How to How to Score a Score a Four!Four!

You can write an excellent paper to You can write an excellent paper to a prompt by focusing on six things!a prompt by focusing on six things!

Six Scoring Guide Categories:Six Scoring Guide Categories:

1. Organization1. Organization 2. Focus2. Focus 3. Development3. Development 4. Complete Sentences4. Complete Sentences 5. Vocabulary5. Vocabulary 6. Mechanics and Spelling6. Mechanics and Spelling

1. Organization 4,3,2,11. Organization 4,3,2,1

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Has an Has an effective effective

beginning, beginning, middle, middle,

and end.and end.

Has a Has a beginning, beginning, middle, and middle, and

end.end.

Has Has evidence evidence

of a of a beginning, beginning,

middle, middle, and end.and end.

May lack May lack evidence evidence

of a of a beginning, beginning, middle, or middle, or

end.end.

Topic Sentence

Details

Conclusion Sentence

2. Focus 4,3,2,12. Focus 4,3,2,1

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Contains a Contains a clear and clear and controlling controlling idea that is idea that is

fully fully developed.developed.

Contains a Contains a controlling controlling

idea.idea.

Contains a Contains a general general sense of sense of direction, direction, but may but may lack in lack in focus.focus.

Is difficult Is difficult to follow to follow and or and or lacks lacks focus.focus.

3.3. Development 4,3,2,1Development 4,3,2,1Topic, Main Idea, DetailsTopic, Main Idea, Details

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Clearly Clearly addresses addresses the topic the topic

and and provides provides

specific and specific and relevant relevant details.details.

Addresses Addresses the topic the topic and uses and uses relevant relevant

details and details and examples.examples.

Generally Generally addresses addresses the topic, the topic, but may but may contain contain some some

details that details that are not are not

relevant.relevant.

Attempts to Attempts to address the address the

topic, but topic, but lacks lacks

developmentdevelopment

Remember the

Stoplight Method!

4. Complete Sentences4. Complete Sentences

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Consistently Consistently uses uses

complete complete sentences.sentences.

Generally Generally uses uses

complete complete sentences.sentences.

Contains Contains some some

incomplete incomplete sentences sentences which may which may

be distracting be distracting to the reader.to the reader.

Includes Includes incomplete incomplete sentences sentences which are which are

distracting to distracting to the reader.the reader.

Each sentences needs to

end with one of the

following…

5. Vocabulary5. Vocabulary

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Contains Contains words that words that

are specific, are specific, accurate, accurate,

and suited to and suited to the topic.the topic.

Contains Contains some words some words

that are that are specific, specific, accurate, accurate,

and related and related to the topic.to the topic.

Words tend Words tend to be to be

repetitive, repetitive, imprecise, imprecise,

and ordinary.and ordinary.

Words are Words are consistently consistently repetitive, repetitive, dull, and dull, and colorless.colorless.

Juicy Words!

6. Mechanics and Spelling6. Mechanics and Spelling

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Contains few Contains few errors in errors in

grammar/usage, grammar/usage, punctuation, punctuation,

capitalization, capitalization, and/or spelling.and/or spelling.

May contain May contain some errors in some errors in

grammar/usage, grammar/usage, punctuation, punctuation,

capitalization, capitalization, and/or spelling and/or spelling which are not which are not significantly significantly

distracting to the distracting to the reader.reader.

Contains errors in Contains errors in grammar/usage, grammar/usage,

punctuation, punctuation, capitalization, capitalization, and/or spelling and/or spelling which may be which may be

distracting to the distracting to the reader.reader.

..

Contains Contains repeated errors in repeated errors in grammar/usage, grammar/usage,

punctuation, punctuation, capitalization, capitalization, and/or spelling and/or spelling that may be that may be

distracting to the distracting to the reader.reader.

Six Scoring Guide Categories:Six Scoring Guide Categories:

1. Organization1. Organization 2. Focus2. Focus 3. Development3. Development 4. Complete Sentences4. Complete Sentences 5. Vocabulary5. Vocabulary 6. Mechanics and Spelling6. Mechanics and Spelling

Now let’s put it all together!Now let’s put it all together!

4 3 2 1

Organization Has an effective Has an effective beginning, middle, beginning, middle,

and end.and end.

Has a beginning, Has a beginning, middle, and end.middle, and end.

Has evidence of a Has evidence of a beginning, middle, beginning, middle,

and end.and end.

May lack evidence May lack evidence of a beginning, of a beginning, middle, or end.middle, or end.

Focus Contains a clear Contains a clear and controlling idea and controlling idea

that is fully that is fully developed.developed.

Contains a Contains a controlling idea.controlling idea.

Contains a general Contains a general sense of direction, sense of direction,

but may lack in but may lack in focus.focus.

Is difficult to follow Is difficult to follow and or lacks focus.and or lacks focus.

Development Clearly addresses the topic and Clearly addresses the topic and provides specific and relevant provides specific and relevant

details.details.

Addresses the topic and uses Addresses the topic and uses relevant details and examples.relevant details and examples.

Generally addresses the topic, Generally addresses the topic, but may contain some details that but may contain some details that

are not relevant.are not relevant.

Attempts to address the topic, but Attempts to address the topic, but lacks developmentlacks development

Complete Sentences

Consistently uses Consistently uses complete complete

sentences.sentences.

Generally uses Generally uses complete complete

sentences.sentences.

Contains some Contains some incomplete incomplete

sentences which sentences which may be distracting may be distracting

to the reader.to the reader.

Includes incomplete Includes incomplete sentences which sentences which are distracting to are distracting to

the reader.the reader.

Vocabulary Contains words that Contains words that are specific, are specific,

accurate, and accurate, and suited to the topic.suited to the topic.

Contains some Contains some words that are words that are

specific, accurate, specific, accurate, and related to the and related to the

topic.topic.

Words tend to be Words tend to be repetitive, repetitive,

imprecise, and imprecise, and ordinary.ordinary.

Words are Words are consistently consistently

repetitive, dull, and repetitive, dull, and colorless.colorless.

Mechanics and Spelling

Contains few errors in Contains few errors in grammar/usage, grammar/usage,

punctuation, punctuation, capitalization, and/or capitalization, and/or

spelling.spelling.

May contain some errors May contain some errors in grammar/usage, in grammar/usage,

punctuation, punctuation, capitalization, and/or capitalization, and/or spelling which are not spelling which are not

significantly distracting to significantly distracting to the reader.the reader.

Contains errors in Contains errors in grammar/usage, grammar/usage, punctuation, punctuation, capitalization, and/or capitalization, and/or spelling which may be spelling which may be distracting to the reader.distracting to the reader.

Contains repeated errors Contains repeated errors in grammar/usage, in grammar/usage,

punctuation, punctuation, capitalization, and/or capitalization, and/or spelling that may be spelling that may be

distracting to the reader.distracting to the reader.

Writing MarchWriting March I know I can write a four,I know I can write a four, Give me a prompt and I’ll give you a four!Give me a prompt and I’ll give you a four! Organization! Organization! (Eat your hamburger!)(Eat your hamburger!)

Focus!Focus! (Look through the magnifying glass!)(Look through the magnifying glass!)

Development!Development! (Stop for the stoplight method!)(Stop for the stoplight method!)

Complete sentences!Complete sentences! (Dot the end of the sentence in the air with a period.)(Dot the end of the sentence in the air with a period.)

Vocabulary!Vocabulary! (Squish some JUICY grapes!)(Squish some JUICY grapes!)

Mechanics and Spelling!Mechanics and Spelling! (Draw a circle in the air to edit a misspelled word.)(Draw a circle in the air to edit a misspelled word.)

I know I can write a four,I know I can write a four, Give me a prompt and I’ve give you a four!Give me a prompt and I’ve give you a four!

To the tune of “I don’t know, but I’ve been told.”

Brain Pictures:Brain Pictures: