Biography Presentation Rubric—High School

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Theme

My biography has a theme that reflects what is unique, interesting, and important about the person I am writing about. Every detail in my biography helps to communicate the theme.

My biography has a theme that reflects what is interesting or important about the person I am writing about. My biography is organized around the theme.

My biography attempts to have a theme but generally just has a topic. I attempt to organize my biography around the theme or topic.

My biography has a topic, rather than a theme. Some information seems unrelated to the topic.

Elaboration

My biography includes extensive and relevant, concrete details, including realistic, imagined events and conversations, based on historical evidence.

My biography includes extensive and relevant concrete detail.

My biography includes some concrete detail, but mostly contains generalities and abstractions.

My biography includes very little concrete detail.

Interpretation

I synthesize the facts of the person’s life with my own experiences, values, and knowledge to make logical connections and draw significant conclusions that support and enhance my biography’s theme.

I synthesize the facts of the person’s life with my own experiences, values, and knowledge to draw conclusions related to the theme of my biography.

I try to draw some conclusions about the person’s life, but I include mostly known facts, and the conclusions I draw sometimes do not make sense or relate to my biography’s theme.

My biography includes only known facts, or the conclusions I draw are not logical.

Research Sources

I get information for my biography from a variety of primary and secondary sources, which I analyze for authenticity, bias, and accuracy.

I get information for my biography from a variety of credible sources.

I get information for my biography from three or fewer sources, and the credibility of some of my sources is questionable.

I get information for my biography from just one source, or the sources I use are all of questionable credibility.

Source Citation

I cite all my sources correctly, including those that I paraphrase and quote directly.

I cite all my sources, including those that I paraphrase and quote directly. I may have some minor errors in citation form.

I cite most of my sources, or I do not cite sources that I paraphrase. I have some errors in citation form.

I do not cite several sources, and I have several errors in citation form.

Writing: Organization

My biography has a title and introduction that presents the theme and makes the audience curious. It also has a conclusion that makes an important statement about the theme.

My biography has a title and introduction that introduces the theme. It also has a conclusion that emphasizes the theme.

My introduction and conclusion do not enhance the theme of my biography.

My biography is missing an introduction, a conclusion, or both.

Writing: Transitions

I use transitions effectively and subtly to connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs.

I use transitions to connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs.

I try to use transitions to connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs, but sometimes my writing is awkward and choppy.

I rarely use transitions to connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs, and my writing is often awkward and choppy.

Writing: Language

I use powerful, concrete language to communicate my biography’s theme.

I use concrete language to communicate my biography’s theme.

I sometimes use concrete language, but most of my biography is vague and general.

The language in my biography is vague and general.

Format

I used various features of the media I chose for my biography to enhance and effectively support my biography’s theme.

I use some features of the media I chose for my biography effectively to tell the story.

I use some features of the media I chose for my biography effectively.

I use very few features of the media I chose for my biography, or I use the features ineffectively.

Conventions

My biography has no errors in grammar or mechanics, except where I deliberately manipulate conventions to enhance the theme and meaning.

My biography has no errors in grammar or mechanics that detract from the theme.

My biography has some errors in grammar and mechanics that detract from the theme.

My biography has so many errors in grammar and mechanics that my audience has difficulty understanding it.