Open-Ended Response Rubric

Domain

Diagrams and/or graphs are lacking

Vocabulary is not used effectively
Lacking varied, precise, and
engaging language that is
appropriate for the expository
genre

Style

Lacking logical and appropriate

sequencing and/or grouping of ideas
Lacking effective transitions
Lacking engaging introduction and
conclusion that provides a sense of
closure

Organization

1 (lacking)
Mathematical content is
incomplete and/or incorrect
No logical examples or details
are provided
Lacking focus on assigned
topic
Absence of appropriate facts
and details
Fails to exclude extraneous
details and inappropriate
information

Sufficiently logical and appropriate

sequencing and/or grouping of ideas
Sufficiently effective transitions
Sufficiently engaging introduction and
conclusion that provides a sense of
closure

Diagrams and/or graphs are

sufficiently used
Vocabulary is sufficiently used
effectively
Sufficiently varied, precise, and
engaging language that is
appropriate for the expository
genre

Content (Ideas: Expository/

Informational)

2 (sufficient)
Mathematical content is mostly
complete and correct
Some logical examples and
some details are provided
Sufficient focus on assigned
topic
Sufficiently includes
appropriate facts and details
Sufficiently excludes
extraneous details and
inappropriate information

Diagrams and/or graphs are used

effectively
Vocabulary is used effectively
Varied, precise, and engaging
language that is appropriate for
the expository genre

3 (full
command)

Logical and appropriate sequencing

and/or grouping of ideas
Effective transitions
Engaging introduction and conclusion that
provides a sense of closure
Mathematical content is
complete and correct
Logical examples and details
are provided
Consistent focus on assigned
topic
Fully includes appropriate facts
and details
Fully excludes extraneous
details and inappropriate
information

Date:__________________

Journal 1a

Prompt: A triangle is currently in quadrant I of a coordinate plane. Describe at least two ways that
you could move it to quadrant III.
Vocabulary: transformation, translation, reflection, rotation, x-axis, y-axis
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 1b
Date:__________________
Prompt: A square is currently in quadrant I of a coordinate plane. Describe at least two ways that you
could move it to quadrant IV.
Vocabulary: transformation, translation, reflection, rotation, x-axis, y-axis
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 2a
Date:__________________
Prompt: You are given a design and asked to double its size. What would your scale factor be?
Explain and give an example.
Vocabulary: scale factor, dilation
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 2b
Date:__________________
Prompt: You are given a design and asked to halve its size. What would your scale factor be?
Explain and give an example.
Vocabulary: scale factor, dilation
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 3a
Date:__________________
Prompt: Explain how you know the two figures are similar.
Vocabulary: scale factor, ratio
Response:

2
3

7.5

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 3b
Date:__________________
Prompt: Find values for x and y that would make the two figures similar. Explain why your numbers
work.
Vocabulary: scale factor, ratio
Response:

y
x

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 4a
Date:__________________
Prompt: Explain two ways you can find the value of x.
Vocabulary: sum, difference
Response:
60o

2o
40

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 4b
Date:__________________
Prompt: Find the value of x. Explain your reasoning.
Vocabulary:
Response:
xo

30o

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

40o

x + 60

Total___/12

Journal 5a
Prompt: How do you know that x3 x4 x12 ?

Date:__________________

Vocabulary: exponent, base

Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Journal 5b
Prompt: How do you know that x8/x4 x2?

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Date:__________________

Vocabulary: exponent, base

Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 6
Date:__________________
2
Prompt: When would x be greater than 1? When would it be equal to 1? When would it be less than
1?
Vocabulary: base, positive, negative, denominator
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 7
Date:__________________
8
Prompt: How do you know that 4.6 x 10 is not twice 2.3 x 104?
Vocabulary: scientific notation, standard form
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 8
Date:__________________
Prompt: What is a perfect square? How can you estimate the value of a non-perfect square without a
calculator?
Vocabulary: perfect square
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 9
Date:__________________
Prompt: Can a number be both rational and irrational? Explain.
Vocabulary: rational, irrational
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 10
Date:__________________
Prompt: What does it mean to solve an equation? How do you know when youre done?
Vocabulary: inverse operations, variable
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 11
Date:__________________
Prompt: Describe and correct the mistakes in the equation.
Vocabulary: inverse operations, like terms
Response:
3x + 4 = 5x 12
8x + 4 = -12
x = -16
x = -2

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 12
Date:__________________
Prompt: How do you know that the equation 5(x + 2) = -3 + 5x has no solution? How can you tell
when an equation has infinite solutions?
Vocabulary: distribute
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 13
Date:__________________
Prompt: The perimeter of a rectangular photo is 22 in. The length is 1 in more than the width. Find
the dimensions of the photo and explain your solution.
Vocabulary: inverse operations, like terms
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 14
Date:__________________
Prompt: If you know the length of the legs of a right triangle, explain how you can find the length of
the hypotenuse.
Vocabulary: hypotenuse, legs, Pythagorean Theorem
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 15
Date:__________________
Prompt: Explain and show how you can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between
the points (-2,-3) and (1,4)
Vocabulary: hypotenuse, Pythagorean Theorem
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 16
Date:__________________
Prompt: Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum both take off from the same starting point. Dee travels 18 miles N
and Dum travels 24 miles W. Draw a diagram and explain how far apart they are now.

Vocabulary: hypotenuse, legs, Pythagorean Theorem

Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 17
Date:__________________
Prompt: Explain how to find the volume of the figure below.
Vocabulary: cone, sphere
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 18
Date:__________________
Prompt: Is the square root of 64 the same as the cube root of 64? Explain.
Vocabulary: square root, cube root
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 19
Date:__________________
Prompt: A cone has a height of 4 in and a volume of 64 in3. Explain how to find the volume of the
cone.
Vocabulary: cone, formula
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 20
Date:__________________
Prompt: Compare and contrast functions and relations. Give at least one example of each.
Vocabulary: function, relation, domain, range, vertical line test
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 21
Date:__________________
Prompt: Which table is an example of a linear function? Explain how you know.
Vocabulary: linear, nonlinear
Response:

Table A
x
-2
-1
0
1
2

Score:

Content 2 4 6

Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

y
12
10
8
6
4

Total___/12

Table B
x
-2
-1
0
1
2

y
5
2
1
2
5

Journal 24
Date:__________________
Prompt: Find and correct the mistake. (3,-4) and (-2,6). m= -2 - 3
6--4

Vocabulary: rise, run, slope, numerator, denominator

Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 25
Date:__________________
Prompt: How do you know that (2,-1) is a solution of y= -3x + 5?
Vocabulary: ordered pair, solution
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 26
Date:__________________
Prompt: You apply for a job. Your pay is described by the equation y=10x+500 where x=# hours worked and
y=total pay. Explain what this means.

Vocabulary: rate of change, constant, slope-intercept form

Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 27
Date:__________________
Prompt: How do you know that the y-intercept of 2x 3y = 15 is -5?
Vocabulary: standard form, slope-intercept form, y-intercept
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 28
Date:__________________
Prompt: Write the equation of a line that is parallel to y = 3x 4. How do you know it is parallel? Write the
equation of a line that is perpendicular to the first two. How do know it is perpendicular?

Vocabulary: slope, y-intercept, opposite reciprocals

Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 29
Date:__________________
Prompt: Describe a situation that could be described by the graph.
Vocabulary: rate of change, constant
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 30
Date:__________________
Prompt: Dana filled her gas tank and drove at 60mph until her tank was empty. Explain the meaning of the xintercept, y-intercept and slope in the graph.

gas

Vocabulary: slope, y-intercept, x-intercept

Response:

distance

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 31
Date:__________________
Prompt: Explain at least two ways you can find the solution of the system 4x-y=12 and y-3x= -6
Vocabulary: solution, system of equations, intersection
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 32
Date:__________________
Prompt: How do you know that system 5x y = -5 and y = 5x + 1 has no solution?
Vocabulary: system, no solution, parallel
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12

Journal 33
Date:__________________
Prompt: Mr. Nelson went to Taco Town to get lunch for the 8th grade teachers. He bought 8 tacos
and 5 burritos for a total of $13.27 before tax. The next day, he went back to Taco Town and got 6
tacos and 7 burritos for a total of $14.47 before tax. Find the cost of one taco and one burrito.
Response:

Score: Content 2 4 6
Comments:

Style 1 2 3

Organization 1 2 3

Total___/12