 Term 1 Writing Rubric
The Halton District School Board has refined the way educators evaluate your child's work. We are now using the
6+1 Writing Traits. When presented with a writing piece, we evaluate for specific traits (usually not all at once).
For example, when marking a letter written in character I would choose to assess:
Voice (are they writing in character?)
Word Choice (does it sound like the character is speaking?)
Sentence Fluency (does the writing flow? Or is it choppy and awkward?)
After selecting which traits I will be assessing, I create a rubric (similar to the rubrics posted at the bottom of this
page) that qualifies each indicator. I assign a Level 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending on what level is achieved.
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
The writing shows a limited awareness of an audience. |
The writing shows some awareness of an audience. |
The writing shows an awareness of an audience. |
The writing shows a thorough awareness of an audience. |
6 + 1 Traits of Writing
1. Ideas
- There is an appropriate balance of “showing” and “telling”;
- Being specific with high quality details is more interesting than a large quantity of vague details;
- A unique idea or approach is being written about;
- Bigger topics are supported by sub-topics;
- The writing centers on thesis statements or main idea statements.
2. Organization
- There is a strong introduction to the piece of writing;
- Transitions are used to move the idea along logically;
- Paragraphs are written with purpose;
- The writing comes to a satisfying conclusion;
- The conclusion somehow links back to the introduction;
- Title the piece effectively.
3. Voice
- The writing shows an awareness of an audience;
- The writing shows a passion towards the topic;
- The writer has used devices of style (such as figurative language), when appropriate;
- The writer has captured a tone or mood (including humor) as appropriate;
- The writing shows awareness of perspective and point-of-view.
4. Word Choice
- The writer understands the importance of strong verbs;
- The writer understands the importance of precise nouns;
- The writer understands the importance of interesting adjectives;
- The writer has taken risks with words;
- If appropriate, the writer has used alliteration or other types of sound devices.
5. Sentence Fluency
- A variety of transitions are used;
- A variety of sentence beginnings are used;
- A variety of sentence lengths are used;
- When reading the writing aloud, the words sound natural;
- Complex and simple sentences are used to promote rhythm in the language.
6. Conventions
- Spelling is correct enough to not distract from the writer's message;
- Grammar is correct enough to not distract from the writer's message;
- External punctuation (periods, question marks, and exclamation points) is used correctly;
- Internal punctuation (commas, apostrophes, semi-colons, quotation marks) is competent;
- The writer uses capitalization rules flawlessly.
+1. Presentation
- Margins and columns frame the writing and graphics;
- Type size and style is appropriate for the content;
- Graphics reinforce the Voice, Ideas, and Organization traits;
- Text layout contributes to the readability of the document
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