Hot Topics

(Acrobat PDF file: 12 KB)

Position Paper Rubric

Name: ______________________________
Date: _______________
Class: ________________________________________

	Exceptional	Admirable	Acceptable	Attempted
Idea Development	Takes a strong, well-defined position; uses at least four appropriate reasons with at least three supporting details for each reason	Clear position taken and defined; some reasons and some details present but not fully developed	Position not clearly stated; development is brief; unrelated, unsupported general statements, reasons, and details; minimal facts used	No clear position taken; undeveloped reasons; no facts used
Organization	Writer demonstrates logical, subtle sequencing of ideas through well-developed paragraphs; transitions are used to enhance organization; a gripping introduction and a strong conclusion evident	Paragraph development present but not perfected	Logical organization; organization of ideas not fully developed; introduction and conclusion present but not fully developed	No evidence of paragraph structure; no introduction or conclusion; illogical organization of ideas
Use of Resources	Uses appropriate information from all subject areas to support position; uses additional resources to develop position; uses a range of primary and secondary sources (six or more)	Demonstration of subject knowledge; use of four resources	Little use of multi-subject areas knowledge; uses less then four resources	No evidence of subject matter or resources used
Management of Time	Submitted on time; utilizes class time appropriately; seeks help in research and writing; evidence of homework each night; student-designed action plan	Utilizes class time; deadlines met; submitted on time	Deadlines met with supervision; home preparation minimal	Consistently unprepared; late; unfinished; no evidence of homework
Mechanics and Language Usage	Error free paper; accurate spelling and punctuation, capitalization, and usage; variety of sentence structure; rich vocabulary	Few errors present in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage; some attempt at sentence variety; occasional use of rich vocabulary	Incorrect sentence structure; spelling, punctuation, capitalization errors present; repetitious vocabulary; weak language usage	Multiple errors present in sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; weak vocabulary and incorrect language usage
Presentation	Neatly typed, numbered pages; assembled with care; cover sheet with name, grade, and date; creative ideas present; good graphics	Neatly presented; cover sheet complete with attention to aesthetics	Presentation is legible but lacks visual appeal; no cover sheet with name, grade, and date	Difficult to read; not assembled with care; lacks cover sheet

Position Paper Evaluation Form

Name: ______________________________
Date: _______________
Class: ________________________________________

	Exceptional	Admirable	Acceptable	Attempted
Idea Development
Organization
Use of Resources
Management of Time
Mechanics and Language Usage
Presentation

COMMENTS: