Common Core Writing Rubrics, Kindergarten The following writing rubrics for the Common Core were developed by the Elk Grove Unified School District in Elk Grove, California. There are rubrics for each major writing type described in Writing Standards 1 3: argument, exposition, and narration. Posted with permission from the EGUSD Curriculum and Professional Learning Department.
Opinion/Argument (W.1)
Focus/ Opinion CCSS*: W 1 Organization W 1 4 (Above Grade Level) Responds with all statements related to the prompt Identifies opinion in topic sentence Supplies a reason for the opinion Provides some sense of closure EGUSD Opinion/Argument Rubric, Grade K 3 2 (At Grade Level) (Approaching Grade Level) Responds with all statements, Responds with most statements, phrases, and/or drawing(s) related to phrases, and/or drawing(s) related the prompt to the prompt Identifies opinion in a phrase or sentence Identifies opinion clearly Identifies opinion in a studentdictated phrase or sentence Identifies an opinion that may be unclear 1 (Below Grade Level) Responds with some or no statements, phrases, and/or drawing(s) related to the prompt Identifies opinion in drawing(s) or not at all Identifies opinion that is off-topic or missing of Grammar and Usage L 1a Prints all upper and lower case letters correctly Demonstrates mastery of proper spacing between all words and word placement on the lines Prints many upper and lower case Demonstrates proficiency of proper spacing between most words and word placement on the lines Prints some upper and lower case Demonstrates some proficiency of proper spacing between words and word placement on the lines Prints few upper and lower case Demonstrates little to no proficiency of proper spacing between words and word placement on the lines of Punctuation, and L 2, a-d consistently with no errors: first word in a sentence, I, and proper nouns Uses end punctuation consistently and correctly Uses conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns Spells irregular and/or high-frequency words correctly consistently with a minor error: first word in a sentence and the pronoun I Uses end punctuation inconsistently but correctly Writes letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds Spells simple words phonetically consistently with some errors: first word in a sentence and the pronoun I Uses end punctuation inconsistently and incorrectly Inconsistently writes letters for consonant and short-vowel sounds Spells some simple words phonetically Capitalizes incorrectly with many errors Does not use end punctuation Writes letters with little to no sound/spelling correspondence of consonants and short vowels Spells few to no simple words phonetically *CCSS Common Core State Standards alignment ( W = Writing strand; L = Language strand)
CA Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment NOTES: In the left criterion boxes of the rubric, the CCSS-aligned standards have been identified. As a resource for teachers, below are the standards for the current grade (K) as well as the subsequent grade. Since the rubric score of 4 represents above grade level work, the 1 st grade standards were referenced. The letter abbreviations are as follows: CCSS = Common Core State Standards W = Writing L=Language Strand (Domain) Kindergarten 1st Writing 1. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preferences about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is ). 1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure. Grammar and Usage Punctuation, and 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard (Note these standards correspond in order to how they are arranged in the last box of the table.) 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. b. Recognize and name end punctuation. c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard a. Capitalize dates and names of people. b. Use end punctuation for sentences. d. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Informational/Expository (W.2)
Focus/ Opinion CCSS*: W 2 Organization W 2 of Grammar and Usage L 1a 4 (Above Grade Level) Responds with all statements related to the prompt Identifies topic in introductory sentence Supplies some facts about the topic Provides some sense of closure Prints all upper and lower case Demonstrates mastery of proper spacing between all words and word placement on the lines EGUSD Informative/Explanatory Text-Based Rubric, Grade K 3 2 (At Grade Level) (Approaching Grade Level) Responds with all statements, phrases, and/or drawing(s) related to the prompt Identifies topic about which they are writing Supplies some information about the topic Prints many upper and lower case Demonstrates proficiency of proper spacing between most words and word placement on the lines Responds with most statements, phrases, and/or drawing(s) related to the prompt Identifies topic about which they are writing in a student-dictated phrase or sentence Attempts to supply some information but may be unrelated to topic Prints some upper and lower case Demonstrates some proficiency of proper spacing between words and word placement on the lines 1 (Below Grade Level) Responds with some or no statements, phrases, and/or drawing(s) related to the prompt Identifies opinion in drawing(s) or not at all Supplies no information about topic Prints few upper and lower case Demonstrates little to no proficiency of proper spacing between words and word placement on the lines of Punctuation, and L 2, a-d consistently with no errors: first word in a sentence, I, and proper nouns Uses end punctuation correctly Uses conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns Spells irregular and/or highfrequency words correctly consistently with a minor error: first word in a sentence and the pronoun I Uses end punctuation Writes letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds Spells simple words phonetically consistently with some errors: first word in a sentence and the pronoun I Uses end punctuation incorrectly Inconsistently writes letters for consonant and short-vowel sounds Spells some simple words phonetically *CCSS Common Core State Standards alignment ( W = Writing strand; L = Language strand) Capitalizes incorrectly with many errors Does not use end punctuation Writes letters with little to no sound/spelling correspondence of consonants and short vowels Spells few to no simple words phonetically
CA Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment NOTES: 1) In the left criterion boxes of the rubric, the CCSS-aligned standards have been identified. As a resource for teachers, below are the standards for the current grade (K) as well as the subsequent grade. Since the rubric score of 4 represents above grade level work, the 1 st grade standards were referenced. 2) The 3 At Grade Level work would be a developmentally appropriate goal for the end of kindergarten; therefore, the rubric numbers are intended to show student progress as a developmental continuum. The letter abbreviations are as follows: CCSS = Common Core State Standards W = Writing L=Language Strand (Domain) Kindergarten 1st Writing 2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. Grammar and Usage Punctuation, and 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard (Note these standards correspond in order to how they are arranged in the last box of the table.) 4. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. b. Recognize and name end punctuation. c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and shortvowel sounds (phonemes). d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. 3. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard c. Capitalize dates and names of people. d. Use end punctuation for sentences. d. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.
Narrative (W.3)
Focus/ Setting CCSS*: W 3 4 (Above Grade Level) Establishes a well-elaborated piece of writing to narrate a single event or several linked events EGUSD Narrative Rubric, Grade K 3 2 (At Grade Level) (Approaching Grade Level) Uses a combination of drawing, Attempts to use a combination of dictating, and writing to narrate a drawing, dictating, and writing to single event or several loosely narrate a single event. Missing linked events information provides confusion. 1 (Below Grade Level) Uses drawing and dictating to narrate a single event. Organization /Plot W 3 Narrative Techniques W - 3 of Grammar and Usage L 1a Uses temporal words to signal event order Includes details to describe a reaction to what happened Prints all upper and lower case letters correctly Demonstrates mastery of proper spacing between all words and word placement on the lines Tells about events in the order in which the occurred Provides a reaction to what happened Prints many upper and lower case Demonstrates proficiency of proper spacing between most words and word placement on the lines Events are present but may not be in the order of which they occurred Provides an inappropriate or confusing reaction to what happened Prints some upper and lower case Demonstrates some proficiency of proper spacing between words and word placement on the lines No events are present Provides no reaction to what happened Prints few upper and lower case Demonstrates little to no proficiency of proper spacing between words and word placement on the lines of Punctuation, and L 2, a-d consistently with no errors: first word in a sentence, I, and proper nouns Uses end punctuation correctly Uses conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns consistently with a minor error: first word in a sentence and the pronoun I Uses end punctuation Writes letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds consistently with some errors: first word in a sentence and the pronoun I Uses end punctuation incorrectly Inconsistently writes letters for consonant and short-vowel sounds Spells irregular and/or high-frequency Spells some simple words phonetically words correctly Spells simple words phonetically *CCSS Common Core State Standards alignment ( W = Writing strand; L = Language strand) Capitalizes incorrectly with many errors Does not use end punctuation Writes letters with little to no sound/spelling correspondence of consonants and short vowels Spells few to no simple words phonetically
CA Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment NOTES: In the left criterion boxes of the rubric, the CCSS-aligned standards have been identified. As a resource for teachers, below are the standards for the current grade (K) as well as the subsequent grade. Since the rubric score of 4 represents above grade level work, the 1 st grade standards were referenced. The letter abbreviations are as follows: CCSS = Common Core State Standards W = Writing R-L= Reading Literature L=Language Strand (Domain) Kindergarten 1st Writing 3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. 3. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. Grammar and Usage Punctuation, and 3. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard (Note these standards correspond in order to how they are arranged in the last box of the table.) 6. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. b. Recognize and name end punctuation. c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships 5. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard e. Capitalize dates and names of people. f. Use end punctuation for sentences. d. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.