Short Story Rubric

This is the rubric I will be using to grade students' short stories when they are due (This will be sometime mid-October, but I will announce the specific date at the beginning of October). A rubric is a grading tool that grades a student's performance in different areas. Students should be at Level 3 in all areas indicated below when they submit their short stories. A "4" is exceptional and means the student is performing above grade level.

Story Writing : September 2008

Teacher Name: Ms. Capone


CATEGORY

4-Exceeding Standards

3-Meeting Standards

2-Approaching Standards

1-Below Standards

Engaging Beginning

4-Beginning of story has a very creative "grabber". Writer has used an effective writing technique to grab the reader's attention and to pull him/her into the story.

3-Beginning of story has some type of "grabber". Writer has chosen an effective writing technique in order to pull the reader into the story.

2-A catchy beginning was attempted but was missing an important component to ensure its effectiveness at grabbing the reader's attention.

1-No attempt was made to catch the reader's attention in the beginning of the story. Story begins abruptly or awkwardly.

Organization

4-The story is organized in such a way that the writer demonstrates mastery over segues from one scene to the next. Complex transitional elements are used to ensure the quality of the piece.

3-The story is well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions. There is no extraneous information.

2-The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear and/or parts of the story may be confusing. The story rambles in some parts.

1-Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged. The story rambles a lot.

Characters

4-The main characters are named and described so well that the reader feels as if he/she knows the characters personally. The writer uses a variety of strategies (such as dialogue, flashback, narrative action, descriptive words, etc) to bring the characters to life.

3-The main characters are named and described well. The writer uses a lot of details and some writing strategies to give the characters depth.

2-The main characters are named but the reader knows very little about the characters. More description is needed and the writer needs to use more writing strategies to develop effective characters.

1-It is hard to tell who the main characters are. The writer uses very little description to build characters.

Setting

4-Many vivid, descriptive words are used to tell when and where the story took place. The writer uses a plethora of sensory details to describe the tone/mood of the story. The reader feels as if he/she is living in the story.

3-Some vivid, descriptive words are used to tell the audience when and where the story took place. The writer uses some sensory details to build the setting and the tone/mood of the story is established.

2-The reader can figure out when and where the story took place, but the author didn't supply much detail.

1-The reader has trouble figuring out when and where the story took place. Few, if any, details are used.

Plot/Subplot

4-A complex plot is developed through the use of subplots. The writer naturally weaves the subplots together into the main plot to build suspense and hold reader interest. Neither the main plot nor the subplots feel forced.

3-It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem. Subplots are present and relate well to the main plot, however, at times they may be a bit forced.

2-There are no subplots present. A basic, simplistic plot is presented to build the story.

1-There are no subplots present and the plot is too simplistic to build an effective story.

Solution/Resolution

4-The writer ends the piece with a sense of solid closure that inspires reader reflection. The pieces of the plot don't have to be neatly wrapped up by the end of the story, but the writer has used creative writing strategies to bring the story to a close. There are no loose ends.

3-The writer ends the piece with a solid sense of closure. There are no loose ends.

2-The solution to the character's problem is a little hard to understand. The story doesn't quite feel completed yet. More detail and description are needed to fully bring the story to a close.

1-No solution is attempted or it is impossible to understand. OR the writer ends the piece with "to be continued," an inappropriate cliffhanger or the "dream copout."

Mechanics

4-There are no spelling, grammar or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout. The piece is ready for publication.

3-There are 2-3 spelling, grammar or punctuation errors in the final draft. The piece needs a few editing fixes before submitting for publication.

2-There are enough spelling, grammar and/or punctuation errors in the final draft to distract the reader. The piece needs another editing session.

1-The writer has not effectively edited his/her piece. The mechanical errors distract the reader from focusing on the story.

Style

4-A unique writer's voice has been established in this story. Writer uses a variety of sentence structures, details, description and vocabulary to naturally build the story. The writer has used many effective writing strategies throughout the entire piece which help the piece flow.

3-A writer's voice has been established in this story. Writer uses a variety of sentence structures, details, description and vocabulary to naturally build the story. The writer has used a few effective writing strategies throughout the entire piece which help the piece flow, but a few parts may feel forced or unnatural.

2-The writer has used some strategies to help build his/her voice but has not yet established it fully. More description is needed, and/or more writing strategies need to be used in order for the writer to make this piece his/her own.

1-The writer does not attempt to use enough description or uses very basic writing strategies throughout the piece.