(Grade 2 grading scale listed below)

IDEAS

ORGANI-

ZATION

VOICE

WORD CHOICE

SENTENCE FLUENCY

CONVEN-

TIONS

5

EXPERIENCED

E= Excellent

  = ****

*Ideas are fresh and original

*Topic is narrow and focused

*Develops one clear, main idea

*Uses interesting, important details for support

*Original title

*Transitions connect main ideas

*Effective opening and ending

*Easy to follow

*Important ideas stand out

*Words elicit emotions

*Says more than is expected

*Point of view is evident

*Clear sense of audience

*Cares about the topic

*Everyday words used well

*Precise, fresh, original words

*Vivid images

*Avoids repetition, cliches, vagueness

*Attempts figurative language

*Consistent use of sentence variety

*Sentence structure is correct and creative

*Varied beginnings

*Natural rhythm and flow

*Texture denotes main ideas

*High frequency words spelled correctly

*Capitals for proper nouns and beginnings

*Basic punctuation correct

*Indents consistently

*Shows control over grammar

4

CAPABLE

S+= Satisfactory

         Plus

     = ***

S-= Satisfactory

     (Average to  

      low average  )

    = **

*Writing tells a story or makes a point

*Illustration enhances the writing

*Idea is generally on topic

*Details are present but not developed

IDEAS

*Appropriate title

*Attempts transitions sentence-to-sentence

*Good beginning and attempted ending

*Logical sequencing

*Key ideas begin to surface

ORGANIZATION

*Individual and expressive

*Perspective becomes evident

*Personal treatment of standard topic

*Conveys idea to reader

*Attempts non-standard point of view

VOICE

*Uses favorite words correctly

*Experiments with new words

*Tries to choose words for specificity

*Attempts to use descriptive words to create images

WORD CHOICE

*Simple and compound sentences present and effective

*Attempts complex sentences

*Varied beginnings

*Sections have rhythm and flow

SENTENCE FLUEN

*Most high frequency words spelled correct

*Capitals for beginnings and some proper nouns

*End punctuation correct, other attempted

*Variable paragraphing

*s/v and n/p agreement, correct verb tense

CONVENTIONS

3

DEVELOPING

N= Needs  

      Improvement

  = *

*Attempts a story or a point

*Illustration supports writing

*Meaning of the general idea is recognizable

*Some ideas clear, but some are still fuzzy

*Title present

*Limited transitions

*Beginning but no ending except “The End”

*Attempts at sequencing

*Expresses predictable feelings

*Moments of individual “sparkle”

*Repetition of familiar ideas

*Awareness that writing will be read, but limited connection to reader

*General, ordinary words

*Attempts new words, but they don’t always work

*Settles for the word that “will do”

*Big words used only to impress reader

*Relies on slang, repetition, cliches

*Simple sentences

*Same beginnings

*Experiments with other patterns

*Meaning not always clear on first read

*Dialogue present but needs interpretation

*Phonetic spelling

*Capitals for beginnings

*Most end punctuation correct

*Experiments with other punctuation

*No paragraphing

*Attempts standard grammar

2

EMERGING

U= Unsatisfactory

*Some recognizable words present

*Pictures labeled and supported by words

*Drawings show detail

*Writes left-to-right

*Writes top-to-bottom

*Experiments with beginnings

*Begins to group like words/pictures

*Hints of voice

*Predictable treatment of topic

*Energy is present

*Audience could be anybody

*Recognizable words

*Environmental words used correctly

*Attempts phrases

*Functional language

*Strings words together

*Attempts simple sentences

*Short, repetitive patterns

*Dialogue present but not understandable

*Attempts phonetic spelling

*Uses mixed upper and lower case letters

*Random punctuation

*Nonstandard grammar is common

1

EXPERIMENTING

U= Unacceptable for regular education stu-dents in grade 2.

*Uses scribbles for writing

*Dictates labels or story

*Shapes that look like letters

*Line forms that imitate text

*Attempts to write left-to-right and top-to-bottom

*No sense of beginning and end yet

*Experiments with spacing

*Communicates feeling in drawings

*Work is similar to everyone else’s

*Ambiguous response to task

*Not aware of audience

*Writes letters in strings

*Imitates word patterns

*Pictures stand for words

*Copies environmental print

*Mimics letters and words

*No patterns for sentences evident

*Letter strings not phonetic

*Attempts standard letters

*Attempts spacing