iRubric: 8th Grade ELA Argumentative Essay Rubric

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8th Grade ELA Argumentative Essay Rubric

This rubric was specifically designed with Cass Middle School in mind.

Rubric Code: YAC4A3

By pat_murphy57

Ready to use

Private Rubric

Subject: English

Type: Project

Grade Levels: 6-8

CMS Argumentative Essay Rubric Students may be required to present their essay in class
	Exemplary 4 pts	Proficient 3 pts	Emerging 2 pts	Not Yet Demonstrated 1 pts
Intro / Thesis	Exemplary Well-developed introduction engages the reader and creates interest. Contains hook, background information and a clear thesis that states a position or outlines three points and appears as the last sentence of the paragraph.	Proficient Introduction creates interest and contains background information. Thesis clearly states the writer's position or outlines three points and appears as the last sentence of the paragraph.	Emerging Introduction adequately explains the background, but may lack clarity. Thesis is not obvious.	Not Yet Demonstrated Background details are a random collection of information, unclear, and may be loosely related to the topic. Thesis / position is unclear or not present.
Argumentative Points	Exemplary Well-developed argumentative points directly support the writer's thesis / position. Supporting examples/details are clear. Support is logical and well-thought-out. Acknowledges opposing viewpoints in counter-argument. Strengthens thesis statement with rebuttal. Conclusion revisits the thesis in a new way and applies the writer's position.	Proficient Most argumentative points are related to the thesis, but one may lack sufficient support or strays away from thesis. Counterclaim acknowledges opposing viewpoint(s) with some logic and clarity. Conclusion summarizes thesis and key points with some "fresh" comments present.	Emerging More than one argumentative point lacks sufficient details and support. Writer attempts to address one or more opposing arguments, but the writer may not counter the opposition clearly or adequately. Conclusion mirrors introduction too closely, with little or no comments about the writer's thesis / position.	Not Yet Demonstrated Most argumentative points are poorly developed. Counterargument is unclear or missing. Conclusion does not re-word the thesis or summarize key argumentative point(s).
Organization	Exemplary Logical progression of ideas with a tiered up vocabulary that strengthens the thesis. Transitions are smooth and provide connections between and among ideas. Opening and closing transitions for paragraphs 2,3,4, and 5 are present and appropiate.	Proficient Logical progression of ideas. Some transitions are present throughout essay and provide adequate connections between and among ideas. Most transitions are present	Emerging Organization is clear. Transitions are present, but may not show connections between and among ideas.	Not Yet Demonstrated No identifiable organization is present. Transitions are not present.
Style & Conventions	Exemplary Writing is clear and understandable. Sentences are strong and expressive and varies in length and structure. Words are tiered up and well-chosen. The tone is highly consistent with writer's position / thesis and appropriate throughout essay. Punctuation, spelling, & capitalization are accurate with few or no errors.	Proficient Writing is clear and sentences have some varied structure. Diction is appropriate. Tone is generally consistent with writer's position / thesis and is appropriate throughout essay. Punctuation, spelling, & capitalization are generally accurate, with some errors.	Emerging Writing is clear, but sentences may lack variety. Diction is sometimes inconsistent and/or inappropriate at various points in essay. Tone may be inconsistent with writer's position / thesis. Several errors in punctuation, spelling, & capitalization.	Not Yet Demonstrated Writing is confusing and hard to follow. Contains fragments and/or run-on sentences. Diction is inappropriate and inconsistent throughout essay. Tone of piece is highly inconsistent with writer's position / thesis. Many errors in punctuation, spelling, & capitalization distract reader.
Sources Must have at least 4 sources	Exemplary Evidence from sources is smoothly and logically included in essay and serves to add credibility & understanding of the writer's position / thesis. All sources are properly cited on a separate sheet of paper accurately and are useful.	Proficient Evidence from source(s) is included in the text. Most sources are cited accurately and are generally related to the thesis and are reliable.	Emerging Some source material is used and may or may not lend credibility to writer's position / thesis. Several sources may not be cited accurately. Relevance and reliability may be questionable.	Not Yet Demonstrated Little or no source material is used. Source citations are not evident or may be highly inaccurate. Relevance and/or reliability are questionable.
Format Essay is typed and submitted to Mrs. Murphy's email or saved to a flash drive	Exemplary Essay is typed in black ink. Paper is clean (no stray marks, smudges or stains) Submitted to email or on a flash drive and includes 5-6 paragraphs. All paragraphs should be indented uniformly, double-spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman	Proficient Essay is typed in black ink. Paper is somewhat clean. Submitted electronically with 5 paragraphs. Some paragraphs are indented, double-spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman	Emerging Essay is typed using black ink with only 4 paragraphs. Submitted electronically, only 2 paragraphs are indented, essay is not double-spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman	Not Yet Demonstrated Essay is written and submitted with only 4 paragraphs, is not indented, is not double-spaced and has a different font or was late
Totals	Exemplary	Proficient	Emerging	Not Yet Demonstrated

Keywords:

Topic: The federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina was appropriate.

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