Second Grade Writing Rubric

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robin Wolf-Smith on March 2, 2009 at 2:31pm

Are we assessing the final product or the writing process? If this is strictly for the final product, I think we should include how the writer incorporates revisions into the final copy. Revision is such an important part of the writing process. As Lucy Calkins states 'the purpose of revision is not to correct, but to discover.' This opportunity for discovery will lend itself to skills that will stay with a student (rather than the teacher merely correcting a student's writing and a student copying it for a one-time final product).

Also, can we add 'opening sentence/topic sentence that states the focus of the writing and creates a good lead that grabs the reader's attention'? We have been discussing the importance of type of sentence and how author's use it during our Writer's Workshop

Permalink Reply by Michelle Baltz on March 3, 2009 at 5:36pm

That sounds great Robin! I can see you and your class have been busy in the Writing Workshop!

Permalink Reply by Cris Reinhold on March 3, 2009 at 7:46am

I like the rubric. It seems simple enough that the students can use and understand as a tool for revision and also for earning a grade. I feel as though I defer to my colleagues who are more knowledgeable about 2nd grade academics right now.

Permalink Reply by Patty Jensen on March 3, 2009 at 4:16pm

As I perused the narrative writing rubric, a couple of things jumped out at me. As Robin stated, there isn't an identification item for the topic sentence. I believe that in order for a writing piece to be good, the topic sentence must be meaningful and represent what the rest of the story will be about. Once a student has developed his topic sentence, it seems as if he becomes confident in his ability to "create" the rest of the story. I can never stress enough to the students how important this part of a writing piece is. I feel that the topic sentence should be a separate line item in the rubric. My only other comment would be the item that states "It sounds just like me telling a story to someone." I find that some of my students tell a story in "slang" or even "black vernacular" language and sometimes even in the textual sense of the Spanish Language. To them they are telling the story like they were talking to someone, however when it is read, grammar and writing are incorrect because they were not able to distinguish between the spoken and written language. I wouldn't necessarily want my students to write like they were speaking or telling a story to someone, even though the writing should flow and transition smoothly.

Permalink Reply by Joan Timmons on March 5, 2009 at 3:50pm

I like the addition of a seperate line for the topic sentence. I would not use "it sounds like they are telling someone a story". I
"Iused what I learned in writing and grammar"...should that be more specific? Should we narrow down what we are focusing on in that area?

Permalink Reply by Diane Ennis on March 5, 2009 at 8:16pm

I find the Writing Rubric in the Trophies Teacher's Manual (Banner Days--Theme 1, Pg.T32) to be much more kid friendly and easier to understand. I like the fact that for students receiving a 1 or 2, it states what they need to improve upon in a more positive way. If we are using the same rubric for both teachers and students to assess their writing, I find the attached rubric "too adult looking." A rubric should be something that the student can keep in their portfolio to see their progress through the school year. I agree with Joan that the statement, "I used things I have learned in writing and grammar lessons," to be too vague, it needs to be more specific. It would be better stated, "I used capital letters and punctuation correctly." I, also, agree with the others that something about having a good topic sentence should be included.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Litz-Neavear on March 6, 2009 at 7:41pm

Add me to the list of colleagues wanting to remove the "it sounds like me telling a story to someone" description. I don't think written language should sound like spoken language. I, for one, am grateful that my writing abilities exceed my speaking talents. The beauty of writing is that we can revise what we want our final product to be, and that advantage of being able to improve what we are trying to communicate can be demonstrated to students. The stories 2nd grade students verbally tell generally lack clarity and sequencing. Perhaps another student being able to retell someone else's story is one way to assess if a narrative contains a beginning, middle, and end.

Joan had a good rubric that we used to evaluate the students' narratives. I'm not sure where she got it, but it was less wordy than this rubric. The students themselves didn't use it, but as Diane said about the rubric she likes, a less-wordy rubric would be more user-friendly for students.

Lastly, I've uploaded a rubric that I found online and have been wanting to share to see what people think. (This is a great forum to do that!) It's a much more general rubric which classifies the level of a student's writing. It wouldn't surprise me if some of you have seen or used it before. It's also for K-2.

Attachments:

• Writing Assessment Development Scale K-2.pdf, 33 KB

Permalink Reply by Kathy Ricciardi on March 31, 2009 at 12:40pm

I think the rubric as presented is too busy. I also like the rubric that Diane Ennis mentioned from the Trophies Manual. It seems to include the essentials of a 2nd grade writing piece. This rubric mentions the topic as the first criteria. It is clear & user friendly. It seems more appropriate to younger students. In the trophies rubric I would probably eliminate the section on "voice". Also they mention that to get a score of 4 in SENTENCES all words in the piece must be spelled correctly. I think this is too high an expectation for 2nd graders. Kathy R