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The Writer's Wave
Come one, come all and join us on the WRITER’S WAVE!!! All students are welcome to participate in this writing challenge. Winners will come on DNN to showcase their writing. The rubric is below so you know how you will be judged.
3rd – 4th – 5th Grade Rubric:
✨ TRAIT 1: Ideas (0–3 points) How well did you answer the question and use evidence?
3 – Strong!
Clear focus, lots of great details, and text evidence that supports your ideas.
2 – Getting There
Mostly clear, but missing a few details or not enough evidence.
1 – Needs Work
Hard to follow or doesn’t answer the question completely.
0 – Off Topic
Doesn’t address the prompt at all or is left blank.
🗝 Tip: Always restate the question and use text clues!
🧩 TRAIT 2: Organization (0–3 points) How well did you structure your writing?
3 – Strong!
Has a beginning, middle, and end. Ideas flow smoothly with transitions.
2 – Getting There
Some organization, but ideas jump around or transitions are missing.
1 – Needs Work
Hard to follow or mixed-up order of ideas.
0 – Off Topic
Doesn’t show a clear plan or structure.
🗝 Tip: Use transition words — first, next, finally, because, for example, etc.
📝 TRAIT 3: Conventions (0–2 points) How well did you use grammar, spelling, and punctuation?
2 – Strong!
Few or no errors. Sentences are complete and make sense.
1 – Getting There
Some mistakes, but reader can still understand.
0 – Needs Work
Lots of errors that make it hard to read.
🗝 Tip: Reread before you click Submit!
🧮 TOTAL SCORE = 8 POINTS
3 + 3 + 2 = 8
🏅 6–8 points = Strong Writer
⭐ 3–5 points = Developing Writer
🌱 0–2 points = Needs More Practice
K – 1st - 2nd Grade Rubric:
💡 Trait 1: Ideas (0–2 points) What did you write about and did your ideas make sense?
2 – Strong!
I stayed on topic, gave good details, and shared my own thoughts or facts.
1 – Getting There
I started to tell about the topic but left out some details or mixed ideas.
0 – Needs Practice
My writing doesn’t match the picture or prompt.
🗝 Tip: Think about your topic before you write!
🧩 Trait 2: Organization (0–2 points) Did your writing have a beginning, middle, and end?
2 – Strong!
My ideas go in order and are easy to follow.
1 – Getting There
Some order, but ideas jump around or stop too soon.
0 – Needs Practice
No clear order — it’s hard to tell what happens first or next.
🗝 Tip: Use “First, Next, Then, Last” to plan your story.
✏️ Trait 3: Conventions (0–2 points) Did you use your best writing skills?
2 – Strong!
I used spaces, capital letters, and punctuation. My words are spelled the best I can.
1 – Getting There
I used some punctuation or capitals, but I forgot others.
0 – Needs Practice
I didn’t use punctuation, spacing, or capitals yet.
🗝 Tip: Reread your writing out loud before turning it in!
🧮 TOTAL SCORE = 6 POINTS
🏅 5–6 = Super Dolphin Writer!
⭐ 3–4 = Growing Writer!
🌱 0–2 = Keep Swimming — You’re Learning!