6 Traits Rubric for Descriptive Writing for Guess the Object Paragraph

5- Excellent
Ideas

*paints a picture for the

reader
*well-focused on the topic
without explicitly stating
what the topic is
*clear ideas are wellsupported with interesting
and vivid details

Organization *well-focused on the topic

*logical organization
*excellent transitions
*easy to follow
* There is a hook and
conclusion sentence with
transitional sentences in
between

3- Very Good

2-Satisfactory

1-Needs
Improvement
*creates some *sometimes strays *poorly focused on
clear images for from the topic
the topic
the reader
*ideas are not
*ideas are unclear
*focused on the well-developed
*few details are
topic
and object is stated given
*ideas are well- *more details are
supported with needed
details

*generally
*somewhat
*not focused on the
focused on the focused on the
topic
topic
topic
*no clear
*some lapses in *poor organization organization
organization
*few transitions *no transitions
*some
*difficult to follow *difficult to
transitions
impossible to
*usually easy to
follow
follow
Word Choice *precise, vivid and
*fairly precise, *vague, mundane *very limited word
interesting word choices interesting and word choices
choices
*wide variety of word
somewhat
*wording is
*wording is bland
choices
varied word
sometimes
and not descriptive
*writer uses advanced
choices
repetitive
vocabulary and/or
*wording could *more descriptive
synonyms
be more
words are needed
specific
Sensory
*writer appeals to all five *writer appeals *writer appeals to *writer appeals to
Details
senses
to four of the three of the fives two or less of the
*imagery is used
five senses OR senses or is
senses with very
throughout the poem in a the writer
extremely vague in vague descriptive
creative and engaging
appeals to all appealing to the imagery
manner
five senses in a senses
vague and
general manner
Figurative
*writer uses at least five *writer uses
*writer uses three *writer uses two or
Language
DIFFERENT pieces of
four
DIFFERENT
less pieces of
figurative language:
DIFFERENT pieces of figurative figurative language
-simile
pieces of
language
or does not use the
-metaphor
figurative
figurative language
-alliteration
language
in a way that adds
-assonance
depth and voice to
-consonance
his/her paragraph
-onomatopoeia
-hyperbole
-understatement
-pun/wordplay
-personification
-irony
-symbolism

Sentence
Fluency

*uses complete sentences *uses complete *occasional

*frequent use of
*varying sentence
sentences
sentence fragment sentence fragments
structure and lengths
*generally
or run-on sentencesor run-on sentences
simple sentence *simple sentence *sentences are
structures
structure is used difficult to
repeatedly
understand

Conventions *proper grammar, usage

*correct spelling
*correct punctuation
*correct capitalization

Voice

Presentation

*errors in
grammar, usage
and spelling
sometimes make
understanding
difficult
*some errors in
punctuation and
capitalization
*voice is fitting for the
*voice is fairly *voice rarely
topic and engaging
clear and seems comes through
*well-suited for audience to fit the topic *not always suited
and purpose
*suited for
for audience and
*the writer uses different audience and purpose
strategies to engage the
purpose
reader throughout the
paper
*text is very easy to read
(font/writing, spacing,
color) *format is visually
appealing (neat organized,
etc.) *presentation is
creative and original in
design (i.e. voice is not
monotone)

*frequent errors in
grammar, usage,
spelling,
capitalization and
punctuation
make
understanding
difficult or
impossible
*voice is weak or
inappropriate
*no sense of
audience and
purpose

*text is quite *text is not easy to *text is difficult to

easy to read
read (font/writing, read (font/writing,
(font/writing, spacing, color)
spacing, color)
spacing, color) *format is
*format is not
*format is
disorganized or
organized or
appealing
inappropriate
appropriate
*presentation is *presentation is not*presentation lacks
somewhat
creative or original creativity and
creative
and
in design
originality
*writer adds a visual
original
in
image to his/her paragraph
design

Name:
Period:
Date:
Object:
Total (out of 45):

Comments:

*few errors of
grammar and
usage
*mostly correct
spelling,
punctuation
and
capitalization