history essay rubric high school

JESSE HINGSON’S GENERAL RUBRIC FOR ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY IN HISTORY

*This rubric is a composite of several rubrics used in several American and World courses taught at Barry University , Bowdoin College , Yale University , Manatee Community College , and Florida International University .

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15 Helpful Scoring Rubric Examples for All Grades and Subjects

In the end, they actually make grading easier.

When it comes to student assessment and evaluation, there are a lot of methods to consider. In some cases, testing is the best way to assess a student’s knowledge, and the answers are either right or wrong. But often, assessing a student’s performance is much less clear-cut. In these situations, a scoring rubric is often the way to go, especially if you’re using standards-based grading . Here’s what you need to know about this useful tool, along with lots of rubric examples to get you started.

What is a scoring rubric?

In the United States, a rubric is a guide that lays out the performance expectations for an assignment. It helps students understand what’s required of them, and guides teachers through the evaluation process. (Note that in other countries, the term “rubric” may instead refer to the set of instructions at the beginning of an exam. To avoid confusion, some people use the term “scoring rubric” instead.)

A rubric generally has three parts:

• Performance criteria: These are the various aspects on which the assignment will be evaluated. They should align with the desired learning outcomes for the assignment.
• Rating scale: This could be a number system (often 1 to 4) or words like “exceeds expectations, meets expectations, below expectations,” etc.
• Indicators: These describe the qualities needed to earn a specific rating for each of the performance criteria. The level of detail may vary depending on the assignment and the purpose of the rubric itself.

Rubrics take more time to develop up front, but they help ensure more consistent assessment, especially when the skills being assessed are more subjective. A well-developed rubric can actually save teachers a lot of time when it comes to grading. What’s more, sharing your scoring rubric with students in advance often helps improve performance . This way, students have a clear picture of what’s expected of them and what they need to do to achieve a specific grade or performance rating.

Learn more about why and how to use a rubric here.

Types of Rubric

There are three basic rubric categories, each with its own purpose.

Holistic Rubric

Source: Cambrian College

This type of rubric combines all the scoring criteria in a single scale. They’re quick to create and use, but they have drawbacks. If a student’s work spans different levels, it can be difficult to decide which score to assign. They also make it harder to provide feedback on specific aspects.

Traditional letter grades are a type of holistic rubric. So are the popular “hamburger rubric” and “ cupcake rubric ” examples. Learn more about holistic rubrics here.

Analytic Rubric

Source: University of Nebraska

Analytic rubrics are much more complex and generally take a great deal more time up front to design. They include specific details of the expected learning outcomes, and descriptions of what criteria are required to meet various performance ratings in each. Each rating is assigned a point value, and the total number of points earned determines the overall grade for the assignment.

Though they’re more time-intensive to create, analytic rubrics actually save time while grading. Teachers can simply circle or highlight any relevant phrases in each rating, and add a comment or two if needed. They also help ensure consistency in grading, and make it much easier for students to understand what’s expected of them.

Learn more about analytic rubrics here.

Developmental Rubric

Source: Deb’s Data Digest

A developmental rubric is a type of analytic rubric, but it’s used to assess progress along the way rather than determining a final score on an assignment. The details in these rubrics help students understand their achievements, as well as highlight the specific skills they still need to improve.

Developmental rubrics are essentially a subset of analytic rubrics. They leave off the point values, though, and focus instead on giving feedback using the criteria and indicators of performance.

Learn how to use developmental rubrics here.

Ready to create your own rubrics? Find general tips on designing rubrics here. Then, check out these examples across all grades and subjects to inspire you.

Elementary School Rubric Examples

These elementary school rubric examples come from real teachers who use them with their students. Adapt them to fit your needs and grade level.

Reading Fluency Rubric

You can use this one as an analytic rubric by counting up points to earn a final score, or just to provide developmental feedback. There’s a second rubric page available specifically to assess prosody (reading with expression).

Learn more: Teacher Thrive

Reading Comprehension Rubric

The nice thing about this rubric is that you can use it at any grade level, for any text. If you like this style, you can get a reading fluency rubric here too.

Learn more: Pawprints Resource Center

Written Response Rubric

Rubrics aren’t just for huge projects. They can also help kids work on very specific skills, like this one for improving written responses on assessments.

Learn more: Dianna Radcliffe: Teaching Upper Elementary and More

Interactive Notebook Rubric

If you use interactive notebooks as a learning tool , this rubric can help kids stay on track and meet your expectations.

Learn more: Classroom Nook

Project Rubric

Use this simple rubric as it is, or tweak it to include more specific indicators for the project you have in mind.

Learn more: Tales of a Title One Teacher

Behavior Rubric

Developmental rubrics are perfect for assessing behavior and helping students identify opportunities for improvement. Send these home regularly to keep parents in the loop.

Learn more: Teachers.net Gazette

Middle School Rubric Examples

In middle school, use rubrics to offer detailed feedback on projects, presentations, and more. Be sure to share them with students in advance, and encourage them to use them as they work so they’ll know if they’re meeting expectations.

Argumentative Writing Rubric

Argumentative writing is a part of language arts, social studies, science, and more. That makes this rubric especially useful.

Learn more: Dr. Caitlyn Tucker

Role-Play Rubric

Role-plays can be really useful when teaching social and critical thinking skills, but it’s hard to assess them. Try a rubric like this one to evaluate and provide useful feedback.

Learn more: A Question of Influence

Art Project Rubric

Art is one of those subjects where grading can feel very subjective. Bring some objectivity to the process with a rubric like this.

Source: Art Ed Guru

Diorama Project Rubric

You can use diorama projects in almost any subject, and they’re a great chance to encourage creativity. Simplify the grading process and help kids know how to make their projects shine with this scoring rubric.

Learn more: Historyourstory.com

Oral Presentation Rubric

Rubrics are terrific for grading presentations, since you can include a variety of skills and other criteria. Consider letting students use a rubric like this to offer peer feedback too.

Learn more: Bright Hub Education

High School Rubric Examples

In high school, it’s important to include your grading rubrics when you give assignments like presentations, research projects, or essays. Kids who go on to college will definitely encounter rubrics, so helping them become familiar with them now will help in the future.

Presentation Rubric

Analyze a student’s presentation both for content and communication skills with a rubric like this one. If needed, create a separate one for content knowledge with even more criteria and indicators.

Learn more: Michael A. Pena Jr.

Debate Rubric

Debate is a valuable learning tool that encourages critical thinking and oral communication skills. This rubric can help you assess those skills objectively.

Learn more: Education World

Project-Based Learning Rubric

Implementing project-based learning can be time-intensive, but the payoffs are worth it. Try this rubric to make student expectations clear and end-of-project assessment easier.

Learn more: Free Technology for Teachers

100-Point Essay Rubric

Need an easy way to convert a scoring rubric to a letter grade? This example for essay writing earns students a final score out of 100 points.

Learn more: Learn for Your Life

Drama Performance Rubric

If you’re unsure how to grade a student’s participation and performance in drama class, consider this example. It offers lots of objective criteria and indicators to evaluate.

Learn more: Chase March

How do you use rubrics in your classroom? Come share your thoughts and exchange ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, 25 of the best alternative assessment ideas ..

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Part 1: Multiple-Choice Questions

• Part I: Task Models for Stimulus Based Multiple-Choice Question

Part II: Stimulus-Based Short Essay Questions: Sample Student Papers

The links below lead to sample student papers for the Part II Stimulus-Based Short Essay Questions for both Set 1 and Set 2. They include an anchor paper and a practice paper at each score point on a 5-point rubric. These materials were created to provide further understanding of the Part II Stimulus-Based Short Essay Questions and rubrics for scoring actual student papers. Each set includes Scoring Worksheets A and B, which can be used for training in conjunction with the practice papers. The 5-point scoring rubric has been specifically designed for use with these Stimulus-Based Short Essay Questions.

Part III: Civic Literacy Essay Question

The link below leads to sample student papers for the Part III Civic Literacy Essay Question. It includes Part IIIA and Part IIIB of a new Civic Literacy Essay Question along with rubrics for both parts and an anchor paper and practice paper at each score point on a 5-point rubric. These materials were created to provide further understanding of the Part III Civic Literacy Essay Question and rubric for scoring actual student papers. Also included are Scoring Worksheets A and B, which can be used for training in conjunction with the practice papers. The 5-point scoring rubric is the same rubric used to score the Document-Based Question essay on the current United States History and Government Regents Examination.

• Part III: Civic Literacy Essay Question Sample Student Papers

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Holistic Rubric for History Essays

By richard w. slatta.

7sistershomeschool.com

Homeschool Help and Curriculum

Writing Papers for History or Science? Here’s a Simple Rubric for Grading

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Are your teens writing papers for History or Science? Here’s a simple rubric for grading.

When your homeschool high schoolers are writing papers for Language Arts, their curriculum will often include a suggested rubric for grading. ( Here’s a post on rubrics for newbies to the idea. ) All of 7Sisters’ writing etexts have rubrics that are helpful for the student and the teacher to use.

(BTW-We suggest allowing teens to use a rubric and grade their own papers before parents grade them. That way they can easily catch and fix mistakes.)

The problem arises when homeschool high schoolers are writing papers for other courses. If they are writing an essay or research paper for History , Science, Social Sciences or Electives and not using a writing curriculum, how are you supposed to grade that paper?

It helps to find a rubric and use it. There are many free rubrics on the internet. There’s not ONE right rubric. In general, though, a simple rubric is often good enough for a non-Language Arts course.

BTW- Need more inspiration for helping teens understand how meaningful and important it is to study history? C heck out this on why History is boring and how to make it better.

Writing Papers for History or Science? Here’s a Simple Rubric for Grading. You can easily tweak it to fit your own goals for your teen.

Simple High School Paper Rubric

Deductions (Deduct 1 point for each error)

Number of spelling errors: Number of punctuation errors: Number of grammatical errors : Number of contractions:

Total Deductions:

——————————————————————-

(Assign points 1-10.)

Paper includes an introduction paragraph: (10 points)

Paper includes a body with paragraphs that support the topic of the paper: (50 points)

Paper includes a conclusion paragraph: (10 points)

Information presented in each section stays on topic (does not wander off into discussion of other ideas). (1-10 points): Information is presented in a manner that is logical and readable. (1-10 points): The author of the paper shows he/she has a basic understanding of the topic. (1-10 points):

Total Points:

Check out 7Sisters’ Writing, Social Sciences curricula! And for more tips for grading (along with a rubric), download this freebie .

As you know, 7Sisters Writing curriculum includes rubrics. If you would like to take a glimpse at our no busywork, step-by-step, day-by-day writing guides, here’s an excerpt from the Advanced Guide to High School Writing . Check our our Authoritative Guide on High School Writing Requirements and for a in-depth discussion on goals and grading writing assignments for homeschool high school, check out this post .

You can put some of your teens’ writing to practical use with the papers included in this free unit study for Native American Heritage Month.

7Sisters email subscribers receive periodic practical encouragement, special offers and NO SPAM EVER.

Vicki Tillman

Raymond, Outlines are very helpful for most teens! If a parent likes to add that to the rubric, it helps the teen to remember to use the outline. We didn’t include it this time because we weren’t discussing the entire process. Thanks for sharing your suggestion!

You should suggest the preparation of an outline before the content narrative is written. It helps keep the paper focused and on topic. I’d consider looking at the outline as part of the grading rubric.

If you suggested this before I may have missed it…sorry!

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In This Section

• Classroom Materials: Digitized Primary Sources

Classroom Materials: Rubrics and Syllabi

• Classroom Materials: Sample Assignments
• Classroom Materials: Teaching Modules
• Classroom Materials: History Skills
• Classroom Materials: Reflections on Teaching
• Classroom Materials: History Lessons and Background Materials

Many of these rubrics and syllabi were designed by participants in the Tuning or Bridging Cultures programs as they rethought their approach to teaching the history survey course by focusing on specific skills in the classroom or by working to bring Atlantic and Pacific history into the US history survey.

For Tuning materials specific to the institution type (such as two-year public/private or four-year public/private) or degree program, visit the Tuning Resources main page. For more about Bridging Cultures, check out the Bridging Cultures Resources page, where you'll find resources sorted by institution and course focus.

Sample Course Syllabus for Recent American History, Delta College

Saint vincent college history department goals and assessment, timothy kelly, department chair, history rubric, regis university, student progress evaluation worksheet, new college of florida, sample rubric, new college of florida, lecture topics for first half of american history survey.

Brittany Adams focuses on incorporating more regional history into the early survey. She also emphasizes the importance of de-centering the British colonial narrative when teaching students who identify more with western US history, as do many of her students at UC Irvine.

Honors 2111 US History Survey Course Description and Syllabus

Shannon Bontrager not only incorporated global contexts into his survey, but he also used non-traditional and digital pedagogical tools to engage his students.

US Environmental History Course Topics through the Civil War (Santa Monica Coll.)

Foundations of american history syllabus.

Sarah Grunder offers a detailed syllabus and two sample assignments, in which students use primary and secondary sources to connect American history with the Atlantic and Pacific worlds and write a paper that focuses on the circulation of commodities, peoples, and ideas throughout those worlds.

Themes in the Social History of the United States: Migration and American Civilization, 1830s to 1960s

Syllabus for a survey of social history, focusing upon the American experience. The course explores changes in the family, work, sex roles, mobility, migration, urbanization, and industrialization.

United States History I: US History to the Civil War

An introduction to the methods of historical inquiry focusing on the study of American history from the beginnings through the American Civil War.

Ethnicity and American Cultures Topics Through the 19th Century

A syllabus by Leslie Kawaguchi that begins with the peopling of North America and ends with the establishment of the U.S. and the 1790 immigration policy that provided naturalization to “free white persons” despite the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of the colonial period.

Resources for Teaching American and Hawaiian History

This course revises traditional understandings of American history and examines issues of race, gender, and class in understanding the histories and contemporary experiences of Native Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders to foster greater multi-cultural respect and understanding.

Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Lecture and Assignment Schedule

Details about the readings and lectures included in an Introduction to Ethnic Studies class taught by Kelli Nakamura at Kapi'olani Community College. The course revises traditional understandings of American history and examines issues of race, gender, and class in understanding the histories and contemporary experiences of Native Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders to foster greater multi-cultural respect and understanding.

Discovering American Social History on the Web

Dan Kallgren developed several sample assignments for use in his undergraduate survey course "United States History Since the Civil War," in the spring of 2000. Assignments can be used inidividually or in series, as each is accompanied by suggested reading and primary sources.

Social Science Laboratories via the Web: Active Learning with Data

To encourage the use of social science data in history, Russel Van Wyk has compiled a useful guide that shows how to use quantitative analysis of texts, demographic data, an interactive historical atlas module, and Geographic Information Services (GIS) to teach undergraduate students.

World Civilizations: The Ancient Period to 500 CE

In David Smith's project, students use world history methods (Big Picture, Diffusion, Syncretism, Comparison, and Common Phenomena) to interpret secondary and primary materials. Primary material is handled through directed reading questions that focus on three classics: the Odyssey, the Ramayana and the Analects.

Syllabus: United States History Since the Civil War

Syllabus from Dan Kallgren's survey of American history since the end of the Civil War. The syllabus includes several digital primary source projects, all of which are hosted on separate pages as part of Kallgren's "Discovering America Social History on the Web" module.

Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Course Description and Syllabus

A course description and syllabus for an Intro to Ethnic Studies course taught by Kelli Nakamura at Kapi'olani Community Coll. that explores basic concepts and theories for analyzing dynamics of ethnic group experiences, particularly those represented in Hawai‘i, and their relation to colonization, immigration, gender, problems of identity, racism, and social class.

Teaching Difficult Legal or Political Concepts: Using Online Primary Sources in Writing Assignments

Sue C. Patrick's shares syllabi from her United States History and Western Civilization courses, which include assignments and links to digital primary sources. She also reviews a number of digital primary sources for the benefit of other instructors interested in using them in the classroom.

United States History through the Civil War Syllabus

Sue C. Patrick's syllabus for a United States History through the Civil War course. The syllabus includes assignments and links to digital primary sources.

United States History from the Civil War to the Present Syllabus

Sue C. Patrick's syllabus for her United States History from the Civil War to the Present course, which includes assignments and links to digital primary sources.

Resources for Tuning the History Discipline

Since the first phase of the AHA's Tuning project began in 2012, faculty participants from history departments around the country have reviewed many aspects of their home-department curricula. As a result of their efforts, the AHA is now able to offer examples of revised curricular materials from a broad range of institutions.

Here you will find different sorts of documents produced by faculty for their local needs. Resources include rubrics, assignments, statements of course outcomes and degree requirements, survey questions for history majors or alumni, and other types of materials. The most common format for these resources is the degree specification, a detailed statement about the history degree program at a particular institution.

The degree specification communicates the purpose, characteristics, career pathways, and educational style of each program, as well as delineating core learning proficiencies for students who successfully complete the degree at that institution. The process of creating these statements differed from place to place, but in general faculty collaborated on identifying goals for their degree programs. Each degree specification, therefore, is the result of cooperation and discussion among disciplinary faculty about what their students understand, know, and are able to do at the end of that institution's history program. The language is intended for a general, non-specialist, non-academic audience, including beginning college students who may consider majoring in history.

We have sorted this wealth of documents by the type of institution where they were developed. You can also navigate to each resource by individual faculty participant (alphabetically by institution name). We expect that these will serve as models and catalysts for conversation and curricular reform. We hope to add resources to these pages as faculty either complete new materials or revise preliminary efforts as a result of ongoing consultation with their colleagues.

For questions and feedback, please contact AHA Special Projects Coordinator Julia Brookins by email at [email protected]. For a broader discussion of these and other teaching and learning issues in history, please join the Teaching and Learning community on communities.historians.org .

The National History Center’s New Teaching Decolonization Resource Collection

The National History Center's new Teaching Decolonization Resource Collection provides resources for instructors at any level to teach about decolonization.

Evaluating without Grading

In this version of a specifications grading system, each individual assignment is evaluated on a pass/fail basis. This creates multiple pathways for students to move through the assignments and earn a final grade by “unlocking” different levels of various assignments. Assignment by Luke Clossey and Esther Souman.

Unessay Assignment Sheet