paper for Prof. Moses

Poor: 2

Average: 3

Good: 4

  Excellent: 5 

Selects appropriate characteristics for comparison.

  15%

Selects characteristics that are not important and don’t lead to insightful conclusions.

Selects characteristics that provide for a partial comparison of the items.

Selects characteristics that can provide for a meaningful comparison.

Selects important features or attributes of the items that can provide insight into the nature of those items being compared.

Identifies similarities and differences between two or more items.

  15%

Makes many errors in identifying major similarities and differences, or costs and benefits.

Makes some errors in identifying major similarities and differences, or costs and benefits.

Selects similarities and differences, or costs and benefits, for each item.

Accurately selects all major similarities and differences or costs and benefits for each item.

Uses the identified similarities and differences to reach important conclusions or insights.

  15%

Does not get far beyond noting similarities and differences.

Is unclear about the significance of the comparison.

Draws some thoughtful conclusions from the comparison.

Draws insightful and thoughtful conclusions from the similarities and differences, usually highlighting either one or the other.

Domain specific knowledge

  15%

The writer does not demonstrate an understanding of the information. The text does not provide answers to questions about the subject.

The writer seems uncomfortable with content but is able to explain basic concepts.

The writer is at ease with the content although sometimes fails to elaborate on specific statements.

The writer demonstrates full understanding of the content and explicitly elaborates and supports all statements.

Organization and paragraphing

  10%

Text is composed of big blocks of unstructured text or random bullets.

Paragraphs are used but the ideas seem disjointed. Work still needed on transitions between paragraphs and parallelism.

Paragraphs are used and the ideas are tied together with transitions.

Paragraphs are used and the ideas are tied together with transitions. The text includes summative gestures, headings or other paratextual cues to making it easy to skim for the main points.

Coherence, cohesion—a sense of flow, a sense of pattern, a sense of a unified message

  10%

Sequence of information is difficult to follow.

Reader has difficulty following the organization of ideas because the text does not provide explicit connections between ideas.

Text presents information in a logical sequence that a reader can follow.

Text presents information in a logical, interesting sequence which reader can follow. The connections between ideas are explicitly stated without redundancy. 

References, sources, resources

  10%

Text provides no sources or references. Or, sources and references are included but do not conform to APA standards.

Text includes some source and references but contain some significant mistakes in APA formatting.

Sources and resources are provided and conform to APA standards.

Sources and resources are consistently provided and conform to APA standards with no mistakes.

Grammar, spelling, punctuation

5%

Text could benefit from further work in using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. There are significant mistakes in more than one of these areas.

Text could benefit from further work in using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. There are significant mistakes in at least one of these areas.

Text uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. There are some mistakes in one of these areas.

Text consistently uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. There are few to no mistakes in each of these areas.

Demonstrated sensitivity to audience

  5%

Text demonstrates no sensitivity to an audience: it could address anyone.

Text hand-waves at addressing an audience, or demonstrates sensitivity to audience concerns inconsistently.

Text demonstrates sensitivity to audience concerns and knowledge in a sustained and programmatic way.

The text consistently demonstrates sensitivity to audience concerns and knowledge and formulates the presented argument to address that specific audience.