Rubric

Grading rubrics

Physics of the Mundane

Adam Johnston

Response papers:

Response papers should be roughly 2-3 pages in length (double spaced, typed) and should explicitly address a posed question or theme, utilizing the readings and discussions from the course. The response papers give you an opportunity to reflect on the readings of the course, prepare for the following week of class, clarify your own thinking, and simply work on your own writing skills. Each paper will be given a grade of either a 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0, as follows:

Score	Evaluation
0	Paper was not completed. You were skiing and/or studying organic chemistry instead.
1	Paper was turned in, but with very minimal effort. You had a rough week.
2	Paper addressed the question, but not in depth and did not show as much reflection as was expected. You had a very busy week.
3	This paper answers a question and/or has a focused theme and is well presented. It is complete overall, although you may have been able to go into more depth or incorporate readings/discussions more.
4	This paper is excellent, not only answering a question, but also reflecting deeply about your own views and how they compare/contrast with readings/discussion. This paper is free of any major typo/grammar/spelling errors, and is especially easy and interesting to read.

Lab Notebooks:

Your notebook will be turned in every two weeks, the Monday following a discussion and response paper. This notebook should document and explain all of the “lab” work that you’ve done in the course up until that date, as well as document any other questions that are asked in the labs or in the schedule. It should be clear, understandable, and readable to an outsider or to yourself four years from now. Notebooks will be graded with a similar standard to response papers:

Score	Evaluation
0	Where’s your notebook? You either didn’t turn it in or it does not resemble a notebook that can be read.
1	Your notebook has been turned in, but it is not complete. This notebook could have some information and notes within it, but it does not demonstrate that you have understood what you were doing
2	This notebook makes reference to all of the labs and documents that all of the labs were done. However, it may not be understandable to you in a few years from now, or you may not have answered some questions completely.
3	This notebook is well done and demonstrates a good understanding of labs. You may have left out some explanation or an understanding of a concept might not be complete, but this is mostly well presented and understandable. It is well organized and it is easy to find information within it.
4	This notebook is outstanding. It clearly explains what you did in your labs so that an outside reader can make sense of it. It answers questions and perhaps proposes new ones. It is well organized and it is easy to find information within it.

It is anticipated that letter grades will be assigned to mostly correspond to a 4.0 scale (i.e., A = 4, B = 3, etc.), but this may be reevaluated in light of the instructor’s general grading tendencies and student performance over the course of the semester.