argumentative essay middle school rubric

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Middle School Writing Rubrics

In my book Blended Learning in Grades 4-12 , I shared the following middle school writing rubrics with my readers. Unfortunately, the short links I provided in my book have timed out, so I wanted to share these on my blog so any middle school teachers interested in using them have access! Feel free to make a copy and adjust as needed.

bit.ly/6-8ArgumentativeWritingRubric

bit.ly/6-8InformativeWritingRubric

bit.ly/6-8NarrativeWritingRubric

I will be posting the high school writing rubrics as soon as I can get them reformatted in a shareable version. If you have rubrics you use, love, and are willing to share, I’d love to crowdsource rubrics here!

45 Responses

Thank you for this wonderful resource! I love getting the emails from your site.

What are your thoughts on putting the high score description in the 2nd column next to the criteria? Students’ eyes are naturally drawn to the columns in order of left to right, so putting the high scoring description makes it the first thing they look at. It sets the tone for them, as if to say, “Do this! This is the best!”

Thank you again for providing this rubric. The descriptions and criteria are very well-written.

You are absolutely welcome to edit and rework them! My co-teacher prefers rubrics that start with 4 on the left side for those exact reasons. Mentally, it works better for me this way. That said, they are easy to copy and change!

Thanks so much!

[…] Middle School Writing Rubrics | […]

Thank you so much for sharing such a valuable resource!

Hello, are the high school rubrics available on the website, or in the book?

They are in the book, Carly. They are also so similar to the middle school rubrics that I did not want to publish a separate post for them.

Dear Ms Tucker

I was browsing and came across you rubrics for students writing. I read them and immediately fall in love with the simplicity of their structure. Thanks for making these resource available, easing research time.

I deem it a pleasure to be able to use them for my assessment.

You’re welcome, Emileta!

I’m glad these will save you time!

These are awesome rubrics! Thank you so much for sharing! They are a great resource.

Any ideas for a poetry rubric. I hate “grading” poetry. I truly believe students should have absolute freedom, but Texas TEKS say otherwise…..so…..

I so appreciate the clarity and ease of understanding these rubrics provide!!

I tend to agree with you. However, if you are expected to assess poetry, I’d start with the language in the TEKs and work backward. What do the TEKs want you to assess when it comes to poetry? Figurative language, sensory details, thematic progression? I’d isolate each “skill” or element of poetry they want you to assess then use those as your criteria and describe what that skill or element looks like in each stage–beginner, developing, proficient, mastery.

Thank you so much for sharing your rubrics with teachers! Extremely helpful and greatly appreciated.

You’re so welcome, Vanessa!

Take care. Catlin

Thank you for sharing your rubrics.

Thank you so much for sharing the rubrics. I use them in class for students’ projects.

Thank you so much for this lovely set up! It has helped a lot of new teachers!

Words can not describe how grateful I am.

Thank you so much! I am always having trouble teaching language art since I feel much comfortable with numbers..

You’re welcome, Helen! Happy to help 😊

Thank you for this very helpful resources, appreciated it!

You’re welcome, Shiela!

Thank you so much for this resource! This is the best rubric I’ve seen for middle school writing!

Thank you, Anna!

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful resource!!! You are amazing!!!

You’re welcome, Michelle! So glad these are useful. 😊

Thank you so much for providing these! I’m “Yearbook Teacher” and these are wonderful since I have no clue how to grade written work (I normally teach a CTE course but with virtual/hybrid staff is spread thin.

Nick Pascual

You’re welcome, Nicolas! I’m so glad these are useful 😊

It appears 28 possible points can be earned……the sum of points earned would be at what grade level…..for example, if a student earned all 4’s on the Argumentative Writing Rubric what grade level would his writing rank…….or are their ranges for the sum of points……I would prefer to have a grade level…..

Hi MaryIsabel,

I assess on a 4 point mastery scale, so the final score calculates an average then that number 1, 2, 3, 4 is inserted into the grade book (if you have a mastery-based grade book option). Otherwise, you will need to convert your number on a scale.

Thank you. You are so kind. God bless you.

You’re welcome, Jennifer!

I am unable to open the rubrics. Are they still available for teacher to access?

Hi Jennifer,

The short links are below each image of the rubric, and they force you to make a copy. You’ll need to be logged into your Gmail account so your copies save in your Google Drive.

These are excellent! Thank you for sharing Dr. Tucker!

You’re welcome, Laura!

Life saver! Thank you for sharing!

You’re welcome, Carolyn!

Thank you so much for sharing these rubrics! I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been mentioned in the posts above. Love the idea of creating a “rubric bank” available to all who may need it.

You are very welcome, Carolina! I’m thrilled they are useful.

Good Evening , Ms. Tucker

Have you published a persuasive writing rubric?

Hi Yolanda,

I do not have persuasive rubrics. I focused on argumentative writing instead.

THIS IS A LIFESAVER!! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!

You’re very welcome, Tammy! 😊

WOW! I’m so loving these… as we are developing our standards for our program, this gives us a total jump start! By chance, do you have the High School writing rubrics?

My high school versions are very similar to these. Here is an example: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TLkY6Yt-AdXdwCwvXJ7YAqzsoYZmT6G3QiT_yefAHV8/edit

Good luck with your rubrics! AI can be a very helpful resources when generating rubrics with the skill descriptions!

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• Keynote Speaking

© 2023 Dr. Catlin Tucker

Interactive Writing Rubric

Middle School 

Download the PDF

Position 

This strand encompasses the argument in the essay – the key sentences that state what you are proving and how you are proving it.

Thesis: The sentence(s) explicitly or implicitly stated early in the paper that outline the argument being made in the paper.

Assertions: The assertion is the sentence at the paragraph level that is the written articulation of the subargument.

Ideas 

This strand evaluates at the holistic and synthesis level. The Ideas strand seeks to evaluate not only the accuracy of the ideas presented but also how well the Position is proven and how well the ideas are synthesized and interwoven. This strand is broader than the Interpretation strand – it encompasses the essay as a whole.

Quality: Quality evaluates the correctness of ideas, the complexity of ideas, and the integration of ideas across a full spectrum.

Organization 

Organization is a crucial aspect of the argumentation. This strand addresses the overall structure of a paper. Does the organization support and encourage logical order? Do ideas flow smoothly?

Structure: This criterion addresses the overall architecture of the essay, both at the body paragraph and the essay level. Is the paper ordered in a way that supports the position?

Flow: Do ideas flow smoothly within sentences in a paragraph and between sentences and paragraphs?

Click Numbers to View Standard Bearers

• 1 Position 1 
• 2 Position 2 

3 Position 3 (Set 1) Position 3 (Set 2)

4 Position 4 (Set 1) Position 4 (Set 2) Position 4 (Set 3) Position 4 (Set 4)

5 Position 5 (Set 1) Position 5 (Set 2) Position 5 (Set 3) Position 5 (Set 4) Position 5 (Set 5)

6 Position 6 (Set 1) Position 6 (Set 2) Position 6 (Set 3)

7 Position 7 (Set 1) Position 7 (Set 2)

8 Position 8 (Set 1) Position 8 (Set 2)

• Thesis is an opinion stated in the first person , and may or may not be a statement directly in response to the prompt.
• Thesis is written in the third person , and may just be a topic sentence that restates the prompt. It may only address half the prompt (i.e. theme but no attempt to name craft move, or vice versa; in a two-text prompt, students may only write about one text).
• Thesis is written in the third person, and may just be a topic sentence that restates the prompt. It attempts to answer the whole prompt, but may be too unclear to assess defensibility. This statement does not need to be accurate.
• If the prompt demands it, the defensible thesis is written as an argument/inference that can be supported with evidence (rather than a restatement of prompt or summary of the text/issue). This statement must answer all parts of a multi-part question. This statement does not need to be accurate.
• The defensible claim that the thesis makes represents a broad argument that could be made for all texts or all sides of the issue involved in the prompt ( comprehensive ). This statement must answer all parts of a multi-part question. This statement does not need to be accurate. Attempt at counterclaim present, if needed.
• A focused thesis is one with strong, precise language that clearly conveys strong, precise ideas in response to a prompt. Thesis statements are often not focused when the language is imprecise, thus keeping the ideas at a level that is too broad. This statement must answer all parts of a multi-part question. This statement does not need to be accurate. Counterclaim is focused.
• An analytical thesis is a response that incorporates the deepest meaning of the text in response to the prompt OR most meaningful level of an argument. It is the teacher exemplar in terms of language & level of interpretation. It does NOT list assertions . This statement must answer all parts of a multi-part question. This statement does not need to be accurate. Counterclaim is analytical.
• A nuanced response shares the relevant complexities or nuances of an argument based on what took place in the text/what comes up in the scope of the argument–it does not overlook or not recognize these complexities for the sake of an answer. Goes beyond the “answering the whole prompt” and thinking about the text and/or author influences in responding to the prompt. This statement must answer all parts of a multi-part question. This statement does not need to be accurate. Counterclaim is nuanced.
• Generally body paragraphs contain topic sentences that frame each paragraph. Some topic sentences are related to the topic of the paper.
• Most topic sentences are relevant to the topic of the paper.
• All topic sentences are directly relevant to the topic of the paper.
• Each topic sentence is directly relevant to the thesis statement and some topic sentences are assertions. Sequence of assertions may be random.
• Each topic sentence is directly relevant to the thesis and most topic sentences are assertions.
• Sequence of assertions is attempted.
• Each topic sentence is an assertion that supports the thesis statement.
• Sequence of assertions is mostly intentional but may not effectively advance the argument.
• Each assertion provides defensible and relevant support for the larger argument of the thesis statement. Some assertions are clarified in scope .
• Sequence of assertions is intentional and sometimes advances the argument.
• Each assertion provides defensible and relevant support for the larger argument of the thesis statement. Assertions are mostly clarified in scope.
• Sequence of assertions is intentional and mostly advances the argument.
• 1 Ideas 1 
• 2 Ideas 2 

3 Ideas 3 (Set 1) Ideas 3 (Set 2)

4 Ideas 4 (Set 1) Ideas 4 (Set 2)

5 Ideas 5 (Set 1) Ideas 5 (Set 2)

• 6 Ideas 6 

7 Ideas 7 (Set 1) Ideas 7 (Set 2)

• 8 Ideas 8 
• Ideas show some understanding of the text/content and the task;   includes a significant misunderstanding. Significant misunderstanding of task: The response is on-topic, but in the wrong mode (i.e. the prompt asks students to defend use of cell phones in schools & scholar writes a story about cell phones); OR the response demonstrates a significant misunderstanding of a text (i.e. student thought a character lived when he/she actually died – it’s like the scholar read a different text).
• Some understanding: The response is on-topic and in the right mode but the response is missing an important element like text evidence (i.e. the essay is just interpretation of the text with no support); OR the ideas contain many misunderstandings that impact the argument (the scholar seems to have read the same text, but has very different & inaccurate ideas about it).
• Basic/literal understanding: Scholar’s ideas are accurate, but do not move beyond summary or “right there” evidence. There may be a few small inaccuracies that do not impact the argument being made and/or one larger inaccuracy (i.e. wrong craft move). The response is on topic and in the right format. If scholars do not answer part of a question (i.e. never address a craft move demanded by the prompt), they should probably land here.
• Scholar’s ideas are accurate, and there is evidence of inferential/”deeper” thinking present in some (i.e. less than half) of the elements of the essay. There may be some vague, but not inaccurate, language. There may be a few small inaccuracies that do not impact the argument being made. The response is on topic and in the right mode.
• Scholar’s ideas are accurate, and most of the elements of the essay (thesis, assertions, evidence, analysis) are aligned to an inferential/deeper meaning. There may be some vague, but not inaccurate, language. There can be one small inaccuracy that does not impact the argument being made. The response is on topic and in the right mode. Counterclaim is named somewhere in the essay.
• Scholar’s ideas are accurate, and all elements of the essay are aligned to an inferential/deeper meaning. The language used to describe that deeper meaning is precise and accurate. There can be one small inaccuracy that does not impact the argument being made. The response is on topic and in the right mode. Counterclaim is named somewhere in the essay with an attempt at disproving it.
• Scholar’s ideas are accurate, and all elements of the essay are aligned to ideas that reflect the deepest meaning of the text OR most meaningful level of the argument. It is the teacher exemplar in terms of depth of thinking. There may be 1-2 small inaccuracies that do not impact the argument. The response is on topic and in the right mode. Accurate refutation of counter-claim.
• Scholar’s ideas are accurate, and all elements of the essay are aligned to ideas that discuss relevant complexities or nuances of the argument (i.e discussing text or author influences). There may be 1-2 small inaccuracies that do not impact the argument. The response is on topic and in the right mode. Refutation of counter-claim is logical & dismissed fairly (nothing makes you say “hmmm” or remain unconvinced)

1 Organization 1 (Set 1) Organization 1 (Set 2) Organization 1 (Set 3)

2 Organization 2 (Set 1) Organization 2 (Set 2)

3 Organization 3 (Set 1) Organization 3 (Set 2)

4 Organization 4 (Set 1) Organization 4 (Set 2)

5 Organization 5 (Set 1) Organization 5 (Set 2) Organization 5 (Set 3) Organization 5 (Set 4) Organization 5 (Set 5)

6 Organization 6 (Set 1) Organization 6 (Set 2) Organization 6 (Set 3)

• 7 Organization 7 

8 Organization 8 (Set 1) Organization 8 (Set 2)

• Paragraphs are absent yet ideas and information relate to each other.
• Groups related ideas and information logically. May provide a concluding statement or section that connects to the topic.
• Groups related ideas and information logically. Organizes ideas into separate and distinct body paragraphs. Provides a concluding statement or section that connects to the topic.
• Organizes ideas into separate and distinct body paragraphs.
• Content of paragraphs is generally appropriate.
• Concluding statement or section links to introduction.
• Reasonable essay structure .
• Content of paragraphs is mostly appropriate.
• Concluding section links to thesis.
• Reasonable essay structure.
• Body paragraphs include appropriate content in a logical internal structure .
• Introduction and conclusion are appropriately structured and conclusion supports thesis.
• Well-developed essay has logical internal structure, building to become more convincing and complete.
• Introduction is sophisticated and the conclusion provides closure .
• Well-developed essay has logical internal structure to enhance the understanding of the reader, building to become more convincing and complete.
• Sophisticated introduction draws readers in and insightful conclusion provides closure and eclipses thesis .
• Uses 1-2 word transitions to link some ideas.
• Generally uses 1-2 word transitions to clarify relationships among claims and reasons.
• Uses transition words and phrases to clarify relationships among most claims and reasons.
• Uses appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among most claims and evidence chunks.
• Uses some appropriate words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationship among claims and evidence chunks. There are some awkward or stilted transitions between ideas.
• Uses appropriate words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationship among claims and evidence chunks. Limited awkward or stilted transitions between ideas.
• Uses a variety of appropriate words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationship among claims, interpretations, and evidence chunks.
• Almost no awkward or stilted transitions between ideas.
• There are no awkward or stilted transitions between ideas.

 Back to Argument Strands

Middle School Writing Rubric Bird's Eye View:

Element: Argument

Strand: Position

Criteria: Thesis

Criteria: Assertions

Strand: Ideas

Criteria: Quality

Strand: Organization

Criteria: Structure

Criteria: Flow

Element: Evidence

Strand: Contextualization

Criteria: Framing

Criteria: Context

Strand: Selection

Criteria: Choice

Criteria: Presentation

Strand: Interpretation

Criteria: Analysis

Element: Language

Strand: Style

Criteria: Register

Criteria: Craft

Strand: Sentence Fluency

Criteria: Fluency

Criteria: Concision

Strand: Word Choice

Criteria: Range and Quality

Strand: Conventions

Criteria: Spelling

Criteria: Grammar

Element: Process

Strand: Revising

Criteria: Feedback

Criteria: Drafting

Strand: Publishing

Criteria: Professionalism

Criteria: MLA Formatting

Criteria: Document

Read the job description and apply here !

Persuasion Rubric

About this printout

Use this rubric to assess the effectiveness of a student's essay, speech, poster, or any type of assignment that incorporates persuasion.

Teaching with this printout

More ideas to try, related resources.

Grading rubrics can be of great benefit to both you and your students. For you, a rubric saves time and decreases subjectivity. Specific criteria are explicitly stated, facilitating the grading process and increasing your objectivity. For students, the use of grading rubrics helps them meet or exceed expectations, to view the grading process as being “fair,” and helps them set goals for future learning. In order to help your students meet or exceed expectations of the assignment, be sure to discuss the rubric with your students when you assign a persuasion project. It is helpful to show them examples of pieces that meet and do not meet the expectations. As an added benefit, because the criteria are explicitly stated in the rubric, the use of it decreases the likelihood that students will be confused about the grade they receive. The explicitness of the expectations helps students know exactly why they lost points on the assignment and aids them in setting goals for future improvement.  Use the Visuals/Delivery category to grade audio and visual elements in speeches, PowerPoint presentations, blogs, posters, skits, podcasts, or any other assignment where visuals and delivery play roles. If your assignment does not require speech or visuals, simply disregard this part of the rubric.

• Routinely have students score peers’ work using the rubric as the assessment tool. This increases their level of awareness of the traits that distinguish successful persuasive projects from those that fail to meet the criteria.
• Alter some expectations or add additional traits on the rubric as needed. For example, if the assignment is to create a persuasive podcast, criteria such as articulation, communication, sound effects, and audio clarity may be added. You may also adapt the criteria to make it more rigorous for advanced learners and less stringent for lower level learners. In addition, you may want to include content-specific criteria for your subject area.
• After you and your students have used the rubric, have them work in groups to make suggested alterations to the rubric to more precisely match their needs or the parameters of a specific persuasive assignment. For example, if you wanted them to work in cooperative groups to write and present persuasive skits, possible criteria could include teamwork and the length of the skit.
• Lesson Plans
• Student Interactives
• Strategy Guides

Through a classroom game and resource handouts, students learn about the techniques used in persuasive oral arguments and apply them to independent persuasive writing activities.

The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

• Print this resource

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• Kindergarten K

Learning Goals

• Use this rubric to self-assess your persuasive writing as you work on it.

Persuasive Writing Rubric—Middle School

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iRubric: Persuasive Essay (Middle School -8) rubric

9th-10th grade argumentative writing rubric

Offer 9th-10th grade students a standards-aligned structure for argumentative writing with this educator-developed rubric.

Offer 9th-10th Grade students a structure for informative writing with this standards-aligned rubric developed by educators for Feedback Studio.

Rubric suitable for formative and summative assignments with tasks involving the defense of a position on a topic. Use this rubric when asking students to argue whether or not they support a position on a topic, to examine sources in order to defend a position on a topic, etc. Consider using the 9th-12th Grade Argument QuickMark set with this rubric. These drag-and-drop comments were tailor-made by veteran educators to give actionable, formative feedback directly to students. While they were explicitly aligned to this particular rubric, you can edit or add your own content to any QuickMark. This rubric is available and ready to use in your Feedback Studio account. However, if you would like to customize its criteria, you can "Duplicate this rubric" in your Feedback Studio account and then edit the rubric as needed. Or, you can download this .rbc file and then import to your account to begin editing the content.

• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

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