Name _______________________________________ Total Points _________/35 Profile Story Rubric 5–4 3 -2 1-0 Focus Focuses on one significant and interesting aspect of the person’s story Some consistency in focus, but may lean towards biography rather than profile. Lacks focus. May only give a life summary or only a general insight into the person’s life Lively anecdotes, quotes and facts support the focus and theme Lets the reader get to know the person using engaging anecdotes, facts, and quotes. All information fits together to bring the person’s story to life. Include some anecdotes, facts, and quotes May include some extraneous content or the writer’s opinion. Doesn’t include enough of the person’s story to truly get to know him Too vague. May be mostly the writer’s opinion. Not enough of the person’s story. Short on details, anecdotes, facts, and quotes or many are irrelevant, confusing, or misleading. Lead Catchy, engaging lead that shows why we should read about this person. Appropriate to audience and establishes focus Lead is relevant and makes an attempt to grab readers. Lead is bland, unrelated, or may sound more like a term paper. Structure and Organization Most interesting parts first. Uses short paragraphs and smooth transitions. Has a satisfying ending. Logical, coherent structure. Biographical information is interwoven appropriately Generally strong organization, but background and parts of article may not be most effectively arranged. Paragraphs may be too long or not flow together well. Disorganized or inappropriately organized for a newspaper feature article Style appropriate for intended audience and purpose Consistently employs techniques appropriate to feature articles including anecdotes, narrative, and description in an effective and creative manner, and appropriate for the audience Employs some techniques appropriate to feature articles and the intended audience and purpose, but may not do so consistently. Uses only one or none of the techniques appropriate to feature articles, and the style may not be appropriate for the intended audience and purpose. Use of Written Language Highly engaging and effective use of language. Sentence structure is varied for pacing and effect. Language is concise, precise, and appropriate to a profile. Generally engaging and appropriate language. Some parts may be wordy or imprecise Inappropriate or ineffective: word choice, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraphing. Mechanics Accurate grammar, usage, spelling (including proper nouns!) capitalization and punctuation. Mechanics are generally accurate. Poor mechanics. May include multiple run-on sentences or fragments, or spelling/usage errors. Profile Assignment After our preparation for writing feature stories about people, you will have a good idea how to put together a fun and informative profile story about someone you know. Your assignment is to: Find a person you admire and write a profile story about them. The profile should be a least 500 words long and include quotes from the person the story is about as well as at least two other sources (people who know them or the activity they are involved in.) It should be typed, double spaced and printed out. Suggestions for people to profile: Teachers, administrators, family members, friends, co-workers or boss, coach, youth leader, neighbors, etc. Be sure there is something about them that will make writing this story interesting and fun for you.
