Score for Sample Student Response #1: Rubric Score 0

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response is irrelevant to the question.

Score for Sample Student Response #2: Rubric Score 0

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response is irrelevant to the question.

Score for Sample Student Response #3: Rubric Score 1

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the text. The student uses minimal information to explain how the sentence is supported by the article, “it talks about the hibernation is a mystery...about animal adaptation.”

Instructional Annotation: (While the Annotation, Using the Rubric describes the scorer’s explanation for the rubric score, the Instructional Annotation describes how the response might be improved.)
The reader answers that the statement in the question is supported by the text and indicates in which paragraph the support can be found. To improve this response, the reader should offer specific text support that tells why the statement is supported. The ideas that might be addressed are how the special substance in the blood of hibernating animals works, how the animal's body knows when to produce brown fat, or how hibernating animals survive in various ways.

Score for Sample Student Response #4: Rubric Score 1

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the text. The student uses minimal information to explain how the sentence is supported by the article, “some people still don't know how and why they do it. Scientists are still trying to figure it out.”

Score for Sample Student Response #5: Rubric Score 2

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a general understanding of the text. The student separates the quote into two portions. The student suggests that the article does not support the idea that hibernation is a mystery because, “all of my questions had been answered.” The student uses text-relevant information to explain that “hibernation is an amazing animal adoption”, because the blood from a hibernating animal will make an active animal “go into hibernation.”

Instructional Annotation: (While the Annotation, Using the Rubric describes the scorer’s explanation for the rubric score, the Instructional Annotation describes how the response might be improved.)
The reader responds that the information in the article does not support the statement in the question. Next, beginning midway on line two of the response through line five is an unnecessary repeating of the question and a statement that all of the reader's questions have been answered. In the latter third of the response the reader does offer text support. To improve this response, the non-essential lines could be removed and a connection could be made between the production of brown fat and the special substance in a hibernating animal's blood that stimulates the growth of that fat. That connection could point to the reader's assertion that hibernation is not a mystery.

Score for Sample Student Response #6: Rubric Score 2

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a general understanding of the text. The student uses text-relevant information by pointing out “the article supports this idea by them not knowing how animals adapted this effect of winter” (hibernation). The student then explains what the article says about HIT “but (the article) did not explain how they already had this HIT in their bloodstream.”

Score for Sample Student Response #7: Rubric Score 3

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of the text. The student effectively uses text-relevant information by giving a good detailed description of HIT saying it was “mysterious and amazing.” The student extends understanding by explaining, “Another thing that remains mysterious to the behavior of animals is how the woodchuck’s heart rate goes from 80 beats a minute to 4 or 5 a minute in hibernation.”

Instructional Annotation: (While the Annotation, Using the Rubric describes the scorer’s explanation for the rubric score, the Instructional Annotation describes how the response might be improved.)
The reader answers that the statement in the question is supported by the text. Next, the reader introduces HIT and describes the substance in borrowed words from the text: mysterious and amazing. Then the reader explains, again using text support, why the substance can be described as mysterious and amazing. In conclusion, the reader uses another example, a woodchuck's altered heartbeat, to support the mysterious nature of hibernation. To improve this response, the reader might expand upon the "amazing" quality of HIT with the connection between that substance and the production of brown fat. A suggested extension might be that a variety of body functions by individual animal are changed by hibernation, which makes the process unusual in that different animals are affected differently.

Score for Sample Student Response #8: Rubric Score 3

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of the text and effectively uses text-relevant information to support a negative position. The student clearly maintains that there is no mystery because substances found in the animals “answers who what where when why and how.” This is followed by detailed information on hibernation. Finally, the student provides a good explanation of HIT and brown fat.

Score 3

The response demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of the text.

• Addresses the demands of the question
• Effectively uses text-relevant¹ information to clarify or extend understanding

Score 2

The response demonstrates a general understanding of the text.

• Partially addresses the demands of the question
• Uses text-relevant¹ information to show understanding

Score 1

The response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the text.

• Minimally addresses the demands of the question
• Uses minimal information to show some understanding of the text in relation to the question

Score 0

The response is completely incorrect, irrelevant to the question, or missing.²

Note 1:

Text-relevant: This information may or may not be an exact copy (quote) of the text but is clearly related to the text and often shows an analysis and/or interpretation of important ideas. Students may incorporate information to show connections to relevant prior experience as appropriate.

Note 2:

An exact copy (quote) or paraphrase of the question that provides no new relevant information will receive a score of "0".

Rubric Document Date: June 2003