Photo Story Grading Criteria

Strong

OK

Weak

Demonstrates effective story telling techniques.

Story begins with hook, in media res. For nonfiction, the first paragraph is developed with the inverted pyramid. The main point is focused and clear. The body of the story keeps the reader’s interest and advances the main idea. The final paragraph brings the story to a resolution or conclusion.

Story does not begin at an interesting point, but has enough focus to maintain the reader’s interest. For nonfiction, if the story had a “read more” button, the first few lines do not have enough of the story line to engage the reader.

The main themes or ideas are not clear.  The content is flat, with no tension or development. It feels like the story could end at any point in the telling. There are no “gold coins” dropped along the way to keep the reader engaged.

Creates a voice, style and tone appropriate for the topic and intended audience

Story reveals the author’s unique voice, experiences and world views. Tone fits the topic and the intended audience.  Style engages audience and makes the story credible. The style and content are clearly developed for a specific audience.

Author’s style is either flat or the tone varies. The story is easy to read but not engaging. Author seems tentative. The content is developed for a specific audience.

Author’s style and tone varies. Tone is pedantic or doesn’t sound authentic. It is not clear who the intended audience is; the choice of content waivers (e.g., moves from beginner to advanced levels of comprehension or from genX to the lost generation in tone and style.

Presents multimedia elements and linked pages effectively

Media fits the story, flows with the text, tells part of the story, and has a professional presentation. Links to other pages are well thought out and easy to navigate.

Media is adequate for the story but does not flow well or does not add much to the presentation.

Media is missing or does not fit the story. The story feels incomplete because the media is not taking on its fair share of the weight of the story.

Develops story with logical organization, effective structure and guides for the reader

Story has a strong sense of direction, with adequate signposts (transitions) to lead the way. Paragraphs support the main ideas and stay on topic.

Story and central themes are evident. Paragraphs are a mixture of generalizations and details that support the main direction of the story. There are some transitions to guide the reader.

Story does not have enough substance or is not developed. Supporting paragraphs are too general and inconsistent with story’s direction. There are no transitions to guide the reader.

Writes with good sentence structure, precise wording and effective language

Word choice is precise and suits audience. Sentences flow with a definite sense of purpose and rhythm. Descriptions provide significant details. Sentences sizzle with energy. Author has edited rough drafts to eliminate clichés, mixed metaphors, misplaced modifiers, redundancies and words that clutter.

Word choice is accurate but weak, general or without variety. Word choice adequately, but not precisely, fits the audience. Verbs are static.  There are occasional errors in sentence structure.

There are frequent errors in word choice. The syntax is choppy or the sentence structure does not vary. Frequent errors in word choice. Extensive use of passive voice. Story could be cut in half by deleting redundancies and deleting blather.

Adequately proofreads and revises for mechanics; follows conventions for grammar, punctuation, and spelling

Only two or three minor errors in spelling or punctuation. Author has proofread drafts and corrected grammatical mistakes.

Story is understandable, but still needs proofreading for a four to six grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.

Sentence structure affects clarity. Numerous mechanical errors.