American History Federalist and Anti Federalist

9-10 points

Exemplary

8 points

Meets Expectations

7 points

Below Expectations

6 points

Barely There

0-5 points

Unacceptable

Points Earned

Intro/Explanation of Issues – 20%

What documents are you considering? The focus is on how the federal government will work. What were the issues of concern in these documents?

Clearly stated and described thoroughly so as to be fully understood

Stated, described, and clarified. Some possible omissions.

Somewhat stated but incomplete.

Vaguely stated or stated without clarification or description. Incomplete.

Not stated, ambiguously stated, or incorrectly stated.

Context and/or Assumptions – 20%

What were the concerns of the Constitutional Convention and the Federalists, and what solutions did they offer? What were the anti-Federalists’ counter-arguments?

Thoroughly explains historical context as it relates to the issues. Notes both points of view.

Explains historical context, but incomplete or imprecise. Some sense of both views.

Some historical context offered but not fully identified or explained. Little note of different views.

Little or no historical context offered. No mention of different points of view.

No historical context or points of view considered.

Evidence from Documents – 20%

Use specific examples from the documents that supports each side’s argument.

Complete and accurate presentation and evaluation of evidence. Includes unstated assumptions.

Evidence presented but not always clearly stated. Misses some unstated assumptions.

Inaccurate evaluation of evidence. Presents some assumptions as fact. Misses some points.

Does not understand relevance of evidence, or offers biased evaluation of evidence. Incomplete.

Little or no evidence offered.

No evaluation of evidence given.

Thesis: Student’s Position & Conclusion – 20%

What do you think about the arguments made by the two sides? Which position do you support? Why? Back up your position.

Clearly states position. Takes into account complexities of issue(s). Clear explanation backing up position. Respects other views.

Logical position taken.

Explanation offered. Some backing for position. Respects other views.

Some indication of position.

Partial explanation. Position not backed up. Other views not considered.

Position hardly taken.

Difficult to discern any explanation or backing for position. Other views not respected.

No position taken. No conclusion offered.

Ignores evidence.

Closed-minded.

Communication – 20%

Demonstration of writing skills in the essay: organization, paragraphing, sentence structure.

Also proper word usage, spelling and agreement.

Application of proper capitalization and punctuation, including proper use of quotation marks and citations when quoting from the document.

Must follow all instructions.

Excellent: Organization, Paragraphing, Structure.

No repetition or digression. Not wordy or vague. Mastery of grammar, spelling, and word choices. Proper quotations.

Good:

Organization,

Paragraphing, Structure.

No repetition or digression. Appropriate grammar, spelling, and word choices. Proper quotations.

Basic: Organization,

Paragraphing,

Structure. Some repetition or digression. Some grammar, spelling, word choice errors.

Poor: Organization, Paragraphing,

Structure. Repetition and/or digression.

Serious grammar, spelling, and other errors.

Unacceptable:

Disorganized. Little or no paragraphing. Flawed structure. Excessive repetition and/or digression. Major grammar etc. errors.

Total Score [out of a possible 50 points]