TN ELA Rubrics for Grades 6-8

Read the following prompt:

Write an essay in which you re-tell the events of the story from Mrs. Smith's point of view. Be sure to include dialogue and descriptive details.

Which type of essay is this prompt asking you to write?

• informational

• Narrative

• Argumentative

Which type of essay requires you to create a claim and address a counterclaim with a rebuttal?

• Informational

• Narrative

• Argumentative

Read the following prompt:

Write an essay in which you explain how the each story explores the theme of loss.

Which type of essay is this prompt asking you to write?

• Informational

• Narrative

• Argumentative

Which two categories on the Tennessee State rubrics count for twice as much weight as the other categories?

• Focus & Organization and Development

• Development and Conventions

• Conventions and Language

• Focus & Organization and Language

True or False: Having a few misspelled words will drastically lower your score on a TN writing assessment.

• True

• False

Read the following prompt:

Write an essay in which you argue which author was more effective at explaining the qualities of mushrooms.

Which type of essay is this prompt asking you to write?

• Informational

• Narrative

• Argumentative

Which of the following elements is the most important for earning a high score on your informational essay?

• Proper spelling and capitalization.

• Sophisticated language

• Transition words & phrases

• Fully explained evidence from the text

Which of the following is the most important for earning a high score on your argumentative essay?

• Balanced evidence from all source texts.

• Grade level command of spelling & punctuation

• Varied transition words & phrases

• Dialogue & descriptive language

Which of the following is the most important for earning a high score on your narrative essay?

• Characters with creative names

• Dialogue, description, or reflection

• A point of view that matches the original text

• Spelling and grammar

How many paragraphs should your Tennessee Writing Assessment response be?

• 1

• 2 or more

• 3 or more

• 5