CATERGORY

4-
Above Standards

3-
Meets Standards

2-
Approaching Standards

1-
Below Standards

0-
No Attempt

Support for Position

Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement. The writer anticipates the reader's concerns, biases or arguments and has provided at least 1 counter-argument.

Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement.

Includes 2 pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences) that support the position statement.

Includes 1 or fewer pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, real-life experiences).

Sources

All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly.

All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and most are cited correctly.

Most sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly.

Many sources are suspect (not credible) AND/OR are not cited correctly.

Sentence Structure

All sentences are well-constructed with varied structure.

Most sentences are well-constructed and there is some varied sentence structure in the essay.

Most sentences are well constructed, but there is no variation is structure.

Most sentences are not well-constructed or varied.

Rhetoric Usage

Speaker effectively uses all three rhetorical tools of persuasion: ethos, pathos and logos.

Speaker attempts to use all three tools of persuasion, but without full effectiveness.

Speaker uses only two of three tools of persuasion.

Speaker uses none, or only one, of the three tools of persuasion.

Delivery

The speaker's delivery contains a rich variety of skilfull inflection, gestures and movement that greatly enhance the presentation and reflect careful planning.

The speaker's delivery contains varied inflection, gestures, and physical stance that indicate advance planning and preperation.

The spearker's delivery does not display a variety of inflection or gestures and/ or the physical movements of the speaker detract from the speech.

The speaker's delivery does not reflect prior preperation.

Closing paragraph

The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer's position. Effective restatement of the position statement begins the closing paragraph.

The conclusion is recognizable. The author's position is restated within the first two sentences of the closing paragraph.

The author's position is restated within the closing paragraph, but not near the beginning.

There is no conclusion - the paper just ends.

Mechanics

Writer makes no grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors.

Writer makes 1-2 grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors.

Writer makes 3-4 grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors.

Writer makes 5 or more grammatical, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization errors.