Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Ideas

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Ideasareunclear;thewriter’sprintsenseisjustbeginning

• Supportingdetailsarenotpresent

• Picturesarenotclear

• Focusisnotpresent

• Thereisnodevelopmentoftheidea

• Idea(s)areconveyedinageneralwaythroughtext,labels,symbols

• Supportingdetailsarenotpresent

• Picturesconnectwithaword,label,orsymbol

• Thewritingisunclearorextremelylimited

• Thereisnodevelopmentoftheidea

• Abigideaisstated

• Supportingdetailsareminimal

• Pictures,graphs,andcharts(ifpresent)offersupportingdetails

• Thewritingislimitedtoonesentence(orrepeatsthesameidea)

• Thedevelopmentoftheideaissimplistic

• Thebigideaisclear,butgeneral;thewritinginvolvesasimplestoryorexplanation

• Supportingdetailsarepresent

• Pictures,graphs,andcharts(ifpresent)supportthetext

• Thewritingisgenerallyontopic,withafewmissteps

• Thedevelopmentoftheideaisadequate

• Thebigideaisclear;thetopicisnarrowed

• Supportingdetailsarerelevant,logical,andmostlyaccurate

• Pictures,graphs,andcharts(ifpresent)clarifythetext

• Thewritingisgenerallyfocusedandusuallystaysontopic

• Thedevelopmentoftheideaiscomplete

• Thebigideaisclearandoriginal;thetopicisnarrowed

• Supportingdetailsarerelevant,accurate,andspecific

• Pictures,graphs,andcharts(ifpresent)enhancethetext

• Thewritingisfocusedandstaysontopic

• Thedevelopmentoftheideaisgenerousandcomplete

©2013,EducationNorthwest

©2013,EducationNorthwest

Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Organization

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Thereisnosenseofstructure

• Pictureelementsarerandom,scattered,orunbalanced

• Therearenotransitions

• Thereisnosenseofsequencing

• Thereisnobeginning

• Thereisnosenseofformatting

• Asenseofstructureisbeginningtoemerge

• Picturesshowattemptstoorderandbalanceelements

• Transitionsarenotpresent

• Sequencingisnotpresent

• Abeginningisattempted;thereisnomiddleorend

• Formattingsignsareemerging(left-rightorientation,pictureandtextplacement,spacing)

• Astructureispresent

• Pictureelementsareplacedlogically

• Transitionsaremissingorrelysolelyuponconnectives(“and,”“andthen”)

• Sequencingisnotpresentorisconfusing

• Abarebeginningandmiddlearepresent;thereisnoclearending

• Textandpicturesaregenerallyformattedcorrectlyonthepage

• Structureisclearlypresentandiscompleteinapredictablemanner

• Pictures(ifpresent)showthoughtfulplacementofelements

• Transitionsworkinapredictablefashion

• Sequencingmaytakeacircuitousroute,butthereadercanfollowit

• Abeginning,middle,andpredictableendingarepresent(“theend”)

• Theformatisgenerallyaccurateintheplacementofelements

• Thestructureiseasytofollow

• Pictures(ifpresent)clarifythetext

• Transitionsaresomewhatvaried

• Sequencingissound

• Aninvitingleadandaconcludingsentencearepresent

• Theformatisclear

• Thestructureshowcasesthemainidea

• Pictures(ifpresent)enhancethetext

• Transitionsaresmoothandvaried

• Sequencingshowsplanningforimpact

• Aninvitingleadandadevelopedendingarepresent

• Theformatassiststhereader’sorientation

©2013,EducationNorthwest

Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Voice

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Notenoughtextispresenttoconveyamoodorfeeling

• Picturesarehardtointerpret

• Audienceawarenessisnotyetpresent

• Individualexpressionisnotyetpresent

• Ageneralfeelingiscapturedinwordsand/orpictures

• Picturescaptureamood,asimpleemotion,oranaction

• Thewriter’sawarenessofaudienceisnotyetpresentorclear

• Thewriter’sindividualexpressionisstillemerging

• Thewriter’sfeelingsaboutthetopicareexpressedinafewwords/punctuation(e.g.,“fun,”underlining,ortheuseofanexclamationpoint)

• Picturesshowexpressioninfacesandincludedetails

• Thewriter’sawarenessofaudienceispresentinageneralway

• Thewritingshowssomesignsofindividualexpression

• Thewriter’sfeelingaboutthetopicareidentifiable

• Pictures(ifpresent)capturetheatmosphereormoodinageneralway

• Thewritingshowsanawarenessofaudience

• Asenseofthewriter’sindividualityemergesfromthetext

• Thewriter’sfeelingsaboutthesubjectareclearanddirect

• Pictures(ifpresent)enrichthemoodandatmosphere

• Thewriterengagestheaudience(“Didyouknow?”)

• Thewritingcontainsindividualandsincereexpression

• Exhibitsexceptionalexpressionoffeelingandcommitmenttothetopic

• Pictures(ifpresent)enhancethemood,atmosphere,andpointofview

• Exhibitsexceptionalaudienceawarenessandiscompellingtoread

• Thewritingisunmistakablyindividual,sincere,andcontainsuniqueexpression

©2013,EducationNorthwest

Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Word Choice

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Nowordsarepresent(imitativewriting)

• Thereisnowordchoicepresent

• Thereisnovocabularypresent

• Thewritermakesinconsistentlettershapes,includesimitativewriting,ordoesnotwriteatall

• Afewwordsarebeginningtoemerge

• Thewriter’swordchoiceisdifficulttodecode

• Vocabularyreliesuponenvironmentalprint

• Thewriterrepeatsletters,thealphabet,hisorhername,etc.

•Wordgroupsandphrasesconveythetopicwithsomehelpfrompictures

• Thewriter’swordchoicemakessense

• Vocabularyislimitedto“known”or“safe”words

• Thereisfrequentrepetitionof“safe”wordsandphrases

• Thewordsstandontheirowntoconveyasimplemessage

•Wordsarebasicandusedcorrectly

• Vocabularyismostlyroutine,withafewmorechallengingwords

• Somerepetitionispresent

• Thetextaloneconveysthemessageinseveralwords

•Wordchoicecontainsmomentsofsparkle;everydaywordsareusedwell

• Thewriter’svocabularyisexpanding

• Repetitionoccursinfrequently

• Thetextcompriseswordsthatconveyacompletemessage

•Wordchoiceincludesstrikingandmemorablephrases

• Vocabularyreflectsprecisionandaccuracy

• Repetitionisrarelypresentorisusedintentionallytoachieveaspecificeffect

©2013,EducationNorthwest

Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Sentence Fluency

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Nosentencesorsentencepartsarepresent

• Themarks,lines,orscribblesmayimitatewritingfrombymovingfromlefttoright

• Individualwordsorattemptsatwordsstandalone

• Thewritingdoesnotcontainanyconnectivewords

• Partofasentencemaybepresentordecodable(“Cusitisclu”)

• Awordorphrasemayberepeatedacrossthepagetoformthetext

• Thewritingcontainsnosenseofrhythm

• Partialsentencesmayincludeconnectivewords

•Mostofasinglesentenceispresentordecodable(“LikebunnebecuztherrireeFas”)

• Allsentencesbegininthesameway(“Ilike…”)

• Therhythmofthewritingischoppyandrepetitive

• Thewriterincludessomeconnectivetransitionsthatserveaslinksbetweenphrases(“and,”“then,”etc.)

• Thewritingprovidesalimitedsamplingofsentencepatterns

• Thewriterdoesnotalwaysbeginsentencesinthesameway

• Therhythmofthewritingismoremechanicalthanfluid

• Thewriterusessomeconnectivewords

• Thewritingemploysmorethanonesentencepattern

• Thewriterusesavarietyofsentencebeginnings

• Therhythmofthewritingismorefluidthanmechanicalandiseasytoreadaloud

• Thewriterusesconnectivewordsthatdonotdisrupttheoverallrhythmofthewriting

• Thewritingincludesmanysentencesthatvaryinstructureandlength

• Thewriterusesavarietyofsentencebeginnings

• Therhythmofthewritingisfluidandpleasanttoreadaloud

• Thewriterusesconnectivewordsworksmoothlyandeffectively

©2013,EducationNorthwest

Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Conventions

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Thewriter’sprintsenseisstillemerging

• Thewriterdoesnotusepunctuation

• Thewriter’ssenseofspellingisprephoneticorisnotpresent

• Thewriterdoesnotusegrammaticalconstructions

• Thewriterdoesnotuseparagraphs

• Thewriterusesupperandlowercaselettersrandomly

• Thewriterusespunctuationrandomlyornotatall

• Thewriterusesphoneticspellingthatisoccasionallydecodableand/orspellssomesimplewordscorrectly

• Thewriterusessomegrammaticalconstructions

• Thewriterdoesnotuseparagraphs

• Thewriter’suseofcapitalizationforsentencebeginnings,names,andtitlesisinconsistent

• Thewriteroccasionallyusesperiodsandotherendpunctuation

• Thewritertypicallyusesphoneticspellingthatisdecodableandoccasionallyspellssomewordscorrectly

• Thewriterusessomegrammaticalconstructions,buttherearemanymissingparts

• Thewriterdoesnotuseparagraphs

• Thewriter’suseofcapitalsforsentencebeginnings,names,andtitlesispresent,butnotalwayscorrect

• Thewriter’suseofendpunctuationispresent,butnotalwayscorrect

• Thewriterusesalotofgrade-levelwordscorrectlyandusesphoneticspellingthatiseasytodecode

• Thewriter’ssubject/verbagreementisspotty

• Thewriter’suseofparagraphingisinconsistentornotpresent

• Thewriter’suseofcapitalsforsentencebeginnings,propernames,andtitlesisusuallycorrect

• Thewriter’suseofendpunctuationisusuallycorrectandthereissomeuseofpunctuationforeffect

• Thewriterusesgrade-levelwordsaccuratelymostofthetime

• Thewriterusescorrectgrammarmostofthetime

• Thewriterindentsthefirstlineofthepieceofwriting

• Thewriterusescorrectcapitalizationforsentencebeginnings,propernames,andtitles

• Thewriterusescorrectendpunctuation,commasinaseries,andotherpunctuationforstylisticeffect

• Thewriterusesgrade-levelwords;difficultwordsarespelledlogically,ifnotcorrectly

• Thewriterusescorrectgrammar

• Thewriterusesconsistentindentationofparagraphs

©2013,EducationNorthwest

Grades K–2 Traits Rubric for Presentation

1 Beginning 2 Emerging 3 Developing 4 Capable 5 Experienced 6 Exceptional

• Thewriter’sprintsenseisstillemerging

• Thewriterstringslettersorwordstogetherwithnosenseofspacing

• Ifpicturesarepresent,theyarerandomlyplaced

• Thewriterdoesnotusetextmarkers

• Thewriterdoesnotusecharts,tables,orgraphs

• Thewriterisbeginningtomakeletters,buttheyarerandomlyplaced

• Thewriterattemptstousespacingbetweenlettersandwords

• Ifpicturesarepresent,theyareplacedappropriately

• Thewriterusessomemarkers,buttheyrarelymatchthetext

• Charts,tables,andgraphmaybeattempted,buttheyarerandomlyplaced

• Thereareafewdiscrepanciesinlettershape

• Spacingoflettersandwordsismostlycorrect

• Ifpicturesarepresent,theymatchthetext

• Thewritingusessomemarkerstomatchsometext

• Charts,tables,andgraphs(ifused)matchthetextbutareinconsistentlyplaced

• Thewriterusespropermanuscriptorcursivehandwriting

• Letters,words,sentences,andparagraphsareallproperlyspaced

• Ifpicturesarepresent,theyadddetailandsupportthecontent

• Thewriterusessomemarkerstoclarify,organize,anddefinethetext

• Charts,tables,andgraphs(ifused)matchtextandareproperlyplaced

• Handwritingisconsistentlyneat,easytoread,andproperlyshaped

• Thewriterusescorrectandappropriatespacing

• Ifpicturesarepresent,theybalancethetextandsupportthecontent

• Thewriteroccasionallyusesmarkerstoenrichandenhancecontent

• Charts,tables,andgraphs(ifused)helpclarifyandexplainthetext

• Thehandwritingisnearlyperfectandshowstheauthor’spride

•Marginsframethepiece;allelementsareproperlyspaced;whitespaceisusedwell

• Anypictureusedenhancesandenrichesthecontent

• Thewriterusesmarkerstoenrich,enhance,andhelpshowcasethecontent

• Charts,tables,andgraphs(ifpresent)arewellchosen,placedproperly,andenrichthetext