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How much information does the usual number/letter grading system tell a student about his or her performance on a quiz, project, test, etc? Does it explain the specific areas of strength, or the areas that need improvement? Educators know the importance that providing feedback can have on student performance. Rubrics are a grading system that provides students with guidance and feedback for any assignment.
Rubrics offer much more than a letter grade, or marks indicating the numbers wrong or correct. Rubrics can give students a list of the criteria on which they will be graded. For example, on a research project, teachers could list grammar, details, neatness, and presentation as the criteria that will be used to evaluate the project. Students can be provided with this list before the project is due so that he or she knows exactly what it takes to make a passing grade.
With each criteria, a teacher can list the qualifications for each level of performance. Here is an example:
|
CATEGORY |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Elaboration (Details) |
There are enough details to support your project. |
There needs to be more support for your project. |
There is little support for your project. |
With this example, a score of one through three can be achieved based on the level of performance on the task, with three being the highest level. Students receiving a score of 2 on providing details will immediately understand that he or she needed to supply more support and elaboration on the project.
Rubrics are great for independent projects. Students who have mastered a specific skill may be given a project that provides rigor, and addresses the student's interests. This is very common with gifted or high-ability students. Often, when pre-assessed, gifted students have mastered skills that the teacher is prepared to teach. Providing those students with the option to conduct an individual project, and giving them a rubric as a guideline, helps the teacher meet their needs, while still being able to address those students who need instruction.
Lesson Plans With Rubrics:
Fabulous Folktales: This is a unit for fourth grade that highlights African and Chinese folktales.This unit on folktales contains seven rubrics. Each rubric is for a specific assignment listed in the lesson plans. The criteria and expectations on the rubric are clearly defined.
Bubble Gum Rubric Scoring: This lesson was created to teach students how the North Carolina state writing assessment is scored. Teachers could use this lesson in second grade and above to introduce rubrics to those who are not familiar with them. It is hands on, and very engaging. Students can gain a better understanding about of why rubrics are important, and how they are used for grading purposes.
Narrative Literature Response Letters: Students write endings to a story that has already been written. The students also write a formal letter to the author offering an alternative ending to the story. This lesson includes a rubric on the criteria for a formal letter. It also includes extension activites, and differentiation ideas for students performing above and below grade level.
My State Notebook: Students are assigned a state and conduct research on that state.This lesson includes five rubrics, including sample rubrics for students. It also suggests providing students with the rubrics prior to starting the research project. Students are able to see examples of how rubrics are scored by being given three examples that range from exemplary to developing.
Write Your Own Rap: Students work in groups of 3-5 to create original rap songs. At the beginning of this lesson, students actively participate in creating the criteria for the rubric. This lesson reinforces poetry and cooperative learning. It does not include a rubric because the idea is that the students will decide on the specifics.
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