Assessing your students' writing, Part 7: SENTENCE FLUENCY

• The sentences are well built, with strong and varied structure that invites expressive reading.
• The sentences vary in length as well as structure. Fragments, if used, add style. Dialogue, when present, sounds natural and flows with the story.
• Purposeful and varied sentence beginnings add originality and energy to the story.
• The use of creative and appropriate transitions between sentences and thoughts shows how each idea relates to, and builds upon the one before it.
• The writer has put much thought into the sound of the words as well as the meaning. The first time the paper is read silently or aloud is easy for the reader.
• The sentence construction is such that it enhances the meaning and understanding.
  

Assessing your students' writing, Part 6: WORD CHOICE

• The words chosen are specific and accurate. It is easy to understand just what the writer means.
• Striking words and phrases catch the reader's eye and linger in the reader's mind.
• The words and phrases are natural, effective, and appropriate for your audience.
• Lively verbs add energy while specific nouns and modifiers add depth to the story.
• The choices made in language enhance the meaning and clarify understanding.
• The writer has taken care to put just the right word or phrase in just the right spot.
• The words chosen are powerful and engaging. The writer's message is conveyed in an interesting but natural way.
  

Assessing your students' writing, Part 5: CONVENTIONS

• Writer attempts to communicate complex ideas and express himself in interesting ways.
• Writer makes minor errors due to compositional risks, but these errors do not take away from the overall fluency of your paper.
• Spelling is generally correct, even on more difficult words.
• Punctuation is accurate, even creative, and guides the reader through the writing.
• A complete understanding of the rules of capitalization is shown.
• Grammar and usage are correct and contribute to the clarity and style of your paper.
• The paragraphing tends to be appropriate and reinforces the organizational structure.
• The writing is very close to being ready to publish.
  

Assessing your students' writing, Part 4: VOICE

• The writer is able to engage the reader and sustain connection throughout the composition.
• The writing sounds authentic and original. The writer is able to express individuality and unique perspective. In other words, the ideas are fresh and creative. The writer seems to be writing from experiences and knowledge.
• The flow of writing adds interest and is appropriate for the audience.
• The reader feels that he knows the writer; he senses the person behind the words.
• The reader can see who you are throughout the paper.
• The writing is honest and personal, causing the reader to think about and react to your ideas and point of view.
• The story makes the reader want to care about the things the writer cares about.
  

Assessing your students' writing, Part 3: DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS

• Thorough and specific development of each idea creates depth which enables the reader to truly appreciate and understand your ideas.
• The presentation of ideas is thoughtful and insightful. An unusual perspective and unique experiences of the world are used as a basis for writing and there are interesting connections between ideas. There is a willingness to take risks that enhances the quality of the content.
• Relevant, quality details give the reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or predictable to enrich the central theme or plot.
• Writer demonstrates an understanding of what is important and can easily pick out those things that are most significant while writing.
• There are no questions left that confuse the reader.
• Specific and accurate details are presented to explain and develop your main ideas.
  

Assessing your students' writing, Part 2: STORY ORGANIZATION

• Movement from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph is very smooth and controlled. Writer remembers to use meaningful transition words and phrases as he/she moves in a logical way from idea to idea.
• The organizational strategy used improves the ability to present the ideas clearly and effectively.
• An inviting introduction draws the reader in, and a satisfying conclusion leaves the reader with a sense of closure and completeness.
• Thoughtful transitions clearly show how the ideas connect. The details make sense and fit where they are placed.
• The organization flows so smoothly the reader hardly thinks about it; the choice of structure matches the purpose and audience.
  

Assessing your students' writing, Part 1: FOCUS and COHERENCE

Here are the things you should be looking for when grading your students' composition papers.

• All paragraphs, as well as the composition as a whole, are focused and sustained. The reader can see how each idea is related to the next.
• Introduction and conclusion are meaningful to the composition because they add depth. The paper has a sense of completeness.
• The topic is narrow and manageable. The points are made clear and are easily understood.
• Most, if not all, of the writing contributes to the total quality and development of the composition.
• Pacing is well-controlled. The writer knows when to slow down and explain more fully, and when to pick up the pace and move on to the next idea.
• The title (if one is used) is original and captures the plot and theme of the composition.
• The tone and mood of the composition is appropriate for the purpose and for the intended audience.
  

Story Writing : Planning activity for students

This activity is a tremendous visual for students who can't seem to get the concept of organization and planning for and writing of their papers.


Gentlemen, Start Your Monkeys!
The idea is to be able to read an entire composition with continuous flow, free of unnatural breaks, gaps or holes in the writing.
Purchase three or four of the "Barrel of Monkeys" games and assign them to one of your students to manage as the papers are being read.
As long as the ideas are flowing well, with effective movement from sentence to sentence, and from idea to idea, a monkey gets added to the chain. (one per sentence)
If however, there is a break in the flow, or smoothness of the paper; if there are weak, ineffective transitions, a break in the story line occurs. Thus, the chain of monkeys stops there, and a new chain begins. This chain can continue until the story is complete or there is another break in the action.
Of course, at the beginning of the year there will be many breaks in the flow, but as your students gradually begin to notice where these breaks are and recognize them on their own, the number of chains will get lower and the length of each chain will get longer. By the end of the school year, most students will be able to write an entire paper with one continuous flow and very few breaks in the chain.
So, tell your students to "Start Your Monkeys!" and watch them have fun improving their story planning and organization.