The American Dream Essay Rubric

Rubric Made Using: RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org) CATEGORY Thesis Statement 4 Thesis statement is complete, concise, and gives the reader a comprehensible idea of what will follow in the paper. Thesis statement takes a stand regarding a character's and/or speaker's version of the American Dream, the social/historical implications that shape those dreams, and argues what elements could have been different to ensure that their dreams were fulfilled. Writing is purposeful and is supported with evidence from the texts. Writer has thought about their stance on the subject matter and references the book/poems frequently to support their ideas. For every idea/argument, there are between 3-4 quotes or paraphrased sentences cited. There are no organizational mistakes that distract from the purpose of the essay. Transitional sentences are smooth and enhance arguments from one paragraph to the next. There are no mistakes in the order of arguments and these choices make logical sense. There is a strong introduction. There are no mistakes in the introduction, which 3 Thesis statement is fairly clear and comprehensible. Thesis statement makes an argument but leaves out one of the elements required in the essay prompt. 2 Thesis statement is weak and difficult to understand. It lacks a strong argument and simply states facts/events from the book and/or poems rather than taking a stance on historical/social implications and other elements that can possibly shape the American Dream. 1 Essay has no thesis statement and no direction.

Content & Evidence

Writing is moderately supported with evidence from the texts. Writer has some good ideas about their subject matter, but lacks sufficient evidence to support claims. Every idea/argument cites about 2 quotes or paraphrased sentences.

Writing has limited support and evidence from the texts. Writer relies mostly on opinions and has minimal evidence. Every idea/argument cites only 1 quote or paraphrased sentence.

Writing has no support or evidence from the texts. Writer only uses opinions to make arguments. There are no quotes or paraphrased sentences cited in the essay.

Organization

There are 1-2 organizational mistakes that are minimally distracting from the purpose of the essay. There are some errors in transitional sentences. There may be 1-2 mistakes in how the arguments are ordered.

There are about 3-4 organizational mistakes. There are very few transitional sentences and they make it difficult to follow the arguments in upcoming paragraphs. There are 3-4 mistakes in how arguments are ordered.

There is little to no organization to the essay. There are 5 or more organizational mistakes. There are little to no transitional sentences and no logic to the order in which arguments are presented. Thoughts seem random and are confusing. The introduction is incomplete or is not written into the essay. All required elements

Introduction

There is a moderately strong introduction. The introduction may be missing a hook or

The introduction is incomplete and distracting from the rest of the essay. 2 elements

Writing Mechanics

includes a hook, background information, purpose and thesis statement. Sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are clear. No mistakes were made in any of these subcategories.

adequate background information. There are 1-2 mistakes in sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. These mistakes do not distract from the essay.

are missing from the introduction. There are 3-4 mistakes in sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. These mistakes distract from the overall meaning of the essay. The conclusion is incomplete and fails to tie in elements of the essay together. 2 elements are missing from the conclusion.

are missing from the introduction. There are many (more than 4) mistakes in sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Many sentences are incomprehensible because of these mechanical errors. The conclusion is incomplete or is not written into the essay. All required elements are missing from the conclusion.

Conclusion

There is a strong conclusion with no mistakes. The conclusion fully recaps what was discussed in the essay, reminds readers of what the thesis was, and provides a thoughtful conclusion that provides insight for future discussions.

There is a moderately strong conclusion. The conclusion may be missing one of the following elements: a recap of the thesis statement, a thoughtful conclusion, or insight into future discussions.