12/6--A possible research essay rubric for amer. lit.

I know that one of the first things I'll have to grade when I return to teaching is an essay on my American Literature midterm. So today I tried to develop a rubric that I thought might fit well with that essay. (It is written here below.)

Research Essay Rubric

Grade	A	B	C	D	F
Introduction ·         Captures audience’s attention. ·         Transitions well to main purpose. ·         Thesis works: is clear and makes sense.
Body ·         Consistent focus on topic (theme, character type, and/or symbol). ·         Makes use of specific, descriptive detail consistently. ·         Effective transitions exist within and/or between key sections. ·         Makes strong use of evidence to prove its points. ·         Uses AT LEAST TWO authoritative secondary sources to prove its points. ·         Uses quotes correctly. ·         Evidence is well-analyzed—significance of evidence/detail is explained within each paragraph of essay.
Conclusion ·         Effectively summarizes discussion ·         Explains significance of topic. ·         Contains an effective clincher that engages the reader.
Additional Issues ·         Contains few, if any, mechanical errors. ·         Proper MLA format used. ·         Word count met.
Totals/Final Comments

Eventually, I will likely assign point values to each blank space (except for the last row, of course, which involves totals). 

I notice that this rubric is pretty similar to old ones that I've done.  The only difference is that it's a bit more streamlined: in a table, with the categories more clearly defined, with fewer point values popping up for each individual criteria.  It seems to be a bit more holistic over, which is perhaps a good thing.