Assess your students’ informational writing skills with this standards-based rubric! This rubric for sixth-grade informational writing covers all of the major standards in the informational writing strand, including introduction, topic development, transitions, style, conclusion, and more. For helpful prompts and inspiration, use this informational writing rubric in conjunction with the Informational Essay Writing Prompt Choice Board !
Offer 6th Grade students a standards-aligned structure for informative writing with this educator-developed rubric for Feedback Studio.
Offer 6th grade students a standards-aligned structure for assignments focused on the defense of a position on a topic.
Rubric suitable for formative and summative assignments with tasks involving the explanation of a topic. Use this rubric when asking students to explain information about a topic, to compare and contrast features, to discuss the benefits and limitations of something, etc. Consider using the 6th-8th Grade Informative QuickMark set with this rubric. These drag-and-drop comments were tailor-made by veteran educators to give actionable, formative feedback directly to students. While they were explicitly aligned to this particular rubric, you can edit or add your own content to any QuickMark.
This rubric is available and ready to use in your Feedback Studio account. However, if you would like to customize its criteria, you can "Duplicate this rubric" in your Feedback Studio account and then edit the rubric as needed. Or, you can download this .rbc file and then import to your account to begin editing the content.
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Olivia Franklin
CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. Our standards-aligned units are highly engaging and develop core reading and writing skills.
Want to engage students in independent research? Looking to hook students with interesting research questions and informational texts? CommonLit has your back.
CommonLit’s 360 curriculum provides research units for grades 6-10 that will help students complete independent research and craft evidence-based research papers.
Each research unit has an Essential Question that students analyze and discuss throughout the unit. The topics for each research unit are designed to be interesting, timely, and relevant to students’ lives.
Students will learn about the status of the world’s oceans, discuss if social media is beneficial or risky, argue if contact sports are worth the risk, research how branding influences purchasing behavior, and learn about the human costs of clothing.
Here are the research units and their Essential Questions:
Grade | Unit Title | Essential Question |
6th | Our Changing Oceans | How are changes in the world’s oceans affecting people and animals? How can we be better stewards of our oceans and waterways? |
7th | Social Media: Risks and Rewards | Is social media more beneficial or more risky for teens? How can we promote the benefits of social media over the drawbacks? |
8th | Contact Sports: Worth the Risk? | Are contact sports worth the risks? How can we provide a clearer picture of the benefits and risks of contact sports to prospective players and their parents? |
9th | The Science of Branding: Why We Buy | How do brands use different tactics to influence our purchasing behavior? How can we make branding tactics and messaging more visible to potential consumers? |
10th | The Fashion Industry: Past to Present | What are the true human costs of the clothes we buy? |
Each unit comes with introductory slide decks that preview what students will be learning about over the course of the unit. The slide decks spark classroom discussion, hooking students from the very first lesson.
In Our Changing Oceans (6th grade), students discuss what it would be like to be an oceanographer, preview the texts they will be reading about issues facing our oceans, and hear about the key skills they will be learning throughout the unit.
CommonLit’s research units are centered around informational texts that provide students with key background information and research to eventually support their end-of-unit essay.
Four core texts make up the Essential Reading Lessons for 6th grade. These texts teach students about the need to protect Antarctica and how plastic debris, sea level rise, and overfishing are affecting the world’s oceans. These texts teach students important facts they will need to cite in their end-of-unit research papers.
Each unit comes with a large selection of supplemental texts to provide students with more facts and information to use in their research paper.
In middle school, students use the provided supplemental texts to further inform their research. In high school, students learn about finding reliable sources and can use both provided supplemental texts on CommonLit and texts from additional sources in their research.
For example, in Our Changing Oceans, 6th graders choose to research one of three topics related to ocean changes.
In high school, students are taught about the beginning of the research process, including developing a research question, finding reliable sources, and reading and taking notes. Students in 9th and 10th grade can use the supplemental texts as well as texts found in books or on other online learning platforms.
Each unit includes lessons about conducting research so students can be prepared for the end-of-unit research paper. Scaffolded supports help students move through the research process. In lower grades, certain steps in the process, like developing a research question and finding reliable sources, are provided for students.
Students learn about writing research papers during writing lessons. In 8th Grade, students learn how to discuss and outline research papers. Then, they learn how to write a counterclaim, format a Works Cited page, and use in-text citations properly. Each of these research-paper focused writing lessons will prepare students to answer the end-of-unit essay.
Students also explore how to conduct independent research in research-specific lessons. In 8th Grade, teachers explain that they have provided the first two steps of the research process for students: developing a research question and finding reliable sources.
In the lesson, students are taught how to use a graphic organizer to take notes on each text they read in preparation for their research paper. Students also engage in an Introduction to Independent Research lesson, where they learn about steps of the research process and begin reading and taking notes on supplemental texts. Later, students engage in a discussion lesson that will help them synthesize all the information they have learned throughout the unit by discussing the research question with classmates.
Related Media Explorations are a unique cornerstone of our ELA curriculum. These interactive tasks bring our research units to life and provide background information for students to use in their research.
In 8th Grade, students learn about the way football culture has changed over the past few decades as scientists learn more about the long-term effects of repeated concussions. Students watch three videos that explain the culture of football in the past and present, and analyze statistics about concussions before discussing the question: “Who is most responsible for shaping mindsets about tackling in football: players, coaches, parents, or fans?”
Discussion lessons in each research unit provide students with the opportunity to practice citing evidence from sources, explain their evidence to classmates, and practice synthesizing information. These conversations give students the chance to gain new perspectives, receive feedback on their ideas, and boost their confidence before delving into the research paper.
In 8th Grade, students synthesize their ideas about the research question through a class discussion. After the discussion, students have an opportunity to outline their research paper using both their discussion notes and the note-taking graphic organizer they have used throughout the unit.
Each research unit comes with an optional end-of-unit project to further engage students through project based learning. These optional projects help foster student creativity and collaboration. Students can work with a partner or group to complete the task.
In 8th grade, students must make a brochure providing prospective parents and student athletes with factual information about the benefits and risks about contact sports so families can make an informed decision about participating. Students must work with a peer with an opposing view on the topic so the brochure is factual and unbiased. This task encourages teamwork and collaboration between peers with differing views.
Grade | Unit Title | Optional Final Project |
6th | Our Changing Oceans | Create 1-3 mock social media posts about ocean conservation |
7th | Social Media: Risks and Rewards | Create 2-3 mock social media posts that promote positive usage of social media |
8th | Contact Sports: Worth the Risk? | Create a brochure to provide prospective parents and student athletes with factual information about the benefits and risks of contact sports |
9th | The Science of Branding: Why We Buy | Make a Brand Strategy and Messaging Video Blog to help prospective buyers of a brand make informed decisions about the company they are putting their money behind |
10th | The Fashion Industry: Past to Present | Put together a presentation about the humaneness of a chosen clothing brand for an audience of potential consumers |
Each 360 unit comes with vocabulary and grammar lessons. Vocabulary activities help students internalize high-impact academic vocabulary words they will see in the texts they are reading. Grammar activities help students improve their writing skills, teaching students valuable skills to construct carefully crafted, grammatically correct paragraphs.
Want to learn more about research units and CommonLit 360? Register for a free, 30-minute webinar today!
Interested in learning about our affordable support packages? For just $6,500 per school, School Essentials PRO Plus provides teachers with three benchmark assessments, two unit skill assessments per 360 unit, personalized professional development, school-wide data reports, LMS integrations, and more.
We are eager to support your team!
CommonLit’s team will reach out with more information on our school and district partnerships.
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In the end, they actually make grading easier.
When it comes to student assessment and evaluation, there are a lot of methods to consider. In some cases, testing is the best way to assess a student’s knowledge, and the answers are either right or wrong. But often, assessing a student’s performance is much less clear-cut. In these situations, a scoring rubric is often the way to go, especially if you’re using standards-based grading . Here’s what you need to know about this useful tool, along with lots of rubric examples to get you started.
In the United States, a rubric is a guide that lays out the performance expectations for an assignment. It helps students understand what’s required of them, and guides teachers through the evaluation process. (Note that in other countries, the term “rubric” may instead refer to the set of instructions at the beginning of an exam. To avoid confusion, some people use the term “scoring rubric” instead.)
A rubric generally has three parts:
Rubrics take more time to develop up front, but they help ensure more consistent assessment, especially when the skills being assessed are more subjective. A well-developed rubric can actually save teachers a lot of time when it comes to grading. What’s more, sharing your scoring rubric with students in advance often helps improve performance . This way, students have a clear picture of what’s expected of them and what they need to do to achieve a specific grade or performance rating.
Learn more about why and how to use a rubric here.
There are three basic rubric categories, each with its own purpose.
Source: Cambrian College
This type of rubric combines all the scoring criteria in a single scale. They’re quick to create and use, but they have drawbacks. If a student’s work spans different levels, it can be difficult to decide which score to assign. They also make it harder to provide feedback on specific aspects.
Traditional letter grades are a type of holistic rubric. So are the popular “hamburger rubric” and “ cupcake rubric ” examples. Learn more about holistic rubrics here.
Source: University of Nebraska
Analytic rubrics are much more complex and generally take a great deal more time up front to design. They include specific details of the expected learning outcomes, and descriptions of what criteria are required to meet various performance ratings in each. Each rating is assigned a point value, and the total number of points earned determines the overall grade for the assignment.
Though they’re more time-intensive to create, analytic rubrics actually save time while grading. Teachers can simply circle or highlight any relevant phrases in each rating, and add a comment or two if needed. They also help ensure consistency in grading, and make it much easier for students to understand what’s expected of them.
Learn more about analytic rubrics here.
Source: Deb’s Data Digest
A developmental rubric is a type of analytic rubric, but it’s used to assess progress along the way rather than determining a final score on an assignment. The details in these rubrics help students understand their achievements, as well as highlight the specific skills they still need to improve.
Developmental rubrics are essentially a subset of analytic rubrics. They leave off the point values, though, and focus instead on giving feedback using the criteria and indicators of performance.
Learn how to use developmental rubrics here.
Ready to create your own rubrics? Find general tips on designing rubrics here. Then, check out these examples across all grades and subjects to inspire you.
These elementary school rubric examples come from real teachers who use them with their students. Adapt them to fit your needs and grade level.
You can use this one as an analytic rubric by counting up points to earn a final score, or just to provide developmental feedback. There’s a second rubric page available specifically to assess prosody (reading with expression).
Learn more: Teacher Thrive
The nice thing about this rubric is that you can use it at any grade level, for any text. If you like this style, you can get a reading fluency rubric here too.
Learn more: Pawprints Resource Center
Rubrics aren’t just for huge projects. They can also help kids work on very specific skills, like this one for improving written responses on assessments.
Learn more: Dianna Radcliffe: Teaching Upper Elementary and More
If you use interactive notebooks as a learning tool , this rubric can help kids stay on track and meet your expectations.
Learn more: Classroom Nook
Use this simple rubric as it is, or tweak it to include more specific indicators for the project you have in mind.
Learn more: Tales of a Title One Teacher
Developmental rubrics are perfect for assessing behavior and helping students identify opportunities for improvement. Send these home regularly to keep parents in the loop.
Learn more: Teachers.net Gazette
In middle school, use rubrics to offer detailed feedback on projects, presentations, and more. Be sure to share them with students in advance, and encourage them to use them as they work so they’ll know if they’re meeting expectations.
Argumentative writing is a part of language arts, social studies, science, and more. That makes this rubric especially useful.
Learn more: Dr. Caitlyn Tucker
Role-plays can be really useful when teaching social and critical thinking skills, but it’s hard to assess them. Try a rubric like this one to evaluate and provide useful feedback.
Learn more: A Question of Influence
Art is one of those subjects where grading can feel very subjective. Bring some objectivity to the process with a rubric like this.
Source: Art Ed Guru
You can use diorama projects in almost any subject, and they’re a great chance to encourage creativity. Simplify the grading process and help kids know how to make their projects shine with this scoring rubric.
Learn more: Historyourstory.com
Rubrics are terrific for grading presentations, since you can include a variety of skills and other criteria. Consider letting students use a rubric like this to offer peer feedback too.
Learn more: Bright Hub Education
In high school, it’s important to include your grading rubrics when you give assignments like presentations, research projects, or essays. Kids who go on to college will definitely encounter rubrics, so helping them become familiar with them now will help in the future.
Analyze a student’s presentation both for content and communication skills with a rubric like this one. If needed, create a separate one for content knowledge with even more criteria and indicators.
Learn more: Michael A. Pena Jr.
Debate is a valuable learning tool that encourages critical thinking and oral communication skills. This rubric can help you assess those skills objectively.
Learn more: Education World
Implementing project-based learning can be time-intensive, but the payoffs are worth it. Try this rubric to make student expectations clear and end-of-project assessment easier.
Learn more: Free Technology for Teachers
Need an easy way to convert a scoring rubric to a letter grade? This example for essay writing earns students a final score out of 100 points.
Learn more: Learn for Your Life
If you’re unsure how to grade a student’s participation and performance in drama class, consider this example. It offers lots of objective criteria and indicators to evaluate.
Learn more: Chase March
Plus, 25 of the best alternative assessment ideas ..
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Discuss this rubric with other members. Do more with rubrics than ever imagined possible. iRubric K37CA9: Students will use this rubric as they write a short research paper about a topic of choice. It will be their grading rubric when the paper is completed.. Free rubric builder and assessment tools.
This product contains two rubrics. 1. A presentation peer review rubric. This rubric allows students to give peer feedback for oral presentations. 2. A partner peer review rubric. This rubric allows students to give feedback on how well their team members worked on a presentation/project. 5 th - 8 th. Writing.
Research Paper Scoring Rubric Ideas Points 1-10 Has a well-developed thesis that conveys a perspective on the subject Poses relevant and tightly drawn questions about the topic; excludes extraneous details and inappropriate information Records important ideas, concepts, and direct quotations from a variety of reliable
6th-8th Grade. LYSIS RUBRICScore432Reading ComprehensionProvides an in-depth and accurate demonstration of what is stated in. the text and/or what can be inferred from the text(s).Demonstrates a c. mplete understanding of central ideas and information.Provides an accurate demonstration of what is stated in.
Holistic scoring is a quick method of evaluating a composition based on the reader's general impres-sion of the overall quality of the writing—you can generally read a student's composition and assign a score to it in two or three minutes. Holistic scoring is usually based on a scale of 0-4, 0-5, or 0-6.
Grading rubrics can be of great benefit to both you and your students. For you, a rubric saves time and decreases subjectivity. Specific criteria are explicitly stated, facilitating the grading process and increasing your objectivity. For students, the use of grading rubrics helps them to meet or exceed expectations, to view the grading process ...
This rubric for sixth-grade informational writing covers all of the major standards in the informational writing strand, including introduction, topic development, transitions, style, conclusion, and more. For helpful prompts and inspiration, use this informational writing rubric in conjunction with the Informational Essay Writing Prompt Choice ...
Persuasive Essay Rubric. Criteria. Points Worth. Points Given. Introduction. Begin with a hook (3 pts) State claim (12 pts) List 3 reasons (3 pts each=9 pts) Body Paragraphs. List reason topic sentence (7 pts) Provide evidence (15 pts) Explain reason (10 pts)
5 -6 = Approaching 5 = Below e lary L.6.1 L.6.2 W.6.2d (L.6.6) The writing: may have a few minor errors in grammar and usage, however, meaning is clear throughout the response. demonstrates command of the conventions of standard English consistent with effectively edited writing. accurately incorporates precise language,
Rubric suitable for formative and summative assignments with tasks involving the explanation of a topic. Use this rubric when asking students to explain information about a topic, to compare and contrast features, to discuss the benefits and limitations of something, etc. Consider using the 6th-8th Grade Informative QuickMark set with this rubric.
is provided. Analysis and Reasoning. Argumentation develops ideas and insight in the essay, and supports a credible and convincing line of reasoning. Effectively uses a variety of elaborative techniques, such as writing descriptively. Reflects precise and carefully selected language for clarity and effect.
Grade 6-8 Essay Rubric At the end of each unit, students write a longer, more developed essay over a sequence of 4-5 lessons. Students draw on their core lesson writing practice, in which they focus on one claim or idea in response to a prompt and develop text evidence to support their claim or idea. In the essay lessons, students then
Argumentative Essay Student-Friendly Writing Rubric (Grade 6) Statement of Purpose/Focus and Organization. Evidence and Elaboration. Conventions/Editing. The response is focused and complete. the claim is clearly stated and focused throughout. the claim is communicated clearly and appropriately for the purpose, audience, and task.
The paper moves from one idea to the next, but there is little variety. The paper uses comparison and contrast transition words to show relationships between ideas. Some transitions work well; but connections between other ideas are fuzzy. The transitions between ideas are unclear or nonexistent. Grammar & Spelling (Conventions)
This persuasive essay rubric uses standards based grading (1-4) to assess the student writers in the following categories.-Introduction-Reasons-Transitions-Conclusion-Structure-Sp
ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY RUBRIC GRADE 6. Criteria. Level 4: Exceeding Standards. Level 3: Meeting Standards. Level 2: Approaching Standards. Level 1: Below Standards. Focus & Structure. Essay maintains a clear and relevant organization. throughout.
This rubric actually contains two parts: one where reading grades are assigned and one where writing grades are assigned, as I was using this rubric to assign a reading and writing grade. Research Paper Rubric RTF Research Paper Rubric PDF Preview Research Paper Rubric in your web browser. Typed Essay Rubric - A multipurpose rubric for both ...
Research. Rubrics. Study Guides. Task Cards. Worksheets. Show all Resource Types. All Resource Types. ... Free 6th grade writing-expository rubrics. 135 results. Sort by: Relevance. Relevance; Rating; Rating Count; Price (Ascending) ... This is a basic rubric for a five-paragraph essay, with a spot to give points for each part of each paragraph
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts Constructed-Response Scoring Guide Texas Education Agency ... Essays were scored using a five-point rubric. Short ... several research studies. Since scientists suggest that language learning is easiest for young children, learning a second language at a younger age seems like a great place ...
Olivia Franklin. Engage students with interesting research topics, teach them skills to become adept independent researchers, and help them craft their end-of-unit research papers. CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. Our standards-aligned units are highly engaging and develop core reading and writing skills.
Example 1 - Research Paper Rubric. Characteristics to note in the rubric: Language is descriptive, not evaluative. Labels for degrees of success are descriptive ("Expert" "Proficient", etc.); by avoiding the use of letters representing grades or numbers representing points, there is no implied contract that qualities of the paper will ...
Try this rubric to make student expectations clear and end-of-project assessment easier. Learn more: Free Technology for Teachers. 100-Point Essay Rubric. Need an easy way to convert a scoring rubric to a letter grade? This example for essay writing earns students a final score out of 100 points. Learn more: Learn for Your Life. Drama ...
6th Grade: No-Prep, Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Research Project (includes Rubric) Created by. The Tech Lovin' Teacher. This no-prep project is a great supplement to your Ancient Civilizations unit on Ancient Egypt. It specifically focuses on three of the more known pharaoh's during that time. It can be used in two ways.