Three Response Essays [30% of the final grade]

A

B

C

D

Source Use/

Evidence

Includes at least 5 well-chosen quotations from the sources and citations (APA parenthetical and a works cited page); cites sources when paraphrasing; explains the connections between the evidence and main ideas clearly and makes explicit connections between sources

Includes 3-5 cited quotations and citations; cites sources when paraphrasing; makes explicit connections between the sources and the main ideas

Does not include direct quotations, but mentions and cites the sources where appropriate; does not clearly make connections between the sources and main ideas

No quotations and few citations when paraphrasing or referencing the sources

Study Questions

Answers all of the study questions to some degree, perhaps developing some answers more than others based on the focus of the essay

Answers all of the study questions or touches on the topics/sources from all of the study questions

Fails to answer many of the study questions but still touches on the topics of the questions

Does not answer the study questions directly but does touch on some of the topics of the questions

Argument

Synthesizes the answers of the study questions into a cohesive essay and makes a clear argument that explores a larger theme and what it reveals about American Indian and North American history

Makes an argument relative to the study questions but does not clearly articulate what it reveals about the larger themes pertaining to American Indian and North American history

Does not include a clear argument but does try to connect answers to the study questions into a cohesive essay

Does not include an argument and also fails to connect the answers into a cohesive essay

Connections to the course and larger themes

Is careful to fully answer the questions that refer to sources or ideas discussed in previous classes with references to previous readings or class discussions; includes references to previous classes even when not explicitly asked, seeing connections between ideas from different class discussions

Refers to ideas discussed in previous classes when prompted and makes connections to larger and reappearing themes

Does not connect the study questions to previous classes or material but at least briefly mentions a larger theme discussed previously

Fails to connect the essay’s topics to sources or ideas discussed in previous class periods

Writing Mechanics

Well-organized paragraphs with topic sentences; transitions between paragraphs; includes an introduction and conclusion; writing style is clear; very few spelling and grammatical errors

Has paragraphs centered around a particular topic and many have topic sentences; transitions between most paragraphs; has an introduction and a conclusion; writing style is mostly clear; few spelling and grammatical errors

Many ideas per paragraph; no topic sentences; abrupt or rough transitions; includes errors that could be avoided through proofreading; has an introduction and, at the very least, concluding sentences

Many ideas per paragraph; no transitions; lacks an introduction or conclusion; poorly organized; many grammatical and spelling errors; unclear due to poor sentence structure or other mechanical issues