Iambic Pentameter Poem Rubric
Criteria
Imagery
Tone and Variations
Level 1
There is no evidence of
imagery in the poem; no
evidence of the
understanding of
imagery
The imagery is applied
to standard words or
phrases, but it is not
very vivid
Iambic Pentameter
There is no recognizable
rhythm to the poem
Line/Word Spacing
The poem looks like
prose; no clear sense of
the significance of
spacing
Content
Poem has no topic, is
disjointed, and is hard to
understand
Level 2
There is evidence of
imagery, but it is
randomly applied, thus
indicating lack of clear
understanding
The tone or mood of the
poem is somewhat clear,
but inconsistent;
variation does no
indicate any change in
emotion
There appears to be
rhythm to the poem, but
it is somewhat
inconsistent
The text is formatted in
poem "form", but the
spacing does not seem
purposeful
Level 3
The imagery is applied
to standard words or
phrases, but it is not
very vivid
Level 4
The imagery is applied
to standard words or
phrases, but it is not
very vivid
The tone or mood of the
poem is somewhat clear,
but inconsistent;
variation does no
indicate any change in
emotion
The rhythm of the poem
is easily recognized, but
does not make sense
with the content
Some spacing seems
purposeful and creative,
other spacing seems
accidental or random
Poem has a topic
although it does not
seem to flow from line to
line. It may feel forced
and be hard to
understand
Poem has a topic, flows
well from line to line,
and can be understood
without much work
The tone or mood of the
poem is somewhat clear,
but inconsistent;
variation does not
indicate any change in
emotion
The rhythm of the poem
is easily recognized and
clearly consistent with
the context
The poem's line and
word spacing is creative,
purposeful, and
enhances the meaning of
the poem
Poem has a clear topic,
flows naturally from line
to line and is easy to
follow and understand