Diary Writing Assessment Rubric

Writing to Entertain — Diary Writing

Name:

Date:

Teacher:

📋 How to Use This Rubric

Read each criterion carefully. Highlight or circle the description that best matches your writing. Use this rubric to set goals and improve your diary entry.

⭐ Criterion 1: Words and Phrases

Using words and phrases to express actions, feelings, situations, or conditions

Emerging: I use some words to show what happened or how I felt (e.g., "I was happy," "we ran").

Developing: I choose specific words and phrases to clearly show actions, feelings, and situations (e.g., "My heart raced with excitement," "we sprinted across the field").

⭐ Criterion 2: Sentence Structure and Variety

Using a range of sentence types and structures

Emerging: Most of my sentences follow a similar pattern (e.g., "I did this. Then I did that.").

Developing: I vary my sentence types — using short sentences for effect and longer sentences to build detail and flow.

⭐ Criterion 3: Expanding Sentences with Adverbial Phrases

Adding detail about when, where, how, or why

Emerging: I sometimes add extra detail to my sentences (e.g., "I went to the beach").

Developing: I regularly expand sentences with adverbial phrases to add detail and interest (e.g., "Just before lunch, I raced down to the beach with my cousins").

⭐ Criterion 4: Revising for Clarity and Focus

Reviewing and improving draft writing

Emerging: I have made some changes to my writing, but some parts are unclear or go off topic.

Developing: I have revised my writing to remove off-topic ideas and improve clarity so the reader can follow my diary entry easily.

⭐ Criterion 5: Diary Entry Structure

Including a lead up, event, and aftermath

Emerging: My diary entry has a beginning and describes an event, but the lead up or aftermath may be missing or brief.

Developing: My diary entry is clearly structured with a lead up (setting the scene), a main event (what happened), and an aftermath (my reaction or reflection).