Writing Prompt Rubric

Narrative Writing: 4th Grade

Focus/ Organization
W3

Exceeds Expectation
(4)
Purposefully orients the reader by skillfully
establishing a vivid situation (real or
imagined) and introducing characters
and/or a narrator and coherently
organizes a clear event sequence that
unfolds naturally

For clarification of the expectations,

you must refer to the standards on
Page 2 of this document.

Language
L1, L2

Support/ Evidence
W3

Skillfully connects a variety of transitional

words and phrases to manage the
sequence of events and provides a
conclusion that clearly follows from the
narrated experience or events
Uses creative descriptions of actions,
thoughts, and feelings to develop
experiences and events and uses vivid
dialogue to show the response of
characters to situations
Uses concrete words and sensory details
to make experiences and events come to
life
Demonstrates creativity and flexibility
when using conventions (grammar,
punctuation, capitalization, and spelling)
enhance readability
Uses purposeful and varied sentence
structures

Meets Expectation
(3)
Orients the reader by establishing a
situation (real or imagined) and
introducing characters and/or a narrator
and organizes a clear event sequence
that unfolds naturally

Progressing Towards Expectation

(2)
Establishes a situation (real or
imagined) and attempts to introduce
characters and/or a narrator and
organizes some sequencing but
might confuse the reader

Uses a variety of transitional words and

phrases to manage the sequence of
events and provides a conclusion that
follows from the narrated experience or
events

Uses some transitional words and

phrases to manage the sequence of
events and attempts a conclusion
that may or may not follow the
narrated experience or events

Uses descriptions of actions, thoughts,

and feelings to develop experiences and
events and uses dialogue to show the
response of characters to situations

Uses minimal or irrelevant

descriptions of actions, thoughts, or
feelings to describe experiences
/events and uses dialogue to support
plot

Uses little to no description of

actions, thoughts, or feelings to
describe experiences /events and
does not use dialogue to support
plot
Fails to use concrete words or
sensory details

Demonstrates grade level appropriate

conventions (grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling); errors are
minor and do not interfere with the
readability

Attempts to use concrete words and

sensory details to describe
experiences and events
Demonstrates some grade level
appropriate conventions (grammar,
punctuation, capitalization, and
spelling), but errors may interfere
with the readability

Uses correct and varied sentence

structures

Uses some repetitive yet correct

sentence structure

Does not demonstrate sentence

mastery

Uses concrete words and sensory details

to convey experiences and events
precisely

Does Not Meet Expectation

(0-1)*
Fails to establish a situation (real or
imagined) and does not introduce
characters and/or a narrator in a
relevant way and does not
sequence narrative in a logical
order
Uses few to no transitional words
and phrases to manage the
sequence of events and does not
provide a discernible conclusion

Demonstrates limited
understanding of grade level
conventions (grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling), and
errors interfere with the readability

* Teacher may choose a score point of 0 or 1, determining which most accurately reflects student performance.

Howard County Schools, Elementary Language Arts

2014/2015

Writing Prompt Rubric

Narrative Writing: 4th Grade
Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards
W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event
sequences.
a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
c. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.
d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated
experiences or events.
L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why).
b. Form and use the progressive (e.g., I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses.
c. Use modal auxiliaries (e.g., can, may, must) to convey various conditions.
d. Order adjectives within sentences according to conventional patterns (e.g., a small red bag rather than a red small bag).
e. Form and use prepositional phrases.
f. Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.*
g. Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).*
L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use correct capitalization.
b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.
c. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.
d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

Howard County Schools, Elementary Language Arts

2014/2015