Sentence fluency is deals with
the way the writing sounds when it is read aloud. Is is enjoyable to listen
to? If the sentence fluency is strong, the reader enjoys the sound of the
sentences, the sentences begin in different ways, the sentences vary in length,
and the sentences get to the point - they do not ramble. Good sentence fluency
may be hard to understand, but it is easy to see when sentences are not fluent
because the writing is very choppy and comprised of short sentences that begin
the same way.
What
is the sentence fluency rubric and how do I use it to evaluate my child's
writing?
Use the rubric to evaluate
the sample paper 1. Based on the rubric, decide for yourself what the
score should be.
Then view the score and
rationale for the paper to see if you were correct.
It may be helpful to print
off the rubric to have next to you as you read the story.
Repeat the process for
Sample Paper 2.
Sentence Fluency Rubric
5 – Paper: Varied and Natural
The sentences in my paper are clear and delightful to read aloud.
· Some sentences are long
and stretchy, while some are short and snappy.
· It’s easy to read my paper aloud. I love the sound.
· Sentence beginnings vary; they show how ideas connect.
· You can tell that I have good “sentence sense” because
my paper just flows.
· All excess baggage has been cut. I’ve economized with words.
3 – Paper: Routine and
Functional
Some sentences are choppy or awkward, but most are clear.
· Some of my sentences
are smooth and natural, but others are halting.
· Sentence beginnings are more alike than different.
· I need to add linking words (Therefore…Later…For this
reason…When this happened…) to show how sentences connect.
· Some sentences should merge; others need to be cut in two.
· I have used more words than necessary – I still need to trim
some dead wood.
1 – Paper: Needs Work
Because there isn’t enough “sentence sense” yet, this paper
is difficult to read aloud, even with practice.
· As I read my paper, I
have to go back, stop, and read over, just to figure out the sentences.
· I’m having a hard time telling where one sentence stops and
another begins.
· The sentence patterns in my paper are so repetitive they might put
my reader to sleep!
· I have to do quite a bit of oral editing (leaving some words out,
putting some others in) just to help the listener get the meaning.
When I was one year old we moved to a ranch about seven miles from the highway.
After we arrived and were fairly well settled we found out there were some
cats living on the ranch too. Yellow Mama was one of them. She was a yellow
cat with a white bib.
Yellow Mama was a gentle cat, in the years that followed she
had at least five batches of kittens. She cared for them all, they usually
looked like her, but not always. Sometimes she had six kittens in one batch!
When I was seven years old Yellow Mama was still with us.
During the summer, Kirk, my brother who was nine, and I decided we wanted
to climb a big rock on the hillside near our house. We were almost to the
rock when I saw poor Yellow Mama lying near a brush, dead. I told Kirk to
come see what had happened.
We were both very sad, we had loved her very much. We decided
not to climb the rock, I was crying. When we were running back to the house,
mom heard me crying and came out to see if I was hurt. We told her what
had happened and then went into the house.
When dad came home we told him. The next day he buried Yellow
Mama. Said it looked like a snake or something had bitten her neck.
I will never forget Yellow Mama. I am eleven years old and
still think about how nice and kind she was, she had been a good cat.
