HIV Project Rubric
Please print this rubric and attach it to your MLA research paper when you turn it in to the
instructor. The right column is left blank and is to be used for evaluation by the instructor.
Pages 1, 2, & 3
The history of HIV should include the following details:
Students will receive points for having the following topics organized in essay format. This
background information will be presented in 3 pages.
Theories about where the disease came from and
how it spread
How politics in the United States and around the
world reacted to the crisis
Stigmas and fear associated with the disease
GRID (gay-related immunodeficiency disease)
Blood bank chaos with HIV and Hemophilia
MMWR reports from the CDC
The two scientists who discovered the virus
The first “cure” (AZT)
The ELISA test for antibodies
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Total Points: 17
Page 4
Students will discuss what HIV is (it is a virus), and all the forms in which HIV is transmitted.
What is HIV
How is HIV transmitted
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Total Points: 10
Page 5
Students will discuss the symptoms and signs of HIV.
List the symptoms and signs of HIV as a list with bullet points from most common to least
common. Also, list the symptoms and signs of AIDS. Separate HIV symptoms/signs from AIDS.
HIV Signs and Symptoms
AIDS Signs and Symptoms
Total Points: 6
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Page 6
Students will address the distinction between the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquire
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Student Explains Differences between HIV and
AIDS
Students explains the average lifespan of HIV and
the average change from HIV to AIDS
2 HIV RNA strands and the conversion to HIV DNA
HIV envelope and core capsule
gp120 and gp41 attach to CD4 receptors and
CCR5/CXCR4 co-receptors
HIV Reverse transcriptase enzyme
HIV Integrase enzyme
HIV Protease enzyme
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Total Points: 18
Page 7
Students will address the anatomy and physiology of the human immune system and how HIV manages
to destroy it over time.
Students address the anatomy & physiology of
the human immune system
Helper T-Cells (CD4+)
B-cells
Cell-mediated immune response
How the immune system handles HIV during
initial infection, post infection, and how HIV reemerges to destroy the immune system
Total Points: 16
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Page 8
Students will address the evolution of the virus (HIV) by defining the term evolution on this page.
Students define evolution and use HIV as a model
HIV 1 and HIV 2
The 4 main Clades of HIV (M, N, O, P)
HIV subclades for Clade M (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I,
J, K)
HIV resistance to treatment and the failure of AZT
to treat HIV as a result of mutations
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Total Points: 11
Page 9
Students will discuss how to protect oneself from the virus, diagnostic procedures, current treatment
options, and costs
HIV treatments and/or cure: AZT, Truvada, etc
Protection from HIV
Students will describe various blood tests used to
detect HIV: ELISA blood test, rapid saliva test,
Western Blot test, viral DNA test
Students must describe the differences in the
various HIV tests, such as the regular antibody
test vs. the viral load test
Explain the costs of being infected with HIV for
the individual and for the government
Students will discuss the social stigmas associated
with being infected
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Total Points: 14
Page 10
Student uses proper MLA style heading
consistently throughout the paper: Times New
Roman, 12-inch Font, 1-inch margins, Student
Name, Instructor’s Name, Title of Research Paper,
Last Name & Page number on the upper right
hand corner
Bibliography
Total Points: 8
Did the student Plagiarize?
Yes
No
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