Page 295 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

Writing Levels in Action

While all other rubrics presented so far in Foundations of Learning have been followed by examples from
Paula, Sam, Rene, Connie, and Steve, it will be more meaningful for you to view writing samples across
a much wider spectrum in order to appreciate what writing at each level of the rubric looks like. Scoring
writing samples according to the rubric is not a precise science; not all criteria of every level will apply to
every type of writing. A personal essay may not include cited sources or competing perspectives, for instance.
But the samples below fit fairly well into the level with which they’ve been identified. Don’t imagine that
in order to be successful, both in school and in life, that you must write at the level of a Professional Writer;
the goal is simply to learn to recognize high-quality writing and the factors that play a critical part in that
determination. With practice and continual assessment, your writing will steadily improve.

Note that all samples are available from the FOL online resources (www.pcrest2.com/fol).

LEVEL 5: Professional Writer
Elie Wiesel: The Perils of Indifference

This is the text of a speech that Nobel Peace Prize winner and author Elie Wiesel delivered in the East
Room of the White House on April 12, 1999, as part of the Millennium Lecture series. Wiesel’s best-
known book, Night, is a memoir of his experience surviving the Holocaust.

LEVEL 4: Scholarly Writer
Steven Pinker: The Mystery of Consciousness

Published in Time Magazine, January 19, 2007, this essay is by Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology
at Harvard University. Pinker is widely recognized as an expert on language and cognition. His books
include The Language Instinct and The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature.

LEVEL 3: Competent Writer
Linda Arnold: A Lesson in Naivety: Casa de Nacimiento

Excerpted from the book Birth Centres: A Social Model for Maternity Care, this essay is by Linda Arnold,
the director of Casa de Nacimiento, a maternity and birthing center in El Paso, Texas.

LEVEL 2: Apprentice Writer
The Desired Look: Nothing but Bones

This essay is available online as a sample of student writing from the Roane State Community College
Writing Lab.

LEVEL 1: Novice Writer
What is an American?

This essay is available online as a sample of “C” level work for a typical English 101 course (from
Gendale Community College).

Chapter 11 — Writing in College 289