Student Name: ________________________________________________________ Essays Unit Quarter 2, Cycle 1 (English)

Attribute

Grammar
,
Spelling
and
conventi
ons

*Capitalizes all proper

nouns and sentence
beginnings. 5
*Uses a variety of
ending punctuation. 5
*Uses commas in lists.
And before quotes. 5
*Uses conventional
spelling for high
frequency words and for
adding suffixes to base
words. 5

*Capitalizes most
proper nouns and
sentence beginnings. 4
* Always uses ending
punctuation, but lacks
variety. 4
*Uses commas in lists
but not before quotes.4
*Most high frequency
words are spelled
correctly. Most suffixes
reflect proper stem
changes. 4
* The essay focused on
a thesis statement, but
needed more support. 4
*Specific nouns and
strong verbs are used.
Modifiers are needed to
create a clearer picture.
4

*Capitalizes some
proper nouns and
sentence beginnings. 3
*Sometimes uses
ending punctuation. 3
*Sometimes uses
commas. 3
*Some high frequency
words are spelled
correctly. Some suffixes
reflect proper stem
changes. 3

*Capitalizes a few
proper nouns and
sentence beginnings. 2
*Rarely uses ending
punctuation. 2
*Rarely uses commas. 3
*Few high frequency
words are spelled
correctly. Few suffixes
reflect proper stem
changes. 2

*Does not yet use

capitalization of proper
nouns or sentence
beginnings. 1
*Does not yet use
ending punctuation. 1
*Does not yet use
commas. 1
*Has not yet shown
evidence of
conventional spelling.1

* The essay mostly

focused on a thesis
statement, but some
support was out-ofplace. 3
*Strong nouns, verbs,
and modifiers are
needed to create a clear
picture. 3
*The beginning or
ending is weak. The
middle needs a
paragraph for each
main point. 3
*More transitions are
needed. 3
*The essay was
dominated by only one
technique: anecdotes,
research, or lists.3
*Is developing writing
stamina. 3
*Has generated some
ideas through
prewriting with support.
3
*With support, has
attempted to make
small revisions to own
work. 3
Was able to make some
editing changes with
support. 3

*The thesis statement

was unclear and was
not supported. 2
*General and overused
words do not create a
clear picture. 2

*The essay did not

convey an idea. 1
*Word choice has not
been considered. 1

*The beginning, middle,

and end all run
together. 2
*One transition was
used. 2
*Need to elaborate on
ideas. 2

*The essay needs to be

reorganized. 1
*Has not yet used
transitions. 1
*Has not elaborated on
ideas. 1

*Needs more work

developing writing
stamina. 2
*Has generated very
few ideas through
prewriting. 2
*With support, has
made very few revisions
to own work. 2
Made very few editing
changes to work with
support. 2

*Does not yet

demonstrate writing
stamina. 1
*Has not been able to
generate multiple ideas
through prewriting. 1
*Has not yet been
willing or able to revise
own work. 1
Did not yet show
evidence of editing. 1

Focus,
clarity
and
coherenc
e

Writes
for the
intended
purpose
and
audience

Follows
the
writing
process

*The essay focused on a

thesis statement.
Supporting ideas were
relevant. 5
*Strong verbs, specific
nouns, and well-chosen
modifiers create vivid
pictures and express
clear feelings. 5
*The beginning is
interesting, the middle
supports the focus, and
the ending works well.
5
*Transitions are used. 5
*There is a nice balance
of anecdotes, repeating
lists, and research. 5
*Demonstrates
consistent writing
stamina. 5
*Is able to use
prewriting to generate
ideas independently. 5
*Using the mini-lessons,
is able and willing to
revise writing
independently. 5
Can demonstrate
editing strategies
independently. 5

*The essay is divided

into a beginning,
middle, and an ending.
4
*Some transitions are
used. 4
*Anecdotes, repeating
lists and research are
used, but one is
underused. 4
*Writes with stamina
most of the time. 4
*With support, is able to
use prewriting to
generate ideas. 4
*With some support, is
able and willing to
revise writing
independently. 4
Can demonstrate
editing strategies with
support. 4

Point
s

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20
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10
=

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15
=

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20
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