Pender County Schools Middle School Expository Writing Rubric: 6-8 Continuum
DRAFT
Scoring Criteria / Exemplary = 5 / 4 / Proficient =3 / 2 / Emerging = 1 / Not Demonstrated = 0Development of Ideas / 6thGrade
The essay...
• presents a topic that is focused and well developed throughout the essay
• incorporates specific and relevant facts, evidence, details, and examples to guide the reader’s understanding of the main ideas.
7th (And)
• a clearly stated controlling and insightful idea
• uses compare and contrast to effectively develop and explain ideas
• supports topic with specific and relevant facts,…
8th (And)
• uses strategies of definition (e.g., function, example, negation) to effectively develop ideas throughout the essay
• synthesizes ideas accurately from several sources to strengthen support. / 6thGrade
The essay...
• presents a topic that is clear throughout the essay
• uses facts, evidence, details, and examples to guide the reader’s understanding of the main ideas.
7th (And)
• presents a topic with a controlling idea
• uses strategies of compare and contrast to develop ideas throughout the essay
• supports topic with facts, evidence, …
8th (And)
• uses strategies of definition (e.g., function, example, negation) to develop ideas throughout the essay
• combines ideas accurately from several sources. / 6thGrade
The essay...
• presents a topic that is unfocused and/or minimally developed throughout the essay
• contains insufficient or vague facts, evidence, details, and examples that confuse the reader’s understanding of the main ideas.
7th (And)
• presents a topic with an unfocused controlling idea
• uses few strategies of compare and contrast to develop ideas throughout the essay
• presents an underdeveloped topic
8th (And)
• uses few strategies of definition (e.g., function, example, negation) to develop ideas
• synthesizes ideas inaccurately and/or from limited sources.
Organizational Structure / 6thGrade
The essay...
• leads with an effective and engaging introduction
• effectively sequences ideas and uses meaningful transitions to clarify the relationship among ideas
• provides an insightful conclusion that follows from and supports the explanation presented.
7th (And)
No additions
8th (And)
• sequences and transitions used to create cohesion and clarify the relationship among ideas / 6thGrade
The essay...
• presents a clear and focused
introduction
• sequences ideas and uses transitions to create coherence
• provides a conclusion that connects the larger ideas presented in the essay.
7th (And)
8th(All) / 6thGrade
The essay...
• contains an underdeveloped and/or unfocused introduction
• presents disconnected ideas and limited use of transitions
• contains an underdeveloped or unfocused conclusion.
7th (All)
8th (All)
Use of Language / 6thGrade
The essay...
• uses diction that is deliberately chosen to inform or explain about the topic
• uses a variety of sentence structures to enhance the explanation
• demonstrates technical command of conventions of standard English.
7th (And)
• uses precise diction
• includes a variety of rhetorical devices (e.g., parallelism, analogy, rhetorical question) to
enhance explanation
8th (And)
• uses precise diction deliberately chosen
• uses a variety of sentence structures (e.g., using appositives) / 6thGrade
The essay...
• uses diction that is appropriate to the information or explanation
• uses a variety of sentence structures
• demonstrates general command of conventions; minor errors in punctuation, grammar, capitalization, or spelling do not interfere with meaning.
7th (And)
• uses a variety of rhetorical devices (e.g., parallelism, analogy, rhetorical question)
8th (And)
• uses appropriate diction
• uses a variety of sentence
structures (e.g., using appositives) / 6thGrade
The essay...
• uses diction that is inappropriate at times for the information or explanation
• shows little or no variety in sentence structure
• demonstrates limited command of conventions; errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or spelling interfere with meaning.
7th (And)
• uses few or no rhetorical devices (e.g., parallelism, analogy, rhetorical question)
.
8th (And)
• shows little or no variety in sentence structure (e.g., using appositives)
Writing Process / 6th-8th Grade
The essay reflects evidence of thoughtful planning, significant revision, and technical command in editing to produce a draft ready for publication. / 6th-8th Grade
The essay reflects evidence of planning, revision, and editing to produce an essay ready for publication. / 6th-8th Grade
The essay demonstrates minimal evidence of planning, revision, and editing. The essay is not ready for publication because it lacks clarity and coherence.