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August 1, 2008 ACS Learning Community summer 2008 workshop (supported by VITAL).
Suggested paragraphs on course goals for inclusion (or adaptation) in Learning Community ACS Syllabi.
| Assumes audience is student who has read
assigned texts carefully; paper uses evidence to make points rather than
to summarize |
Spends inappropriate amount of time merely
summarizing text or repeating material covered in class |
Shows little evidence of having read the text;
ideas mostly taken from class notes or class discussion |
| Single clear thesis that would be insightful
and interesting to someone who had already studied the texts |
Thesis is either somewhat unclear or all too
obvious to most thoughtful readers |
No clear thesis, or multiple theses |
| Avoids inflated generalizations and gratuitous
praise; sets brief context; introduces clear thesis |
Extraneous generalization; connection to thesis
not entirely clear; thesis statement not clear |
No clear thesis statement or sense of where the
paper is going |
| Strong topic sentences, supported by evidence
and argumentation; topic sentences support main thesis |
Some topic sentences do not support thesis, or
are not supported by evidence in paragraph |
No topic sentences; or little relationship
between topic sentences and thesis; or no evidence for topic sentences |
| All necessary points in proving or developing
thesis are made; makes compelling argument for thesis; paper does not
assume reader agrees with author |
Some missteps are made in proving or developing
thesis; argument only compelling to someone who already agrees |
Essay fails to prove or develop any sort of
compelling thesis |
| Argument intelligently ordered and easy to
follow, reflected in order of points and paragraphs |
Logical flow of argument needs improvement by
reordering some points and/or paragraphs |
Material is disorganized with no clear logical
order between points and/or paragraphs |
| Draws evidence from close reading of a variety
of passages; evidence is appropriate to points being made; all
quotations cited using MLA format |
Evidence drawn from only one or two passages in
text; some evidence does not support points made; citations present but
not in correct format |
Little evidence used; does not support points
made; drawn entirely from class discussion; material quoted without
citation |
| Hints at implications, broader conclusions, or
insightful ideas to think about, based on analysis so far |
Summarizes everything that has been said so far
but does not leave the reader with something further to think about |
Essay fails to offer a satisfactory conclusion
and/or simply recycles the introductory paragraph. |
| Nearly flawless grammar, spelling, and word
choice; sentences read smoothly and are clear without being wordy |
Grammar, spelling, word choice, sentence
structure and/or word economy need attention |
Serious problems with grammar, spelling, word
choice, sentence structure and/or word economy |
Note: if outside sources are permitted, see separate guidelines on using
secondary sources and websites.
1 An A-level paper will be strong in most categories; B papers
will be strong in some but need development in others; C papers need significant
development; D papers are typically unsatisfactory in most categories; most
people who get F’s haven’t read these criteria.
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