Author _________________
Project: Old Yeller/Expository Essay
Six Traits Writing Rubric – Your Turn!
Your prompt - Old Yeller’s Travis Coates is a
wonderful role model for today’s youth. Think about
those qualities that make Travis so special. Explain to this reader what admirable
qualities Travis possesses. Make sure you include specific details from the novel to
support your position.
5
Strong
3
Developing
Ideas &
Content
 Clear, focused, interesting
ideas with appropriate
detail
 Main idea may be cloudy
because supporting detail
is too general or even offtopic
 Purpose and main idea may
be unclear and cluttered by
irrelevant detail
Organization
 Strong order and
structure
 Inviting intro and
satisfying closure
 Attempts at organization;
may be a “list” of events
 Beginning and ending not
developed
 Lack of structure;
disorganized and hard to
follow
 Missing or weak intro and
conclusion
Voice
 Appropriate to audience
and purpose
 Writer behind the words
comes through
 Voice may be
inappropriate or nonexistent
 Writing may seem
mechanical
 Writing tends to be flat or
stiff
 Little or no hint of writer
behind words
Word Choice
 Descriptive, broad range
of words
 Word choice energizes
writing
 Words may be correct
but mundane
 Little attempt at deliberate
choice
 Monotonous, often
repetitious, sometimes
inappropriate
Sentence
Fluency
 Easy flow and rhythm
 Good variety in length
and structure
 Some awkward
constructions
 Many similar patterns and
beginnings
 Often choppy
 Monotonous sentence
patterns
 Frequent run-on sentences
Conventions
 Strong control of
conventions; errors are
few and minor
 Limited control of
conventions; frequent
errors do not interfere
with understanding
 Frequent significant errors
may impede readability
Rating Scale
 main theme
 supporting details
 structure
 introduction
 conclusion
 personality
 sense of audience
 precision
effectiveness
 imagery
 rhythm, flow
variety
age appropriate,
spelling, caps,
punctuation, grammar
Total Points ______/30
1
Emerging