News Writing Rubric

Maddie Swab

*Multiply weight of category by weight of grade.

Good
Poor Fair
5 pts Did all of what is required
1 pts Did not do what is required. 3 pts Did most of what is required.
and went beyond what is expected.
Summary Leads Poor Fair Good
5 pts Must address the Who, What,
Where, Why, and How of a story. Does not address the Who, What, Addresses most of the Who, What, Addresses all of the Who, What,
Must not begin with dates. Must Where, Why, and How of the Where, Why, and How of the Where, Why, and How of the
mention the year if it is not 2010. story. Begins with a date. Does not story. Begins with a, an, or the. story. Does not begin with a date.
Must not begin with the, a, or an mention the year. Begins with the, Does not begin with a date. Mentions a date. Does not begin
unless needed. Must be one a, or an. Is more than one sentence. Includes the year. Is more than one with the, a, or an. Is only one
sentence. sentence. sentence.
Attribution and Quotes Poor Fair Good
5 pts Must be their own paragraph.
Must not have two quotes in a row. Is not in its own paragraph. Quotes Is in its own paragraph. Quotes are Is its own paragraph. No two
Do not include made up quotes. are two in a row. Includes made up not two in a row. Contains mostly quotes are in a row. Does not
Always use said. Have punctuation quotes. Doesn't always use said. quotes that are not made up. include made up quotes. Always
marks inside quotation marks. Punctuation marks are outside of Mostly uses said. Punctuation is uses said. Punctuation marks are
Attributions must be at end of quotation marks. Attributions are not inside quotation marks. inside of quotation marks.
quote. not at the end of the quote. Attributions are not at the end of Attributions are at the end of quote.
quote.
Journalism Style Poor Fair Good
10 pts Must use inverted pyramid
style. Must be written in semi Inverted pyramid style is not Inverted pyramid style is Inverted pyramid style is clearly
formal style with no contractions present. Is not written in semi somewhat present. Written mostly present. Is written in semi formal
and no first person. The word formal style. Contains in semi formal style. Uses style with no contractions or first
percent and the numbers one contractions/first person. The word contractions and first person person. All words that need to be
through nine must be spelled out. percent/numbers one through nine sometimes. The word percent and spelled out are. Does not include
Must not include opinion, unless are not spelled out. Opinion is the numbers one through nine are opinion (unless review).
article is a review. included (except in review). mostly spelled out. Includes
opinion (unless review).