Homework 3 Grading Rubric
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

In terms of choosing a topic, think about something we have learned that has sparked your interest and figure out how you could teach that to the general public in a way that is interesting, interactive, and accessible. The sky is your limit--you can have videos, games, slide shows, special effects, virtual reality rooms, etc. You may want to focus on a regional area (the Northeast, for example) or group of people (African-American English speakers, for example) or you can do a comparative exhibit where you include two or more dialects and how they are similar/different.

In terms of content and organization, in general, I expect your museum exhibit proposals to be well organized and coherent, with an introductory paragraph at the beginning of the essay explaining the broad theme of your exhibit and giving a brief overview of your proposal. Think of this introductory paragraph as a road map for your proposal--you are letting the reader know what to expect from your proposal. Additionally, I expect topic statements at the beginning of every paragraph, smooth transitions between paragraphs and ideas, no or few grammatical errors, and several detailed examples ***(complete with IPA transcription using the names of symbols)*** to illustrate every idea you propose for your exhibit. Furthermore, while I encourage you to include lexical, syntactic or pragmatic level phenomena in your exhibit, a portion of your exhibit MUST address phenomena at the phonological level as well.

This is a proposal--it should be well organized, clear, and very informative. I encourage you to use headings and subheadings (Ex., PURPOSE, MEDIUM, EXHIBIT DISPLAYS, etc.). As the reader, I should be able to visualize your proposed exhibit very clearly and I should feel convinced that you have really thought through and researched your ideas thoroughly. Your grade will be dependent upon all of these elements. Content and organization are the most important elements, but if your grammatical/syntax errors are significant enough to distract me from the content of your argument, then this will affect your grade. Make sure you read the assignment carefully and understand it before you begin.

GRADING RUBRIC

An 'A' paper throroughly addresses all required components of the exhibit (detailed description of exhibit, purpose of the exhibit, medium used for the exhibit, detailed description of linguistic features your exhibit will focus on--complete with NUMEROUS examples and research citations). An 'A' paper also cites AT LEAST THREE outside sources. Additionally, an 'A' paper is well organized and coherent, with a well-written introductory paragraph at the beginning, topic statements at the beginning of every paragraph, smooth transitions between paragraphs and ideas, and no or few grammatical errors. An 'A' paper meets or exceeds the assignment's length requirement.

A 'B' paper is like that of an 'A' paper in terms of content (it addresses all required components of the exhibit) except that the descriptions of exhibit, purpose, medium, and linguistic features may be slightly less thorough than that of an 'A' paper--that is, the reader may have minor questions left unanswered OR it may contain only one (as opposed to several) phonetically transcribed example of each dialect feature proposed for your exhibit. Additionally, a 'B' paper may be an 'A' paper contentwise but it has minor grammatical errors or minor organizational problems. Like an 'A' paper, a 'B' paper meets or exceeds the length requirement and cites at least three outside sources.

A 'C' paper is not very well thought out. That is, the required components of the exhibit (detailed description of exhibit, purpose of the exhibit, medium used for the exhibit, detailed description of linguistic features your exhibit will focus on--complete with NUMEROUS examples and research citations) are all included but may be only briefly discussed with very few examples. Additionally, a 'C' paper may have organization, coherence, or grammatical problems that hinder a smooth reading of the paper, but not to the extent that the paper is uncomprehendable. A 'C' paper may be a little shy of the assignment length requirement and may include only one or two citations of outside sources.

A 'D' paper is one that has obviously been thrown together at the last minute--it is too short, may be missing required content components, and includes no examples of anything being discussed. Additionally a 'D' paper may have severe organizational, coherence, or grammatical problems so that the reader has trouble comprehending what is being communicated. A 'D'paper may be signficantly shorter than the length requirement and may include no citations of outside resources. An off-topic paper will also receive an automatic 'D' regardless of how well organized or coherent it is.