Expressive Writing Rubric—Elementary

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Clarity Innovations

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Content: Sharing Experiences and Feelings	I use writing to share my experiences and feelings in a variety of ways, such as personal essays, letters, notes, and e-mail.	I use writing to share my experiences and feelings.	Sometimes, I use writing to share my experiences and feelings.	I rarely use writing to share my experiences and feelings.
Content: Reflecting	I use writing to reflect on my learning, set goals, explore ideas, and describe my feelings.	I use writing to reflect, explore, and describe my feelings.	I have difficulty writing about what I am learning from my experiences.	I rarely write about what I learn from my experiences.
Content: Exploring	I explore many ideas in my writing without worrying about which ones are good.	I explore ideas in my writing.	With help, I explore some ideas in writing.	I rarely explore ideas in writing.
Content: Personal Experience	I use detailed personal experiences appropriately to describe my beliefs and opinions.	I include personal experiences when describing my beliefs and opinions.	I try to include some personal experiences when describing my beliefs and opinions, but my experiences may not be appropriate	I do not include personal experiences.
Organization	My writing is organized in a logical order so information can be found easily.	My writing is organized in a logical order.	I try to put my ideas in order, but sometimes, the order does not make sense.	The order of my writing is confusing.
Organization: Order	I describe my thoughts in an order that makes sense, making connections between them.	I make connections between ideas.	I try to make connections between ideas.	I do not make connections between ideas.
Organization: Paragraphs	I break up my writing into logical paragraphs and sections, so my writing is easy to read and understand.	I use paragraphs.	I have some paragraphs, but some may be too short or too long.	I have too many or too few paragraphs
Organization: Format	I can write in a variety of formats (such as letters, personal essays, notes, and so forth), and I choose appropriate formats to record, share, and think about my learning.	I choose an appropriate format to write about my learning.	I need help to choose an appropriate format to write about my learning.	I can only write in one format.
Tone: Sincerity	My writing is sincere. I think about my experiences honestly and describe them truthfully.	I tell the truth about my experiences.	I try to tell the truth about my experiences, but sometimes, I don’t describe them accurately.	I do not make any effort to discuss my experiences honestly, and usually, I just say what I think readers want to hear.
Tone: Flow	My writing sounds natural and smooth when read out loud.	My writing usually sounds natural and smooth when read out loud.	Sometimes, my writing sounds choppy and confusing.	My writing does not sound natural. Some language does not seem to fit or make sense.
Language: Word Choice	I use language that is vivid, interesting, and meaningful to me.	I use vivid, interesting language.	I try to use vivid, interesting language, but most of my writing is predictable.	The language in my writing is predictable and ordinary.
Language: Accuracy	I am careful to choose the exact, right words to describe what I am thinking and feeling.	I choose accurate words to describe what I am thinking and feeling.	I sometimes use vague, general words to describe what I am thinking and feeling.	I am often careless about the language I use and do not make an effort to find the right words.
Sentence Fluency	Some of my sentences are long, some are medium, and some are short. I start my sentences with different words and phrases so they do not all sound the same.	I have some variety in my sentence length. My sentences begin in different ways.	Many of my sentences are about the same length. Some of my sentences begin with the same kind of phrase or word.	My sentences are nearly all the same length. Many of my sentences begin with the same kind of phrase or word.
Conventions	I use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization effectively to help my writing make sense.	I usually use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization effectively. If I make errors, they do not detract from the meaning of my writing.	I am sometimes careless with spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, and I make frequent errors that are distracting.	I do not pay attention to my spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization and make so many errors that my writing is hard to understand.