How to Make a Rubric – The Basics
Rubrics allow you to describe the behavior/evidence that results in a particular score. Start with only 2 or 3 categories and 3 possible scores.
| Category 1 |
Category 2 |
|
| 3 |
||
| 2 |
||
| 1 |
Step 1: Plan the outline
Think through your rubric carefully before you create it with your students. I’ll use a behavior rubric as an example, but they are very useful for ”grading” work also. I’ll make a rubric for partner discussions during reading. What do I want to see/hear? I want to see respectful social behaviors. I want them to take turns talking and be active listeners. I also want to hear thoughtful discussions. I want them to refer to the text for evidence. I want them to prompt each-other to think deeply. OK, now I can organize these ideas into categories.
| Respecting Your Partner |
Thoughtful Discussions |
|
| 3 – Advanced |
||
| 2 – On target |
||
| 1 – Needs work |
Step 2: Describe the Behavior
You need to have a pretty good idea about what should go in those boxes before you present this to the students. Try to pinpoint behaviors and evidence in an objective way. If your rubric is very specific, anyone should be able to “grade” the students and reach the same conclusion (including the students themselves). Either you met the criteria or you didn’t. Try to avoid using descriptors like “good” or “bad”. Instead, quantify tangibles (had less than 3 spelling errors).
Your notes might look like this:
| Respecting Your Partner |
Thoughtful Discussions |
|
| 3 – Advanced |
No interruptions, active listening |
Evidence from text, ask why, make connections |
| 2 – On target |
Some interruption, some active listening |
Some evidence from text, some asking why |
| 1 – Needs work |
Several interruptions, not actively listening |
No evidence, no asking why |
Step 3: Create the Rubric with Your Students
Creating a rubric is very cognitively demanding. If your students are new at this, you can help them by showing them examples and “non-examples”. Recruit another teacher or administrator to help you. In our partner discussion example, you would get another teacher to act out a discussion with you in front of the class. First you would have a terrible discussion (the non-example). You would interrupt, not listen, etc. Then, ask the students how you did. Why was it a bad discussion? Then, have a great discussion and have the kids explain why it was better. This will really help them pinpoint specific behaviors (and they think it’s hilarious). Create the rubric on a big piece of chart paper and make sure they can read it from wherever they’ll be sitting.
| Respecting Your Partner |
Thoughtful Discussions |
|
| 3 – Advanced |
We sat face-to-face. We never interrupted each-other. We actively listened the whole time (nodding, eye-contact). |
We used evidence from the text more than two times. After each thought, the partner asked, “Why?” and the speaker explained their thinking. We connected ideas from this book to other things we know/have read. |
| 2 – On target |
The speaker was interrupted once or twice. The partner was occasionally not actively listening. |
We used evidence from the text one or two times. The partner asked, “Why?” one or two times. |
| 1 – Needs work |
The speaker was interrupted more than twice. The partner did not actively listen. |
We didn’t use evidence from the text. We didn’t ask each-other, “Why?”. |
Step 4: Use the Rubric Everyday
After the students have a partner discussion, ask them to rate themselves. I like using 1,2,3 because they can just hold up their fingers to show you their self-assessment. You’ll say, “How do you think you did today with partner discussions?” and they will show you a score. Choose one group to explain their self-assessment (“We got a 2 because I interrupted one time and we used evidence twice”). This process takes about 30 seconds.
As a beginning elementary teacher, the resources offered here are really helpful. Each topic offers concrete examples of how to implement a particular strategy, the philosophy behind it and the strategies for assessment, which as we all know has become crucial these days.
I also like the range of literacy ideas and strategies offered. I used the “think, talk, draw, write” approach with some students that have really struggled with writing in my 4th grade classroom and was very successful. It sort of tricked them into thinking that it wasn’t really writing time, when if fact they were being more specific and detailed in their writing than ever before.
The specificity of the classroom management rubric has been really helpful, I am just beginning to create the rubric with my kids and they are really into the idea of creating what good behavior and peer interaction should look like.
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