McKinley Primary Center / Language Arts Rubrics and Exemplars

Terms, Acronyms, and Definitions:

IAS (or ISS) – Indiana (Department of Education) Academic Standards (or Indiana State Standards).

Genre – the type of literature characterized by a specific form, content and style. Literature has four main genres; poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. Indiana assesses students on persuasive, informative, and narrative writing as well.

Grammar – The way a writer or speaker uses structured language to communicate.

First Grade

1^st Grade Exemplars: HIGH MEDIUM LOW

Writing Rubric

High SCORE POINTS Low
6	5	4	3	2	1
Ideas and Content
Stays on Topic? Includes thorough and complete ideas?	Stay focused? Include many relevant ideas?	Stay mostly focused? Include some relevant ideas?	Stay somewhat focused? Include some relevant ideas?	Exhibit less than minimal focus? Include few relevant ideas?	Have little or no focus? Include almost no relevant ideas?
Organization
Clear Order?	Have clear order?	Have order?	Have some order?	Have little order?	Have little or no order?
Style
Exhibit exceptional word usage? Exhibit writing that is fluent and easy to read? Display a strong sense of audience?	Exhibit more than adequate word usage? Exhibit writing that is fluent and easy to read? Display a sense of audience?	Exhibit adequate word usage? Exhibit writing that is readable? Display some sense of audience?	Exhibit minimal word usage? Exhibit writing that is mostly readable? Display little sense of audience?	Exhibit less than minimal word usage? Exhibit writing that is hard to read? Display little sense of audience?	Exhibit less than minimal word usage? Exhibit writing that is hard to read? Display little or no sense of audience?

Grammar Rubric

High SCORE POINTS Low

Are there few or no errors in beginning capitalization?

Are there few or no errors in capitalization of proper nouns?

Are there few or no errors in ending punctuation?

Are there few or no errors in the spelling of grade level appropriate words?

Does writing have few or no run on sentences or sentence fragments?

Is most beginning capitalization correct?

Are most proper nouns capitalized correctly?

Do most sentences end with correct punctuation?

Are most grade level appropriate words spelled correctly?

Writing may have run on sentences or sentence fragments.

Is some beginning capitalization correct?

Are some proper nouns capitalized correctly?

Do some sentences end with correct punctuation?

Are some grade level appropriate words spelled correctly?

Writing may have run on sentences or sentence fragments?

Are there many errors in beginning capitalization?

Does writing have little or no evidence of capitalization of proper nouns?

Is end punctuation missing or incorrect?

Are there many errors in the spelling of grade level appropriate words?

Are there run on sentences or sentence fragments?

Genre Rubric

High SCORE POINTS Low

Clearly developed topic for story or poem.

Many details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings.

Uses precise words to describe characters and actions (at least2-3)

Uses temporal words to signal event order (signaling time—before, then, after, next) (at least 2-3)

Clear organization of ideas into a beginning, middle, and end.

Clearly developed topic for story or poem.

Uses some details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings.

Uses precise words to describe characters and actions (at least2-3)

Uses temporal words to signal event order (signaling time—before, then, after, next) (at least 2-3)

Clear organization of ideas into a beginning, middle, and end.

Clearly developed topic for story or poem.

Uses precise words to describe characters and actions (at least2-3)

Uses temporal words to signal event order (signaling time—before, then, after, next) (at least 2-3)

Ideas are organized into a beginning, middle, and end.

Somewhat of a topic for story or poem.

Uses some descriptive words for characters and actions. (at least 1-2)

Uses temporal words to signal event order (signaling time—before, then, after, next) (at least 1-2)

Ideas are somewhat organized possible beginning and middle.

Indistinct topic for story or poem

Insufficient use of descriptive words for characters and actions.

No use temporal words to signal event order (signaling time—before, then, after, next) (at least 0)

Unclear organization of ideas.

No clear topic for story or poem

No descriptive words used.

No use temporal words to signal event order (signaling time—before, then, after, next) (at least 0)

No organization of ideas.