English 10 Six Point Scale Quick Reference Paragraph Response Name: Date: Block:

Extending Proficient Competent Developing Beginning/Incomplete

Meaning Meaning Meaning Meaning Meaning
• Clear and focused topic sentence • Clear and focused topic • Clear topic sentence, but may be • clear topic but may omit a • There is misunderstanding
that is theme based sentence with an attempt unfocussed; may be difficult to follow theme statement. of text, or task required by
• Student attempts to interpret to be theme based. reasoning • response is barely adequate; the question.
rather than state the obvious • Response is accurate; no • Student has a basic understanding of the may lack understanding of • Supporting references
(literal) misunderstandings; topic; Often summarizes rather than topic. either irrelevant or absent
• Details, examples, and quotes student has a sound interprets; relies on general knowledge • details and support are altogether; no transitions.
are well chosen to support the understanding of topic, • details and support are present but often unclear or inadequate; often • Reasoning lacks any
topic sentence. • details, examples, and reflect a superficial understanding not linked to topic. structure, and is
quotes are relevant and • Writer's reasoning is deductive and logically fundamentally flawed
• Student demonstrates some support the topic structured but does not go beyond the Structure throughout response.
level of sophisticated thought. sentence. literal level. • Has Topic Sentence, but may
omit theme statement. Structure
Structure Structure Structure • Body points lack unity: topic • No Topic Sentence;
• Topic Sentence has a clear • Topic Sentence has a clear • Topic Sentence may be unfocussed.; lack of sentences are weak or may understanding of topic may
theme statement as well as a theme statement but may plan of development. be omitted entirely also be flawed
plan of development lack a plan of development • Body points may lack focus and/or are • few transitions if any. • Body Points lack unity,
• Body points are unified and • body points are unified: limited in support; connections between • quotes are present but coherency, and form.
focused. • proper use and ideas are limited and often unclear; placed inappropriately; • Quotations, if present, are
arrangement of transitions • adequate use of transitions often create grammar and isolated from the rest of
• Proper transitions used in between sentences • transitions in between body points are sentence structure issues. the paragraph..
between sentences that create • quotes are accurate in present but may be unclear and ineffective • Weak conclusion; may not • No conclusion or weak at
continuity and unity. their usage but are not • Quotes are integrated but are often relate to the topic sentence best.
integrated into student's mechanical. Quotes may not be integrated or may be omitted.
• The conclusion is satisfying and own writing; may have into students writing; often the integration Style
reflects both the topic sentence problems in creates a grammatically incorrect sentence Style • Word choice: lacks
and plan of development; no quote/sentence • conclusion is very short and formulaic. • Word choice: may lack precision in denotation;
new information. construction (restates the topic sentence) precision in denotation; no conveys no sense of
• quotes are properly integrated; • Conclusion is explicit and sense of connotation. connotation.
quote and student writing logical. (from specific to Style • Sentences: no variety. • Sentences: no variety.
creates a properly constructed general); may simply • Word choice: precise denotation, not • Sentence structure: • Sentence structure:
sentence. restate topic sentence connotation. recurring errors; may recurring errors that
• Sentences: no variety; often only simple and impede transmission of seriously impede the
Style Style compound used. ideas. transmission of ideas.
• Precise word choice. • Varied sentences; varied • literal ideas; difficulty in abstract thought • Repetitive errors in • Repetitive errors in
• Varied sentences, used for word choice with some that often leads to redundancy. punctuation, capitalization, punctuation, capitalization,
purpose and affect. complex vocabulary • Some repetitive errors in punctuation, and/or tense; may impede and/or tense; errors
• Formal tone (no use of I) that is • Formal tone( no use of I) capitalization, or tense, but do not impede the transmission of ideas. seriously impede the
engaging and reflects purpose. transmission of ideas. • repetitive and colloquial transmission of ideas.
• few errors in language • Formal tone (no use of I) often shifts in language • Personal pronoun I and/or
conventions; these do not affect point of view. • Immature tone; often slang is used; tone of the
meaning conversational; shifts in writing is generally
point a view. conversational
1 Response The errors of the 2 response are repeated and compounded in the 1 response. There is little or no coherence in meaning, structure or style. It is clear to the reader that the writer lacks even a basic understanding of the text.
0 Response Not handed in; blank response; not completed; OR inappropriate response; plagiarized; misread of question