Rubric for Narrative Essay in the Style of "Fish Cheeks," by Amy Tan

Grammar	Vocabulary	Organization	Complexity	Required Elements
3: Few (5 or fewer) minor grammatical errors that do not interfere with comprehension	3: Includes 3 or more new vocabulary words from vocab workbook. Uses almost all words correctly, with 1-0 words used incorrectly. Words are precise and clearly convey meaning.	3: Draws the reader into story with an interesting intro. Develops story in body paragraphs. Includes a conclusion paragraph with some analysis. Tight cohesion: uses transitional words and phrases and phrases and other cohesive devices.	3: Varied sentence structures and lengths. Includes simple sentences, compound sentences, (which use FANBOYS,) and complex sentences, (which contain dependent clauses.) Contains 1-0 run-ons or fragments.	3: Uses two or more of the rhetorical devices that Tan used in “Fish Cheeks.” This could include similes, personification, rhetorical questions, allusions or irony.
2: Some (10 or fewer) grammatical errors that somewhat interfere with comprehension	2: Includes 2 new vocab words from vocab workbook. Uses most words correctly, with 2 or fewer used incorrectly. Words are mostly precise, with some vagueness that may impede expression.	2: Follows the above mentioned structure but does not fully develop all paragraphs. Introduction and conclusion may be weak in terms of engaging readers and providing analysis. Shows some cohesion but may contain 1 or 2 jarring tran-sitions.	2: Somewhat varied sentence structure. May rely heavily on simple and compound sentences. Contains 2 or fewer run-ons or fragments.	2: Uses one or more of the rhetorical devices found in “Fish Cheeks.”
1: Many (11 or more grammatical errors that interfere significantly with comprehension	1: Includes 1 or fewer vocab words from vocab workbook. Uses 3 or more words incorrectly. Words are often imprecise, and this vagueness impedes expression.	1: Shows some elements of structure but some paragraphs may be omitted or under-developed. Lacks cohesion; many jarring transitions that interfere with comprehension.	1: Little variation in sentence structure; relies heavily on simple and compound sentences. May contain few (2 or fewer) complex sentences. Contains 3 or more run-ons or fragments.	1: Uses none of the rhetorical devices found in “Fish Cheeks.”