Best Way to Grading Essays

By: Ojas Lath

July 16, 2023

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Essays are short pieces of text written with the writer’s view. Everybody writes essays for school exams but do teachers grade them correctly? Here are some tips for grading essays correctly and faster:-

Use built-in rubrics

What do I mean by that? When students have to complete writing by hand (due to technology or time constraints or just for the sake of keeping it traditional), I like to give them a printed sheet of paper with the prompt, writing lines, and a rubric built-in. How does this save time? Well, if the rubric is built into the response page (like on a journal entry or a response to literature, for example), the rubric has to be smaller…and so does the student’s response. I’m not saying attach the rubric to the back of the prompt…I’m saying fit it on the bottom corner of the paper where students respond. Why? Our kids benefit from focusing on writing an excellent paragraph or two instead of rambling, and teachers benefit from having a smaller rubric, which forces us to examine a skill or two (instead of marking every single error imaginable).

Have students choose a response they want you to grade

Let’s say you give students an assignment where they practice the same skill several times. For example, I’ve done this before when I’ve asked students to write annotated bibliography paragraphs and even when we’ve written practice essays for standardized tests. Before collecting their responses, have students circle the paragraph (or practice essay) they believe best represents their skills and knowledge for the task at hand. The only grade that paragraph. You might expect students to be upset that their other paragraphs aren’t being graded, but I’ve never had that happen. Usually, they are relieved that they were able to select the one that would be assessed because they know that one best represents their abilities.

Conference with students and point for revision verbally

Set a timer. Conference with each student for that amount of time. Don’t go over. Point out what you would like them to revise, and have them take notes on what you are telling them. This strategy puts the ball completely in their court, which is good. Some students are used to teachers doing all the thinking for them. We mark every single error, and they mindlessly make corrections as they simultaneously text their friend, post pictures on Snapchat, and eat Doritos.

Skim their rough drafts, and use a revision PowerPoint

You can cut back on a lot of time spent grading essays by just skimming through the rough drafts first. Notice common errors. Make a list. Then, turn it into a PowerPoint or some other visual aid you can use to present the list to students. Include examples (from their papers to make them authentic if you think your students wouldn’t be too embarrassed). Make sure the students have their rough drafts in front of them as you review these expectations so they can make notes on their essays as necessary. My students LOVE this. Except when I tell them that I want them to revise their rough drafts. Then they groan. Otherwise, they love it. Really. It works. Here are my revising and editing points PowPoint for argumentative writing.

Limit the length of the assignment

Do you need a five-page paper to assess the skills you are teaching? If so, go for it! If not, cut back the length of the assignment. In the past when I’ve given students word limits, I’ve received sass, like “Is it because you don’t feel like grading more than that?” Okay, fine. Once in a while. But more than that, students can’t always write fifteen pages just because they don’t know how to be concise. That’s a skill, too. We need to teach students how to say more in fewer words. Sometimes I only have my students write one paragraph when we are practicing a new skill. For instance, when I teach argumentative writing, I differentiate various ability levels by offering an option to write one solid argumentative research paragraph. My advanced students warm up to argumentative writing with the same lesson. Differentiating expectations appropriately for struggling writers lightens the grading load. Scaffolding enriched students to write quality research papers by front-loading with smaller-scale assignments has helped, too.

Use comment codes for constructive feedback

If you’re anything like me, you find yourself writing the same comments over and over and over and over, and….you get it. Why don’t we just develop a comment-code sheet? Every comment that you make regularly (like “avoid run-ons) can have a number. Instead of writing “Run-On” next to every error, just highlight the correct code, and include the comment paper when you hand back the graded piece of writing. I wouldn’t recommend this option with advanced skills that you may have just introduced, but for skills, students should have mastered, this option will save time. No need to be a hamster on a wheel.

Don’t repeatedly mark the same error

Kind of like I mentioned earlier…we don’t need to write “fragment” every time a student forgets a subject or verb. Mark it the first time or two, and after that (if it’s a skill they should know), just write, “Please fix the rest of the fragments throughout the essay” or something simple like that. This way, students know there are more similar issues, but the responsibility to edit their work is theirs…which is how they learn anyway.

Use Goobric and/or Google Docs

I don’t always enjoy grading on the computer, but it does beat writing everything out. If you are the type of person who isn’t tempted to check your e-mail, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook every five seconds, grading on the computer can buy you some time in your day. Typing is faster. It just is. If you are interested in this option but don’t know how to use Google features, there are some amazingly clear and helpful tutorials you can find with a quick web search. This is not the best recommendation for anyone who has social media ADD…more on that in a minute.

Limit distractions

I’m just as bad about this one as the next person. I’ll start grading an essay, and five minutes later….I wonder if I have any new e-mails? Did anyone “like” my Facebook post? Has anyone tweeted anything funny lately? If I don’t check Instagram, I might miss the best giveaway in history ever. You get the picture, I’m sure. I have to put my phone away if I want to get any serious grading accomplished. It might even be necessary to get out of the house completely. Sure enough, as soon as I get into the groove, my daughter comes upstairs and needs me to help her go to the bathroom, get her a snack, or tell me that her brother did something annoying. Grading essays goes faster when we can focus. Plan to reduce distractions to maximize productivity.

By: Ojas Lath

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