Happy New Year!

Greeting Parents and Students,
I hope you have all had a nice long rest and are ready to return to school.

In Social Studies we will begin studying Japan. We will follow our usual pattern of creating folders with maps identifying the geography of Japan and its effect on what they ate, how they lived and how they organized their government. There are four sections of the Concept Circles for chapter 12 and in those we will summarize our reading.

In English we will begin revising our response to The Outsiders essays. I look forward to seeing you. I have cut and pasted the rubric for response to literature essays below. Please email any questions to me at cmarshall-smith@scusd.net.
Ms. Marshall

Performance-Based Assessment Scoring Guide for 7th Grade Literature Response SCUSD

6 Exceptional Achievement (exceeds standard)
• Thesis (argument/position) eloquently addresses the topic
• Well-chosen, specific, well-integrated evidence (reading, experience, observations, direct quotes) to support the thesis
• Insightful understanding of the text/topic (writer’s craft, context/background information)
• Cohesive essay organization (includes a developed introduction with effective hook/lead, body, and conclusion with transitions that enhance the fluency of the essay)
• Sentence variety with descriptive language; powerful word choice
• Insignificant mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation) that do not disrupt meaning
• Thought-provoking commentary that artfully supports thesis
• Identifies title and author of piece

5 Commendable Achievement (exceeds standard)
• Thesis (argument/position) clearly addresses the topic
• Well-chosen, specific evidence (reading, experience, observations, direct quotes) to support the thesis
• Clear understanding of the text/topic and its complexities (writer’s craft, context/background information)
• Cohesive essay organization (includes a developed introduction with hook/lead, body, and conclusion with transitions)
• Sentence variety with descriptive language; effective word choice
• Few mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation) that do not interfere with meaning
• Thoughtful commentary explains importance of evidence and supports thesis
• Identifies title and author of piece

4 Adequate Achievement (meets standard)
• Thesis (argument/position) clearly addresses the topic
• Specific evidence (reading, experience, observations, direct quotes) supports the thesis
• Clear understanding of the text/topic (some context/background information provided)
• Logical essay organization (includes a developed introduction, body, and conclusion; may attempt a hook/lead)
• Sentence variety with some descriptive language; word choice is appropriate for audience
• Mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation) do not disrupt the flow of ideas
• Commentary explains how evidence supports thesis
• Identifies title and author of piece

3 Some Evidence of Achievement (approaching standard)
• Thesis (argument/position) mentions topic
• Some evidence (reading, experience, observations) supports the thesis
• Basic understanding of the text/topic
• Basic essay organization (some topic sentences, supporting details, transitions, closing statements)
• Some sentence variety; mostly simple sentences
• Mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation) occasionally disrupt the flow of ideas
• Commentary has some connections to thesis
• Identifies title or author of piece

2 Limited Evidence of Achievement (needs support to meet standard)
• Thesis (argument/position) is unclear or indirectly related to the topic
• Limited evidence (reading, experience, observations)
• Limited understanding of the text/topic
• Limited essay organization (may be missing an introduction, body, or conclusion paragraph)
• Sentences lack clarity and variety
• Mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation) disrupt the flow of ideas
• Limited commentary, mostly plot summary
• Does not identify author or title of piece

1 Minimal Evidence of Achievement (needs support to approach standard)
• No thesis (argument/position)
• Little or no evidence (reading, experience, observations)
• Little or no understanding of the text/topic
• Organization is not essay format (may be a single paragraph)
• Sentences are incomplete, awkward, and/or confusing
• Mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation) make the essay unclear
• No commentary, just plot summary

0 No Evidence or No Response
• Blank, off topic, illegible, written in a language other than English, or unintelligible