Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. vs Malcolm X ( Free Response to Non-Fiction Literature)

California U.S. History Standard : 11.10.4
11.10 Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights. 4. Examine the roles of civil rights advocates (e.g., A Phillip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Hames Farmer, Rosa Parks), including the significance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail and "I Have a Dream" speech.
Directions: Read the following speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; Using Information and facts from the speeches and from your own knowledge of the Civil Rights Era, prepare an expository and persuasive essay response to the following prompt. Essay should include a thesis and introduction, body paragraphs, and a significant conclusion. Handwritten length should be 1-2 pages. Essay will be graded according to the following rubric.
Prompt: Compare and Contrast the civil rights' philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to that of Malcolm X. Which one do you believe was more effective? Justify your response.
Rubric
6-(A+ essay= superlative essay)
Strong thesis clearly developed; well organized; analytical and focused on the question; support thesis with substantial, relevant information and concrete details; understands complexity of question ; deals with both Dr. King's and Malcom X philosophies in detail; no noticeable errors of fact, spelling or grammar

5-(A or A- essay = exceptional essay)
Has all the elements of a 6, but does not fully support the thesis. Essay needs more concrete details; commentary is excellent; writing flows but not as smooth as a 6; some spelling/grammatical errors but they do detract from the essay

4 ( B essay= capable essay)
Introduction presents topic  without enthusiasm or pizzazz,thesis is clear but not well-crafted an presents fairly simplistic interpretation of the prompt; Support Paragraphs are partially organized and may be unbalanced toward Dr.King and Malcolm X, provides adequate but limited concrete details to support thesis, commentary may not fully explain how the concrete details support the thesis; Conclusion is a simple restatement of the prompt; knowledge of history meets grade-level standards; writing lacks authority and persuasiveness but does show interest in topic; may contain some errors that do detract from overall essay/argument  

3-( C essay = developing essay)
Partially developed valid thesis, nay be too broad or general; support paragraphs do not all relate to thesis, student has a minimal understanding of topic; concrete details are sketchy and lack detail, hard evidence, accuracy or relevance to the thesis; commentary is brief and too general; Conclusions may be lacking,writing lacks persuasiveness, may be disorganized in places;mechanics are poor.

2 - ( D essay = limited essay )
Limited, confused and/ or poorly developed thesis; weak organization and writing is brief, shows limited understanding of the question; misinterpreys, briefly cites or quotes documents without analysis; information and commentary is inaccurate and/or irrelevant, ignores complexity of the topic/question; may contain major errors

1-- ( F essay = failing essay) No thesis; disorganized, poorly written; Exhibits inadequete or inaccurate understanding of the topic/question; Poor, confused analysis of speeches; no concrete details; no understanding of era; numerous errors, both major and minor.