Discussion Board Posting Rubric

As posts are counted, they are credited according to the following scale:

Credit + (1 1/2 - 2 points)
These posts are thought-full, substantial reflections on clearly identified aspects of the reading assignment. They are specific in their references, insightful in their assertions, provocative in their (explicit or implicit) questions. Often, these posts will note significant points of contact between the assigned reading and other texts. Such posts may initiate a significant thread of discussion or may synthesize and advance a given thread. These posts will often surprise the teacher with their fresh understanding of some aspect of the text. For example:

Like Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick, Tom Sawyer seems to possess an immense capacity for the persuasion and control of his fellows. Huck and Jim willingly comply with the outlandish intricacies of Tom's plan for Jim's escape, initially skeptical but ultimately assuming that Tom knows better than they. At one point, Huck voices his doubts about Tom's plan, expressing his desire that Jim's escape be quick and clean rather than weighted down with complications and potential pitfalls. After Tom rebukes him, however, Huck hastily amends his statement with, "But I ain't going to make no complaint. Any way that suits you suits me (267)."

What is it about Tom Sawyer that makes him so magnetic, so able to manipulate others to do his bidding? He has a way of passing himself off as knowledgeable, of flaunting his intelligence and quick wit, of taking charge of a situation, of stubbornly persisting until his demands are met. He has Jim and, to a somewhat lesser degree, Huck, wrapped around his little finger as he directs the plans for Jim's escape. They seem to follow him partly out of a sense of propriety, since Tom, being "respectable and well brung-up (233),"? is higher on the social ladder than either of them; but also as a result of Tom's charismatic magnetism. He has the wit, the flair, and the confidence needed to smoothly take charge of any situation, and that's something that evokes the respect of the practical, awkward, sensitive Huck and the humble, trusting Jim. Perhaps much of Tom's power is actually derived from the characters of his cohorts: Both Huck and Jim assume themselves, Huck by virtue of his ill breeding and Jim through the fact that he is a black slave, to be terribly ignorant, and they naturally comply with the designs of the supposedly more intelligent and worldly Tom. In one instance, Huck swears, "If I had Tom Sawyer's head I wouldn't trade it off to be a duke, nor mate of a steamboat, nor clown in a circus, nor nothing I can think of (232)."? In another revealing scene, Tom employs Huck and Jim to roll a heavy grindstone to Jim's hut. Instead of waxing indignant at Tom for shirking his share of the work, Huck admires Tom's ability to direct, or "superintend," his and Jim's labor, claiming, "[Tom] could out-superintend any boy I ever see. He could do anything (260)."

Does anyone have any other thoughts on the basis of the power that Tom is able to extend over Huck and Jim?

Credit (1 point)
These posts are thought-full, substantial reflections on specific issues raised by the reading assignment. They initiate or contribute to meaningful discussion of significant aspects of the readings. For example:

Well I think that Hucks reliance on Tom stems from his life at home. Hucks father was gone for long periods of time, beat him, and got really wasted alot. So because of this I think that Huck looked for a father figure in someone else in his life. Tom, an older, more expierenced, and more adventurous person then Huck was a prime target to influence Huck. Huck seems to believe, and go along with everything that Tom says, because in the past he hasnt exactly steered him wrong. Repeatedly at the end of the novel Tom makes references to many "famous" prisoners that did certain things a certain way. Because Huck has no knowledge in these matters he just goes along with whatever Tom says. I dont think that Tom takes adventage of Huck and Jim, well atleast on purpose. Although he may impose his will and instructions upon the to during the preperations for the breakout, I think it is all in good intention.

Half-Credit (1/2 point)
These posts tend to be fairly brief. While they may be expressing a potentially significant response to the reading assignment, they are also relatively vague and underdeveloped. They lack specific reference to the text. Their expression may also be hampered by very little attention to spelling and mechanical writing issues. For example (and this represents a very bare minimum that may not be accepted in some threads):

Tom is by no means innocent. While reading the story, we see him trick people and decieve them, in a very consience way. He is a little con artist who can manipulate people to do what he wants.

No Credit (no points)
These posts contribute next-to-nothing to the discussion thread. They may be very brief. They may merely repeat what has already been said by others, or they may merely re-tell some or all of the assigned text. They also, of course, may be completely irrelevant to the discussion thread. For example:

I don't like Tom Sawyer. He's a jerk. I'd ditch him.