First Grade Opinion Writing Rubric

Pre-Kindergarten 1.5 Kindergarten 2.5 Grade 1 3.5 Grade 2

Score
*See Note 1 Pt=Below Pts= 2 Pts=Basic Pts = 3 Pts=Meets Pts = 4 Pts= Excels
Below* Below Basic Excels
Structure
Overall Told about Told, drew, and wrote Wrote his/her opinion or Wrote his/her
something he/she his/her opinion or likes and dislikes and said opinion or likes and
liked or disliked with likes and dislikes why dislikes and gave reasons
pictures and some about a topic or book for the opinion
writing.
Lead Started by drawing Wrote his/her opinion Wrote a beginning in Wrote a beginning
or saying something. in the beginning which he/she got readers In which he/she not only
attention--Named the gave his/her opinion, but
topic or text he/she was also
writing about and gave set readers up to expect
his/her opinion that his/her writing would
Mid-Level

Mid-Level
try to convince them of it

Mid-Level
Transitions Continued writing Wrote his/her idea Writer more about his/her Connected parts of
and then said more opinion and used words his/her piece using words
He/she used words such as and and because such as also, another, and
such as because because
Ending Ended working when Attempted to write an Wrote an ending for Wrote an ending in which
he/she stopped ending his/her piece he/she reminded readers
drawing and/or of his/her opinion
writing
Organization There was a place for Stated his/her opinion Wrote a part where The piece had different
drawing and a place in one place and in he/she got readers parts with some reasons
where he/she tried another place told attention and a part when or examples to support
to write words why he/she said more the stated opinion
Development
Elaboration Put more and more Put everything he/she Wrote at least one reason Wrote at least two
X2 on the page thought about topic for his/her opinion reasons and wrote
(or book) on the page at least a few sentences
Mid-Level

Mid-Level

Mid-Level
about each reason
Craft Drew and/or wrote Drew and wrote some Used labels and/or Chose words to persuade
X2 some things about details descriptive words to give readers to agree with the
what he/she liked details stated opinion
and disliked
Language Conventions
Spelling Read his/her picture Could read his/her Used all he/she knew Used what he/she knew
and some of the writing-Wrote a letter about words and chunks about spelling patterns
wordsTried to for sounds heard-Used to help spell (at,op,it,etc.) (tion, er, ly, etc.) to spell
make words the word wall to help Spelled the grade wordsSpelled the
spell appropriate words grade appropriate words
correctly and used the correctly and used the
Mid-Level

Mid-level

Mid-level

word wall word wall

Punctuation Labeled pictures and Put spaces between
wrote name words-Mostly used
lowercase letters
unless capitals were
needed-Started most
sentences with an
uppercase letter
*Note: If a student does not have the skill(s) listed as a 1, give the student 0
Ended sentences with Used quotation marks to
correct punctuation-Used show what characters
uppercase letter for said
names-Used commas in ---Used apostrophes
dates and lists in words such as
cant and dont
Total Points

Report Scale Score Online

Number of Points Scaled Score Status Number of Points Scaled Score Status
0 0 Refuses to write 22.5 - 27.5 2.5 Basic
1 11 1 Below 28 - 33 3 Meets
11.5 16.5 1.5 Below 33.5 38.5 3.5 Excels
17 - 22 2 Basic 39 44 4 Excels

Complied Information from Lucy Calkins and Colleagues from the Teachers College Reading and Writing 2013 BCPS/Dec.2014