writing toolkit to the teacher -...

Writing Toolkit 1© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute

Writing Toolkit

To the Teacher

Essay writing is an essential skill for students to acquire if they are going to succeed in school. This Writing Toolkit provides basic tools for supporting students who need help writing a five-paragraph essay. It includes the following:

• agraphicorganizerforplanningafive-paragraphessay• asampleessay• instructionalpagesonthepartsofafive-paragraphessay• anoverviewofthewritingprocess• instructionalpagesonthewritingprocess• anessayscoringrubric

The Writing Toolkit can help students master the basics of the five-paragraph essay format. As students gain proficiency, they should be encouraged to expand the form, refine their language and ideas, and bring creativity to the writing process.

Using the Graphic Organizer to Improve Student WritingGraphicorganizersareausefulwaytoorganizeideasandinformationattheprewritingstageofcraftinganessay.TheGraphicOrganizerforaFive-Paragraph Essay is an easy-to-follow template that can be applied to a variety of essay writing assignments. It follows the standard five-paragraph essay format—introduction, three body paragraphs, and conclusion—and contains prompts to remind students of the essential elements of an essay—hook, thesis statement,topicsentences,andsupportingdetails.Thisgraphicorganizercanbe photocopied and handed out, or students can reproduce it in their notebooks, adding more rows or otherwise adjusting it as needed.


Tips for Teaching Students to Use the Graphic Organizer• Onablanktransparency,demonstratehowtoconstructthegraphicorganizerwhilestudents

draw and label one in their notebooks. Discuss each part of an essay. • Usecolortohelpstudentsdifferentiatebetweenthepartsofanessay.Projectatransparency ofthegraphicorganizerandcircleorhighlighteachpartoftheessayusingadifferentcolor.Suggest that when drafting their essays, students might want to write or highlight the various parts of the essay in different colors.

• Remindstudentsthatthegraphicorganizeristobeusedattheprewritingstage.Itisatooltohelpthemorganizetheirmaterialandcreateaplanfortheiressays.Theyshouldnotworryabout filling it in with polished prose or even complete sentences.

• Havestudentsidentifythemainpartsofthesampleessayinthistoolkit.Projectorhandout thesampleessaytopairsofstudents.Havestudentsusetheessaytocompletethegraphicorganizerintheirnotebooks.


Graphic Organizer for a Five-Paragraph Essay

Topic:

Paragraph 1Introduction

Hook:

Thesis statement

Paragraph 2Body

Topic sentence:

Evidence:

Explanation:

Evidence:

Explanation:

Paragraph 3Body

Topic sentence:

Evidence:

Explanation:

Evidence:

Explanation:

Paragraph 4Body

Topic sentence:

Evidence:

Explanation:

Evidence:

Explanation:

Paragraph 5Conclusion

Reworded thesis:

Summary:


Sample Essay

In the presidential election of 2000, George W. Bush lost the popular vote, but he won the elec-tion.Hisvictoryshockedalotofpeople.Theyhad no idea that a president can be elected with-out getting the most popular votes. According to the Consti tution, a candidate must win a majority of the votes of the Electoral College. This system has several flaws: it permits a candidate who loses the popular vote to be elected, it deprives voters of rights, and it favors some voters over others. The Electoral College contradicts our most basic ideas of how democracy works; it should therefore be abolished and replaced with direct elections. The Electoral College violates an important principle of American democracy: that “we the people” elect our leaders. According to George C. Edwards III, professor of political science at TexasA&MUniversity,“Thechoiceofthechiefexec utive must be the people’s, and it should rest withnoneotherthanthem.”UndertheElectoralCollege system, however, the people don’t vote for a candidate. They vote for electors from their state who are pledged to vote for that candidate. It is the electors’ vote that decides the election, notthepeople’s.Furthermore,moststatesgiveall their electoral votes to the candidate with the most popular votes statewide. This “winner take all” system, in effect, gives no voice to people who don’t vote with the majority in their state. The Electoral College is undemocratic because it favors voters in states with small popu-lations. Each state gets as many electors as it has lawmakersintheHouseandSenate.Sinceeachstate automatically gets two electors for its sena-tors, small states have a big advantage. In 2004,

for example, Wyoming (population 0.5 million) got three electors, while California (population 35.5 million) got 55. That’s one elector for every 167,000 Wyomingites and one elector for every 645,000 Californians. This differential helps explain how a winning candidate can lose an election. When every vote is not equal, a candi-date might not win the right combination of states to get the most electoral votes. The Electoral College betrays the fundamen-tal belief that in a democracy, the majority rules. UsuallytheElectoralCollegeproducesthesamewinner as the popular vote, but it doesn’t have to. In a close election, the people’s choice can lose. In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes, but George Bush won the electoral vote 271 to 267. Although defend-ers of the system claim that the chances of this happening are too remote to worry about, it has happened three other times, in 1824, 1876, and 1888. Every American schoolchild learns that vot-ingistherightandresponsibilityofeverycitizen.Our electoral system, however, makes voting intoameaninglessexerciseformanycitizens.In the Electoral College, the people don’t really elect the president, a losing candidate can win, some votes count more than others, and some votes don’t count at all. It is time to abolish the Electoral College and replace it with direct elec-tions. If voting is truly a cornerstone of democracy, then Americans must demand a process that is truly fair and democratic.

The Electoral College Must Go!


Developing a Thesis Statement

The thesis is the main point of your essay. It reflects your opinion or analysis of a topic or issue. It is expressed in a thesis statement, which is usually, though not always, a single sentence.

In a persuasive essay, your purpose is to convince the reader to agree with your thesis. To develop a thesis, consider your topic carefully: what do you think about it, and why? You might need to do some research, since forming an opinion on an issue or topic requires that you know something about it. Your thesis statement should clearly state the position you plan to argue.

Herearesomesuggestionstohelpyoudevelopathesisstatement:• Ifgivenaquestionasanessayassignment,useyouranswerasthethesisstatement.• Takesomepreliminarynotesontheessaytopicbeforedevelopingyourthesisstatement.• Avoidstatingafactasathesis.Yourthesisshouldbeapositionthatisopentodebateand

worth discussing.• Avoidmakinganall-or-nothingorexaggeratedclaimthatisdifficulttosupport.Use

qualifying words such as almost, often, rarely, usually, or most.

Usethischecklistwhenwritingyourthesisstatement:• DoesmythesisstatementclearlycommunicatethemainpointIwanttomakeabout

the topic? • Ismythesisstatementaclaimthatdeservesdiscussion?• WillIbeabletoprove,defend,orexplainmythesisstatement?


Writing the Introduction

The introduction, or opening paragraph, prepares your reader to read your essay. It “hooks” the reader’s interest, draws the reader into the issue or topic you plan to discuss, and presents your thesis statement.

The introduction is your chance to get the reader’s attention. The way you do this depends on yourpurposeforwriting.Forapersuasiveessayoreditorial,considerthesepossibilities:• aquotationfromanexpert• ananecdoteorreal-lifeexample• astrikingstatistic• anintriguingquestion• astatementofopinion• aninterestingorcontroversialfact

Usethischecklistwhenwritingyourintroduction:• Doesmyintroductioncreateinterestinthetopicofmyessay?• DoesmyintroductionsummarizetheargumentsIplantomake?• Doesmyintroductioncontainaclearstatementofmythesis?

In the presidential election of 2000, George W. Bush lost the popular vote, but he won the election. His victory shocked a lot of people. They had no idea that a president can be elected without getting the most popular votes. According to the Constitution, a candi-date must win a majority of the votes of the Electoral College. This system has several flaws: it permits a candidate who loses the popular vote to be elected, it deprives voters of rights, and it favors some voters over others. The Electoral College contradicts our most basic ideas of how democracy works; it should therefore be abolished and replaced with direct elec-tions.

The thesis statement communicates the main point of the essay.

The introduction draws the reader into your topic.


Writing Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay is where you provide arguments and evidence to support your thesis. Each body paragraph develops a single argument and provides solid evidence to support it. A five-paragraph essay has three body paragraphs.

The key elements of a body paragraph are the topic sentence and supporting details. These details can take two forms: evidence, such as statistics, examples, or quotations that prove your argument; and explanation,inwhichyouemphasizetheimportanceoftheevidenceandshowhow it supports your argument.

Usethischecklistwhenwritingthebodyofyouressay:• Doeseachbodyparagraphincludeatopicsentenceandsupportingdetails?• Doeseachbodyparagraphfocusononeargument?• Doeseachargumentsupportthethesisstatement?• Dothedetailsclearlysupportthemainideas?• Iseachbodyparagraphorganizedsothatthereaderunderstandsthemainidea?

The Electoral College is undemocratic because it favors voters in states with small populations. Each state gets as many electors as it has lawmakers in the House and Senate. Since each state automatically gets two electors for its senators, small states have a big advantage. In 2004, for example, Wyoming (popula-tion 0.5 million) got three electors, while California (population 35.5 million) got 55. That’s one elector for every 167,000 Wyomingites and one elector for every 645,000 Californians. This differential helps explain how a winning candidate can lose an election. When every vote is not equal, a candidate might not win the right combination of states to get the most electoral votes.

Explanation empha-sizes the importance of the evidence.

The topic sentence states the main idea or argument.

Factual evidence supports your argument.


Writing a Topic Sentence

The topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. A good topic sentence is clear and helps the reader follow your argument.

The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of a paragraph. This signals to the reader what you are about to argue or show.

Sometimes you want the reader to draw a conclusion from the evidence. Then it makes sense topresentsupportingdetailsfirstandthetopicsentencelater.Hereishowthismightwork:

Usethischecklistwhenwritingyourtopicsentences:• Doesmytopicsentencecommunicatethemainideaoftheparagraph?• Doesmytopicsentencehelpthereaderfollowmyargument?• Doesmytopicsentenceavoidbeingtoogeneralortoonarrowinitsfocus?

The Electoral College betrays the fundamental belief that in a democracy, the majority rules. Usually the Electoral College produces the same winner as the popular vote, but it doesn’t have to. In a close election, the people’s choice can lose. In 2000, . . .

The topic sentence expresses the main point.

Most of the time, the Electoral College produces the same winner as the popular vote. But because of the way the system is set up, it doesn’t have to. In a close election, the people’s choice can lose. In 2000, Al Gore won the popu-lar vote by more than 500,000 votes, but George Bush won the electoral vote 271 to 267. Such an outcome betrays the fundamental belief that in a democracy, the majority rules. Although defenders of the system claim that the chances of this happening are too remote to worry about, it has hap-pened three other times, in 1824, 1876, and 1888.

Here, the main point flows from the evidence.


Providing Supporting Evidence

In each body paragraph, you must present evidence to support your main point. Such evidence may include facts, statistics, examples, quotations, eyewitness accounts, and expert opinions.

In a persuasive essay, supporting evidence is crucial. If you can’t prove your arguments with solid evidence, you won’t convince anyone. In a single body paragraph, one or two types of evidence may be enough to support your main idea. But in your essay as a whole, you will be morepersuasiveifyoupresentavarietyofevidence.Forexample:

Fact: Each state gets as many electors as it has representatives in Congress, plus two.

Statistic: Wyoming (population 0.5 million) got three electors in 2004. California (population 35.5 million) got 55.

Example: . . . it has happened three other times, in 1824, 1876, and 1888.

Expert opinion: According to George C. Edwards III, professor of political science at Texas A&M University, “The choice of the chief executive must be the people’s, and it should rest with none other than them.”

Quotation: As The New York Times pointed out in 2004, the Electoral College “makes Republicans in New York, and Democrats in Utah, superfluous.”

Usethischecklistwhenpresentingyoursupportingevidence:• DoIprovideevidencetosupportallmyarguments?• Ismysupportingevidenceclearandconvincing?• Doesmyessaycontaindifferentkindsofevidence?


Explanation

In a persuasive essay, explanation is where you drive your point home. Explanation shows how the evidence supports your point, which may not be obvious to the reader. Imagine a reader saying “So what?” to the evidence you have presented. Explanations are your answer.

Sometimes it is effective to acknowledge an opposing viewpoint in order to show why you make the stronger case. It shows that you are considering other views, which is a mark of objectivity.

Usethischecklistwhenwritingyourexplanation:• DoIshowhowtheevidencesupportsmythesisstatement?• DoIacknowledgeotherviewpointsandexplainwhyImakethestrongercase?

Explanation shows how the facts sup-port the argument.

In a close election, the people’s choice can lose. In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes, but George Bush won the electoral vote 271 to 267. Although defenders of the system claim that the chances of this happening are too remote to worry about, it has happened three other times, in 1824, 1876, and 1888.

Since each state automatically gets two electors for its sen ators, small states have a big advantage. For example, in 2004 Wyoming (population 0.5 million) got three elec-tors, while California (population 35.5 million) got 55. That’s one elector for 167,000 Wyomingites and one elector for 645,000 Californians. This differential helps explain how a winning candidate can lose an election. When every vote is not equal, a candidate might not win the right combination of states to get the most electoral votes.


Writing the Conclusion

The last paragraph of your essay is the conclusion.Hereyoushouldsummarizeyourmain arguments, restate your thesis, and leave your reader feeling you have pulled everything together in a convincing way.

Tobeeffective,aconclusionmustdomorethansimplysummarizeandrestate.Itshouldalso contain something new—a fresh idea or connection, an additional piece of information, some strikinglanguage—tokeepreadersengagedtotheveryend.Herearesomeotherideasforcraft-ing an effective conclusion: • Endwithaquestionthatwillkeepreadersthinking.• Acknowledgeanopposingviewpointandargueagainstitconvincingly.• Endwithacallforaction.• Endwithastrikingquotation.• Endwitharelevantanecdote.

Usethischecklistwhenwritingyourconclusion:• DidIrestatemythesis?• DidIsummarizemymainarguments?• DidIincludeafreshorthought-provokingidea?• DidIpulleverythingtogetherinaconvincingway?

Every American schoolchild learns that voting is the right and responsibility of every citizen. Our electoral system, however, makes voting into a meaningless exercise for many citizens. In the Electoral College, the people don’t really elect the president, a losing candidate can win, some votes count more than others, and some votes don’t count at all. It is time to abolish the Electoral College and replace it with direct elections. If voting is truly a cornerstone of democracy, then Americans must demand a process that is truly fair and democratic.

Restate your thesis.

Summarize your main arguments.


Overview of the Writing Process

Good writing is the result of a multistep process that takes time and practice. The writing process can be divided into stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, and finalizing. Each stage consists of several steps. You can adjust the writing process to suit your writing assignment. Feelfreetobacktracktoanearlierstageorrearrangetheorderofstepsasyouwrite.

Stage 1: Prewriting• Developathesis.• Developsupportingarguments.• Researchandgatherinformationtosupportyourthesis.• Evaluateyoursources.• Planoutyouressayusingthegraphicorganizer.

Stage 2: Drafting• Usethegraphicorganizerasaguide,addinganynewideasasyougoalong.• Writeanengagingintroductionthatincludesyourthesis.• Discusseachsupportingargumentinonebodyparagraph.• Sumupyourmainpointsinaconclusion.

Stage 3: Revising• Rereadyourdraftandidentifyplacesthatneedimprovement.• Rewrite,reorganize,andaddordeletematerialifnecessary.• Edityourwritingforstyleandaccuracy.• Consultwithpeerreviewers.• Evaluatesuggestedchangesandmakerevisions.

Stage 4: Finalizing• Proofreadforerrorsinspelling,grammar,usage,andmechanics.• Makecorrections.• Compileabibliographyorsourcelist.• Printafinalcopy.


Prewriting: Using Primary and Secondary Sources

Historiansandresearchersdividehistoricalsourcesintotwotypes:primaryandsecondary.

Primary sources are accounts by people who witnessed or lived through the events being described.AnexampleofaprimarysourceabouttheCivilWarisaletterwrittenbyaUnion soldier to his family. Artifacts and printed material from a historical era, such as sheet music and advertisements, are also considered primary sources. Secondary sources are accounts by people who did not live through the events being described. Secondarysourcesinterpretandsynthesizeprimarysourcesandothertypesofinformation. An example of a secondary source about the Civil War is a television documentary created by a 20th-century filmmaker. Other kinds of primary and secondary sources are listed below.

Primary SourcesDiaries, journals, and logsLettersSpeechesInterviews and oral historiesMemoirsAutobiographiesMagazineandnewspaperarticlesPhotographsHomemoviesFieldnotesSheet musicPaintingsArtifacts

Secondary SourcesBiographiesGovernmentandorganizationalrecordsStatistical recordsEditorialsMagazineandnewspaperarticlesEncyclopedias, almanacs, and other reference worksNonfiction books Television and film documentariesPublic opinion polls


Prewriting: Taking Notes and Citing Sources

As you research your topic, make notes of the information you want to use and the sources from which it comes. If you are using Internet resources, print out relevant material from the Web sites. If you are using print resources, take notes. Always keep track of the title, author, publisher, date of publication, page numbers, and Web address of any source you use.

Useacopyofthispageforeachsource.Usethebottom(andthebackifnecessary)totakenotes.

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

Author(s): _____________________________________________________________________

Publisher and copyright date: _____________________________________________________

Pages used: ____________________________________________________________________

Internet address: ________________________________________________________________

Is it a primary or a secondary source? _______________________________________________

What information does this source provide about my topic?


Prewriting: Evaluating Evidence

To be persuasive in your essay, you will need to provide relevant and accurate evidence to back up your position. You can use facts, statistics, examples, reasons, quotations, and anecdotes.Torecognizeusefulevidence,askyourselfthesequestions:

Is the information relevant?• Howcloselyistheinformationrelatedtothetopicofmyessay?• Doestheinformationhelpmeproveordefendmyargument?• Istheinformationcomplete,withnothingimportantleftout?

Is the evidence accurate?• Istheinformationfactoropinion?• Ifitisfact,canIverifyitelsewhere?• Ifitisfact,doesitcontradictanythingelseIhaveread?• Ifitisopinion,isitsupportedwithfacts?• Ifitisopinion,isitanauthoritative,orexpert,opinion?


Prewriting: Evaluating Sources

As you conduct research on your essay topic, you may come across sources that are not completely accurate. Keep the following in mind:

Is the author or publication biased? A biased source lacks objectivity and displays a slanted point of view. An author’s viewpoint can be influenced by many factors, such as politics, gender,andethnicbackground.Publicationscanbesimilarlyinfluenced.Herearequestions to help you determine the extent to which bias may affect the accuracy of your source:

• Whywasthissourcecreated?Isitmeanttoinform,entertain,orpersuade?

• Dotheauthorandpublisherhaveareputationforaccuracy?

• Dotheauthororpublisherprovideabibliographyofsources?

• Doesthesourceincludeallrelevantfacts?

• Doesthesourceincludestatementsofopinion?

• Doesthesourceusequestionableclaimsassupportingevidence?

• Doesthesourceuseloadedlanguagetotrytoprovokeanemotionalresponse?

• Doesthesourcemakebroadgeneralizationsthatcannotbesupportedbyevidence?

• Doesthesourceacknowledgeotherpointsofview?

Is the source out of date? Older sources, particularly primary sources, can be invaluable for theirinsightintoapreviousera.However,theymaycontaininaccuracies.Recentsourcesare usuallybetterforessaysoncurrenttopicsorfast-movingissues.Findoutwhenyoursource material was written or published. Be sure the date is appropriate for your purpose.


Prewriting: Planning Your Essay

Before you draft your essay, you need to plan how you will arrange your arguments and evidence.Agraphicorganizerwillhelpyouorganizeyourmaterial,butyoustillhavetodecidein what order to present your arguments so that your essay will be persuasive.

Consider the main points you want to make. Ask yourself these questions: • Howaremymainideasrelated?Presenttheminalogicalorderthatmakestherelationship

clear. • Doesthereaderhavetounderstandoneideainordertounderstandanother?Ifso,presentthe

most fundamental idea first. • Domymainargumentsdifferinimportanceorweight?Ifso,considerpresentingyourargu-

ments in order from most important to least, or vice versa. Either way can be effective. • Aremyargumentsobvious,oraretheyobscureandhardtounderstand?Considerpresenting

first the argument that is easiest for the reader to grasp. Then draw the reader into more difficult ideas.

Once you have decided on a plan, use the Graphic Organizer for a Five-Paragraph Essay to mapoutexactlywhatyouaregoingtosayineachparagraph.Thegraphicorganizerisatoolto help you write clearly and coherently at the drafting stage. You do not have to fill it in with complete sentences if you don’t want to. But do include enough information to make it clear which argument, evidence, explanation, or commentary you plan to present.


Drafting: Developing Style

It is time to put your ideas into words. Good writing is always clear and coherent. But it is your individual writing style that will set your essay apart. Your writing style is affected by several factors: your choice of words, tone, sentence structure, grammar, and mechanics.

To write clearly and coherently,• focusononeideaatatime.Followyourgraphicorganizer.• makesureeachsentenceinaparagraphrelatestothemainpoint.• makesureeachparagraphrelatestothethesis.• eliminateunnecessarydetails.• usetransitionstoshowhowyourideasrelatetooneanother.• don’tbeafraidtorepeatkeywordsandphrases.

To develop your writing style,• consideryouraudience.Whowillreadyouressay?• beawareofyourtone.Tonereflectsyourattitudetowardyoursubject.• writeinanaturalvoice,avoidingslangandjargon.• usethepresenttenseexceptwhenwritingaboutpastevents;thenusethepasttense.• usethepassivevoicesparingly.Theactivevoiceisgenerallystronger,moreconcise,and

easier to understand. • usespecific,concretelanguage.• useavarietyofsentencelengthsandtypes.


Revising: Improving Your Essay

Once you have finished your draft, it is time to step back and evaluate your work. Followthesestepsforrevision:

• Takeabreakafterwritingthedraft.Comebacktoitwithfresheyes.

• Rememberthepurposeofyouressaybyrereadingyourassignment.

• Rereadyouressay.Readitsilentlyandthenreaditaloud.

• Marktheplacesthatseemtoneedimprovement.

• Rewriteandedit,makingallnecessarychanges.Usethechecklistandwriting tips below.

• Proofreadforerrorsinspelling,grammar,usage,andmechanics.

Essay Checklist• Doesmyessayincludeawell-writtenintroductionandconclusion?

• DoIstatemythesisinboththeintroductionandtheconclusion?

• Doeseachbodyparagraphhaveatopicsentencethatsupportsmythesis?

• Doestheevidenceineachbodyparagraphsupportthetopicsentence?

• DoIadequatelyexplainhowtheevidencesupportsmypoint?

Writing Tips• Ifyouressayseemsdisorganized,gobacktoyourgraphicorganizer.Didyoufollow yourplan?Ifso,thenthinkabouthowyoucouldreorganizeyourmaterialtomake your essay more orderly and logical. Move, add, or delete material as necessary.

• Ifthewritingseemsunclearorchoppy,usetransitionstoconnectyourideasandhelp your writing flow. Transitional words and phrases include before, after, finally, most of all, first, last, like, unlike, likewise, nevertheless, in contrast, because, therefore, since, for that reason, and, also, furthermore, for example, and in other words. If you used sentencesfromyourgraphicorganizer,editthemtoflowwiththesurroundingtext.

• Ifyouressayseemsboring,tryvaryingyoursentencelengthandstructure.Replace vague words with strong, specific, or colorful words.


Revising: Giving and Getting Feedback from Peers

A helpful way to get feedback on your writing is by sharing your work with a classmate. Peer review works best when both individuals know their roles.

Tips for Reviewing• Askquestionsthatrequiremorethana“yes”or“no”answer.Thiswillhelpthewriterbe

more reflective about his or her writing.• Ifyoulikesomethingabouttheessay,sayso.Positivefeedbackshowsthewriterwhatheor

she has done well. This is as helpful as criticism in learning to improve one’s writing.• Bespecific.Forexample,“WhenIgottothissentence,Igotconfused”ismorehelpfulthan

“This part is confusing.”• Criticizethewriting,notthewriter.Beginyourcommentswith“I,”not“You”or“Your

essay.” This helps keep the writer from feeling hurt or defensive. • Writeyourcommentsonthedraft,butdon’teditormakechanges.Itisthewriter’sdecision

whether to incorporate your suggestions or not.

Writer’s Role Reviewer’s Role

• Bringacopyofyourreviseddraft.• Don’trevealthesubstanceofyour

essaybeforethereviewerhas readit.

• Shareanyconcernsyouhaveaboutyourwriting.

• Respondthoughtfully.Trynottobedefensivesincethatmightdiscour-agehonestfeedback.

• Ifyouwantmorefeedback,ask forit.

• Readcarefully.Writeyourcommentsonthedraftforthewritertokeep.

• Askthoughtfulquestions.• Trytoaddresstheparticularconcerns

thewriterhasexpressed.• Keepyourcommentsconstructive.

Givepraiseaswellascriticism.• Behonest.


Essay Rubric

Usethistabletohelpyouevaluateyourownandotheressays.

Criteria

Score

4 3 2 1

Purpose Essay achieves its purpose (todescribe,persuade, narrate) very well.

Essay achieves its purpose reasonablywell.

Essay struggles to achieve its purpose.

Essay does not achieve its purpose.

Organization Ideas are very clear and logically organized.

Ideas are reasonablyclear and logically organized.

Ideas are somewhat unclear and disorganized.

Ideas are unclear and disorganized.

Content Essay provides rich and detailed supportforitsarguments.

Essay provides detailed supportforitsarguments.

Essay provides supportforitsarguments.

Essay does not provide supportforitsarguments.

Style Writing uses a wide variety ofvocabularyand sentence structure; has nogrammar,spelling,orpunctuation errors.

Writing uses avarietyofvocabularyand sentence structure; has fewgrammar,spelling,orpunctuation errors.

Writing does not vary vocabulary or sentence structure; has some grammar,spelling,orpunctuation errors.

Writing uses poor vocabularyand sentence structure; has many grammar,spelling,orpunctuation errors.

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