Why the Mexican-American war had social, political, and economic consequences between Mexico and the United States?

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Evaluation Rubric

____________A___________________________________________________________________________________________ Reading Understanding ......................................................... complex and thorough understanding of subject and assignment Thesis (Main Clause) ............................................................. clear, nuanced, carefully articulated, correct position for academic

paper, not statement of fact nor generally accepted truth Forecast (Plan of Development) ............................................ clear, map of supporting reasons clearly stated or generalized (see Intro Para. Handout) Supporting Details/”issues”/reasons ....................................... sophisticated, reasonable, and logical support for thesis, responding to reader’s question Evidence (specific examples)................................................. plentiful and persuasively connected to argument/thesis (see, touch, taste, hear, specific) Refutation/Counterargument .................................................. concise explanation and perceptive refutation and/or accommodation Organization .......................................................................... clear, effective Introduction, Body and Conclusion, smooth transitions,

effective topic sentences, each paragraph clearly linked to thesis; clear, logical development of argument

Key Terms ............................................................................. clearly defined early in essay, effectively linked to main points Introduction ............................................................................ concisely establishes context to topic and focus of argument - Lead-in

(Hook)/ Transition/Thesis/POD Editing/Proofreading .............................................................. sentences well-written with very few, if any errors MLA Formatting ..................................................................... margins, header/footer/page numbering/name setup/citations are error-

free MLA Citations ........................................................................ error-free formatting within paper and on bibliography/work cited page plus all of the basic features for B ___________B____________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________ Reading Understanding ......................................................... good understanding and solid response to the assignment/prompt Thesis (Main Clause) ............................................................. clearly stated, arguable, perceptive, not statement of fact or generally

accepted truth Forecast (Plan of Development) ............................................ good map of argument and supporting reasons Supporting Details/”issues”/reasons ....................................... clear explanation; connection may be incomplete in spots, responds to

reader’s question Evidence (specific examples)................................................. good, relevant support linked to reasons and thesis, may not be as

specific throughout Refutation/Counterargument .................................................. good explanation and response to key opposing arguments Organization .......................................................................... effective Introduction, Body and Conclusion, smooth transitions, topic

sentences, logical development of argument Key Terms ............................................................................. clear, connect ideas effectively Introduction ............................................................................ good, though perhaps wordy or gives incomplete context, organization

may be somewhat weak Editing/Proofreading .............................................................. good sentence structure, few editing errors MLA Formatting ..................................................................... correct format, a few minor errors MLA Citations ........................................................................ minor errors in formatting within paper and on bibliography/work cited

page plus all of the basic features for C ___________C____________________________________________________________________________________________ Reading Understanding ......................................................... adequate understanding of subject and assignment, minor misreading Thesis (Main Clause) ............................................................. thesis is apparent, states a position but not precisely or engagingly

stated Forecast (Plan of Development) ............................................ vague, overly general map of argument Supporting Details/”issues”/reasons ....................................... not fully explained, and/or not clearly connected to thesis, does not

respond clearly to reader’s question Evidence (specific examples)................................................. not explained or tied clearly to reasons or thesis Refutation/Counterargument .................................................. minimal attention paid to key opposing ideas Organization .......................................................................... topic sentences unclearly linked to thesis, weak transitions Introduction ............................................................................ too general, not clearly focused, poor definition of key terms Editing/Proofreading .............................................................. wordy, vague or unclear sentences; several editing errors MLA Formatting ..................................................................... few errors MLA Citations ........................................................................ errors in formatting within paper and on bibliography/work cited pages

noting little knowledge or understanding of MLA requirements ____________D___________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________ Reading Understanding ......................................................... incomplete understanding of subject and assignment Thesis/Forecast/Supports/Examples ...................................... not arguable, difficult to identify, not tied to an argument, statement of

fact or generally accepted truth Refutation/Argument .............................................................. opposing issues not addressed

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Organization .......................................................................... few if any transitions, no topic sentences, jumps from idea to idea, no definition of key terms

Editing/Proofreading .............................................................. errors interfere with understanding, sentence structure, grammar weak MLA Formatting/Citations ...................................................... basic errors in formatting – margins, header/footer, etc - sources poorly

cited, poor, limited knowledge of MLA requirements ____________F____________________________________________________________________________________________ Reading Understanding ......................................................... fundamental misreading, off the topic Argument and Thesis ............................................................. no thesis nor argument Editing and Proofreading ....................................................... abundant errors in sentence structure and mechanics MLA Formatting/Citations ...................................................... persistent errors in formatting; citations – none given, plagiarized

(either one alone justifies an “F”)