Skip to main content

iRubric: Story Rubric

edit print share Copy to my rubrics Bookmark test run assess... delete Do more...

Story Rubric

News Story Rubric

Rubric Code: FX37528

By mrvteaches

Ready to use

Public Rubric

Subject: Journalism

Type: Assignment

Grade Levels: Undergraduate

Gryphon Gazette Rubric
	Unacceptable 1 pts	Poor 2 pts	Fair 3 pts	Good 4 pts	Excellent 5 pts
Lead	Unacceptable Lead is non-existent. Lead does not relate to story's main facts.	Poor Lead is neither original nor catchy; is boring, overused or trite, or is inappropriate to story; no nut graph	Fair Lead is adequate but not extremely catchy or original; or there is no nut graph, even though it is necessary	Good Lead is appropriate to story and fairly effective at getting attention; shows some signs of originality; contains an effective nut graph, if necessary	Excellent Lead is original and catchy; fits well with the rest of the story; invites readers into the piece; contains a strong nut graph if lead is not a summary lead
Organization	Unacceptable Article lacks any organizational structure. Information is not presented in a logical way.	Poor Story is choppy; organization is unclear; few effective transitions; not in inverted pyramid	Fair Story lacks strong organization, jumps around too much or lacks effective transitions; not in inverted pyramid	Good Story is organized and most transitions and connections are clear, but either organization is somewhat lacking or the sense of flow is somewhat abrupt or story is not in inverted pyramid	Excellent Story is in inverted pyramid form with info in descending order of importance; strongly organized with clear transitions and logical connections that create a sense of being tightly woven together
Use of Primary Sources/Interviews	Unacceptable Article lacks direct quotes or proper attribution.	Poor One or fewer sources used in story; or sources are improperly identified; much info is given without attribution; inaccurate or vague info	Fair Two or fewer sources are used; some sources are improperly identified or some info or opinion is given without attribution; most info is accurate but may not be as thorough; missing key sources; may use too general info	Good A minimum of three sources are used and clearly identified in story; most information is attributed to sources; information is accurate	Excellent Evidence of reporter trying to get as many sources as necessary to adequately present all sides in the story; all are identified; info is properly attributed; all info is accurate, thorough; uses best sources
Quotes/ Reporting	Unacceptable Article has no obvious sources or quotes. No photos present.	Poor Quotes are short, weak or ineffective; no evidence of follow-up questions being asked. May have photos, but none taken by journalists.	Fair One or two of the quotes show evidence of good interviewing, but most do not help propel the story. One or two photos in piece. One original.	Good Most quotes show evidence of effective interviewing and use of good follow-up questions; quotes are interesting and story- telling. Two to three original photos taken	Excellent Strong evidence of good research and interviewing by the use of effective, story- telling quotes that cover a broad range of the topic; good use of quote-transition formula. At least three original photos taken
Transitions	Unacceptable Article lacks transitions. Article lacks lead ins to quotes.	Poor Transitions are weak or not complete. Lead ins step on quote or are unrelated to the content of the quote.	Fair Has basic transitions that are choppy. Quotes have acceptable lead ins.	Good Good transitions help article clarity. Lead ins provide context for the quotes.	Excellent Uses solid transitions that keep reader engaged in article. Lead ins are interestingly written and provide excellent context for the quotes.
Opinion and Attribution	Unacceptable Article is mostly unattributed opinion and commentary. Journalist frequently injects him or herself into the story.	Poor Article contains multiple examples of unattributed opinion and commentary. Journalist injects him or herself into the story.	Fair Article contains is mostly appropriately opinion-free, but contains opinionated words like "luckily" or "unfortunately."	Good Article is mostly free of journalist's opinion. Most commentary is appropriately attributed.	Excellent Article is entirely free of journalist's opinion. All commentary is appropriately attributed.
Clear Focus and Unity	Unacceptable No clear angle; story is rambling and awkward	Poor Story lacks strong sense of unity and focus; several areas seem to detract from angle	Fair Focus is fairly clear but one or two areas detract from the primary angle	Good Focus is mostly clear but may briefly detract from the primary angle	Excellent Focus of story is clear; nothing detracts from primary focus; everything contributes to overall angle
Grammar/ Spelling	Unacceptable Significant errors in grammar and writing make article unacceptable. Significant problems with subject-verb agreement.	Poor Names are misspelled; or spell check was not run; or contains many grammatical errors	Fair Story is spell checked and all names are correct; contains several grammatical errors	Good Story is spell checked and all names are correct; contains few grammatical errors	Excellent Story is well edited and virtually flawless; NO spelling errors; includes the proper spelling of all names
Writing: Length	Unacceptable Sentences are all around the same length. Paragraphs are all too long and contain too many ideas.	Poor Sentence length is frequently monotonous. Paragraphs are mostly too long and contain too many ideas.	Fair Sentence length occasionally monotonous. Paragraphs are occasionally too long and contain too many ideas.	Good Sentence length is varied for a good rhythm. Paragraphs are mostly of the appropriate length. Most paragraphs contain only one idea.	Excellent Sentence length is used to create a powerful rhythm in the story. Drama and tension are created through sentence length. Paragraphs are appropriate length and contain only one idea per paragraph.
Format	Unacceptable Followed very few, if any, rules of formatting for journalism stories. More than six mistakes found	Poor Followed few rules of formatting for journalism stories, but five or six mistakes noticed	Fair Followed some rules of formatting for journalism stories, but three of four mistakes noticed	Good Followed most rules of formatting for journalism stories, but one or two mistakes noticed	Excellent Followed all rules of formatting for journalism stories

Keywords:

Journalism, Articles, Leads, Inverted Pyramid

Subjects:

Journalism

Types:

Discuss this rubric

You may also be interested in:

More rubrics by this author

More Journalism rubrics

More Assignment rubrics

Do more with this rubric:

Preview

Preview

Preview this rubric.

Edit

Edit

Modify this rubric.

Copy

Copy

Make a copy of this rubric and begin editing the copy.

Print

Print

Show a printable version of this rubric.

Categorize

Categorize

Add this rubric to multiple categories.

Bookmark

Bookmark

Bookmark this rubric for future reference.

Assess

Test run

Test run

Test this rubric or perform an ad-hoc assessment.

Grade

Grade

Build a gradebook to assess students.

Collaborate

Apply this rubric to any object and invite others to assess.

Share

Publish

Publish

Link, embed, and showcase your rubrics on your website.

Email

Email

Email this rubric to a friend.

Discuss

Discuss

Discuss this rubric with other members.

Do more with rubrics than ever imagined possible.

Only with iRubric^tm.

n224