All reading quizzes are read, marked, and graded as follows:

1. First, all essays are read once to determine if there is clear comprehension of the text. There are two things to consider: clear (meaning grammar) and comprehension (meaning understanding of both the text and what the question asks for).

Essays are then sorted into some general piles: Very good, good, ok, weak, very bad.

2. Essays are then read again to sort them according to these standards:

CRITERION 1: COMPREHENSION OF TEXT.
CRITERION 2: RESPONSE TO PROMPT AND THOROUGH, CLEAR CONNECTIONS BETWEEN IDEAS.
CRITERION 3: CLEAR, SMOOTH GRAMMAR AND WORD CHOICE.

Scores were assigned from 5 (basically very high in all criteria) to 0 (basically very low/non-existent in all criteria).

3. Essays are read again and the first page is marked for grammar errors. Based on this, there may be some adjustment made in the grade given in #2.

Here is an essay that got a “5.” My comments follow each paragraph. Some final comments are made at the end.

This prompt came from the beginning of chapter two explaining as an overview of Pablo Escobar’s incredible cocaine business. (TEACHER’S COMMENTS: THIS IS VERY NICELY IDENTIFIED. WHERE DID IT COME FROM? WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA HERE -- THAT THIS SENTENCE GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF ESCOBAR’S BUSINESS. THE MAIN CHARACTER IS IDENTIFIED, BUT IT MIGHT ALSO BE GOOD TO MENTION THERE WERE OTHERS -- THOUGH THAT IS IMPLIED IN THE WORD “BUSINESS.” THE ENTERPRISE IS IDENTIFIED AS BEING THE COCAINE BUSINESS.)

Pablo Escobar eventually became the king of cocaine business in Colombia. His “enterprise” was international and brought in billions of dollars into Colombia, raising great balance for the country. Himself lived like a king, and he was, in a way, the unofficial king of Colombia. (THIS BRIEFLY EXPLAINS THE POWER STRUCTURE OF WHAT HAPPENED. IT DOESN’T GIVE TOO MANY UNNECESSARY DETAILS . ONE MINOR PROBLEM: THE VAGUE USE OF THE WORD “BALANCE” HERE ).

Pablo Escobar not only bribed government officials, policemen, judges, and so and so forth, (THIS IDENTIFIES WHAT THE CONNECTION WAS BETWEEN THE COCAINE KING AND THE GOVERNMENT -- HE BRIBED THEM (BANKROLLED)but the government of Colombia actually opened a “side door” letting this cocaine industry to grow and to keep bringing tremendous amount of balance into the country’s economy. (THIS GIVES A LITTLE, BUT NOT TOO MUCH, INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED TO THIS BUSINESS )As a result being listed as the seventh richest man by Forbes magazine in 1989 Pablo Escobar was unstoppable buying his way out of everything. Therefore, “the candidacies of mayors, council men, congressmen, and presidents” were directly or indirectly benefited by Escobar’s cocaine industry.

OVERALL COMMENTS: THIS WAS BRIEF AND GOT RIGHT TO THE POINT. IDEAS WERE WELL IDENTIFIED AND CONNECTED. IT WAS HIGHLY READABLE, THOUGH THERE WERE SOME GRAMMAR/WORD CHOICE ERRORS. HOWEVER THESE ERRORS WERE MINOR AND DID NOT IN ANY WAY INTERFERE WITH COMPREHENSION.