Serial Podcast: What’s Your Vote? Due In the month we’ve been listening to Serial, you should have been coming up with an idea of whether or not you agree with Adnan Syed’s conviction. You will now write an argumentative essay entailing your opinion. You must cite at least 5 statements/sources of evidence to support your reasoning.
You must take one of the three stances below as a juror:
Vote “yes” because Adnan’s guilt was proven beyond a reasonable doubt
Vote “not guilty” ONLY because there was not enough evidence to convince you that Adnan was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
Vote “not guilty” because there was enough evidence to prove Adnan’s innocence

Formatting

Total
3 page minimum
2-3 points
The writer only provides a few paragraphs to less than a page.
5 points
The writer does not meet required length but is within half of a page.
10 points
The writer meets the length requirement

-Double spaced
-Correct margins (1”)
-Times New Roman (12pt)
-Correct Headings
5 points
The writer does not meet requirements
10 points
The writer does meet requirements

The Argument

Provides a stance to support
0 points
Author does not take a stance
5 points
Author’s stance is either unclear or contradictory
10 points
Author’s stance is clearly stated

Provides statements/ evidence to support vote
0-4 points
1 source of evidence
8 points
2 sources of evidence
12 points
3 sources of evidence
16 points
4 sources of evidence
20 points
5 or more sources of evidence

The claim is consistent with the evidence
3 points
Statements/evidence do not match claim
5 points
At times the claim is supported but at others goes against it
10 points
All statements/evidence support claim

Justification of the evidence
0-4 points
Importance of evidence not explained
8 points
Importance of evidence stated but not explained
12 points
Importance of evidence is explained but not clearly and concisely
16 points
Good job of explaining importance of evidence clearly and concisely, but could be better
20 points
Excellent job of explaining importance of evidence clearly and concisely

Mechanics

Organization
1 - 2 points
Sections are very unorganized. Transitions do not flow at all. Paragraphs are not long enough
5 points
Sections are slightly unorganized, transitions do not flow, or paragraphs are not quite long enough
10 points
Sections are easy to follow. Transitions are clear. Paragraphs include multiple sentences

Grammar
1 - 2 points
Sentences are not complete. Word choices are incorrect
5 points
There are a few errors in sentence structure or word choice/spelling, but overall acceptable
10 points
Sentences are complete and well structured. Excellent usage and spelling of words. No grammatical errors

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