Imaginative/ Narrative Essay Criteria/ Rubric

Outcome	8	6	4	3	2
Students will write well organized, cohesive papers.	Work functions well as a whole. Piece has a clear flow and a sense of purpose.  Makes clear connections with novel	Response has either a strong lead, developed body, or satisfying conclusion, but not all three. Makes connections with the novel	Uneven. Awkward or missing transitions. Weakly unified. Unclear connections to the novel	Wanders. Repetitive. Inconclusive. No connection to the novel.	Incoherent and fragmentary. Student didn't write enough to judge.
Students will use appropriate voice and tone in writing.	Voice is confident and appropriate. Consistently engaging. Active, not passive voice. Natural. A strong sense of both authorship and audience. Use of  "I"  is fine	The speaker sounds as if he or she cares too little or too much about the topic. Or the voice fades in and out. Occasionally passive.	Tone is okay. But the paper could have been written by anyone. Apathetic or artificial. Overly formal or informal.	"I just want to get this over with."	Mechanical and cognitive problems so basic that tone doesn't even figure in. Student didn't write enough to judge.
Students will demonstrate original, creative writing.	Excellent use of imagery; similes; vivid, detailed descriptions; Surprises the reader with unusual associations, breaks conventions, thwarts expectations.	Some startling images, a few stunning associative leaps with a weak conclusion or lesser, more ordinary images and comparisons. Inconsistent.	Sentimental, predictable, or cliché.	Borrows ideas or images from popular culture in an unreflective way.	Cursory response. Obvious lack of motivation and/or poor understanding of the assignment.