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Writing self-assessment checklist.

creative writing self assessment checklist

Developed after a training session with Geoff Petty, I use this self-assessment checklist for mixed level groups. 

Although colour-coded to various levels, the idea is that any learner, regardless of level, can use the checklist to assess their own writing, and map their strengths and weaknesses.  It also helps  teachers to see how effectively learners are able to self-evaluate.   I have found it to be a really good tool to foster independent learning.

Editor's note

Wonderful for ESOL and Functional English :) Remember that if you are a skillsworkshop contributor or donor you can request an editable Word version of this resource and customise it further.

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Creative Writing Example Rubric

Rubric is a modification of one presented by: University Community Links (n.d.). Hot writing rubric. Retrieved August 19, 2008 from http://www.uclinks.org/reference/evaluation/HOT.html

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  • Begins with an engaging opening sentence and opening paragraph
  • Concludes with an impactful ending that makes the audience appreciative of the writing 
  • The ending is plausible and fits in with the rest of the story
  • Uses strong, descriptive language throughout the entire piece
  • Contains a variety of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns to add to descriptive language 
  • Sentence structure is varied and helps create different moods
  • Follows a logical order and a logical sequence of events
  • Provides cues and transitions to the reader when there are changes in the timeframe
  • Includes enough detail that the audience knows the looks, thoughts, and personalities of the characters
  • Utilizes dialogue when necessary to add more depth to the characters 
  • Feelings of characters are evident in the writing 
  • The story is well-paced and developed
  • Contains a clear, consistent point of view throughout the entire piece
  • Does not contain too many details or descriptions that make the writing less effective
  • Contains enough detail for the audience to understand the story, the plot, the setting, and the characters
  • Utilizes literary devices that enhance the writing
  • Suspense and tension are built and carried throughout the piece
  • The setting is described in enough detail for the audience to know what the setting is like
  • Mentions the five senses to add to the descriptions 
  • Uses the same verb tense consistently through the writing 
  • Free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors
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Student Self-Assessment: Introducing the Writing Checklist

Ever since I first received my copy of the middle school Units of Study in Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing , this book has been in my book bag and on my desk, read and re-read, marked up and festooned with post it notes for quick reference :

photo (24)

Why? Because once our writing year begins to unfold and become “real” with our first foray into personal narratives, a good part of my writing teacher brain becomes consumed with how to move my kids up the ladder of their writing lives.   I still want to inspire them with beautifully written  mentor texts and strategically planned mini lessons, but I also  want to make sure that I am as intentional and systematic about all we do in this phase of writing workshop so that my students become better writers, who can (in the words of the U of S) “share ownership of their progress”.   So, much as I appreciated the  learning progressions, rubrics and writing exemplars included in this book, the part that I was most excited about was…the student checklist!

Here’s how the checklists are described in the Units of Study:

… checklists can be used for more than simply keeping track of whether a task has been done or not; they can also be used to monitor progress toward a bigger goal.  By using checklists, students in a writing workshop can review their work systematically, checking to make sure they have met certain goals in each piece of their writing. And, if they fall short of meeting their goals, a good checklist can guide them in the right direction toward meeting that goal in their next revision – and in their future writing.

I loved the idea of involving my students in the process of evaluating their own work.  We have writing rubrics, of course, but these were (quite frankly) quite daunting for my students: all the many columns and skill sets inherent in building a meaningful rubric made for a complicated looking evaluation tool for students to use.  I would hand these out, and my kids’ eyes would glaze over – too much “stuff” to focus on, take in, and figure out.  The checklists, however, are a distilled and simplified version of those rubrics.  They are kid friendly, short, and key in on critical elements of writing.  They are eminently do able , which means that they will be used. Score! Here’s what the checklist process looked like in my sixth grade classroom.  

  • I adapted the Personal Narrative checklist in the Units of Study and made it more user friendly with graphics ( I believe that these exist in the CD that goes along with the series, but I wanted to personalize our checklist and create my own):

Screen shot 2014-10-07 at 10.30.23 PM

  • We “unpacked” the checklist, marking it up and analyzing the skills it targeted, and the components it encompassed.  This is, I think, the key to using it successfully with students.  We spent a lot of time discussing the relevance of each component and talking through what this would look like and sound like :

photo 5 (6)

  • Then we worked in pairs to examine a personal narrative from some years ago, and used the checklist to see where this writer placed.  I loved listening to my kids as they discussed this and that element,  and tried to figure out what this writing piece had achieved and still needed.  Here, again, it was important to listen in and direct/redirect conversation so that the focus was always the writing and what to look for:

photo 3 (12)

2. A whole class discussion fleshed out misconceptions and allowed for further clarification.

3.Finally, my kids turned to their own writing pieces, their first revision personal narratives, and wrestled with the hard part: evaluating their own writing in a clear-eyed, checklist driven manner.  This was our first run through, and I know it will take consistent guided practice for my students to learn how to use the checklist to annotate their writing for revision :

photo 4 (9)

It was interesting to see this process play out in my classroom.  All the work we had done to understand the elements of the checklists gave my students a sense of agency in their self evaluation.  Because we were still in the revision process, my students felt motivated to be honest about where they were in their writing, and what parts they could work towards improving.  Best of all, they had concrete goals to strive towards: clearer transitions,  or endings that connect better to the “so what?” of the narrative, for instance.  We have just begun to use writing checklists in Room 202, and we know that much work remains to be done.  But, I am so glad that we have taken this first step.

As one of my kids said as she was tucking away her checklist, “Now I know how to have a writing conference by myself.”

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creative writing self assessment checklist

Published by Tara Smith

I teach Writing Workshop, Language Arts and Social Studies to sixth graders at a middle school in suburban New Jersey. This blog is my attempt to capture all the "stuff" that goes into my teaching life - the planning, the dreaming, the reading, the preparing, the hoping and (above all) the kids. Please note that the content of this blog is my own. It does not reflect the opinions of my employer. View all posts by Tara Smith

17 thoughts on “ Student Self-Assessment: Introducing the Writing Checklist ”

Thanks for this post. I had just finished reviewing Grant Wiggins’s Essential Questions — and this post on checklists really helped me finish my unit. It’s not perfect, but I’m getting there. Thank you for the inspiration. http://whatelse.edublogs.org/2014/10/12/digilit-sunday-essentials-ce14-ccss/

Reblogged this on Mrs. Jennifer Cimini, M.Ed. .

I love the friendliness of your checklists. So inviting. Thank you.

Thank you for this post Tara! (You know why!) I love the checklists with the visual support — it makes it so friendly and engaging. I’ve found that kids LOVE a checklist, big time. And I love the kid who says she now knows how to have a writing conference with herself. I am definitely using that in my next checklist-y minilesson!

Nice! Thanks for sharing.

Do you have these checklists available to buy from TpT or anything?

Unfortunately, I do not. You are welcome to the ones in the post, however, although you may want to tailor them to your grade level and your students’ specific needs.

The check list is so small I cannot read it when I click on the pic. Do you have a larger version by any chance??

Tara, this is really, really smart work. I love the pacing and the practice involved! I’m going to forward this right now to my teachers!

Great timing. My teaching partner and I were just debating whether to use rubrics or checklists. This is the first blog in which I’ve seen writing teachers addressing the difference. The samples and pic of the student mark-ups that show how the student made sense of the items is super helpful. Thanks!!!

Perfect timing! I was just working with 2 teachers in the area of Using Assessment in Instruction (3D in Danielson). What a treat!

Good timing for me as I’m working with a teacher (new) who is telling students to do their own revision, but has not really taught the ‘how’ of it. I will share this & know it will be helpful to him. Thanks, Tara.

I love how you led students through the process of really unpacking the checklists. One really important takeaway for me was that doing this allowed you to clear up misconceptions. This is so important! Just because something is in writing and we think it’s clear doesn’t mean all students will understand it in the same way. One note, Heinemann now released a stand-alone version of Writing Pathways. So you can get these tools even if you don’t have the whole Units of Study kit.

I second the first comment!

Tara, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the graphics for the checklist. I was trying to put in an “example” from writing but I think the graphic makes so much more sense! Perfect timing!!

And yes, It is about the students being able to use the checklists to self-assess as they grow as writers (not what the teacher does to their writing). I appreciated your “story” of how you introduced this for your students! ❤

Your student-friendly and guided rubrics are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your process, too. The best line of all is that NOW, students can have their OWN writing conferences with themselves! As Graves, Jacobbi, Calkins, Danielson (and all the rest of the wise voices in wriitng and assessment would say)THAT is a SIGN of HIGHLY effective teacher in a student centered classroom!

Perfect timing! This is exactly what is in the plans for our day today! I love how you added graphics!

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Self Assessment Checklist: The Writing Process: English, Spanish, & Bilingual

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Description.

Empower young writers with this comprehensive checklist designed to guide them through the writing process and encourage self-assessment. Whether embarking on a creative story, informative essay, or persuasive piece, this checklist serves as a valuable tool to ensure clarity, coherence, and engagement in their writing.

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2. Student Self Assessment Checklist

3. Spanish Student Self Assessment Checklist

4. Bilingual English and Spanish Student Self Assessment Checklist

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Writing self assessment checklist

Writing self assessment checklist

Subject: English

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Teachers Take Notes Too

Last updated

13 May 2021

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pdf, 153.53 KB

help your learners to mark their own work, saving you time and teaching them to reread their work and produce a better piece.

This checklist is aimed at writing expectations in KS1.

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  1. Answer Writing Techniques

COMMENTS

  1. Editing Checklist for Self- and Peer Editing

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  2. Self/Peer assessment grids for Creative Writing

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  3. Writing Assessment

    Create a printable checklist › (opens in a new window) Student self-assessment of writing. Many teachers ask students to read over what they've written before it's considered finished. It's often helpful to provide students with a basic checklist to use as they review their work. This student checklist is based on the 6-Trait writing.

  4. PDF Editing Checklist for Self- and Peer Editing

    Editing Checklist for Self- and Peer Editing Directions: Edit your written work using the Self-Edit columns, fixing any errors you notice. Then, have a peer complete the Peer Edit columns while you observe.

  5. PDF FROM This Little Home of Mine How TO Use

    Reusable editing checklist FROM This Little Home of Mine How TO Use: Step one: Print On cardstock. Step two: laminate. Step three: Instruct the student(s) to use a dry erase marker to fill in each circle as they edit their writing. Erase and re-use! This checklist can be used time and time again!

  6. Simple Ways to Assess the Writing Skills of Students with Learning

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  7. Writing Self-Assessment Checklist

    Writing Self-Assessment Checklist Submitted by Megan Thoresson on 26 July 2020. Developed after a training session with Geoff Petty, I use this self-assessment checklist for mixed level groups.

  8. Creative Writing Self Assessment Teaching Resources

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  9. Creative Writing Example Rubric

    Creative Writing Example Rubric. Students will write well organized, cohesive papers. Work functions well as a whole. Piece has a clear flow and a sense of purpose. Response has either a strong lead, developed body, or satisfying conclusion, but not all three. Uneven. Awkward or missing transitions. Weakly unified.

  10. Checklist For Creative Writing

    Checklist For Creative Writing. Begins with an engaging opening sentence and opening paragraph; Concludes with an impactful ending that makes the audience appreciative of the writing ; The ending is plausible and fits in with the rest of the story; Uses strong, descriptive language throughout the entire piece;

  11. Student Self-Assessment: Introducing the Writing Checklist

    Here, again, it was important to listen in and direct/redirect conversation so that the focus was always the writing and what to look for: 2. A whole class discussion fleshed out misconceptions and allowed for further clarification. 3.Finally, my kids turned to their own writing pieces, their first revision personal narratives, and wrestled ...

  12. Results for creative writing checklist

    This editor's checklists helps student self edit or peer edit their creative writing stories. The writing prompt, length of assignment, etc. is totally up to YOU, but this resource provides a guide for writers to make their writing meaningful and worthwhile!PAIRS PERFECTLY WITH THIS RESOURCE: Creative Narrative Step-by-Step Guide***I like to laminate these and have students use dry-erase ...

  13. Story Setting Creative Writing Checklist

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  16. Self Assessment Checklist: The Writing Process: English, Spanish ...

    Description. Empower young writers with this comprehensive checklist designed to guide them through the writing process and encourage self-assessment. Whether embarking on a creative story, informative essay, or persuasive piece, this checklist serves as a valuable tool to ensure clarity, coherence, and engagement in their writing. Includes: 1.

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  20. Marvellous creative writing

    Resource type. Worksheet. Assessment. A useful checklist for children to check they have included everything in their creative writing piece. These include complex sentences, speech marks, higher-order vocabulary, conjunctions. Great for self or peer-assessment. 50.31 KB. Free download. 76.15 KB.

  21. Narrative Writing Self Assessment Sheet (teacher made)

    Allow your 3rd/4th and 5th/6th Class students to self assess their own piece of narrative writing. Objectives for the genre are listed on the assessment tracker and the child simply ticks the relevant box - reflecting how well they have achieved each objective. Twinkl Twinkl Ireland Resources English Medium Schools 3rd/4th Class English Assessment.

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  23. Writing self assessment checklist

    Writing self assessment checklist. Subject: English. Age range: 5-7. Resource type: Assessment and revision. ... This checklist is aimed at writing expectations in KS1. Creative Commons "Sharealike" Reviews Something went wrong, please try again later. ...