EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

RESEARCH PAPER WRITING RUBRIC - GRADE 8

Student_________________________Teacher________________________
SCORE_______
(4 - EXCELLENT; 3 - ACCEPTABLE; 2 - BELOW AVERAGE;
1 - UNACCEPTABLE)
Score Traits
CLEAR, WELL ORGANIZED, WELL DEVELOPED IDEAS
___4 ! Main idea (thesis) is clear.
___3 ! Each paragraph has a clear topic and concluding sentence.
___2
! Topic sentences in body paragraphs clearly relate to main idea (thesis).
___1
! Supporting details clearly relate to topic sentences.
! Transitions are used.
! Introduction, body, conclusion provide logical sequencing of ideas, leading to understandable
explanation, instruction, definition, (or other expository content).
SENTENCE VARIATION IN PARAGRAPHS
___4 ! Lead sentence captures the reader's attention.
___3 ! Intro. participial phrase (Running with great speed, she won . . .) (Surprised by the party, she . . .)
___2
! 2 independent clauses separated by semicolon (Sam won the race; he is an excellent runner.)
___1
! Compound sentence (Marti won the race, and Sam came in third.)
! Appositive phrase (Marti, the best sprinter on the team, won . . .)
! Intro. prepositional phrase (With a burst of speed, Sam . . .)
! Intro. adverb clause (When Marti won the race, she . . .)
! Variety of sentence length
WORD CHOICE AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
___4 ! Strong verbs are used; passive voice and be verbs are not overused
___3 ! No vague, overused, repetitive language is used (a lot, great, very, really, etc.)
___2
! Metaphor (Our house is a zoo.)
___1
! Simile (Our house is like a circus.)
! Personification (The Statue of Liberty whispers a message of hope to new Americans.)
RESEARCH PAPER REQUIREMENTS
___4 ! 3 or more sources were used; one source may be an Internet source.
___3 ! Bibliography card format is correct.
___2
! Research notes are on notecards or are highlighted (or underlined) on photocopies of source.
___1
! Outline data is logical and clear; outline is in proper form.
! Title page is in proper form.
! Information from bibliography sources is cited properly (all information except "common" or
"general" knowledge is cited parenthetically, and all quotations are cited parenthetically).
! Works Cited page is a list of the works cited in the paper; it is in alphabetical order; 3 or more
citations have been made in the body of the paper.
GRAMMAR, USAGE, MECHANICS
___4 ! No run-on sentences
___3
! No sentence fragments
___2
! Subject/verb agreement
___1
! Correct verb tense usage
! No use of contractions
! Punctuation is correct.
! Capitalization is correct.
! Spelling is correct.
©Patty Foster 2004
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