Thesis statement: clarity, coherence, thoughtfulness _______/20
Is your statement clear? Is it something that can be supported/proven by the sources?
Is it too broad or too narrow?
Does it adequately address the topic/subject?
Use of evidence and sources _______/20
Do you understand the nature of the sources, when and why they were written, and how they address the thesis statement?
Is your use of sources accurate and thorough, rather than just a bumper sticker shallow quotation?
Strength of reasoning _______/20
Do the sources you use truly support your thesis?
Can you synthesize a variety of sources to build a coherent argument to support your thesis?
Are there obvious objections to your thesis and use of sources that you ignore? Do you acknowledge and critique possible objections?
Clarity and organization of writing; proper use of grammar and spelling _______/20
Are paragraphs well organized?
Do you use good grammar, capitalization, commas, etc?
Watch use of the apostrophe for possessives not plural nouns!
Total ________/80
