Bubble gum rubric scoring

This lesson is intended to help children more clearly understand rubrics and how the State of North Carolina grades the writing test.

A lesson plan for grade 4 English Language Arts

By Becky Donatelli

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Related topics

• Learn more about language arts, rubrics, and writing.

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Learning outcomes

Students will more clearly understand rubrics and how the State of North Carolina grades the writing test. Students will become familiar with the characteristics of a 1, 2, 3, and 4 narrative and be able to score sample narratives using a rubric.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

60 Minutes

Materials/resources

• one piece of bubble gum per student from a choice of five or more flavors or brands
• Bubble Gum Scoring Rubric
• Simplified Scoring Scale
• papers with various scores:
• Score of 1
• Score of 2
• Score of 4
• Score of 5
• Score of 2.5
• transparencies of the attachments and several blank transparencies

Technology resources

overhead projector

Pre-activities

Students should have a basic understanding of a narrative. Students should already have discussed and practiced writing narratives with the elements required to receive a passing score.

Activities

1. Have each student choose a piece of bubble gum from an assortment of flavors and brands.
2. As students are chewing, ask them what makes a piece of gum great. List their responses on the overhead as they are given. Examples: sticks together, size, flavorful, expandable (can blow bubbles), pretty color, long-lasting, entertaining (gives you something to do), desirable/popular brand, can share with a friend, good price, soft, neat package, refreshing,etc.
3. Introduce the Bubble Gum Scoring Rubric and have each child score their gum. Let them share their results. Students will realize there may be disagreement among scores given for the same brand of gum.
4. Explain what happens when papers are graded. There are two scorers and when there is a discrepancy, an average is found. This is how a paper might end up with a score of ”3.5.”
5. Ask students how a piece of gum is like a piece of writing. Sample Answers:
   • Just like a piece of gum, the paper must be juicy. It should hook the reader and make them want more!
   • Expandable — the writing must have a good plan so it can be expanded into a great story.
   • Writing should be long lasting like a piece of gum. It should contain details that the reader could remember long after the piece is completed.
   • A piece of gum can keep you occupied and give you something to do. A piece of writing should also be entertaining.
   • Good price — sometimes we discover it is often worth a little more money for a good pack of gum just as it is worth the hard work to produce a paper that is sequenced and well-developed.
6. Share the Simplified Scoring Scale, a list of elements the state looks for when scoring papers. See also the “Teaching the Features of Effective Writing” for descriptions of each scoring feature.
7. Show a transparency of a paper that received a Score of 1 by the state. Discuss why this paper only received a 1. Have students suggest ways to improve this paper.
8. Repeat this process for papers that received a Score of 2, Score of 4, and a Score of 5.

Assessment

Give a sample of a Score of 2.5 paper and have each student score this paper. Have students share their scores and explain why they gave this particular score.

Supplemental information

Comments

My students enjoyed chewing their bubble gum as they learned to score narrative writing with a rubric. The original idea of this lesson came from a workshop on the writing process for Buncombe County teachers.