5th Grade Writing Rubric

Free Downloadable Writing Rubric for Fifth Grade

Guide your students to improve their writing with our fifth grade writing rubric.

Print the 5th Grade Writing Rubric

Print the 5th Grade Writing Rubric

Note: The fifth grade rubric is similar to the fourth grade writing rubric but adds evidence and source as writing criteria.

The Writing Criteria on the Fifth Grade Rubric

Paragraphs
Above Expectation: Writes cohesive paragraphs with topic sentences and introduction and conclusion
Meets Expectation: Writes paragraphs with some cohesion
Below Expectation: No topic discerned in each paragraph.
Fails Criteria: No central idea or theme

Organization
Above Expectation: Paragraphs have logical order and progress from one point to the next.
Meets Expectation: A single theme is present in each paragraph.
Ideas are on the same subject but disorganized.
Below Expectation: No organization of ideas


Punctuation
Above Expectation: Uses beginning and end punctuation as well as contractions and proper nouns correctly
Meets Expectation: Makes a few errors in punctuation
Below Expectation: Many sentences have punctuation errors. Same mistakes made frequently.
Fails Expectation: Half or more of sentences are incorrectly punctuated.

Spelling
Above Expecation: No spelling errors
Meets Expectation: Few difficult words misspelled
Below Expectation: Several spelling errors in each paragraph
Fails Expectation: Many misspelled words

Legibility
Above Expectation: Neat and legible
Meets Expectation: Some stray marks and cross overs
Below Expectation: Difficult to read
Fails Criteria: Illegible

Word Choices
Above Expectation: Uses interesting words and phrases in every paragraph
Meets Expectation: Contains some descriptive words
Below Expectation: Usually uses general words with few descriptive phrases or details
Fails Criteria: Simple words are used with minimal vocabulary.

Sentence Structure
Above Expectation: Uses a variety of simple, complex, and compound sentences
Meets Expectation: Uses a few complex or compound sentence
Below Expectation: Repeats the same type of sentence or type of subject frequently
Fails Criteria: Uses only simple sentences

Voice
Above Expectation: Gets the reader's attention and holds it
Meets Expectation: Shows some personal interest in the topic
Below Expectation: Writing is mechanical without interest for writer or reader.


Evidence & Source
Above Expectation: Supports statements with evidence and provides source
Meets Expectation: Provides evidence for points but does not give source
Below Expectation: Refers to evidence or to outside source indirectly.

From Sentences to Essays and More

3rd to 8th Grade

Write On: The Kid-Friendly Way to Write

Stretch your fifth grade student's writing with Write On, a cook-book of writing ideas.

Every fifth lesson teaches a structured lesson that leads students from writing sentences to paragraphs to essays and finally to a thesis.

In between the structured lessons, creative writing activities stretch their writing and their imagination. The "I Can Do That!" format overcomes writers block as fun ideas are jotted down to share.