Q In a personal essay, a writer draws from their life experiences to explore or communicate an idea to their reader. You will be writing a personal essay as our first out-of-class writing assignment. Prompt Imagine that we are having coffee and I ask you to tell the story of an experience you had that made you a wiser person. Audience Think of your reader as a friend or an acquaintance who has asked you this question. You are not writing for a formal, academic audience, but for a general reader who is genuinely interested in your life. (This audience has no problem, of course, with you using "I" in your essay, for example — they want to be addressed as in a manner appropriate in a "personal," friendly context.) Process You should build this essay around the story of a single event. So you should avoid summarizing your childhood, for example, or what happened to you during your high school years. The essays we read as part of this module are excellent examples of that approach. A personal essay should be just that: personal. You are using an experience from your life to support the claims that you make about the connection between experience and wisdom. Refer to our class essays for examples of the ways that professional writers have used a story to communicate an idea in a personal essay. To receive full credit, the final draft must be at least three pages long, following MLA and class formatting requirements. You aren’t required to quote our readings or to do any outside research for this assignment. Rubric Personal Essay Rubric Personal Essay Rubric Criteria Ratings Pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMechanics Grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting 20 pts Advanced The essay demonstrates full command of college-level English and suffers from few, if any, mechanical errors. 17 pts Competent The essay's mechanics are at course level; its errors are not excessively distracting and don't prevent reading comprehension. 14 pts Adequate The writing qualifies for college credit yet suffers from various distracting mechanical errors. 10 pts Needs Improvement The writing is not at course level. Basic grammatical errors undermine the author's credibility and the reader's ability to understand the essay. 0 pts No Credit Well below course level, fails to meet basic requirements, or no submission. 20 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClaims Ideas, theses, topic sentences 20 pts Advanced The essay is on-topic, insightful, thought-provoking, decisive, distinctive. It offers a compelling perspective and likely adds significantly to its readers' understanding of its subject matter. Clear topic sentences guide the organization of each paragraph. 17 pts Competent The essay is on-topic and offers an interesting, well thought-out perspective. It generally avoids stating the obvious. Some readers will find its perspective of value. 14 pts Adequate The essay is generally on-topic and takes a position on its subject. On occasion, it makes obvious or unhelpful claims, lacks clarity, and/or resorts to vague generalizations. 10 pts Needs Improvement The essay is off-topic, makes hasty generalizations, states the obvious, and/or mistakes factual claims for argumentative claims. Its perspective will not be of value for most readers. 0 pts No Credit Well below course level, fails to meet basic requirements, or no submission. 20 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEvidence Narratives, anecdotes, examples, sources, quotes 40 pts Advanced The essay offers credible, persuasive evidence in support of its claims. Its story, anecdotes, and examples, are specific, detailed, relevant, and skillfully presented. It avoids long summaries or vague generalizations. It exceeds the minimum requirements for the assignment. 34 pts Competent The essay offers credible, persuasive evidence in support of its claims. Its story, anecdotes, and examples relevant, reasonably convincing, and appropriately presented. It values specificity over generalizations. It meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for the assignment. 30 pts Adequate The essay offers acceptable, somewhat persuasive evidence in support of its claims. Story, anecdotes and examples, quotes are generally relevant, convincing, and acceptably presented. It meets the minimum requirements for the assignment. 20 pts Needs Improvement The essay's evidence is not credible, relevant, and/or persuasive. Story, anecdotes, and examples are not clearly related to their claims. The essay is overly reliant on generalizations and vague proof, and/or fails to meet the minimum requirements for the assignment. 0 pts No Credit No submission, or the essay offers little or no evidence in support of its claims. Examples are not credible or are not used persuasively. It does not meet the minimum requirements for the assignment. 40 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOrganization Narrative, continuity, paragraphing, sentencing, framing, length 20 pts Advanced The essay compellingly tells the story of its idea(s). It flows smoothly, is intelligently ordered and is helpfully paragraphed. It elegantly frames its evidence. In short, its author has triumphantly solved the problem of how to communicate the essay's argument. It exceeds the minimum requirements for the assignment. 17 pts Competent The essay tells a story. It flows, remains on-topic, demonstrates strategic paragraphing, and generally frames its evidence. It communicates its ideas effectively. It meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for the assignment. 14 pts Adequate The essay has a recognizable, defensible organizational structure. On occasion, it wanders from its topic. It uses unhelpfully complex or overly simplistic paragraphs. Sentence structures suggest a lack of audience awareness. It meets the minimum length requirement for the assignment. 10 pts Needs Improvement The essay lacks basic phases, audience-awareness, and/or an understanding of paragraph- and sentence-structures. It fails to use transitions and/or frames. The essay is not telling a recognizable story. It does not meet the minimum length requirement for the assignment. 0 pts No Credit No submission, or the essay lacks basic organizational elements and/or does not meet the minimum requirements for length. 20 pts Total Points: 100 PreviousNext