Rubrics

Here I’ve assembled a selection of options for grading your writing assignments. These rubrics are designed to make your life easier–I’ve put together a variety to account for different pedagogical styles.

Option #1: Question-Based Assessment Tool with Point Structure

Content (6pts)

Does the paper have a central idea that can be expressed in one or two simple sentences?
Does the writer accurately analyze and discuss the assigned movie?
Does the writer express his/her own thoughts and arguments about the movie in a logical way?
Does the writer attempt to incorporate psychological theories into the paper?
Does the writer discuss the depth of the problem and complexities portrayed in the movie?
Does the writer provide evidence for their point of view on the movie?

Organization (6pts)

Does the paper have an introduction that gives the reader a sense of the paper’s focus?
Does the paper have a conclusion that summarizes the argument or offers some final perspective on the topic?
Is the paper ordered in a way that is logical and easy to follow?
Does each paragraph contain a central idea?
Does the paper flow smoothly, using clear and logical transitions between paragraphs?
Are sources clearly stated/cited, and is information from those sources well integrated into the flow of the paper?

Grammar and Writing Style (3pts)

Is the paper relatively free from grammatical or spelling errors?
Is the writing style clear?
Are sentences cohesive?

Total Possible Score: 15 points

Option #2: Table with Circle-able Components

This table can be useful for grading writing assignments for large classes. You can simply circle the student’s level of performance on each aspect, add up the points, and return.

Category

Exemplary

Accomplished

Developing

Beginning

Use of Primary Texts

(3 points)

· Student has integrated plentiful textual evidence to support her thesis

· Chose more than 2 people’s stories from the texts to analyze · Chose more than four textual references (quotes) in the paper

· Student has synthesized both the primary texts and her insights

· Student has used annotation skills to pick quotes wisely and quotes are not “dropped” throughout the paper

· Student has explained the primary texts for unfamiliar readers.

· Student has integrated sufficient textual evidence to support her thesis

· Chose at least 2 people’s stories from the texts to analyze · Chose no less than four textual references (quotes) in the paper

· Student has generally synthesized both the primary texts and her insights

· Student has generally used annotation skills to pick quotes wisely and quotes are very infrequently “dropped” throughout the paper.

· Student has attempted to explain the primary texts for unfamiliar readers.

· Student has integrated some textual evidence to support her thesis

· Chose 1-2 people’s stories from the texts to analyze

· Chose three-four textual references (quotes) in the paper

· Student has at times synthesized both the primary texts and her insights

· Student has demonstrated some annotation skills to pick quotes and quotes are not at times “dropped” but no more than twice or three times.

· Student has presented though not thoroughly explained the primary texts for unfamiliar readers.

· Student has integrated little textual evidence to support her thesis

· Student failed to sufficiently choose people’s stories from the texts to analyze

· Student chose fewer than three textual references (quotes) in the paper

· Student has not yet sufficiently synthesized both the primary texts and her insights

· Student has not demonstrated annotation skills to pick quotes wisely and quotes are frequently “dropped” throughout the paper.

· Student has not carefully explained the primary texts for unfamiliar readers.

Thesis/Argument

(3 points)

· Thesis statement clearly outlines complex argument about why and how positionality affects an individual’s experience and understanding of gentrification

· Points of the argument are the product of thorough thinking-through of the primary texts in unison

· Argument becomes more complex throughout the paper; points build on previous ones, and provide a new “lens” through which to look at the assigned topic

· Argument makes use of difference and nuance; student fruitfully uses distinct points from primary texts to develop their own argument

· Thesis statement is clearly written, and provides some insight regarding the intersection of positionality and gentrification

· Argument is the student’s own, and does not summarize or restate the arguments of the primary texts

· Argument is not static – it develops and changes over the course of the paper, reaching a satisfactory conclusion

· Student successfully connects a variety of evidence from the primary texts to prove their point

· Thesis statement is present and addresses positionality and gentrification, but may lack focus, uniqueness, or clarity

· Argument guides the paper appropriately, but may sometimes veer into summary

· Argument is present, but may tend to restate the same point

· Argument makes successful use of evidence, but may “cherry-pick” similar parts of the text to prove a point

· It may be difficult to understand what is intended as the thesis statement in this paper; there may be conflicting arguments, lack of clarity, or failure to adequately address the assigned topics

· Argument may be hard to follow or pinpoint; there may be lack of cohesion or connection between points of the argument

· Argument may not always be at the forefront of the paper, and does not necessarily develop in a coherent way

· Argument may not connect to evidence in a satisfactory way; it may be difficult to make connections between claims and evidence

Analysis

(4 points)

· Paper reads not as a summary of text but as an analysis

· Student avoids summarizing the text

· Student analyzes text(s) through close reading and discussion

· Student includes personal reflections in the analysis (when appropriate)

· Student includes discussion on how positionality (race/ethnicity, class, profession, gender, etc.) affects a person’s definition, experience of, and opinion about gentrification.

· Paper generally reads not as a summary of text but as an analysis

· Student generally avoids summarizing the text

· Student generally analyzes text(s) through close reading and discussion

· Student includes some personal reflections in the analysis (when appropriate)

· Student includes some

discussion on how positionality (race/ethnicity, class, profession, gender, etc.) affects a person’s definition, experience of, and opinion about gentrification.

· At times the paper reads not as a summary of text but as an analysis

· Student at times avoids summarizing the text

· Student at times analyzes text(s) through close reading and discussion

· Student includes a little personal reflection in the analysis (when appropriate)

· Student includes discussion on how positionality (race/ethnicity, class, profession, gender, etc.) affects a person’s definition, experience of, and opinion about gentrification.

· Paper reads as a summary of text rather as an analysis

· Student fails to analyze text(s) through close reading and discussion

· Student does not include personal reflections in the analysis (when appropriate)

· Student does not include discussion on how positionality (race/ethnicity, class, profession, gender, etc.) affects a person’s definition, experience of, and opinion about gentrification.

Organization

(3 points)

· Student has constructed a clear and logical progression of ideas in support of a thesis

· Student has provided the reader with a clearly focused lens through which to view the subject

· Student has forecast the essay in the introduction through a roadmap

· Student makes transitions between ideas so that the argument flows in a logical order

· Each paragraph includes original assertion(s), quote(s), and
explication(s)

· Student has constructed a generally clear and logical progression of ideas in support of a thesis

· Student has provided the reader with a generally clear focused lens through which to view the subject

· Student has generally forecast the essay in the introduction through a roadmap

· Student for the most part makes transitions between ideas so that the argument flows in a logical order

· Each paragraph includes some original assertion, quote, and
explication

· Student has at times constructed a clear and logical progression of ideas in support of a thesis

· Student has provided the reader with a somewhat focused lens through which to view the subject

· Student has made a somewhat coherent introduction/roadmap

· Student makes some transitions between ideas so that the argument at times flows in a logical order

· Some paragraphs includes an original assertion, quote, and explication

· Student has constructed a unclear and illogical progression of ideas in an attempt to support a thesis

· Student has failed to provide the reader with a clearly focused lens through which to view the subject

· Student has failed to forecast the essay in the introduction through a roadmap

· Student does not make transitions between ideas so that the argument flows in a logical order

· Paragraphs do not include an original assertion, quote, and
explication

Style

(2 points)

· Tone is informational, objective, and maintains focus on its intended purpose

· Essay contains few, if any, spelling or grammatical errors

· Wording is specific and easily understood; it avoids cliché, too-casual expressions, and contractions

· Sentences vary in length, read smoothly, and are not awkward

· Both in-line and bibliographical citations are correct per MLA style

· Tone is consistent and appropriate for an academic paper

· Essay contains very few spelling or grammatical errors

· Wording is clear and easy to understand

· Sentence construction has few, if any, problems and remains readable

· In-line and bibliographical citation errors are minimal, and MLA style is mostly adhered to

· Tone is mostly appropriate, but may contain some constructions or expressions that distract from the paper’s purpose

· Essay may contain spelling or grammatical errors, some of which may harm understanding

· Wording is sometimes ambiguous or unclear

· Sentence construction is readable, but may have occasional problems

· In-line and bibliographical citations are present, but may be incorrect

· Tone is sometimes inconsistent or inappropriately informal for an academic paper

· Essay contains numerous errors, which significantly harm understanding of ideas

· Wording is frequently hard to understand

· Sentence construction contains errors that interrupt flow of the paper

· In-line and bibliographical citations are either not present or are missing significant information

Option #3: Grading Narrative Essays

This rubric, designed by WAC Specialists Talia Shalev and Lindsay Lehman, can be useful to WGS instructors incorporating literature and/or creative writing methods: Narrative EssayRubric.

Option #4: Joining the Scholarly Conversation-type Assignments

Designed by Jeremy Sawyer and Rita Obeid, this table is similar to the one above, but specifically designed for a “Weighing In” type of assignment.

*Presentation: Length, Content, Organization, etc.*	Level of Proficiency
Criteria	Exemplary	Accomplished	Developing	Beginning
Choosing Questions and Sources	___ Student chose one of the mentioned questions in the assignment prompt. ___ Student chose two of the mentioned literature sources to use in their responses INSERT POINTS HERE	___ Student chose one of the mentioned questions in the assignment prompt but did not fully address the question/may have strayed from the topic at times ___ Student chose two of the mentioned literature sources to use in their responses INSERT POINTS HERE	___ Student chose one of the mentioned questions in the assignment prompt. ___ Student chose ONLY ONE of the mentioned literature sources to use in their responses INSERT POINTS HERE	___ Student did not respond to one of the questions mentioned in the prompt. AND/OR ___ Student did not choose any of two of the mentioned literature sources to use in their responses INSERT POINTS HERE
Introducing the Issue: Engaging the reader	___ Student introduces the issue in a way that engages the reader.	___ Introduction is mostly engaging to the reader.	___ Introduction is only partially engaging to the reader.	___ Student does not attempt to make the introduction interesting or engaging to the reader.
Introducing the Issue: Relevance and significance	___ Student makes the issue seem relevant and significant for the audience.	___ Student makes the issue largely relevant and significant for the audience.	___ Student makes the issue only partially relevant and significant for the audience.	___ Student does not attempt to make the issue relevant and significant to their audience.
Summarizing Sources: Basics	___ Student summarizes their sources early in the assignment ___ Student introduces the title and author of each source.	____ Student summarizes their sources early in the assignment, but does not properly introduce the title or the author of each source.	____ Student summarizes their sources late in the assignment, and may not properly introduce the title or author of each source.	____ Student did not summarize their sources, nor did they introduce the title and author of each source.
Summarizing Sources: Length of Summaries	___ Student offers 1-2 paragraph summary per source	NA	___ Student offers only a few sentences of summary per source.	___ Student offers less than a few sentences of summary per source.
Summarizing Sources: Main arguments	___ Student thoroughly and accurately summarizes the authors’ main arguments	___ Student offers a mostly accurate summary the authors’ main arguments.	___ Student offers a somewhat and partial accurate summary the authors’ main arguments.	___ Student inaccurately summarizes the author’s main arguments.
Summarizing Sources: Support and evidence	___ Student clearly explains their main points of support and evidence.	___ Student mostly attempts to explain their main points of support and evidence.	___ Student partially explains their main points and supporting evidence.	___ Student neglects to clearly explain their main points of support and evidence.
Weighing in: Experiences	___ Student uses their own experiences to agree, disagree, add to, and/or challenge what the sources say.	___ Student incorporates a substantial amount of their own experiences, and these experiences are mostly connected to the positions they take.	___ Student incorporates some of their own experiences, but mostly just agrees with the sources without much “weighing in”.	___ Student does not incorporate their own experiences into the essay OR does not take a position on what the sources say.
Criteria	Exemplary	Accomplished	Developing	Beginning
Weighing in: Supporting opinions	___ Student supports their opinions by referencing the authors’ points and evidence and by adding new points based on their own experiences.	___ Student largely supports their views by referencing the authors’ points and mentioning their own experiences.	___ Student provides partial support for their opinions by either referencing the authors’ points OR providing their own experiences to support their views.	___ Student does not use the authors’ points OR their own experiences to support their views.
MLA Format	Writer adheres to the following 7 MLA format guidelines: ___ Entire paper is double-spaced with 1″ margins ___ 12 pt font, New Times Roman ___ Correct running head (header) with pagination ___ Title, name, school name centered and double-spaced (please also include course number and title, date and instructor’s name) ___ At least 1500 words in length ___ Cite the paraphrases and quotes in MLA format ___ Includes a Works Cited page on the final page of the essay	___ Adheres to 5-6 elements of MLA format.	___ Adheres to 3-4 elements of MLA format	___ Adheres to 2 or less elements of MLA format

Writing Activities and Assignments for Instructors in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

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