Table of Contents 
The Assignment 
Rubric: ​Information 
Rubric: ​Structure & Organization 
Exemplars 
 

The Assignment 
Over the course of this unit, you have gathered multiple perspectives and details from many texts about happiness. Use the evidence you have gathered to answer 
the following question:  
How can we achieve happiness? 
 
Support your answer using reasons and evidence from a variety of the texts we’ve covered in this unit using a medium that most effectively communicates your 
ideas. Possible mediums include 
- Print (Essay, Fictional Story, Poem, Graphic Novel, etc.) 
- Video (Documentary, Fictional Film) 
- Music (Composition, Performance, Music Video) 
- Visual Art  
 
Any option other than the essay will require a short (3oo words, minimum) reflection explaining  
- What ideas about happiness are being compared or synthesized and from which of our texts those ideas are derived. 
- The main idea of the creation: how does it answer our question, “How can we achieve happiness?” 
- Why the chosen medium seemed best to express this particular answer and/or to compare the chosen ideas about happiness. 
   
 Information 
5 points  Product perfectly fulfills rubric description (It couldn’t be better!). 
3-4 points Product does not exactly fulfill rubric description (but it does mostly). 
0-2 points Product does not fulfill rubric description (or it is missing some essential elements of the criteria). 
Use of Sources 

Meaning & Accuracy  The student demonstrates accurate and thorough understanding of the text and subtext of the works/authors cited (i.e. all of the cited 
_____/10  information and inferences made from it are correct and rational, based on the text). This includes 
The author’s point-of-view 
The author’s purpose 
The theme or central idea of the text 
(8.RI.6) (8.RL & RI.2) 

Comparison   The student accurately compares the ideas of​ at least four​ different sources/authors in the product. 
_____/10  (8.RI.3)  

Relevant, Strong Support  The student expresses and supports his or her insights based on the viewpoints and evidence in the texts. The cited details from the texts are 
_____/15  clearly relevant to the student’s main idea.  
(8.RI.8) 

Ideas 

Main Idea  The student’s answer to the prompt directly and thoughtfully answers the question of the prompt. 
_____/10 

Explanation/Reasoning  The student accurately compares the ideas of at least four different sources/authors in the product, clearly showing how they agree or disagree.   
_____/15  (8.RI.9)  
 
Information Points _______________/60 
 
 Structure & Organization 
5 points  presentation perfectly fulfills rubric description 
3-4 points presentation does not exactly fulfill rubric description (but does mostly) 
0-2 points presentation does not fulfill rubric description (or is missing element) 
Medium  The student has deliberately selected a medium that effectively presents his or her ideas (print, digital text, video, etc.) 
_____/10  (8.RI.7) 

Organization  The student has deliberately organized the product in a way that clearly communicates his or her main idea as well as the comparison or 
_____/5  synthesis of the ideas of the chosen sources. 
(8.W.4) 

Coherency  Regardless of medium, the idea(s) of the work are understandable and all writing concerned with the product is legible and mechanically correct 
_____/5  (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.) 
 
 
Style and Presentation Points _______________/20 
 
TOTAL ________/80 
Strengths 
 
 
 
Areas for Improvement 
 
 
 Exemplars