7th Grade Veteran Research Report Rubric & Guide (Q2 & 3 – 2007-08)
	Points	For this assignment you will be interviewing a veteran and writing his or her wartime biography. Your work will be submitted as a simple MS Word webpage. You may choose any relative, family friend or neighbor for your subject. You may choose someone who is deceased if your family can supply enough information. If you know more than one veteran, I encourage you to choose the oldest relative. Consider this an opportunity to preserve his or her story. Keep in mind that some veterans do not like to recall and talk about their wartime experiences; please respect their privacy. * Please Note: For this assignment, a veteran is anyone who was in the military (foreign or US) during wartime. They did NOT have to serve overseas or see combat. * Talk to me about exceptions
	15	Webpage filename has accurate spelling, no capitalization and no punctuation! (Except underscore) Webpage filename should be the first and last name of the article subject and may consist of: letters and underscore _. ( _ NOT - ) Such as: john_doe * Webpage must be an MS Word webpage NOT a Word document!
	10	Webpage has a page title: > Save As… > Change Title… (This is in Save As… box; only first dozen characters will show on the taskbar, but the rest will show in Google searches.)
	10	Web page begins with an appropriate WordArt title (name of your veteran) with attributes modified from stock. Font, Shape, Shadow: color, transparency & position, outline color & thickness, etc.
	10	“By Your First Name” and your class is under the title.
	10	The date that the article is completed (2-8-2008), is under author’s name.
	20	Article is based on direct research from an interview. Become an expert on your veteran!
	20	Verify, clarify or expound upon 5 facts with online research. * If you do not know understand a particular military rank, acronym, weapon, etc, look it up! Hyperlink keywords or terms to appropriate Wikipedia (or other) webpages that further explain the keywords or terms.
	50	Article contains proper: grammar, word usage, punctuation, capitalization, & spelling conventions, word choice, etc. Have classmates and two adults proofread your work! (Mark errors, discuss, and then fix.) Take the time to look up spellings and rules if you are unsure. Guide to Grammar and Style Merriam Webster Dictionary
	25	Articles must be written in paragraph form. Do NOT state your questions and/or an interviewee’s direct answer. Instead, form a new sentence. For example, the sentences: I interviewed Sally at school. One of the questions I asked her was about the color her car. Sally answered, “I have a blue car.”, should be written: Sally has a blue car. Your topic is not your conversation! Never mention that you interviewed someone or asked someone a question. Articles may NOT directly quote any person! Paraphrase! (Quotations without “quotation marks” are still quotations!) NEVER point out that you are writing, that the reader is reading or that you interviewed someone. (For example: “This paragraph is about… ”, or “I hope that you enjoyed reading about…”, or “I interviewed Sally…”
	50	Article thoroughly covers topic. Article body must be at least 500 words in length. (Additional points may be deducted from your overall grade if your article is very short or off topic.)
	15	At least half of your report must be about your veteran’s wartime experiences. The rest may be a lifetime biography. * Talk to me about exceptions
	25	Web Page contains an appropriate picture of your subject, wartime or present (or any postwar photo if your veteran is deceased). Extra credit will be given if you can get both “then and now” photos. 640 x 480 size limit per photo! Resize and crop pictures with MS Photo Editor, not in MS Word. You may take your own pictures, have them emailed to you or scan them from prints. Adjust poor picture’s brightness and contrast with MS Photo Editor. All pictures should be centered (or pairs of pictures are centered). If your page has multiple side by side small pictures, make them exactly the same height and width if at all possible.
	20	Web Page contains a map (or maps) of places important to your subject’s experiences. Special places on map must be marked by you in MS Paint. (Resize map in MS Paint first)
	10	All pictures and maps are labeled.
	20	Web page adheres to a single hue harmonious color theme. Guide
	15	All text is on a solid color background. Do not use highlighter on text that is against a busy background, use a 1x1 table and fill the cell with a solid color.
	15	Page has one font theme (color, size & style). Use Verdana 10 point font. Never underline text. (It looks like a hyperlink.)
	15	Web page must contain one table; all side by side web page elements are organized with the table. Table AutoFormat > “Table Normal” creates an invisible line web page table.
	15	Use “Pattern” backgrounds only. (Format > Background > Fill Effects > Pattern)
	15	All parts of web page are nicely centered or balanced. Elements are NOT haphazardly placed. Page does not have large blank spaces. Do not allow pictures to touch each other or elements, such as WordArt. Add a space. Center web page elements with the Align Left, Center & Align Right buttons and the Tab key. Do NOT use the spacebar to move objects more than an inch! (Multiple spaces can create problems in webpages.) All web page elements should be “In Lined With Text”. (Other Text Wrapping modes create problems in webpages.)
	15	All parts of web page are less than 10 inches wide (1024 pixels).
	400	Total
		* Note: Points in Bold and in darker shaded cells will be covered together in class. Be prepared with your information or you will fall behind as we work on these items!

HSL: 139, 88, 131