1. Academic Decathlon Essay Judge Training

2. What Is Academic Decathlon? Scholastic competition for high school students Scholastic competition for high school students Students compete in teams of nine: Students compete in teams of nine: –Three A Students –Three B Students –Three C Students Competitors take tests in seven academic areas and give a speech, write an essay, and give an interview Competitors take tests in seven academic areas and give a speech, write an essay, and give an interview Subjects change every year; this year’s theme is India Subjects change every year; this year’s theme is India

3. The Essay Event Students write the essay before the competition Students write the essay before the competition Prompts are based on one or more areas of the curriculum Prompts are based on one or more areas of the curriculum –Prompts are not made available beforehand Competitors have 50 minutes to create a convincing, well-supported essay that addresses the prompt Competitors have 50 minutes to create a convincing, well-supported essay that addresses the prompt

4. What We Should Expect These are not college-level papers, or even the students’ best work These are not college-level papers, or even the students’ best work Essays will not be perfect Essays will not be perfect Essays should Essays should –Fully address the prompt –Have a clear thesis –Provide evidence to support the thesis –Be written with correct grammar, spelling, and usage

5. Scoring – The Rubric Focus/Scope, Organization, and Content and Development Addresses what the essay says and how it is organized Addresses what the essay says and how it is organized Counts for 80% of the final score Counts for 80% of the final score Language/Style and Conventions: Addresses how content is expressed—clarity and correctness of writing Counts for 20% of the final score

6. Focus/Scope – Organization – Content/Development Focus/Scope –How thoroughly the student addresses the prompt –How successfully they establish a clear thesis or purpose –The student should make a specific point about a specific topic and should maintain this focus throughout his/her essay

7. Focus/Scope – Organization – Content/Development Organization –How the student presents his/her ideas to the reader –Clarity, logic, and sequence of the ideas presented and how well these ideas are developed and sustained within and across paragraphs –Quality of the introduction and conclusion

8. Focus/Scope – Organization – Content/Development Content/Development –Quality of the ideas in the essay –How well these ideas are developed through facts, examples, details, statistics, reasons, and/or explanations –How relevant the information is to the overall focus of the essay

9. Language/Style - Conventions –How effectively and appropriately the student uses and arranges of words and sentence structures –Language should communicate ideas clearly and effectively –Word choice, vocabulary, and sentence variety –Correctness of grammar, mechanics (spelling, capitalization, punctuation), usage, and sentence formations

10. Assigning a Score Each category asks you to assign a numeric score based on the descriptors provided Each category asks you to assign a numeric score based on the descriptors provided Some essays won’t fit perfectly into one category—use your best judgment Some essays won’t fit perfectly into one category—use your best judgment Score in increments of 5 (70, 75,80) Score in increments of 5 (70, 75,80)

11. Sample Essays Prompt: Kamala Markandaya makes the setting come to life in Nectar in a Sieve. Describe how the setting (and what it becomes) is like a character in the novel. Support your answer with examples from the novel.

12. Essay #1 Has strong, defined thesis Has strong, defined thesis Body paragraph has good detail: specific examples, quotes, and clear explanation Body paragraph has good detail: specific examples, quotes, and clear explanation Content links back to thesis Content links back to thesis Writing is clear, with only a few small errors Writing is clear, with only a few small errors

13. Essay #2 Thesis is unclear Thesis is unclear Examples are vague Examples are vague Content does not clearly link back to thesis Content does not clearly link back to thesis Writing contains many noticeable errors that distract from content Writing contains many noticeable errors that distract from content

14. Off-Prompt Essays An off-prompt essay completely lacks relevant content An off-prompt essay completely lacks relevant content For example: For example: –Kittens –“My Trip to Disneyland” –Apologies for being unprepared Off-prompt does not mean that the writer addressed only part of the prompt or wrote a bad essay Off-prompt does not mean that the writer addressed only part of the prompt or wrote a bad essay

15. Prompts Students must address the prompt and respond to all aspects of it Students must address the prompt and respond to all aspects of it The response guidelines are just here to help us—they don’t define a good or bad essay The response guidelines are just here to help us—they don’t define a good or bad essay