Name:
Above and Beyond (9-10) Meets (7-8)
Argument The essay has a clear, concise, and
effective thesis statement. The
argument is creative and addresses
counterclaims when appropriate.
______/10
Evidence The essay and/or caption include
meaningful and relevant evidence to
support the original argument and
highlight intentional choices made by
______/10 the artist. It is clear that the evidence
selected is the best that could have
served the author/artist’s purpose.
The textual evidence is cited correctly
in MLA format.
Analysis / Each piece of textual evidence is
Commentary thoroughly and creatively analyzed.
The author includes specific literary
devices/artistic elements and clearly
analyzes their function/effect on the
______/10 text and the argument. The analysis
is not a laundry list of literary
devices, but a cohesive synthesis of
ideas. The author effectively uses
analysis to make meaning and draw
connections.
Organization and The essay and/or caption are
Sentence organized in a logical manner that
Structure makes it easy to read and
understand. The author effectively
varies his sentences to create interest
and a sense of flow. Each paragraph
has a unifying idea, and the essay
______/10 begins with a creative hook and ends
with a meaningful conclusion.
Grammar Usage The author has an effective command
and Mechanics of language and successfully employs
commas, colons, semicolons, and
more. The author uses an academic
tone and keeps the essay/caption in
______/10 third person.
Approaching (5-6)
The essay has a clear and concise
thesis statement. The argument may
not be overly creative, but it does
address counterclaims when
appropriate.
The essay and/or caption include
relevant evidence to support the
argument and highlight choices
made by the artist. There may be
additional evidence that would have
worked better, or there might be
inconsistency in the relevancy of the
evidence. The textual evidence is
cited correctly in MLA format.
Each piece of textual evidence is
thoroughly and creatively analyzed.
The author includes specific literary
devices/artistic elements and clearly
analyzes their function/effect on the
text and the argument. The analysis
may seem forced or oversimplified.
The author attempts to use analysis
to make meaning and draw
connections.
The essay and/or caption are
organized in a logical manner that
makes it easy to read and
understand. The author attempts to
vary his sentences to create flow, but
some may still be choppy. Each
paragraph focuses on one idea, and
the essay begins with a hook and
ends with a conclusion.
The author has control of language
and is mostly successful at employing
commas, colons, semicolons, and
more. The author uses an academic
tone and keeps the essay/caption in
third person.
Developing (0-4)
The essay’s thesis statement is clunky
or unclear. It is not obvious what the
argument is, and/or the argument
feels hackneyed or cliché.
Counterclaims are not addressed or
feel inadequate.
The essay and/or caption include
sufficient evidence to support the
argument and draw attention to
some choices made by the artist.
There is inconsistency in the quality
of the evidence, or there may be
some evidence that does not make
sense. The textual evidence is mostly
cited correctly in MLA format.
The author attempts to analyze each
piece of textual evidence. A small
number of literary devices/artistic
elements may be referenced, but the
analysis stays at surface-level. The
analysis may be inadequate or
effectively not support the argument.
The author does not attempt to use
analysis to make meaning or draw
connections.
The essay and/or caption’s structures
are unclear or inconsistent. Some
paragraphs may include too many
ideas or shift topics too quickly.
There is inconsistency in sentence
variety. The essay may be missing a
hook and/or have an ineffective
conclusion.
The author may sometimes struggle
with commas, colons, semicolons,
capitalization, formatting, or other
grammatical structures. The author’s
tone may be inconsistent or may
occasionally shift into first or second
person.
The essay does not have a fully
formed thesis statement. The reader
must struggle to determine the
argument, or there might not be one
at all. Counterclaims are not
addressed in any meaningful way.
The essay and/or caption do not
include enough evidence to support
the argument, or the evidence
provided might make little sense. It
is not clear that intentional artistic
choices were made by the author.
The textual evidence is not cited
correctly in MLA format.
There is little or no attempt to
analyze each piece of textual
evidence. Literary devices/artistic
elements are not referenced and/or
the author relies on a summary of the
text instead of analysis. The meaning
is not clear, and connections are not
made.
The essay and/or caption are not
broken up into paragraphs, or the
paragraph structure does not make
logical sense. The essay and/or
caption are hard to read as a result. A
lack of sentence variety may make
the essay and/or caption sound
choppy. There may be no hook
and/or no conclusion in the essay.
The author struggles with commas,
colons, semicolons, capitalization,
formatting, or other grammatical
structures. Some sentences may be
unreadable as a result. The author’s
tone is inconsistent or may shift into
first or second person.
Artistic The language of the caption and/or
Representation/ essay and/or the details of the art
Expression piece have a dialogue that
communicates thoughtful insights
about the cultural values of the
society depicted and time periods
______/10 incorporated. All artistic choices are
interwoven, work together to create
meaning, and reflect the time period
of the chosen culture.
The caption enhances the viewer’s
experience by drawing attention to
and explaining cultural values being
depicted in the artwork.
Professionalism All project components are complete
and submitted on time. Student may
have provided guidance/input to
______/10 others and was a self-sufficient
learner. Each component
demonstrates meticulous planning.
The project is exceptional and may
include small, unique details that
were not required.
Comments:
All parts of the essay and/or caption
and/or accompanying art piece
reflect the values and time period of
the chosen culture. Artistic choices
are thoughtfully incorporated into
the work.
Museum caption includes all
components, explains the art piece
and provides insight into design.
- Title of Artwork
- Artist’s Name
- Date and Location Created
- Explanation of Artwork
Art Components to Consider:
-Choice of medium
-Color
-Lighting
-Space
-Symbolism
-Figure
-Hierarchical Scale
All project components are complete
and submitted on time. They are
clearly well-planned. The project is
thoughtful and clearly representative
of the student’s best work. Student
was self-motivated and did not
require teacher prompting.
Some parts of the essay and/or
caption and/or art piece reflect
cultural values and time period of the
chosen culture. Some thought was
put into which elements were
included in the piece, but not all
elements fit.
Museum caption is included, but one
or more components are missing.
The caption provides a cursory
explanation of the artwork, but it
does not provide additional insight or
evaluation.
A deadline was missed, but the final
product was completed on time. The
student put effort into the project,
but not all components demonstrate
their best work. Student required a
reminder or two to complete
components.
Score: _____/ 70 x 2 = _______/140 POINTS
The parts of the essay and/or caption
and/or the art piece do not reflect
any cultural values. Art piece is
rushed, does not demonstrate
intentional composition, and does
not match the time period of the
chosen culture.
Museum caption is missing and/or
shows no evaluative thought or
insight
Several deadlines were missed
and/or final product was not
completed on time. Art piece and/or
essay is sloppy and/or incomplete.
Student required several prompts
from teacher to complete
components.