Grading Criteria

One thing I think students often forget is what the real purpose of a project is. They get caught up with the requirements, like the things they can count-3 pages, 10 examples, etc. But they lose track of what teachers really want, a demonstration that they learned what was taught. The part they should spend the most work and time on is the part that really proves the student understood the concepts. Rubrics I think sometimes actually add to the confusion. Don’t get me wrong, it is very helpful to have a list of what needs to be completed, but if they are only concerned with collecting the parts and not connecting them, well then the project is pretty meaningless. Anyway, I think it is worth talking about with a class. Tell students that the rubric is just that a checklist, but the real test (so to speak) is have you proved to me you know what you are talking about. Hopefully by mentioning this throughout all projects it will eventually stick. Anyway, here is the grading criteria we felt were important for our project.

1. Subject Knowledge

(Show what you know about the 60’s)

2. Technical Requirements

(15 images, 2 songs, 2 video clips, 2 written texts)

3. Organization

(Does the project flow?)

4. Creativity/Design

(Have you thought about the way it looks to a viewer?)

(Is it easy to follow your train of thought?)

5. Depth & Breadth of Project Content

(Show that you learned the enduring understandings of the unit)

6. Oral Presentation Skills