Kindergarten Writing Rubric - (Argumentation)
Scoring
Elements
Focus/Opinion
W.K.1
Organization
W.K.1
Language –
Conventions of
Grammar and
Usage
L.K.1a
Language –
Conventions of
Capitalization,
Punctuation, and
Spelling
L.K.2a-d
Not Yet
1
 Responds with some
or no statements,
phrases, and/or
drawing(s) related to
the prompt
 Identifies opinion in
drawing(s) or not at all
 Identifies opinion that
is off-topic or missing
 Prints few upper and
lower case letters
correctly
 Demonstrates little to
no proficiency of
proper spacing
between words and
word placement on the
lines
 Capitalizes incorrectly
with many errors
 Does not use end
punctuation
 Writes letters with little
to no sound/spelling
correspondence of
consonants and short
vowels
 Spells few to no
simple words
phonetically
1.5
Approaches Expectations
2
 Responds with most
statements, phrases,
and/or drawing(s)
related to the prompt
2.5
Meets Expectations
3
 Responds with all
statements, phrases,
and/or drawing(s)
related to the prompt
 Identifies opinion in a
student dictated
phrase or sentence
 Identifies an opinion
that may be unclear
 Identifies opinion in a
phrase or sentence
 Identifies opinion
clearly
 Prints some upper and
lower case letters
correctly
 Demonstrates some
proficiency of proper
spacing between
words and word
placement on the lines
 Prints many upper and
lower case letters
correctly
 Demonstrates
proficiency of proper
spacing between most
words and word
placement on the lines
 Capitalizes correctly
and consistently with
some errors: first word
in a sentence and the
pronoun “I”
 Uses end punctuation
inconsistently and
incorrectly
 Inconsistently writes
letters for consonant
and short-vowel
sounds
 Spells some simple
words phonetically
 Capitalizes correctly
and consistently with a
minor error: first word
in a sentence and the
pronoun “I”
 Uses end punctuation
inconsistently but
correctly
 Writes letters for most
consonant and shortvowel sounds
 Spells simple words
phonetically
3.5
Advanced
4
 Responds with all
statements related to the
prompt
 Identifies opinion in topic
sentence
 Supplies a reason for the
opinion
 Provides some sense of
closure
 Prints all upper and lower
case letter correctly
 Demonstrates mastery of
proper spacing between all
words and word placement
on the lines
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with no errors:
first word in a sentence,
“I”, and proper nouns
 Uses end punctuation
consistently and correctly
 Uses conventional spelling
for words with common
spelling patterns
 Spells irregular and/or
high-frequency words
correctly
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment
Since the rubric score of “4” represents “above grade level” work, the 1st grade standards were referenced.
Strand (Domain)
W.K.1
Writing
LanguageConventions of
Grammar and
Usage
L.K.1
L.K.2
Language –
Conventions of
Capitalization,
Punctuation, and
Spelling
1st Grade
Kindergarten
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing
to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a
reader the topic or the name of the book they are
writing about and state an opinion or preferences
about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
L.K.2a Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the
pronoun I.
L.K.2b Recognize and name end punctuation.
L.K.2c Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short
vowel sound (phonemes).
L.K.2d Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on
knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
W.1.1
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the
topic or name the book they are writing about, state
an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and
provide some sense of closure.
L.1.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
L.1.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Capitalize dates and names of people.
Use end punctuation for sentences.
Use conventional spelling for words with common
spelling patterns and for frequently occurring
irregular words.
Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on
phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
L.1.2a
L.1.2b
L.1.2d
L.1.2e
Kindergarten Writing Rubric - (Informative/Explanatory)
Scoring
Elements
Focus/Opinion
W.K.2
Organization
W.K.2
Language –
Conventions of
Grammar and
Usage
L.K.1a
Language –
Conventions of
Capitalization,
Punctuation, and
Spelling
L.K.2a-d
Not Yet
1
 Responds with some or no
statements, phrases,
and/or drawing(s) related
to the prompt
 Identifies topic in
drawing(s) or not at all
 Supplies no information
about topic
 Prints few upper and lower
case letters correctly
 Demonstrates little to no
proficiency of proper
spacing between words
and word placement on the
lines
 Capitalizes incorrectly with
many errors
 Does not use end
punctuation
 Writes letters with little to
no sound/spelling
correspondence of
consonants and short
vowels
 Spells few to no simple
words phonetically
1.5
Approaches Expectations
2
 Responds with most
statements, phrases,
and/or drawing(s) related
to the prompt
 Identifies topic about which
they are writing in a
student-dictated phrase or
sentence
 Attempts to supply some
information but may be
unrelated to topic
 Prints some upper and
lower case letters correctly
 Demonstrates some
proficiency of proper
spacing between words
and word placement on the
lines
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with some
errors: first word in a
sentence and the pronoun
“I”
 Uses end punctuation
inconsistently and
incorrectly
 Inconsistently writes letters
for consonant and shortvowel sounds
 Spells some simple words
phonetically
2.5
Meets Expectations
3
 Responds with all
statements, phrases,
and/or drawing(s) related
to the prompt
 Identifies topic about which
they are writing
 Supplies some information
about the topic
3.5
Advanced
4
 Responds with all
statements related to the
prompt
 Identifies topic in
introductory sentence
 Supplies some facts about
the topic
 Provides some sense of
closure
 Prints many upper and
lower case letters correctly
 Demonstrates proficiency
of proper spacing between
most words and word
placement on the lines
 Prints all upper and lower
case letter correctly
 Demonstrates mastery of
proper spacing between all
words and word placement
on the lines
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with a minor
error: first word in a
sentence and the pronoun
“I”
 Uses end punctuation
inconsistently but correctly
 Writes letters for most
consonant and short-vowel
sounds
 Spells simple words
phonetically
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with no errors:
first word in a sentence, “I”,
and proper nouns
 Uses end punctuation
consistently and correctly
 Uses conventional spelling
for words with common
spelling patterns
 Spells irregular and/or
high-frequency words
correctly
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment
Since the rubric score of “4” represents “above grade level” work, the 1st grade standards were referenced.
Strand (Domain)
W.K.2
Writing
LanguageConventions of
Grammar and
Usage
L.K.1
L.K.2
Language –
Conventions of
Capitalization,
Punctuation, and
Spelling
1st Grade
Kindergarten
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing
to compose informative/explanatory texts in which
they name what they are writing about and supply
some information about the topic.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
L.K.2a Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the
pronoun I.
L.K.2b Recognize and name end punctuation.
L.K.2c Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short
vowel sound (phonemes).
L.K.2d Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on
knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
W.1.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they
name a topic, supply some facts about the topic,
and provide some sense of closure.
L.1.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
L.1.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Capitalize dates and names of people.
Use end punctuation for sentences.
Use conventional spelling for words with common
spelling patterns and for frequently occurring
irregular words.
Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on
phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
L.1.2a
L.1.2b
L.1.2d
L.1.2e
Kindergarten Writing Rubric - (Narrative)
Scoring
Elements
Not Yet
1
 Uses drawing and dictating
to narrate a single event
Focus/Opinion
W.K.3
Organization/Plot
W.K.3
Narrative
Techniques
W.K.3
Language –
Conventions of
Grammar and
Usage
L.K.1a
Language –
Conventions of
Capitalization,
Punctuation, and
Spelling
L.K.2a-d
 No events are present
 Provides no reaction to
what happened
 Prints few upper and lower
case letters correctly
 Demonstrates little to no
proficiency of proper
spacing between words
and word placement on the
lines
 Capitalizes incorrectly with
many errors
 Does not use end
punctuation
 Writes letters with little to
no sound/spelling
correspondence of
consonants and short
vowels
 Spells few to no simple
words phonetically
1.5
Approaches Expectations
2
 Attempts to use a
combination of drawing,
dictating, and writing to
narrate a single event.
Missing information
provides confusion.
 Events are present but
may not be in the order of
which they occurred
 Provides an inappropriate
or confusing reaction to
what happened
 Prints some upper and
lower case letters correctly
 Demonstrates some
proficiency of proper
spacing between words
and word placement on the
lines
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with some
errors: first word in a
sentence and the pronoun
“I”
 Uses end punctuation
inconsistently and
incorrectly
 Inconsistently writes letters
for consonant and shortvowel sounds
 Spells some simple words
phonetically
2.5
Meets Expectations
3
 Uses a combination of
drawing, dictating, and
writing to narrate a single
event or several loosely
linked events
 Tells about events in the
order in which they
occurred
 Provides a reaction to what
happened
3.5
Advanced
4
 Establishes a wellelaborated piece of writing
to narrate a single event or
several linked events
 Uses temporal words to
signal event order
 Prints many upper and
lower case letters correctly
 Demonstrates proficiency
of proper spacing between
most words and word
placement on the lines
 Includes details to describe
a reaction to what
happened
 Prints all upper and lower
case letter correctly
 Demonstrates mastery of
proper spacing between all
words and word placement
on the lines
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with a minor
error: first word in a
sentence and the pronoun
“I”
 Uses end punctuation
inconsistently but correctly
 Writes letters for most
consonant and short-vowel
sounds
 Spells simple words
phonetically
 Capitalizes correctly and
consistently with no errors:
first word in a sentence, “I”,
and proper nouns
 Uses end punctuation
consistently and correctly
 Uses conventional spelling
for words with common
spelling patterns
 Spells irregular and/or
high-frequency words
correctly
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment
Since the rubric score of “4” represents “above grade level” work, the 1st grade standards were referenced.
Strand (Domain)
W.K.3
Writing
LanguageConventions of
Grammar and
Usage
L.K.1
L.K.2
Language –
Conventions of
Capitalization,
Punctuation, and
Spelling
1st Grade
Kindergarten
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing
to narrate a single event or several loosely linked
events, tell about the events in the order in which
they occurred, and provide a reaction to what
happened.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
L.K.2a Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the
pronoun I.
L.K.2b Recognize and name end punctuation.
L.K.2c Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short
vowel sound (phonemes).
L.K.2d Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on
knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
W.1.3
L.1.1
L.1.2
L.1.2a
L.1.2b
L.1.2d
L.1.2e
Write narratives in which they recount two or more
appropriately sequenced events, include some
details regarding what happened, use temporal
words to signal event order, and provide some
sense of closure.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Capitalize dates and names of people.
Use end punctuation for sentences.
Use conventional spelling for words with common
spelling patterns and for frequently occurring
irregular words.
Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on
phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.