Name ____________________________ Block ______

Writing a Letter About Hardships of the Depression

During your tour of the country, you learned about ordinary Americans who experienced the Great Depression. Like Lorena Hickok, you will now report your discoveries. Use the information in your scrapbook to write a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt describing the hardships people endured during the Depression. Your letter must have the following: An appropriate date, salutation, and closing. A brief introduction summarizing the states you visited and the types of people you met. A description of your visit to at least two states. For each state, include information on the hardships people faced during the Depression and the ways in which they endured those hardships. a quotation and one or more facts from the reading. any relevant key content terms. At least four of these words: betrayal, change, depressed, desperation, destitute, dreadful, encourage, honorable, hope, ideals, plague, pride, self-respect, shame, stress, suffer, worth. A conclusion summarizing your thoughts about how ordinary Americans endured the hardships they faced during this time period.

Attribute
*Evidence

4
The letter has a vivid description of your visit. Includes multiple hardships faced by Americans and includes an insightful quote. The beginning contains a clear statement of introduction. The middle provides clear support. The ending summarizes your thoughts Precise words create a clear message and fit the purpose. Used four or more of the required words. Variety is seen in both the types of sentences and their beginnings.

3
The letter has a clear description of your visit. Includes some hardships faced by Americans and includes a relevant quote. The writing has a clear beginning, middle, and ending, but one of those parts needs to be strengthened. Accurate words create a message. More persuasive words are needed. Used three of the required words. Varied sentence beginnings are used. Sentence variety would make the letter more interesting to read. Grammar and punctuation errors are seen in a few sentences and are distracting where they appear.

2
The letter has some description of your visit. Includes limited hardships faced by Americans and includes a quote. The writing has a beginning, middle, and ending, but two of those parts are weak.

1
The letter has minimal or no description of your visit. Includes none or almost none of the hardships faced by American. Quote may be missing or irrelevant The beginning, middle, and ending run together.

Organization

Word Choice

Sentence Fluency Conventions

More precise and accurate words are needed to create a clear message. Used two of the required words. Varied sentence beginnings are needed. Sentence variety would make the letter more interesting. Some errors cause confusion.

The words do not create a clear message. Use one or none of the required words Most of the sentences begin the same way. Most sentences are simple. Some compound and complex sentences are needed. Frequent errors make the essay difficult to read.

Grammar and punctuation errors are few and are not distracting.

*Weighted much heavier than other categories