpose and main idea(s).
· Providing relevant supporting details that develop ideas adequately.
· Providing content and details that show an awareness of audience and purpose.
· Using resources, when appropriate, to provide accurate support. / Students demonstrate organization in their writing by:
· Developing an effective introduction that brings the audience to the topic.
· Developing a clearly sequenced body that is easy to follow with effective placement of supporting details.
· Developing a conclusion (end) that summarizes or retells and communicates an effective ending.
· Developing a variety of transitions that may include coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, repetition, and key phrases. / Students demonstrate voice in their writing by:
· Conveying a sense of commitment to the topic.
· Using a consistent tone that shows an awareness of audience and purpose.
· Including passages that are expressive, engaging, sincere, original, lively, or humorous when appropriate.
· Conveying a strong sense that this is “writing to be read” where the reader can at least glimpse the writer behind the words. / Students demonstrate word choice by:
· Using words that accurately convey the intended message.
· Using a variety of words that are functional and appropriate to the topic, audience and purpose.
· Attempting colorful language to make the writing more interesting and lively.
· Showing a general avoidance of clichés and a minimal use of slang unless it is used to serve a purpose. / Students demonstrate sentence fluency by:
· Showing a strong and consistent control of simple sentences.
· Developing a variety of sentence beginnings (e.g. introductory words, phrases or clauses that begin with prepositions, adverbs, participles) and a variety of sentence lengths.
· Creating a natural sound that allows the reader to move easily through the piece. / Grammar/Usage
· Solid control of subject/verb agreement.
· General control of noun/pronoun agreement.
· Consistent verb tense.
· Generally correct usage of irregular verb forms.
· Consistent control of point of view (first, second, third person)
Punctuation
· Correct end punctuation.
· Generally correct use of internal commas (after introductory phrases, in compound sentences, in a series). Punctuation is generally correct.
· Correct use of apostrophes in contractions and singular possessives.
Spelling
· Correctly spelled common words appropriate to grade level.
· Few misspellings of more difficult words.
Capitalization
· Correct capitalization, including within quotation marks.
Paragraphing
· Paragraph breaks that reinforce organizational structure.