CHHS- CHAT around New Delaware Writing Rubrics

Worksheet: using the Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric for Grades 9-10, work with a partner to score this student essay and add comments.

Informative/Explanatory Writing Assignment, Grades 9-10:  In this assignment, students were asked to research a topic of their choice (here, wolves), and establish a focus within that topic (how/why wolves communicate).

The Secret Communication of Wolves

A long piercing howl shatters the quiet night of a northern forest. The howl grows into a chorus of yelps and barks, and the valley echoes to the chilling sound. The leader of the pack starts the noise, while other pack members, as well as other wolf packs,
join in (O’Toole 22).

Organization/Purpose: ______________________________

Evidence/Elaboration: _______________________________

Language/Conventions: ______________________________

Among wolves, communication is a very highly developed skill.  For instance, the howl of the pack leader has many different meanings.
Most of the time a lone howl is a warning for other packs. It tells them to
stay away, for there are many young to be protected and food to be guarded
(O’Toole 23). A howl can also be a way of marking their territory. Many
wolves howl when they feel another pack is too close. Some wolves howl
when they are lost or trying to find another member of the pack. Most
wolves use this howl at least once a day to locate missing pups or other pack members (Primate).

To wolves, the territory that they occupy (the territory of some packs may cover 20-120 square miles) is like a house to a human being. They feel that they must protect it at all times, and, other packs must not trespass. Neighboring packs may share up to a mile of territory, but rarely will they share more than that (Primate). All wolves know that if they run through another pack’s territory, they run the risk of being killed (Primate). In addition, wolves mark their territory by scent (mostly urine). This helps all wolves know where their territory begins.

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Like humans, the wolf has three main avenues of communication, postural (body language); vocal (the howl or snarl); and olfactory (scent) (Wolfhaven).  The scent is the most commonly used and probably the most important.  Besides marking territory, it help show food ownership, as well as acting as a road map for themselves.  Wolves have scent glands between their toes, which leaves their scent wherever they go (Primate).

Moreover, much communication is done through body language.  Many postures have been evolved to reduce conflict an aggression among pack members.   Facial expressions are the most obvious. Generally, bared teeth with ears erect and pointed back can indicate a threat by a dominant male (Wolfhaven). In contrast, a closed mouth, slitlike eyes, and ears pulled forward (and close to their head) will most likely indicate subordinate behavior (Wolfhaven). Wolves also use their tail position to communicate emotion. Threatening wolves hold their tails high, almost perpendicular, while more submissive wolves lower themselves before dominant pack members. These lower
class members often have their tails tucked between their legs (Primate). A wolf that has been defeated in a fight can avoid being attacked by its victorious companion by taking a posture similar to that of a pup begging for food (University of Oklahoma Press 91).

Organization/Purpose: ______________________________

Evidence/Elaboration: _______________________________

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Wolves must communicate at all times when they are hunting. They have to
work together to catch most of their food (due to the size of the food that
they hunt). The concept that wolves use is called the “Pincer Attack”
(Baily 91). When using the pincer attack, the pack splits in two groups and
surround the prey (mostly deer, sheep, and other medium-sized mammals).
One of the groups causes a diversion, while the other half ambushes the
helpless prey. Wolves can move quickly and quietly. Many of them
operate on stamina rather then on sudden bursts of speed (Baily 85). Because of the cooperation of the group, when it comes to hunting, the pack usually ends up victorious, and they have enough food for a couple of days. If they pack gets a big kill, then the leader will have the next strongest male guard the kill during the night to keep off other animals.

Organization/Purpose: ______________________________

Evidence/Elaboration: _______________________________

Language/Conventions: ______________________________

Like other animals, wolves communicate with a social ladder. They have one dominant male (usually the leader of the pack) (Primate). This wolf has many responsibilities. He has to
make sure that all the other wolves don’t get out of line, and makes
sure that there is harmony among the group. The pack leader does
this by barking at the other wolves and fighting with the other males.
Normally, the pack leader will not fight with the females of the pack
unless it is necessary (Timberwolf). With the leader comes a dominant female. Together they are known as the breeding pair. These two are in charge of the pack, raising the young, selecting denning areas and rendezvous sites, capturing food, and maintaining the pack’s territory (Primate). These two wolves are also responsible for the offspring. Not many of the other wolves mate for offspring because that is the dominant pair’s job. Every year the dominant pair will produce one litter of pups. These pups take the place of the older wolves that are too old to hunt. Because the pack is so close and they communicate all the time, many of the other female wolves help the dominant female with taking care of the young (Wolfhaven). The dominant female will assign each pup to an older female. This helps the other females learn how to be a mother, and it helps the dominant female so she can hunt and not have to worry about taking care of her young.

If only humans could communicate as well as wolves, today’s society would be wonderful. Wolves’ methods of communication are simple and usually resolve conflicts without violence. Wolves have been living together for many, many years so they must be doing something right. Maybe we can learn something from the wolves instead of trying to make them extinct.

Organization/Purpose: ______________________________

Evidence/Elaboration: _______________________________

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Analysis:  In this assignment, students were asked to research a topic of their choice (here, wolves), and establish a focus within that topic (how/why wolves communicate). This writer provides__________________________________________________________________________________________

The writer organizes ideas, concepts, and information __________________________________________________________________________________________________

The writer uses ____________ to clarify relationships and create cohesion (“Like humans, the wolf has three main avenues of communication...”). Within each chunk of the essay, the writer uses ____________________- specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic (explaining the aspects of wolf communication), which he cites. While this subject does not call for much analysis, the writer occasionally ___________________ so that the reader grasps the complexity of the topic.

The essay has _________________________ style and ___________________ tone. The conclusion follows from and supports the _______________________________.