Teaching In The Margins:
Commenting On Student Writing

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Setting up an assignment and rubric:

1. Think about possible audiences for the assigned paper. And then show students what you mean by that audience because students won't know what a good paper looks like.
2. Think about what would help students succeed with the task and give some suggestions for specific writing strategies-for example, a backwards outline to check transitions between chunks of the text.
3. Students appreciate as much clarity as possible in the assignment itself.
4. Use both the assignment and rubric to set up your hierarchy of concerns.
5. Also use both the assignment and rubric to state your criteria for the assignment clearly.
6. If you assign a sequence of assignments during the semester, note when your criteria get more complex or when you set higher standards.
7. Be sure to provide definitions of key criteria either on the assignment sheet or rubric (or on both).
8. Provide samples, if possible, on a class web page.