Using Rubrics to Assess
• Rubrics are often used to assess student
work in writing workshop and are a form of
authentic assessment.
• Richards and Cheek (1999) describe rubrics as “scoring
guides that use specific written criteria to distinguish among
levels of student proficiency on a common task” (p. 9).
• They allow for a depth of knowledge to be assessed and
show parents and students the various levels of mastery
from unsatisfactory to exemplary.
• When assessing grammar skills, points can be assigned to
rubric criteria and then a quantitative grade can be
designated to each student.
Beth Hubbard
Headed in the Write Direction – How
to Apply This in My Classroom?
Although Jeff Anderson wrote his book from a middle school
standpoint, the concept can definitely be adapted to fit the
needs of elementary students.
•
• This new method of grammar instruction must start at the
beginning of the school year.
• In order for my students to be successful, I must create a
consistent routine with how grammar is taught, since it’s going
to be different with how they have traditionally been taught.
Beth Hubbard
The Effective Route to
Teaching Grammar –
This Way!
Review past-tense verbs.
 A verb in the past tense tells about an action that has
already happened.
 Add –ed to most verbs to show past tense
 If a verb ends with e, drop the e and add –ed.
 If a verb ends with a consonant and y, change y to i and
add –ed.
 If a verb ends with one vowel and one consonant, double
the consonant and add –ed.
Beth Hubbard
Use Mentor Text
• To practice past-tense
verbs, search through
The Patchwork Quilt
(shared reading of
the week in the
McGraw Hill textbook
series) and find
example of pasttense verbs.
Beth Hubbard
Past-Tense Verb Wall Chart
• Record the verbs on a
class chart sorted by the
rules. If examples can’t
be found in the mentor
text, create examples to
add to the chart.
Add –ed
drop the e
and add –
ed
• Display the
completed chart for
students to use as a
future reference.
Beth Hubbard
change y
double
to i and
the
add –ed. consonant
and add –
ed.
Practice the Skill
• To assess the skill, write a sentence in
the past-tense and underline the pasttense verbs.
• Choose a verb from the container and
change the verb into the past-tense.
• Write the sentence on a sentence strip
and share the final product with
classmates.
• Display sentence strips to use as a
reference point.
Beth Hubbard
Verb Choices for Past-Tense
Verb Activity
talk
plan
look
reach
join
like
try
want
remember
tiptoe
examine
Beth Hubbard
hurry
love
carry
grab
add
hope
smile
complain
stop
hug
gaze
Application
• Refer to your free write about family.
• Include a minimum of 10 past-tense in your
writing.
•Circle, underline, or highlight the past-tense verbs.
• Share your writing with a neighbor again. What
past-tense verbs did they use? Are they “Vivid
Verbs?”
Beth Hubbard
Name:
Title of Composition:
Assessment with Rubrics
Rubric to Assess Student Application of Past-Tense Verbs
Criteria
Points Possible
Correct Capitalization
10
Proper Punctuation
15
Vivid Past-Tense Verbs (at least 10
included)
30
Creative Complete Sentences
15
Interesting Ideas
15
Outstanding Organization
15
TOTAL
100
Beth Hubbard
Points Earned