Rubric-Based Instruction
Rubrics are clearly organized, mode- and genre-specific guides that let students know exactly what is expected and help them evaluate their progress.
- Rubrics help students clearly understand writing terminology and assessment criteria.
- The rubric in each chapter is specific to the mode and genre being taught.
- Students learn to use the rubric by applying it to deconstruct an exemplary model.
- Throughout the chapter, the writing strategies being taught support the points of the rubric.
Levels C—H feature 12 four-point rubrics, one for each of three genres in the four modes, and Level B uses three-point rubrics.
More information about the use of rubrics is available in the research review, Strategies For Writers Research Base for the Use of Rubrics.
Kindergarten and Level A Writing Checklists
Included in the Teacher Edition, reproducible Writing Checklists guide the writing process and encourage children to take responsibility for proper completion of their work. In Level A, the Writing Checklists help children apply proper punctuation, identify subjects and predicates, and write complete sentences.