9th English CP
Silas Marner Essay rubrics
Directions: This step-by-step guide must be adapted to the focus of your specific topic, but it
provides a general framework for approaching your essay. Each essay topic spells out a broad
them, but it is your responsibility to shape and form a more narrow and focused thesis for your
five-paragraph essay.
Step 1: Gather evidence & using critical thinking skills early in the process. You have
had the essay topics since you began reading Silas Marner. I encouraged you to select your
essay topic early, so you could gather evidence all along. I also encouraged you to loop back
and catch up over vacation. While gathering quotes relevant to your essay topic, I encouraged
you to jot down notes about the scene this emerged in, and give some thoughts on what the
quote references, how you might use the information in your essay, etc. Thinking through the
quote will help ideas start forming your mind about your thesis and subtopics.
Step 2: Sort your evidence into three subtopic themes, all of which related to an
overarching theme for your essay. You can different colored highlighters, or cut and paste
quotes relevant to each subtopic on a separate paper. Only work with one subtopic at a time.
Step 3: Brainstorm and Outline. You can use the Inspiration Software to help you cluster,
sort and develop an outline for your essay. Use this graphic organizer to clarify the steps in your
essay. You can also do this step first, then use Inspiration to add in the details to develop a
more complete outline. You will be graded on your outline.
Subtopic Paragraph 1 Unifying theme:
Arguments and Evidence to support subtopic 1 unifying theme:
Argument 1:
Evidence:
Argument 2:
Evidence:
Argument 3:
Evidence:
Subtopic 2: Unifying theme:
Argument 1:
Evidence:
Argument 2:
Evidence:
Argument 3:
Evidence:
Subtopic 3: Unifying Theme
Argument 1:
Evidence:
Argument 2:
Evidence:
Argument 3:
Evidence:
Step 4: Write up each subtopic paragraph. Make sure you have a clear TOPIC sentence which
establishes the topic or theme you will prove in that specific paragraph. Make sure you have a
CONCLUDING sentence that restates the unifying theme and points to the next paragraph.
Double-check that you have a topic and concluding sentence for each subtopic paragraph.
Step 5: Clarify your thesis. A thesis has two parts: (a) establishes the unifying theme for the entire
essay, and (b) directs the reader to the sequence of subtopic paragraph themes.
Unifying theme + 3 step directions to subtopic paragraph theme:
Step 6: Write Introduction
Hook:
Introduce topic from general to specific: Mention title, author and date of the book (1860). Give a brief
overview of the novel, and quickly focus your introduction toward your essay topic.
Thesis: Your thesis statement appears as your last sentence (or two) of the introduction.
Step 7: Write Conclusion
Restate Thesis:
Leave reader with a “most significant” point to remember:
End with a clincher that relates back to your hook in the introduction:
Step 8: Write title
Titles should grab the readers attention, and relate to your clincher and hook.
Use a subtitle like: A Study of Community (or Nature Images, etc.) in Silas Marner
Step 9: HAND IN a thorough OUTLINE with your essay. You will receive a separate grade on the
OUTLINE.
Step10: Create a complete title page, with Title centered, and include your name, the course name
and the date.
Step 11: Writing checklist
VERB Quality:
* avoided passive verbs
* avoided helping verbs
* varied linking verbs
* varied action verbs
* used consistent past tense
No contractions
Used third person, formal voice
Used proper capitalization
Used proper punctuation
No run-ons, fragments, dangling modifiers
Proper spelling, no typos
Put punctuation inside quotations