TOOL // Free Verse Poetry Rubric
What is it used for?
This rubric allows teachers to assess students’ independent free verse poems.
How do you use it?
After a teaching/learning unit on free verse where students have had the opportunity to
deconstruct free verse poems, identify the key features and write practice pieces the students
are asked to write their own poem. The rubric is provided ahead of time to guide their
performance. The teacher then uses the rubric to assess the final product.
www.etfoassessment.ca
Poem Rubric
Name_____________________________________
WOW
Ideas
and
Content
Free-Verse
Conventions
•
•
•
•
Languageand
Word
Choice
•
•
•
•
Punctuation
and
Spelling
•
•
richdetail,creativeandoriginal
Linebreaksenhancethesound,
meaning,andrhythmofthe
poem
Linesalmostalwaysendwith
strongwords(i.e.nounsor
verbs.)
Stanzabreaksarealways
effective,deliberate,andhelpful
tothereader.
Thelanguageisexceptionally
sensory.Thereadercanfeel,
taste,see,orhearthepoem
throughout.
Thelanguageis“cuttothe
bone,”leavingonlythe
necessaryorpowerful.
RIGHT ON
GETTING THERE
• Gooddetail,generallycreative
• Somebasicdetail,attemptstobe
creative
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eachwordiscarefullychosento
enhancethepoem.
Anumberofpoeticdevicesare
•
incorporatedeffectivelyto
enhancemeaning.(alliteration,
personification,metaphor,simile,
assonance,etc.)
Punctuationenhances
•
conveyanceofthoughtsand
images.
Rarelyanyspellingerrors
•
Linebreakssupportthesound,
meaning,andrhythmofthepoem.
Linesusuallyendwithstrong
words.
Stanzabreaksareusually
effective,deliberate,andhelpful
tothereader.
•
•
•
Thelanguageisoftensensory.
Thereadercanoftenfeel,taste,
see,orhearthepoem.
Thelanguageisgenerally“cutto
thebone,”mostlyleavingonlythe •
necessaryorpowerful.
Forthemostpart,wordsare
carefullychosentoenhancethe
poem.
Poeticdevicesareincorporated
toenhancemeaning
Punctuationismeaningful
throughout.
Fewminorspellingerrors
•
•
•
•
JUST BEGINNING
•
Linebreaksappeararbitraryand •
donotsupportthesound,
meaning,andrhythmofpoem.
Linessometimesendwith
strongwords.
•
Stanzabreaksaresometimes
effective,deliberate,andhelpful tothereader
•
Thelanguageissometimes
sensory.Thereadercan
sometimesfeel,taste,see,or
hearthepoem.
Thelanguageissomewhat“cut
tothebone.”Some
unnecessaryorineffective
wordsorphrasesareincluded.
Someattempthasbeenmade
tochoosesomewordsforeffect
maynotbeappropriate
Oneortwoverybasicpoetic
devicesareused
Somemeaningfulpunctuation.
Severalminorspellingerrors
www.etfoassessment.ca
•
•
•
•
•
•
Limiteddetail,littlecreativity
ororiginality
Linebreaksdisruptordonot
helpthesound,meaning,and
rhythmofthepoem.
Linesrarelyendwithstrong
words.
Stanzabreaksarerandom
Sensorylanguageislimited.
Thereaderhaddifficulty
feeling,tasting,seeing,or
hearingthepoem.
Manyunclear,unnecessaryor
ineffectivewordsorphrases
areincluded
Littleattempthasbeenmade
tochoosewordsforeffector
inappropriatewordchoices
Poeticlanguageisforcedor
inappropriatetomoodof
poem
Arbitrarypunctuation.
Severalmajorspellingerrors