Name______Period______Date______
Common Assessments
Grade 9 English
Theme Essay
Question
There are many themes (insights or lasting truths about life) which literature offers readers. Write an essay which states and fully explains one major theme related to “Through the Eyes of Youth” found in That Was Then, This Is Now. Show how the theme is developed by the events and characters of the novel, and tell what makes it an important lesson for the characters in the novel as well as for people today.
In your introduction, state the theme directly and explain it thoroughly. Also, introduce your novel, and provide some background information. In the body of your essay, explain at least three incidents from the novel which help to develop the theme. In your conclusion, be sure to tell why this theme is an important message for both the characters in the novel and people in the world today.
Criteria for Scoring the Essays
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Content
· Directly answers all parts of the question and maintains focus
o Thesis statement is constantly referenced
· Uses accurate information from the work to explain the points
· Analyzes the information perceptively
· Uses specific information and details to support points
o Minimum of four direct quotes with MLA citations
· Develops each example fully
Voice & Style
· Awareness of audience
· Writes in literary present tense
Organization
· Smooth and logical order of ideas with transitions
· Fully developed introduction and conclusion
· Fully developed body paragraphs, each of which has a topic sentence
o Maximum of 2.5 pages
Conventions
· Uses correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical usage
Name______Period______Date______
Remember
Theme is not the subject of the story; it is what the story means. For example, love is a subject or topic. A theme may be “Love appears when you least expect it.” Writers rarely state the theme directly; the reader must analyze the layers of clues- title, characters, conflicts, symbols- to see what they reveal about the author’s underlying message.
9th Grade Theme Essay
20-18 points / Proficient
17-14 points / Basic
13-12 points / Below Basic
11-0 points
Focus and
Organization / · Establishes a clear and specific thesis statement focused on a single theme
· Incorporates sophisticated and subtle techniques to engage the reader
· Purpose of the writing is clearly evident; focus is maintained throughout
· Examples are presented in a way that is logical and easy to follow. The essay reflects the choice of an appropriate organizational structure
· Format, paragraphing, and transitions are sophisticated and subtle / · Establishes a clear thesis statement focused on a single theme
· Includes title, author, genre in introduction
· Purpose of the writing is evident; focus is largely maintained throughout
· Examples are presented in a way that is easy to follow. The essay reflects the choice of an appropriate organizational structure
· Format, paragraphing, and transitions are present / · Thesis statement lacks a clear focus
· Purpose of the writing is not readily apparent; focus wanders
· Limited organizational structure that may be difficult to follow
· Limited use of paragraphing and transitions / · Lacks a clear thesis
· Purpose of the writing is not apparent and lacks focus
· Lacks logical structure / Points:
/20
Content
(WHAT the writer
says) / Advanced
50-45 points / Proficient
44-35 points / Basic
34-30 points / Below Basic
29-0 points / Points:
/50
· Well-chosen, fully-developed examples (2-3) from the text that illustrate and analyze the importance of the selected theme to the author’s purpose
· Thoroughly explains how the examples are connected to the thesis (theme)
· Enhances examples with well-chosen citations from the text
· Insightfully explains the theme’s importance for characters and people today. / · Appropriate and adequately developed examples (2-3) from the text that illustrate the theme and attempt to analyze its importance
· Adequately explains how the examples are connected to the thesis (theme)
· Includes citations from the text
· Explains the theme’s importance for characters and people today. / · Limited and undeveloped examples from the text that may not clearly illustrate the theme
· Minimal explanation of how examples are connected to the thesis (theme)
· May include citations from the text
· Attempts to explain the theme’s importance for characters and people today. / · Underdeveloped or confused examples that do not illustrate the theme
· Lacks explanation of how examples are connected to the thesis (theme)
· Lacks citations from the text
· Fails to explain theme’s importance for characters and people today.
Voice and Style
(HOW the writer says it) / Advanced
20-18 points / Proficient
17-14 points / Basic
13-12 points / Below Basic
11-0 points / Points:
/20
· Fluent and understandable writing
· Sophisticated and varied sentence structure
· Awareness of audience
· Precise and sophisticated word choice
· Appropriate tone for the purpose of the essay
· Awareness of pronoun usage
· Writes in literary present tense / · Writing is understandable
· Varied sentence structure
· Some awareness of audience
· Appropriate and varied word choice
· Some awareness of pronoun usage
· Writes in literary present tense / · Writing is somewhat difficult to understand
· Repetitive/incorrect sentence structure
· Limited awareness of audience
· Limited word choice
· Limited awareness of pronoun usage
· Limited use of literary present tense / · Writing is difficult to understand
· Flawed sentence structure
· Disregard for audience
· Inappropriate word choice
· Lacks awareness of pronoun usage and literary present tense
Conventions / Advanced
10-9 points / Proficient
8-7 points / Basic
6 points / Below Basic
5-0 points / Points:
/10
· Evident control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
· Paper is virtually error-free
· Properly formatted citations / · Control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, & sentence formation
· Errors in conventions do not significantly impact meaning
· Properly formatted citations / · Limited control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
· Errors in conventions impact meaning / · Little to no control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation
· Errors severely impact meaning
TOTAL /100