Curriculum Leaders/NRRC Summer Writing Institute
Rubric Template 2012-13
Grade: 6
Subject: Writing
 Narrative
 Informative
 Argument
Writing Prompt
There are probably many things you like about your school. But, is there anything you think seems unfair or unreasonable? Think about the rules, expectations, and
requirements. Compose a letter to your principal convincing him or her to change one thing about the school policy. Give at least three reasons to support your argument.
Standards
6.W.1.
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
a.
Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
b. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
c.
Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
6.W.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
6.L.1.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a.
Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive).
b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
c.
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
e.
Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others' writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
6.L.2.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a.
Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
b. Spell correctly.
6.L3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.*
Maintain consistency in style and tone.*
6.L.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a.
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
c.
Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
6.L.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a.
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words.
c.
Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
6.L.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Suggested Administration (for example- accommodations, timeframes, etc):
2 /45 minute session
First session- Planning and Drafting - Second Session Revising and Editing
Trait

Ideas


Organization


Voice



Word Choice



Sentence Fluency




Conventions

(See Language
Standard pg. 1)

4
Exceeding
Claim(s) are introduced clearly and
creatively
Claim(s) are supported with many
clear reasons and relevant evidence,
demonstrating that the writer has an
in-depth understanding of the topic or
text



All reasons and evidence are logically
organized
Uses sophisticated words phrases and
clauses to clarify the relationships
among claims and reasons
Provides an interesting concluding
statement or section that follows from
the argument presented

Includes evidence of writer’s
personality and begs to be read aloud
Writer thoughtfully creates a personal
connection with the reader
Voice is consistently appropriate for
the purpose, audience, topic and/or
genre
Includes carefully chosen, precise
words to convey meaning
Words are engaging and consistently
appropriate for audience and purpose
Uses no overused words
Establishes and maintains a
sophisticated , formal style
throughout the piece
Includes all complete sentences
Creatively uses a variety of sentence
types (simple, compound, and
complex)
Includes many varied sentence
beginnings and lengths purposefully
for effect

Has no errors in grade level
appropriate grammar
Has no errors in grade level
appropriate punctuation and
capitalization
Has no errors in grade level
conventional spelling, spelling
patterns and generalizations and few
errors on above grade level words













3
Meeting
Claim(s) introduced clearly
Claim(s) are supported with clear
reasons and relevant evidence, using
credible sources demonstrating that
the writer has an understanding of the
topic or text
Establishes and maintains a formal
style throughout the piece



Most reasons and evidence are
logically organized
Uses words phrases and clauses to
clarify the relationships among claims
and reasons
Provides a concluding statement or
section that follows from the argument
presented

Includes evidence of writer’s
personality
Reader feels a connection with the
writer
Voice is mostly appropriate for the
purpose, audience, topic and/or genre

Includes precise words to convey
meaning
Words are consistently appropriate for
audience and purpose
Mostly avoids overused words

Includes a few incomplete sentences
relative to the length of the piece
Includes a variety of sentence types
(simple, compound, and complex)
Includes many varied sentence
beginnings and lengths

Has few errors in grade level
appropriate grammar
Has few errors in grade level
appropriate punctuation and
capitalization
Has no errors in grade level
conventional spelling and spelling
patterns and generalizations











2
Developing
Claim(s) introduced but may be vague
Inconsistently supports the claim(s) with
reasons that may not be clear, and
evidence that may not be relevant
Beginning to establish a formal style but
not maintained throughout the piece



1
Beginning
Claim is not evident
Does not support the claim with reasons and/or
credible evidence
A formal style throughout the piece is not
evident
Some reasons and evidence are logically
organized
Uses some words, phrases and clauses to
clarify the relationships among claims and
reasons
Provides a concluding statement or section
that is weak and/or may not follow from
the argument presented

Beginning to show evidence of writer’s
personality
Reader begins to feel a connection with
the writer
Voice is somewhat appropriate for the
purpose, audience, topic and/or genre



No evidence of writer’s personality
Reader feels no connection with the writer
Voice is not appropriate for the purpose,
audience, topic and/or genre
Includes some precise words to convey
meaning
Some words are appropriate for audience
and purpose
Includes some overused words

Includes no precise words and/or uses them
incorrectly
Many words are not appropriate for audience
and purpose
Includes many overused words
Includes some incomplete sentences
relative to the length of the piece
Includes some variety of sentence types
(simple, compound, and complex)
Includes some varied sentence beginnings
and lengths

Has some errors in grade level appropriate
grammar
Has some errors in grade level appropriate
punctuation and capitalization
Has few errors in grade level conventional
spelling and spelling patterns and
generalizations

Topic Development: _____/20 _________________
Conventions: _____/4 __________________
Exceeds (17-20), Meets (14-16), Developing (8-13), Beginning (5-7),
Exceeds (4), Meets (3), Developing (2), Beginning (1)
Name:________________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________








Reasons and evidence are not logically
organized
Does not use words, phrases and clauses to
clarify the relationships among claims and
reasons
No concluding statement or section is evident
Includes many incomplete sentences relative to
the length of the piece
Includes a limited variety of sentence types
(simple, compound, and complex)
Includes few or no varied sentence beginnings
and lengths
Has multiple errors in grade level appropriate
grammar
Has multiple errors in grade level appropriate
punctuation and capitalization
Has some errors in grade level conventional
spelling and spelling patterns and
generalizations
Total Score Combined: ______/24__________________
Exceeds (20-24), Meets (16-19), Developing (9-15), Beginning (6-8)