An example of how

to facilitate student
created rubrics.
First students were given a sheet
with the following Learning Target
and steps for the strategy self
questioning using EALR 2.1.6.
2.1.6 Apply comprehension monitoring
strategies before, during, and after
reading: monitor for meaning, create
mental images, and generate and answer
questions in grade-level
informational/expository text and/or
literary/narrative text.

•Monitor for meaning by identifying where and

why comprehension was lost and use
comprehension-repair strategies to regain
meaning.

•Generate and answer questions before,

during, and after reading.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
There are 4 steps used in the
reading strategy Self
Questioning.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
Step 1: Check yourself for
understanding while reading
the text.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
Step 2: Identify a word, phrase,
or event that you do not
understand in the text.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
Step 3: Ask yourself questions
to understand the word, phrase,
or event in the text.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
Step 4: Use your background
knowledge, the text, or another
resource (i.e. the glossary) to
help you answer your question.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
Now we will practice again
explaining how we use this
strategy to our partners. Take
turns explaining different
examples beginning with the
North partner.
Today’s Learning Target: I can
explain how I use the reading
strategy Self Questioning.
Write to describe how you can
use this strategy for the text I
Have Heard of a Land on your
sheet, use your steps to make
sure your description is
complete.
We used the steps as a general
rubric for this selection, then
continued to work with the strategy
in another selection.

After giving the students a chance

to write their explanations, I chose a
sample of 8 pieces of work for the
students to analyze in groups.

The sampling contained a wide

range of quality and completion.
I informed them that our goal was to
create a rubric and we would first
look at this work to categorize these
examples into high, medium, and
low groups.

Before starting this, I talked to the

students about not focusing on
whose work we were looking at, and
not getting down on themselves if
they’re work was categorized as
low, since our goal was to find out
how to get their work to fit into the
After sorting them, the students
were to write on the samples
describing why they put each one in
a high, medium, or low category.
These questions were posted for
them to answer.

Big Idea: What makes a good

explanation?

What makes this example high,

medium, or low?
What characteristics of this example
The next day I gave each group their
samples and had them fill out the
following list.