Tenth Grade English Final Composition Guideline and Scoring Rubric

English 10 Final

Mr. Meehan

For your final assessment of this course, there are four possible writing prompts. Study each of these prompts, and respond to one of the following topics in a well-constructed, properly formatted essay (ECR) of 25 sentences or more.

In order to receive full credit, your answer MUST include supporting details from at least two of the following texts:

· Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

· Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

· Big Fish (2003) Directed by Tim Burton, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace

· Life is Beautiful (1997) Directed by Roberto Benigni

*For extra credit – after including examples from at least two of the sources above – you may incorporate additional, relevant examples from other texts that we have studied in this year’s class.

QUESTION 1:

What does each of these works try to tell us about lies and truth? What evidence in the work shows this? Compare and/or contrast how each work conveys its message about truth and lies. Be sure to state what each author’s message is, how those messages are similar or different to one another, and what in each of the stories makes those messages clear.

QUESTION 2:

Why do people tell lies? Consider and discuss at least three ways that real people use deception, then compare these examples to characters from at least two of the selected works. Include information from at least two of the works that we’ve studied in order to defend your answer.

QUESTION 3:
Why would we study “truth and lies” in an English class? Why is the study of truth and lies of particular relevance in an ENGLISH class? Show how two of these works relate to your ideas, and be sure to include details from the relevant works that relate to your ideas about why this topic would be covered in our class.

QUESTION 4:
Pick one of the quotes below:

“Art is lies that attempt to tell the truth.” – Pablo Picasso
“There is nothing either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Shakespeare, Hamlet
“The ends justify the means” – Machiavelli, The Prince

Identify what you think this quote probably means. Using relevant examples from the text, explain how it relates to at least two of the works we have studied this year.

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Student Name:

Question #:

Final Exam Grade:

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
FOCUS	Topic/subject is clear, though it may/may not be explicitly stated.	Topic/subject is generally clear though it may not be explicitly stated.	Topic/subject may be vague.	Topic/subject is unclear or confusing.
ELABORATION AND SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT	Composition incorporates at least two (2) source texts and provides at least 3 relevant examples from said texts	Composition incorporates at least two (2) source texts and provides 1-2 relevant examples from said texts	Composition incorporates at least two (2) source texts and provides 1 relevant example from said texts	Composition incorporates only one of the source texts and provides relevant example from the same
ORGANIZATION AND TRANSITIONS	Related ideas are composed into well-constructed paragraphs. Composition flows smoothly and seamlessly between paragraphs	Related ideas are separated by paragraph, flow between paragraphs is clear, if not entirely smooth.	Paragraph organization is unclear or lacking. Complete thoughts are evident, but muddled across several paragraphs.	Composition is largely unclear and/or disorganized. Sentences and/or ideas do not flow smoothly, and ideas seem random.
COGNITION, CREATIVITY, AND ORIGINAL THOUGHT	Composition takes bold academic risks, displays original thought, demonstrates high level of student understanding, and sound mastery of content and conventions	Composition takes academic risks, displays original thought, demonstrates moderate level of student understanding, and reasonable mastery of content and conventions	Composition takes some academic risks, but merely regurgitates class discussion. Demonstrates some level of student understanding, but mastery of content and conventions may be uneven.	Composition avoids academic risks in favor of regurgitating class discussion. Demonstrates low level of original thought and student understanding, and mastery of content and conventions may be uneven.
SPELLING AND GRAMMAR CONVENTIONS	Exhibits TOTAL CONTROL of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task: sentence formation; standard usage including agreement, tense, and case; and mechanics including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.	Exhibits REASONABLE CONTROL of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task: sentence formation; standard usage including agreement, tense, and case; and mechanics including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.	Exhibits SOME CONTROL of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task: sentence formation; standard usage including agreement, tense, and case; and mechanics including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.	Exhibits LITTLE TO NO CONTROL of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task: sentence formation; standard usage including agreement, tense, and case; and mechanics including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

In order to receive full credit, you will need to bring each of the following items to your final exam:

o This grading rubric

o A writing utensil (pen or pencil)

o Several lined sheets of paper

Failure to bring any of these items will result in automatic deduction of one letter grade per missing item.