Level

Organization & Focus

Mechanics & Structure

Word Choice

Revision & Edit

6

Writes effectively to a topic with evidence of focus, organization, and point of view. Writing clearly reflects purpose, audience, and appropriate length. Ideas are logically sequenced. Creates multi-paragraphed text that presents effective introduction, purposeful topic sentences, and concluding paragraph.

Consistently uses complex sentences to enhance writing. Effectively structures sentences to enrich communication of facts, details, and explanations. Few or no errors in spelling, mechanics, capitalization, and punctuation.

Uses effective, imaginative, and descriptive vocabulary. Uses sophisticated language to describe objects, people, places, things and experiences.

Uses multiple revision strategies to improve quality of work.

5

Writes to a topic with evidence of focus, organization, and point of view. Writing reflects purpose, audience, and appropriate length. Ideas are logically sequenced. Creates paragraphs that support a central idea with topic sentences. Evidence of a concluding statement that summarizes points.

Consistently uses complete sentences with variety. Supporting sentences include facts, details, and explanations. Few errors in spelling, mechanics, capitalization, and punctuation.

Uses effective, imaginative, and descriptive vocabulary.

Uses multiple revision strategies to improve quality of work.

4

Writes to a topic with evidence of focus, organization, and point of view. Writing does reflect purpose, audience, and appropriate length. Ideas are sequenced. Writing has evidence of paragraphing and use of topic sentences.

Uses complete sentences with some variety in structure. Supporting sentences include facts, details, and explanations. Some errors in spelling, mechanics, capitalization, and punctuation may exist.

Evidence of some imaginative and descriptive vocabulary.

Revises selected drafts to improve coherence by adding, deleting, or combining text.

3

Writes to a topic with some evidence of focus, organization, and point of view. May reflect purpose, audience, and appropriate length. Ideas are sequenced. Writing includes some paragraphing and use of topic sentences.

Work reflects complete sentences. Supporting sentences include some simple facts, details, and explanations. Errors in spelling, mechanics, capitalization, and punctuation exists, but do not interfere with readability.

Emerging use of imaginative and/or descriptive vocabulary.

Revision strategies improve quality of work.

2

Inconsistent paragraphing.

Consistent errors in sentence structure. Inconsistent use of details and supporting sentences. Frequent errors in spelling, mechanics, capitalization, and punctuation.

Simple vocabulary with some variety of word choices.

Begins to use revision strategies.

1

Limited paragraphing.

Consistent use of incomplete, run-on, and fragment sentences. Limited use of supporting details. Frequent errors in spelling, mechanics, and capitalization, that interfere with meaning.

Simple vocabulary.

Limited use of revision strategies.