Grading Criteria for Observation Essay 

Holocaust Museum 

Content: A passing essay must: Have a clear, complex sense of place that develops throughout the essay with specific and carefully chosen details. Include analysis of the physical place that takes into account our class focus on war, art, and ethics. Have a purpose. There is a reason for the observation to exist (i.e., a controlling theme or a thesis) beyond a simple description of the place and your experience. Create a vivid setting (people, scene, interactions) A) so readers can relate and see themselves B) so readers are changed, recognize a different point of view

• Be full of sensory detail.

• Equally important to convey as the physical descriptions are the intellectual, emotional, and moral reactions and insights which you, the individual, experience. 

Organization: A passing essay must:

• Be focused

• Proceed logically and smoothly

• Have an introduction that draws the reader into the narrative

• Use transitions when appropriate

• Avoid unnecessary repetition

• Have an interesting ending that brings the essay together or opens into new possibilities 

Style

• Is the essay typed in 12-inch font? Is it double spaced?

• Is the essay clean stylistically, using concise and clear sentences, strong verbs, active voice, and sentence variety?

• Are filler sentences eliminated?

• Is the essay grammatically correct? 

Mechanics

• Is the essay presented in correct MLA format, including a Works Cited?