Biography rubric: grades K–2, 3–5 and 6–8
This biography rubric scores a report about a real person's life: research from good sources, key events in order, why the person matters, and writing in the student's own words. Grades 3–5 and 6–8 use four levels with points, with why the person matters counting twice; K–2 uses three levels in plain words. It fits a written report, a poster or a talk. Print it, copy it into Google Docs, or open it in the rubric maker.
Grades K–2
3 levels, 4 criteria, no points (a switch in the maker adds them).
| Criteria | Wow! | Yes | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find facts | I find three or more facts from a book or a grown-up I can name. | I find two facts about my person. | I need help to find facts. |
| In order | I tell three things from their life: first, next and last. | I tell two things from their life in order. | My facts are mixed up. |
| Why they matter | I tell why my person is important and how they helped. | I tell one thing my person did. | I do not tell why my person is important yet. |
| My own words | I write it my own way and draw a picture that matches. | I write most of it my own way. | I copied the words from the book. |
- I can find facts about a real person.
- I can tell what happened in my person's life in order.
- I can tell why my person is important.
- I can write and draw in my own words.
Grades 3–5
4 levels, 5 criteria, 24 points in all.
| Criteria | Exceeds4 points | Meets3 points | Approaching2 points | Beginning1 point | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and sources | Uses three or more reliable sources and lists each one with title and author or site. | Uses two reliable sources and lists them. | Uses one source, or sources are listed incompletely. | No sources listed. | / 4 |
| Key events in order | Covers early life, major events and later life in order, with dates and time words. | Covers the main events in order, with some dates. | Some key events are missing or out of order. | Events are few or mixed up. | / 4 |
| Why the person matterscounts ×2 | Explains clearly what the person did, who it helped, and how it still matters today, with examples. | Explains what the person did and why it was important. | Names an accomplishment but does not explain why it matters. | Does not explain why the person is important. | / 8 |
| Own words | All writing is in the student's own words; any quote is marked and credited. | Mostly in the student's own words. | Some sentences are copied from a source. | Mostly copied from a source. | / 4 |
| Organization | An opening that hooks the reader, paragraphs by topic or time, and a closing that sums up the life. | An opening, body paragraphs and a closing. | Some paragraphs, but the order is unclear. | No clear opening, body or closing. | / 4 |
- I can find facts in more than one source and list my sources.
- I can tell the important events of a life in time order.
- I can explain why this person is important.
- I can write facts in my own words.
- I can organize my report with an opening, body and ending.
Grades 6–8
4 levels, 5 criteria, 24 points in all.
| Criteria | Exceeds4 points | Meets3 points | Approaching2 points | Beginning1 point | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and citations | Uses four or more reliable, varied sources, including one primary source, cited in a consistent format. | Uses three or more reliable sources, cited consistently. | Sources are few, unreliable, or cited unevenly. | Sources are missing or not cited. | / 4 |
| Key events and context | Traces key events in order and explains how the times and place shaped the person's choices. | Covers key events in order with some background on the times. | Covers events with little context, or some are out of order. | Events are thin, wrong or out of order. | / 4 |
| Significancecounts ×2 | Makes a clear claim about the person's impact and supports it with evidence of lasting effects and different views. | Makes a clear claim about the person's impact with evidence. | Describes accomplishments but makes no clear claim about impact. | Does not address why the person matters. | / 8 |
| Own words and quotes | Paraphrases skillfully; quotes are short, chosen for a reason, introduced and cited. | Paraphrases well; quotes are cited. | Leans on long quotes or close paraphrase. | Copies from sources without credit. | / 4 |
| Organization and style | Engaging opening, smooth transitions across time, and a conclusion that returns to the claim. | Clear structure with transitions and a conclusion. | Structure is uneven; transitions are missing. | Hard to follow. | / 4 |
- I can research from reliable sources and cite them correctly.
- I can place key life events in the time and place they happened.
- I can argue why this person's life and work matter.
- I can paraphrase, and quote only when the exact words matter.
- I can organize my biography so it reads like a story with a point.
When to use it
- A biography report, a famous person poster, a wax museum talk, or a living timeline.
- Let students choose a person from any field: science, sports, art, inventing, helping their community.
- Hand it out on the first research day so notes are taken in the student's own words from the start.
What to say to students
- Find at least two sources and write down where each fact came from.
- Put the big events of the life in order, from earliest to latest.
- Tell us why this person matters. What changed because of them?
- Read, close the book, then write what you remember in your own words.
Related
The criteria are generic and written for this site, with no standards codes, so they fit any curriculum. Open one in the maker to change a word, add a row or switch to a single-point rubric; what you change stays in your browser.