Teaching Expectations with Rubrics - Freebie!

Two weeks ago I posted about using rubrics in the classroom. I asked if classroom teachers would be willing to share how they are using rubrics in their classrooms. Thanks to everyone for linking up! There were lots of good ideas that were shared.

This week I introduced the Fab 4s to rubrics. I like to have guidelines for assessing work and rubrics fit the bill perfectly. It occurred to me that it would be helpful for the students to understand how I was grading their projects and assignments; as I was grading papers and marking items wrong or adding little comments and smilies here and there, I wondered if the Fab 4s would ever see my markings. Would their graded assignments go right into their mailbox>backpack>recycle bins? How would they ever know how I wanted them to improve their work? 

Enter the rubric.

We have been studying caves for the last few weeks, and the final project we are completing is a cave journal that the Fab 4s record their learning and understanding in. I had created a rubric so that I knew the parameters I was assessing within. Yesterday afternoon I started meeting with  small groups so I could teach them about using rubrics to assess work. The kids each had a copy of the rubric I would be grading against and their cave journal.

We went through each “attribute”, that is, each characteristic of their journal I would be assessing. We talked about the point values, and then broke down each attribute by points. We didn't have longer than about 20 minutes, but that was enough for the Fab 4s to go through their journals looking at each attribute and giving themselves a score.

After we were done conferencing they took their journals back to their seats and worked on improving certain areas to increase their score. Neatness was a big one for them, and it gave them an opportunity to go back and clean things up. A few of the students decided that they wanted to bump their score by adding some adjectives and adverbs. It was exciting to see them actively working to improve their writing.

I wanted to make using rubrics easier for my readers, so I create these editable rubric in word. 

There are three different styles for two different age levels - primary and intermediate. There is a simple picture based rubric and a more complex rubric for 4-6^th grade. I also added in an independent reading rubric for primary, updated from my last design. 

You can pick them up at my TPT store.

Here are the results of the two $25 Amazon gift card giveaways:  for cutest rubric the winner is Lori Smith!!

Check our her CUTIE rubric here.

The rafflecopter winner is Jennifer Glahn Reck.

Congrats to both winners! Please send me your full name and email and I will send you your Amazon gift cards. Happy shopping!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Sunday Funday Grading and Rubric Linky Party (with a sweet giveaway)!

I love rubrics. L-u-u-u-u-r-r-r-v-v-v-v-e them.

Love. Them.

There is something about their parameters, their expectations all laid out, secrecy-denied savviness that makes me happy. I love the way I always knew exactly what my late-in-life-college-student-self needed to get that 4.0. Always. There was no mystery, no guessing.

I love it the same way for assessing. I know exactly what each student needs to have to get a +, -, 1, 2, 3, 4,  check, S, whatever. I don't have to second guess myself and go back through writing or math to make sure I was fair to all.

I know that not everyone loves them. Not everyone needs the parameters. Not everyone wants to follow a table of laid out expectations. There is less room for gut feelings, justified or no.

Yeah. My opinion = rubrics rock.

This afternoon I started pouring through the Fab 4's Ice Age/Glacial Wisconsin portfolios and decided that I couldn't do it without a rubric. I went to my favorite rubric making site, Rubistar. I will admit that I find rubistar to be a little hard to work in, a little clumsy, but I put up because of how easy it makes creating rubrics. Do you have a favorite site? Will you share?

I started with the items I was assessing. Then I brainstormed the criteria that made or broke the assignments, and defined what it would like if it met, exceeded or did not meet expectations.

Once I had some parameters it was much easier to assign a grade. 

I also wanted the parents to know why their child may have gotten a +, or what was it about their work that dropped a minus. Now they can see what I was looking for. 

Do you use rubrics? How do you use them? How do you make them? 

Link up and share! Then come back and vote on your favorite! Cutest Rubric gets a $25 Amazon gift card! Sign up for the rafflecopter and you could win the other $25 Amazon gift card! That's right, two $25 Amazon gift cards. 

"Save as" and use this on your blog to show you're a part of the linky! 

Make you sure you link back here so folks can vote!

a Rafflecopter giveaway