Grading Rubric
Getting Started (1)
Highlight one jazz artist
Background information on
jazz artist
Explanation of one or both
of the following:
• The jazz artist’s
contribution to the
civil rights movement
• The civil rights
movement’s impact
on the jazz artist’s
music
Framing of jazz as a form of
resistance
Creativity / aesthetics
Written mechanics,
structure, and punctuation
(where applicable)
Making Progress (2)
No mention of the jazz artist
of choice
Does not include
background information;
includes too little
background information,
making it impossible for the
reader to understand the
context surrounding the
artist’s music
Does not answer one or
both of the questions. Does
not include any examples.
Little to no mention of jazz
as a form of resistance in the
civil rights movement
Student did not express
their creativity and their
work reflects little to no
attention to detail
Content is organized in a
confusing way. Multiple
spelling and punctuation
errors.
Ready for Action (3)
n/a
Includes some background
information, but some
details are missing, making
it difficult to understand the
context surrounding the
artist’s music
Somewhat answers one or
both of the questions by
including one example.
Some mention of jazz as a
form of resistance in the civil
rights movement, but
lacking in detail
Students expressed their
creativity, but their work
seems rushed, with only
some attention to detail
Content is somewhat
organized. Some parts are
confusing. Some spelling
and punctuation errors.
Names the jazz artist of
choice
Includes detailed
background information so
the reader has plenty of
context to the artist’s music
Fully answers one or both of
the questions by including
two examples (i.e. name a
song and its impact on the
movement, name an event
from the movement and
detail its impact on the jazz
artist).
Strong emphasis on jazz as a
form of resistance in the civil
rights movement; supported
by multiple details
Student expressed their
creativity and turned in their
best work, paying close
attention to detail
Content is clearly organized.
No or few spelling and
punctuation errors.