SAMPLE ANALYTIC RUBRIC Focus (20 Points) Does the essay have a clearly stated, argumentative thesis?

Does the essay maintain that focus throughout? Are its main points of argument clearly articulated? Development (30 Points) Does the essay develop its claims and ideas logically and thoroughly? Does the essay support its ideas with sound evidence and examples? Does the essay address counterarguments? Organization (25 Points) Does the essay employ a strong overall structure? Are the paragraphs structured carefully and logically, with clear transitions and topic sentences? Are the paragraphs unified and coherent? Grammar and Mechanics (15 Points) Is the essay free of grammatical and mechanical errors? Do sentence-level errors impede reading of the essay? Audience Awareness, Tone and Style (10 Points) Does the essay employ a style and voice appropriate to the audience, purpose, genre, and claims? Are sentences clear and effective? A persuasive essay is an essay used to convince a reader about a particular idea or focus, usually one that you believe in. Your persuasive essay could be based on anything about which you have an opinion. Whether you're arguing against the death penalty for school or petitioning for a raise from your boss, the persuasive essay is a skill that everyone should know. Help Graduates Avoid Financial Ruin Every year, thousands of new high school graduates pack their bags, move to new cities, and sign papers accepting loans they might not be able to pay back. Within weeks, many of these same students are writing home to their families, struggling to understand where their money went. Without a guide, these young people fail to understand how to properly budget or establish a financial plan. The best way to help graduates avoid these risks is to require that every high school student take a personal finance class before graduation. The students who go to college right after high school would benefit immensely from taking a finance course. These students often take out loans to cover the costs of their education. On average, a student graduating from college today carries over $20,000 in debt, often spread over multiple lenders. Upon graduation, students rarely know exactly how much money they owe, and because even bankruptcy cannot wipe out student loans, these students can spend much of their adult lives paying off the balance, complete with interest. A personal finance course could teach students how to manage debt and could even help reduce the amount of debt students are in by teaching them how to save money and live within their means. Students who choose to get a job straight out of high school would also benefit from finance education because they would learn to manage their money. These students often go from having no or minimal income to making upwards of $20-$30,000 per year. Without education on how to manage their finances, many of these young people often make poor decisions, leading them to accrue credit card debt or purchase expensive itemscars, homes, etc. without fully planning out how theyll pay for them. Many young people dont understand the consequences of those late credit card payments can have, and tking a finance course before graduation would help them understand exactly difficult it is to rebuild a credit score thats been decimated by a foreclosure or bankruptcy. Another group to consider is young people who wish to start a business or family. Without knowing how to make and stick to a budget, many recent graduates end up without enough savings to keep them afloat if they lose their jobs or if their businesses go under. For these people, financial education is particularly important because theyll also be responsible for the financial decisions of the next generation. While not every young person makes financial mistakes, those who do can face years of difficulty trying to get their finances back under control. Rather than help them through these hard times when they happen, we should try to prevent them from happening at all. Making the completion of personal finance coursework a requirement for graduation would ensure that young people are at least aware of the basics of maintaining a budget.

O Captain! My Captain! O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weatherd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. 2 O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise upfor you the flag is flungfor you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbond wreathsfor you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, Youve fallen cold and dead. 3 My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchord safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

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