A Writing Rubric of My Own

Here you will find a writing rubric that I have developed, I think that it needs more modifications but I am proud to share my first rubric that I ave crafted with you. 

Persuasive Essay
CATEGORY	4 - Above Standards	3 - Meets Standards	2 - Approaching Standards	1 - Below Standards	Score
Focus or Thesis Statement	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed.	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay.	The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic.	The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed.
Evidence and Examples	All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author\'s position.	Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author\'s position.	At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author\'s position.	Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.
Accuracy	All supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.	Almost all supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.	Most supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.	Most supportive facts and statistics were inaccurately reported.
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.
Grammar & Spelling	Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.	Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.
Capitalization & Punctuation	Author makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read.	Author makes 1-2 errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read.	Author makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader\'s attention and interrupt the flow.	Author makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader\'s attention and interrupt the flow.
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.

In this rubric there are four levels or standards in which I have stated to check the level of my students based on several categories they have to meet in their essays. These standards are: above standards, meet standards, approaching standards, and below standards. The categories that I have included here are the ones that I thought are the most important to look for in a student's essay, and these categories are: focus or thesis statement, evidence and examples, accuracy, sentence structure, grammar and spelling, capitalization and punctuation, and the closing paragraph. It is very important that the students' essays include a thesis statement or what is called the focus of the writing in which they have to outline in a sentence the main points of their essay and the ones to be discussed. Since it's a persuasive essay, the students must support their position with the appropriate evidences that are relevant to their topic. Also the students must provide accurate evidences and example, as well as using accurate language. Moreover, for the essays to be well organized and developed, they must use good sentence structure that improves their essays and enhances their language. The students must avoid  grammar and spelling errors as much as they can to make their essays more organized and structured, and they must pay attention to capitalization and punctuation and avoid errors. Adding to that the closing paragraph must be strong and attracting and it must attracts the reader's attention the same as the introduction.