iRubric: Personal Narrative Rubric

There is little or no background in the introduction. The thesis of the narrative is not apparent. The student does not answer the question, "So what?"

The setting of the narrative is minimally developed; the characters are barely introduced or not at all; the theme of the narrative is
somewhat apparent, but it does not answer "So what?"

The setting of the narrative is developed; the characters are briefly introduced; the theme of the narrative is fairly apparent and attempts to answer the question, "So what?"

The setting of the narrative is well-developed; the characters are thoroughly introduced; the theme of the narrative is apparent. The writer is hinting at what the real meaning of the narrative is.

The student uses simple sentences to express unclear thoughts; grammatical errors disrupt the flow; there is no original voice evident.

The student often repeats sentence structures; the narrative does not flow; the student's voice often shifts in tense.

The student uses a range of sentence structures; most of the narrative flows smoothly; the student's original voice is evident. Writers attempt to use the narrator to control the pace of the narrative.

Writers uses a wide range of sentence structures; the narrative flows; an original and polished narrative voice emerges. The narrator controls the narrative by slowing down moments or adding to the tension.

The narrative ends abruptly or unsatisfactorily. .

The writer made some attempt to end through concluding talk or an action.

The writer has focused on trying to conlude to leave the reader with a sense of understanding of the issues and journey the writer went on.

The writer has succeeded in creating a powerful ending. It may reveal the true purpose and journey of the narrative. It is likely to connect to earlier in the narrative and the 'hints' that the writer purposely shared with the reader.