Score for Sample Student Response #1: Rubric Score 0

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response is irrelevant to the question. The student asks an additional question about the chameleon rather than suggesting a new title.

Score for Sample Student Response #2: Rubric Score 0

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response is completely incorrect.

Score for Sample Student Response #3: Rubric Score 1

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the text. The student suggests a relevant title for the article, “How chameleons chach [search] there food.”

Score for Sample Student Response #4: Rubric Score 1

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the text. The student proposes a title, “How do Chameleons Catch so Fast,” and uses minimal information to explain this title, “…extremely strong ‘super muscle’ in its tongue. Also the sticky goo on its tongue….”

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 offers the title “Ho do Chameleons Catch so Fast” and then cites “the extremely strong supermuscle” and “the sticky goo on its tongue” as support for the suggested title. The title comes from information in paragraph 3 of the article while the supermuscle and the sticky goo come from following paragraphs. The reference to the supermuscle does support the title, but the sticky goo is not about speed; it is about holding prey. To improve this response, the reader should focus on the supermuscle and how it works causing a quick contraction of the tongue to the chameleon’s mouth, which supports the title “Ho do Chameleons Catch so Fast” to provide insight into an important idea within the article, the speed of the chameleon’s tongue.

Score for Sample Student Response #5: Rubric Score 2

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a general understanding of the text. The student proposes a title, “Chameleons and Their Ways of Survival,” and uses text-relevant information to explain “Survival” in this title, “…the main idea…how chameleons caught their food…they changed colors to blend with the environment.”

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 offers the title “Chamelions and Their Ways of Survival” and states that this title works well because “the main idea of this article was how chamelions caught their food. The reader concludes that chameleons can also change color to camouflage themselves within an environment. The reader does answer the question and does provide text support for his/her choice. To improve this response, the reader should draw the connection that obtaining food and blending in with the environment are two ways that living things can survive, which clarifies the suggested title.

Score for Sample Student Response #6: Rubric Score 2

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates a general understanding of the text. The student suggests a title, “Attack of the Goo,” and uses text-relevant information to explain this title, “’the lizards tongue shoots out, catches the prey, and snaps back into the mouth’ so I basically thought it as an attack.”

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 suggest a title, “An extraordinary tongue for an extraordinary creature.” The student effectively uses text-relevant information to explain “extraordinary” in the title, “…tongue is one and one half times as long…extremely fast.” The student extends understanding by further explaining, “…can change colors…to escape an enemy…eyes can look in two separate directions for when they hunt.”

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 offers the title “An extraordinary tongue for an extraordinary creature” and then provides text support for the title. The chameleon’s tongue is one and one half times the length of its body; the chameleon can change colors to fit in with its environment; and the chameleon’s eyes can focus in two directions. The reader shows through text support that he/she understands what it means to be extraordinary. To improve this response, the reader could eliminate a portion of the first sentence and entirely eliminate the last sentence in the response. Their presence does not add to the effectiveness of the answer. Next, to further clarify the reader might offer a meaning for the word extraordinary such as something that is unusual or beyond the expected.

Score for Sample Student Response #8: Rubric Score 3

Annotation, Using the Rubric: This response demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of the text. The student suggests a title, “The Chameleons Tongue-Now You See it, Now You Don’t,” and effectively uses text-relevant information to explain how this title helps a reader understand an important idea, “…emphasize the speed of the chameleons tongues.” The student extends understanding by comparing the meaning of the new title to the meaning of the original title, “…just like the stickiness…the speed of it is also an important factor.”

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