Guidelines to Assist the Scholarship Committee to Evaluate the SMCAGJ Essay Criterion
WRITING STRATEGIES
* The essay is clear, coherent, and focused. * The essay exhibits awareness of audience and purpose. (Awareness of audience means the student writes with a specific group in mind: students the same age, adults, parents, grand jurors, teachers, professional people, etc.) * The essay contains formal introduction, bodies of evidence and conclusion. * The essay contains a vocabulary expected of a 12th grade student.
ORGANIZATION & FOCUS
* The essay has established a controlling impression, has a coherent thesis, and makes a clear and well supported conclusion. * The essay establishes coherence within and among paragraphs through effective transitions, parallel structures and similar writing techniques. * The essay supports the thesis or conclusion with analogies, paraphrases, quotations, and opinions from authorities, comparisons or similar devices.
RUBRICS (Key points listed on the "Learning Center and Teacher's Guide pages of the SMCAGJ website)
* Different roles of sundry grand juries * Helpful resource information * Motivational questions to stimulate further study * Function and composition of grand juries and petit courts * Mission and major purpose of grand juries * List of updated search stations to research any subject matter * Becoming familiar with research strategies * Duties and responsibilities of grand jurors * Knowledge of terms and vocabulary pertinent to grand juries * Comparison of student councils to civil grand juries * Access to a Bookmark outlining the functions and organization of civil grand juries in California
If you have any questions about this site, please contact grandjurors@co.sanmateo.ca.us