Scoring Rubric

Accuracy: Students should be assigned an accuracy score for each recitation. Please refer to
our Accuracy Score Sheet.

VERY WEAK WEAK AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENT OUTSTANDING

Stiff or agitated; Timid; unsure; Body language Comfortable; Poised; body Authoritative;
lacks eye contact eye contact and eye contact steady eye language and body language
PHYSICAL with audience; and body are at times contact and eye contact and eye contact
PRESENCE appears language reflect unsure, at times confident body reveal strong show compelling
uncomfortable nervousness confident language stage presence stage presence

Inaudible; slow; Audible, but Clear; adequate Clear; Very clear; Very clear;
distracting quiet; too loud; intonation; even appropriate crisp; effective crisp; mastery
VOICE rhythm; monotone; pacing intonation and use of volume, of rhythm and
AND singsong; unevenly paced; pacing intonation, pace; skilful use
ARTICULATION hurried; mispro- affected tone rhythm, and of volume and
nunciations pacing intonation

Obscures mean- Doesn’t suffi- Satisfactorily Conveys mean- Interprets poem Masterfully
ing of poem ciently commu- communicates ing of poem very well for interprets poem
EVIDENCE OF
nicate meaning meaning of well audience; for audience,
UNDER- of poem poem nuanced deftly revealing
STANDING poem’s meaning

Poem is Poem is sec- Poem is neither Poem is Style of delivery Style of delivery
overshadowed ondary to style overwhelmed enhanced by reflects reflects
by significant of delivery; in- nor enhanced by style of delivery; precedence of internalization
distracting cludes instances style of delivery any gestures, poem; poem’s of poem;
gestures, facial of distracting facial voice is well gestures and
expressions, gestures, facial expressions, and conveyed movements are
INTERPRETATION inflections, expressions, movements are used masterfully
or accents; and vocal appropriate to in service of the
acting out of inflections; poem poem
poem; singing; inappropriate
over-emoting; tone
inappropriate
tone

Ineffective or Inadequate Sufficient Enjoyable Inspired Captivating

inappropriate recitation; does recitation; lacks recitation; performance performance
recitation; does disservice to meaningful successfully shows grasp of that is more
OVERALL disservice to poem impact on delivers poem recitation skills than the sum of
PERFORMANCE poem audience and enhances its parts; shows
audience’s mastery of
experience of recitation skills
the poem