Thematic Statement | What is your universal statement of truth based on your personal anecdotes?
Personal Essay and Rubric Essential Question: What have I come to believe about the world around me? Objectives
A personal essay uses personal experience and observation in order to provide insight about the world. This essay is meant to argue a revelation you experienced. In this case, you are going to explain how, through personal experiences, you have come to understand the definition of community as well as your role in this community. As the writer, you are trying to teach your readers about the life lesson you discovered through this revelation (think theme!). Depending on your student genetics, this might be the most challenging essay you write because there is not a formula for constructing the essay. The qualities of personal essay are limitless: persuasive, subjective, narrative, inventive, descriptive, evolutionary. However, on the surface level this essay is not that much different than the other essays you have written in class; your primary goals should be to present your readers with insight into something you believe about the world and supply evidence to support that wisdom. In general, your essay will contain these components:
Begin by constructing a Google Drive document. Title the document: First and Last Name | Personal Essay (example: Addie Degenhardt | Personal Essay). Share this essay with Addie. Addie will be using this essay to conference with you on your writing. Although you are initially writing this essay in Google Drive, you should still maintain Internet format, because it will be published in your writing portfolio. Do Now | Circle Up Gathering
Analysis | The Beatles I believe in The Beatles. Although they don’t exist anymore, their music is very much alive, even to a 12-year-old like me. As old as the songs are, you can learn a lot about yourself from the lyrics. Listening to them with others and singing along has been important to me and to my family. Three years ago, my dog Phoebe ran away near our house in Cold Spring, New York. Every Friday afternoon, we would drive upstate from Manhattan together as family and dog. My parents never had much music in the car—nothing that we could all agree to listen to except for “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles. We were really scared when Phoebe took off, but hoped she’d come back soon. She didn’t. My friend’s Dad hiked into the state park behind our house, miles in, posting signs explaining about our lost dog. A day passed, and still no Phoebe. We called and called into the woods. Next thing I knew, my Dad climbed into our station wagon and disappeared. A half an hour later, I saw the headlights of our car and heard the weirdest thing: loud, loud music. It was nine o’clock at night, my dad is in the car alone, and he’s blasting Beatles music. My Dad was really smart, probably the smartest one of any of the people looking for Phoebe. But Mom thought he’d lost his mind. Dad explained he figured Phoebe had been in the car with us all those times when we had nothing else to listen to but The Beatles over and over again. He thought if anything could make her come home, it would be the sound of The Beatles. Phoebe did come home a few days later. It wasn’t The Beatles who got her there; it was a sign a neighbor saw, and the phone number on her collar. But I think back to my Dad playing The Beatles’ music so loud we could hear him a half mile away across the lake, and it makes me smile. My Dad died a few months after my dog ran away, and when I first wrote the essay I was afraid to say that because I knew I wouldn’t be able to read it out loud in class without crying. But now when I think of him, I remember his wacky idea to play the family music, and how it made me feel like everything would be okay. The Beatles don’t exist anymore but their music will live in everyone forever. I believe in The Beatles because their music brings people together, and gives us hope.
Essential Questions
Learning Objectives
Quick Jot | Why do we tell personal stories? What type of personal stories inspire us? Analysis | We Came for Baseball Read the this i believe essay We Came For Baseball. Respond to the questions on the back in complete sentences. Please review the personal essays we analyzed together as a reminder of the needed details and explanation within your answers to the questions.
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