Sidney Public Schools

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Ideas

-My main message or story is clear and will hold your attention.

-I know this topic well and take readers on a journey of discovery.

-I include intriguing details a reader will notice and remember.

-My writing makes a point—or focuses on a clearly defined message.

-My main message or story is interesting and easy to understand.

-I share important information—and tell enough to give a full picture.

-My paper contains many interesting details.

-I narrow my topic enough to give readers an in-depth look at my subject.

-A reader can identify my main idea or make sense of my story.

-I have enough information for a first draft, but more would help.

-My writing includes a few interesting details.  Readers might want more.

-I think I need to narrow my topic a little.  I’m trying to cover too much.

-A reader can guess what my main idea is.

-I know enough to start—then I have to make things up.

-My details are general, things many readers already know.

-My topic feels way to BIG. I can’t cover everything.

-A reader might have trouble figuring out the main message. 

-The story or message isn’t really clear in my mind. I just write to fill the page.

-I repeat things—or stop when I run out of things to say.

-I bounce from topic to topic—or list thoughts at random.

-I put my first thoughts on paper, but it’s not a story—yet.

-I’m still figuring out my topic.

Organization

-Everything connects in some way to my MAIN message or story line.

-My paper is easy to follow—even with a quick reading. It has some twists and turns to make reading interesting!

-The lead is striking and will pull readers right in.

-The conclusion is original. I want to leave my readers thinking.

-I stay focused on the discussion or story all the way through.

-You can easily follow my “trail of thought.”

-You’ll like my lead—and it will hook you.

-My conclusion is satisfying. It wraps up the discussion or story.

-I may have wandered here and there—but I think you’ll see a connection.

-I think you can follow this pretty easily.

-My lead sets things up.  It kicks off the story or discussion.

-My ending wraps things up.

-I can see that I wandered in spots. This isn’t always easy to follow.

-Or—maybe I needed more surprises! Readers could tell exactly what was coming!

-I have a lead—it could be more exciting.

-I have a conclusion.  It’s probably one you have heard before.

-I jumped from topic to topic. This is really hard to follow even for me.

-This writing is like a messy closet! I need to move some things—or toss some out.

-I need a new lead.

-I need a new conclusion, too.

-I just wrote to get something on paper.

-Nothing goes with anything else. Don’t look for a pattern!

-I didn’t know how to begin.

-I didn’t know how or when to stop, either.

Voice

-This is ME. You can hear my voice in every line.

-A reader would love sharing this aloud.

-This topic matters deeply to me. I said exactly what I felt and thought.

-I wanted to reach readers—to make them feel the way I feel.

-This voice sounds like me. It doesn’t blend in with others.  - I think some readers would share this writing aloud.

-Reading this writing will convince you I care about my topic.

-This voice fits my purpose and will get readers involved.

-I think my voice stands out from many others.

-There are some good moments to share.

-I care about this topic. I think that come through in many parts.

-I think my voice will speak to many readers.

-I hear my voice in parts of this.

-With a little work, parts would be ready to share.

-I tried to sound excited, but I couldn’t do it all the time.

-This voice won’t reach all readers.

-This voice blends with many others. There’s barely a whisper of ME.

-I don’t feel ready share this writing—yet.

-I need a topic I know and care more about.

-I’m still figuring out my purpose and who my readers are.

-There is nothing in this writing to make it mine.

-There’s no reason to share this aloud.

-I don’t have any strong feelings about this topic.

-I wrote what I had to write to finish the assignment.

Word Choice

-You’ll want to highlight memorable words and phrases.

-Lively verbs give my writing energy.

-Sensory details put readers right at the scheme.

-You won’t find clutter every word counts!

-My words are clear. I found my own way to say things.

-I used many strong verbs.

-I used sensory details in the right spots.

-There’s little or no clutter.

-My words are used correctly.

-I used some strong verbs—and some adjectives.

-I used some sensory details—if they fit.

-Sometimes I repeated things or used words I didn’t need.

-I used too many general words—or the wrong words.

-I need more sensory details. (Or I used TOO many!)

-It’s wordy, repetitious, or overwritten.

-I used the first words I thought of.

-Most of my verbs are is, was, and were. No real action!

-I told about things you see—but no sounds, smells feelings, or tastes.

-It’s wordy—or else I did not say enough.

-It was hard to find the right words. I did not know what to write.

-I wasn’t sure how to use verbs.

-My writing doesn’t help you picture things.

- I need more words—or different words.

Sentence Fluency

-My writing is smooth and easy to read on the first try.

-Sentences differ in length and begin in ways that show how ideas connect.

-You can read this expressively to bring out every ounce of voice

-If I used dialogue, it’s so real you can perform it like a play.

-My writing flows smoothly. No bumps or sudden stops!

-Sentences differ in length and structure.

-It’s easy to make this paper sound fluent and smooth.

-If I used dialogue, it sounds like real conversation.

-My writing is easy to read with a little practice.

-There’s enough variety to make sentences interesting.

--With a little effort, you can make this writing sound fairly fluent.

-If I used dialogue, it’s pretty realistic.

-Some parts are smooth—others are choppy or rambling.

-Too many sentences start the same way or are the same length.

-To read this smoothly, you need to rehearse—and pay attention.

-If I used dialogue, it needs work.

-Choppy sentences, run-ons, or other problems make reading slow.

-I use the same sentence patterns over and over. I might have fragments I didn’t want.

-To read this aloud, prepare to “smooth over” some bumpy spots.

-I didn’t use dialogue, or else I couldn’t make it sound real.

-This is hard to read. I’m not sure all my “sentences” are really sentences.

-It’s hard to tell where my sentences begin and end.

-Words or punctuation could be missing. Readers need to fill these in.

-I didn’t try to write any dialogue.

Conventions and Presentation

-A reader will have to look hard to find errors in my writing!

-I edited carefully, reading silently and aloud. This is ready to publish.

-I used conventions to bring out the meaning and voice.

-My presentation has eye appeal and makes information easy to find.

-A careful reader might find minor errors—but nothing serious

-It might need a few touchups, but it’s almost ready to publish.

-My conventions support meaning and voice.

-My presentation makes important information stand out.

-Errors are noticeable, but they won’t slow readers down.

-I need to go over this one more time, reading aloud as I edit.

-My conventions support the message and make reading fairly easy.

-My presentation is OK—it draws attention to key points

-Readers might notice the errors more than the message!

-This writing needs a lot of editing.

-Mistakes could puzzle readers or force them to read things twice.

-I need to work on presentation. Readers can’t tell what to focus on

-Parts of this are not edited at all. Mistakes jump right out!

-I need to go over this line-by-line, pencil in hand reading aloud.

-Readers will need to “edit” as they read—that should be my job!

-I did not think about presentation yet

-Mistakes make this hard to read, even for me.

-I have not done any editing yet—I’m not sure how to begin.

-Even if they read it two times, I’m not sure readers will get the message.

-I need help with editing and presentation.

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