Rubric for History Essays
Wow! A superior or excellent essay (A, B)
Area 1: Content, Ideas, Analysis, Interpretation:
  1. Focuses on what the question asks. Does specifically what the question requires: Fulfills the demand of the action verb: compare, synthesize, critique, evaluate, etc.
  2. Explains about people in the past (individuals and groups) and what they did. Incorporates the actual words of historical actors (primary sources) into your essay.
  3. Attempts to explain (interpret) the key historical issues involved, such as causation, comparisons,
  4. Briefly identifies the people mentioned and defines specialized or Spanish terms.
  5. Optional: Incorporates and cites additional research beyond the assigned readings.
Area 2: Use and Citation of Historical Evidence
  1. Supports all thesis statements (explanations, interpretations) with specific evidence (examples, illustrations, concrete historical actions).
  2. Draws evidence (supporting examples) from ALL the required readings.
  3. Appropriate inclusion of primary source (firsthand) direct quotations. Persons quoted clearly identified.
  4. Includes statistical evidence (raw numbers, percentages, charts, graphs) when appropriate.
  5. (Research paper only): All sources cited properly with end or footnotes and complete bibliography.
Area 3: Organization and Logic
  1. Organizes ideas and themes into logical sequences and subtopics appropriate to the question.
  2. Includes a brief, clear introduction that aptly summarizes the paper's major focus, most important points, and guides the reader on what to expect in the body?
  3. Includes a final, logical summation or conclusion. This section may also point to important issues and questions that would require further research.
  4. Each paragraph focuses on and supports a single idea; one topic per paragraph. Logical transitions between paragraphs create a clear flow from point to point through the essay.
  5. Makes as complete an argument (analysis) as space permits.
Area 4: Writing Clarity and Correctness
  1. Phrases ideas in direct, clear, concise sentences? Avoids unduly long, complicated sentences (25 words plus).
  2. Expresses ideas in the active voice.
  3. Exhibits strong sentence fluency--the language flows cleanly and clearly, like a good speech.
  4. Employs strong, vigorous action verbs (in the simple past tense that show specifically what people did.
  5. Includes correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
A Competent, Developing Essay-on track- but a ways to go (C)
  1. Simply narrates events or tells a story, rather than explaining and interpreting.
  2. Strays from the question; includes information, people, and events not directly related to what the question asks.
  3. Fails to make a logical argument. Information is simply spewed forth in no particular order.
  4. Fails to provide specific supporting evidence for every general statement.
  5. Includes some evidence that is not relevant and/or factually correct
  6. Does not show knowledge of ALL assigned readings?
  7. Often expresses ideas in the passive voice.
A draft or emerging essay- not yet there -needs hard work (D, F)
  1. Does not focus on nor answer the question asked.
  2. Shows little knowledge or understanding of the assigned readings.
  3. Most paragraphs lack historical specifics; few or no primary source quotations and/or overuse of quotations from secondary sources
  4. Many simple assertions that lack relevant evidence or illustrations.
  5. Entire essay overly general; no specific supporting examples; little evidence from the required readings; inadequate and/or incomplete citations.
  6. Exhibits poor writing, such as typos, sentence fragments, subject-verb disagreements, considerable overuse of the passive voice, grammatical and word use errors.
  7. Mixes past and present tenses. Write history in the simple past tense.
  8. Often appears hastily written, as a first draft, with careless errors and little evidence of careful thought.
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