Mr. Morrissey's English

Excellent (A)

Competent (B)

Approaching competence (C)

Poor (D/F)

Organizational skills

-The paragraphs demonstrate excellent development.

-The essay’s components (introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion) are insightfully constructed.

-All paragraphs demonstrate adequate development.

-The essay adequately includes the necessary components of an introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion.

-Some paragraphs demonstrate adequate development.

-The essay sometimes includes the necessary components of an introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion.

-Most paragraphs do not demonstrate adequate development.

-The essay fails to include many of the necessary components of an introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion.

Era

-The essay creatively introduces the era in which the text was written.

-The essay creatively uses historical terms and context to support the analysis.

-The essay adequately introduces the era in which the text was written.

-The essay uses historical terms and context adequately to support the analysis.

-The essay partially introduces the era in which the text was written.

-The essay sometimes uses historical terms and context adequately to support the analysis.

-The essay fails to introduce the era in which the text was written.

-The essay fails to use historical terms and context adequately to support the analysis.

Content

-The essay demonstrates a superior understanding of the text.

-The essay insightfully utilizes properly documented textual examples.

-The writer’s meaning is not only clear and persuasive, but also creative.

-The essay demonstrates thorough understanding of the text.

-The essay utilizes properly documented textual examples.

-The writer’s meaning is clear and persuasive.

-The essay demonstrates an uneven understanding of the text.

-The essay sometimes utilizes properly documented textual examples.

-The writer’s meaning approaches clarity and persuasiveness.

-The essay demonstrates a flawed understanding of the text.

-The essay fails to properly utilize documented textual examples.

-The writer’s meaning is unclear.

Literary vocabulary

-The writer creatively utilizes literary vocabulary in the essay.

-The meaning of the literary vocabulary is expressed creatively.

-The writer adequately utilizes literary vocabulary in the essay.

-The literary vocabulary is defined or clearly understood via context.

-The writer occasionally utilizes literary vocabulary in the essay.

-The literary vocabulary is sometimes defined or understood via context.

-The writer fails to utilize literary vocabulary in the essay.

-The literary vocabulary is not defined or understood via context.